Bolthole Index

Palm Beach County, Florida

Building permits, zoning and septic in the Village of Tequesta, Florida

A new home in the Village of Tequesta, Florida needs a village building permit, with applications handled by the Village Building Department.1 Tequesta sets zoning inside village limits; septic permits and inspections stay with the Florida Department of Health in Palm Beach County.23 Lot size and setbacks depend on the zoning district, so identify the district before choosing a house plan.4567

At a glance

Building permits
Village building permit application required for a new single-family home1
Zoning
Village zoning applies inside Tequesta2
Septic permits
Palm Beach County health department handles permitting and inspection38
Minimum lot size
R-1: 8,000 square feet; R-1A: 12,000 square feet54
Wells
Health Department is the water-well permit contact9
Owner-builder
State exemption is conditional; building permits and code compliance still apply10

Who to call

Building permits

Village of Tequesta Building Department

Village building permit applications, application status, payments and questions about work requiring a building permit.

561-768-0450

345 Tequesta Drive, Tequesta, FL 33469

Online permits →

Zoning

Village of Tequesta Community Development

Village zoning map, comprehensive plan and planning questions.

561-768-0449

Septic permits

Florida Department of Health in Palm Beach County — Environmental Public Health

Septic-system plan review and permitting, private-well plans and final approvals.

561-840-4500

Floodplain permits

Village of Tequesta Building Department — Floodplain Information

Property flood-zone information, floodplain development permits and elevation-certificate questions.

(561) 768-0450

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 11, 2026.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Village of Tequesta means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

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Do you need a building permit in the Village of Tequesta, FL?

A new single-family home in the Village of Tequesta requires a building permit application, a proposed survey, a site plan and signed/sealed architectural plans, along with the required schedules, calculations and applicable flood or drainage documents.1 Tequesta also requires separate applications for driveway, fence, swimming-pool, generator and retaining-wall work associated with the home.1 Do not treat the house application as approval for every part of the site: identify the separate building and driveway applications with the Village Building Department before submitting plans.1

Who issues building permits in the Village of Tequesta?

The Village of Tequesta Building Department accepts building permit applications through its online BS&A system.11 Contact the Building Department at 561-768-0450 for application questions; contractors should obtain their BS&A Contractor Web PIN from the department.11 Tequesta’s online system also lets you look up an application using the building permit number or property address.11 For a new home, use the village’s single-family submittal requirements to assemble the survey, site plan and architectural plans before applying.1

Does the Village of Tequesta have zoning, lot-size rules and setbacks?

The Village of Tequesta has its own zoning districts regulating land uses, building bulk, open space and intensity of development.2 In Tequesta’s R-1 district, the minimum lot area is 8,000 square feet and minimum width is 75 feet; in R-1A, the minimums are 12,000 square feet and 100 feet.54 Both districts have a maximum lot coverage of 37%.1213

Tequesta’s R-1 and R-1A districts require a 25-foot front setback and a 20-foot rear setback for a main building.76 Ordinary side setbacks are 7½ feet in R-1 and 10 feet in R-1A, while corner lots have a 20-foot side setback.76 Ask Village Community Development to identify the parcel’s district using the village zoning map before designing around these figures.14

How do septic permits and wells work inside the Village of Tequesta?

Septic permits and inspections inside the Village of Tequesta are handled by the Florida Department of Health in Palm Beach County, while DEP implements the state onsite sewage program.3 The health department reviews septic and private-well plans, and its published process requires plan approval before a building permit can be issued.15 Florida’s septic permitting process requires a site evaluation to determine system suitability.16

For a Tequesta parcel using a well, the Health Department is the water-well permit contact, and well drillers submit location plans before drilling.915 The health department also says final well and septic approvals must be recorded with the building department before a certificate of occupancy is issued.15

Can you live in an RV or tiny home in the Village of Tequesta?

We could not confirm whether living in an RV on a private lot is allowed in the Village of Tequesta; ask Village Community Development about the proposed parcel and whether temporary occupancy during construction is allowed. We also could not confirm Tequesta’s tiny-home occupancy or accessory-dwelling rules. Tequesta regulates land uses through village zoning, so take the proposed dwelling type and site plan to Community Development before committing to a purchase.2

Florida’s owner-builder exemption can allow an owner to act as contractor for a home intended for the owner’s use, subject to direct onsite supervision and other statutory conditions; the exemption does not remove building-permit or code-compliance requirements.10 Ask the Village Building Department what documentation it requires for an owner-builder application.

Building a home in the Village of Tequesta: what are the steps?

  1. Ask Village Community Development to identify the parcel on the village zoning map, then check the applicable district’s lot dimensions and setbacks.145476
  2. If the home will use septic or a private well, obtain health-department plan review before the building permit is issued.15
  3. Assemble the village’s single-family application package, including the survey, site plan, signed/sealed architectural plans and applicable flood/drainage documents, and submit separate driveway and other required applications.1
  4. Obtain approval of required subpermits before scheduling inspections; do not cover work until a Village of Tequesta Building Inspector approves it.117
  5. For a home using septic or a well, ensure the health department’s final approvals are recorded before the certificate of occupancy.15

For land outside village limits, consult the Palm Beach County guide for the county’s unincorporated-area zoning framework.18

What should you check before buying a lot in the Village of Tequesta?

Ask the Village of Tequesta Building Department whether the parcel is in a flood zone and whether an elevation certificate is already on file.19 Tequesta requires a floodplain development permit before issuing the building permit for a project in a Special Flood Hazard Area; elevation certificates or no-rise/no-impact certifications may also be needed.19 Make that review part of the purchase decision alongside the village district’s lot-size and setback requirements, rather than budgeting only for the house plans.195476

Watch-outs

  • Tequesta’s separate driveway, fence, pool, generator and retaining-wall applications are not replaced by the single-family building permit application.1
  • We could not confirm Tequesta’s utility-connection requirements or complete off-grid sanitation rules; ask the Village Building Department and Palm Beach County Environmental Public Health before planning a home without public utilities.1115
  • Corner-lot side setbacks in Tequesta’s R-1 and R-1A districts differ from ordinary side setbacks.76

Sources

  1. Single Family Home Submittal Requirements (Village of Tequesta), quoted and re-checked
  2. Sec. 78-121. Establishment of districts; zoning map adopted (Village of Tequesta), quoted and re-checked
  3. Wastewater Systems (Village of Tequesta), quoted and re-checked
  4. Sec. 78-143. Schedule of site requirements (Village of Tequesta), quoted and re-checked
  5. Sec. 78-143. Schedule of site requirements (Village of Tequesta), quoted and re-checked
  6. Sec. 78-143. Schedule of site requirements (Village of Tequesta), quoted and re-checked
  7. Sec. 78-143. Schedule of site requirements (Village of Tequesta), quoted and re-checked
  8. Wastewater Systems (Village of Tequesta), quoted and re-checked
  9. Palm Beach County Planning Division - Planner On Call (Village of Tequesta), quoted and re-checked
  10. 2026 Florida Statutes § 489.103, Exemptions (Florida statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  11. Village of Tequesta Building Department (tequesta.org)
  12. Sec. 78-143. Schedule of site requirements (Village of Tequesta), quoted and re-checked
  13. library.municode.com (Village of Tequesta), quoted and re-checked
  14. Village of Tequesta Community Development (tequesta.org)
  15. Florida Department of Health in Palm Beach County — Environmental Public Health (palmbeach.floridahealth.gov)
  16. OSTDS Construction Application (Florida statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  17. Inspections (Village of Tequesta), quoted and re-checked
  18. Planning, Zoning & Building - Zoning (2026 county census)
  19. Village of Tequesta Building Department — Floodplain Information (tequesta.org)

Written October 11, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.

Answers from the rulebook for Village of Tequesta

Village of Tequesta’s own rules

  • Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

    Building construction inside Tequesta.

    • The Village page identifies the 2023 Florida Building Code, 8th Edition as effective January 1, 2024.
    “The 2023 Florida Building Code, 8th Edition - Effective January 1, 2024”
  • InspectionsRequired

    Permitted construction inside Tequesta.

    • Inspections are scheduled through the Village portal, email, or telephone; the cutoff is 3 p.m. the business day before the intended inspection day.
    “Please do not cover ANY work until it has been approved by a Village of Tequesta Building Inspector.”
  • Local zoningPresent

    Land inside the Village of Tequesta.

    “In order to classify, regulate and restrict the uses of land and buildings, the height and bulk of buildings, the amount of open spaces about buildings and the intensity of land use, and to implement the village comprehensive development plan, the village is divided into the following use districts:”
  • Minimum lot sizeSpecified

    R-1 district inside Tequesta.

    minimum lot size: 8000 square feet · minimum lot width: 75 feet

    “R-1 8,000 sq. ft. 75 ft. 37% 25 ft. 1 7½ ft. for main building and accessory building”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic
  • SetbacksSpecified

    R-1 district inside Tequesta.

    • Front setback is 25 feet; side setback is 7½ feet for main/accessory buildings and 20 feet for corner lots; rear setback is 20 feet for main structures and 10 feet for accessory structures.

    front setback: 25 feet · side setback: 7½ ft main/accessory; 20 ft corner text · rear setback: 20 ft main; 10 ft accessory text

    “25 ft. 1 7½ ft. for main building and accessory building 20 ft. for any corner lot 2 20 ft. for main building or structure 10 ft. for any accessory building or structure”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic
    • Specified — R-1A district inside Tequesta.
      “25 ft. 1 10 ft. for main building and accessory building 20 ft. for any corner lot 2 20 ft. for main building or structure 10 ft. for any accessory building or structure”
  • Lot coverageSpecified

    R-1 district inside Tequesta.

    maximum lot coverage: 37 percent

    “R-1 8,000 sq. ft. 75 ft. 37% 25 ft. 1 7½ ft. for main building and accessory building”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic
    • Specified — R-1A district inside Tequesta.
      “R-1A 12,000 sq. ft. 100 ft. 37% 25 ft. 1”
  • Driveway accessRequired

    Driveway work associated with a single-family home inside Tequesta.

    • A driveway permit is submitted separately, and all required subpermits must be approved before scheduling inspections.
    “NOTE: The following permits are to be submitted separately: • Driveway • Fence • Swimming Pool • Generator • Retaining Wall”
  • Permit processPublished (with conditions)

    Single-family building permit applications inside Tequesta.

    • Submit building permit application, proposed survey, site plan, signed/sealed architectural plans, required schedules/calculations, and applicable flood/drainage documents. Driveway, fence, pool, generator, retaining-wall permits are separate. All required subpermits must be approved before inspections.
    “SINGLE FAMILY HOME SUBMITTAL REQUIREMENTS • Building Permit Application • Proposed survey • Site plan • Signed/sealed (original raised/wet seal) architectural plans”

Rules another office applies inside Village of Tequesta

Village of Tequesta does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

  • Who permits septicMixed (with conditions)

    Septic systems inside Tequesta; DEP implements OSTDS statutes and regulations, while the Palm Beach County health department performs permitting and inspection.

    • The Palm Beach County health department remains the permitting and inspection contact even though DEP implements the state OSTDS program.
    “Effective July 1, 2021, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is responsible for implementing the Florida Statutes and regulations applicable to OSTDS. Under Florida’s Clean Waterways Act of 2020, the county health department offices will continue to do the permitting and inspection for septic tanks; please continue to work with them for all of your permitting-related needs.”
  • Septic permitRequired

    Septic tanks inside Tequesta.

    • Permitting is handled through the Palm Beach County health department under the state OSTDS program.
    “the county health department offices will continue to do the permitting and inspection for septic tanks; please continue to work with them for all of your permitting-related needs.”
  • Septic inspectionRequired

    Septic tanks inside Tequesta.

    • County health department inspection applies; private-provider inspections may be available under the state program.
    “The OSTDS program ensures that the OSTDS is properly designed, constructed, and maintained through permitting and inspection and contributes to safe ground water, which provides 90% of Florida’s drinking water.”
  • Well permitRequired

    Water wells inside Tequesta.

    • Palm Beach County identifies the Health Department as the contact for water-well permits.
    “Health Department - Water well or septic tank permit: 561-840-4500”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Village of Tequesta or Palm Beach County directly.

  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction inside Tequesta.
  • Tiny homes — Tiny-home occupancy inside Tequesta.
  • Accessory dwellings — Accessory dwelling units inside Tequesta.
  • Off-grid sanitation — Off-grid sanitation inside Tequesta.
  • Mandatory utility hookup — New homes inside Tequesta.
4 more unanswered
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Subdividing land
  • Short-term rentals
  • Permit fees

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.

Unanswered questions are usually a sign that Village of Tequesta publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Palm Beach County’s page lists the county offices to call.

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