Bolthole Index

Pasco County, Florida

Building permits, zoning and septic in San Antonio, Florida

San Antonio, Florida building permit applications must receive San Antonio approval before submission to Dade City Building Department under the cities’ service agreement.1 San Antonio sets district-specific zoning rules, including minimum lot and home sizes in its A Agriculture district.23 Septic permits inside San Antonio, in Pasco County, come from the Florida Department of Health in Pasco County.4

At a glance

Building applications
San Antonio approval first, then Dade City Building Department1
Zoning
A Agriculture district has its own lot, home-size and setback requirements235
Septic permits
Florida Department of Health in Pasco County4
RV living
Living, sleeping or housekeeping use on private residential property limited to 10 days6
A district home size
Minimum 1,000 square feet of enclosed living space3
Owner-builder
Conditional Florida licensing exemption; building permits and code compliance still apply7

Who to call

Building permits

San Antonio Building Services / Permit Coordinator

City approval of building permit applications; starting contact for parcel zoning questions

352-588-2127

[email protected]

32819 Pennsylvania Ave.

Building permits

Dade City Building Department

Building permit services under the agreement with San Antonio, after San Antonio approval

352-523-5050

[email protected]

38020 Meridian Ave.

Septic permits

Florida Department of Health in Pasco County

Septic permits and inspections inside San Antonio and elsewhere in Pasco County

727-841-4425

[email protected]

7509 State Road 52

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 San Antonio means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

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Do you need a building permit in San Antonio, FL?

San Antonio building permit applications go through city approval before submission to Dade City Building Department; the cities have an agreement for building permit services.1 Start with San Antonio’s Permit Coordinator to establish the application requirements for your proposed home, addition or other work.1 Florida’s owner-builder exemption allows qualifying owners to act as their own contractor for a home for their own use, subject to direct supervision and other conditions; the exemption does not remove building permit or code requirements.7

Who handles San Antonio building permit applications?

San Antonio Building Services is the first stop for building permit applications, and Dade City Building Department provides the building permit services after San Antonio approval.1 Contact the San Antonio Permit Coordinator at 352-588-2127; Dade City Building Department is listed at 352-523-5050.18 Ask the city for the current review fee, required application documents and the route for zoning review before submitting your plans.1 Septic approval follows a separate route through the Florida Department of Health in Pasco County.4

Does San Antonio have zoning, lot-size and setback rules?

San Antonio’s A Agriculture district requires a minimum lot area stated in the code as 217,835 square feet (five acres).2 Single-family dwellings in that district need at least 1,000 square feet of enclosed living space.3 Main-building setbacks in the A district are generally 50 feet in front, 25 feet on the side and 50 feet at the rear; a street-abutting side yard has a 20-foot minimum, and an average-front-yard rule may apply.5 Ask San Antonio to identify the parcel’s district before using these dimensions: these are A district requirements, not a citywide minimum for every lot.25

How do septic permits work inside San Antonio?

New septic installations, repairs, modifications and approvals of existing systems inside San Antonio require a permit from the Florida Department of Health in Pasco County.4 The health department also continues to handle septic inspections.9 An existing septic tank therefore does not eliminate the approval question when a proposed project changes the system.4 Pasco County’s soil survey rates only 3.5% of soils as not limited for conventional septic drain fields; that countywide rating supports planning for a site evaluation, rather than assuming septic is impossible or that a particular city lot will work.10

Can you live in an RV or tiny home in San Antonio?

San Antonio limits living, sleeping or housekeeping use of camping and recreational equipment on private residential property to 10 days.6 Equipment stored outside a garage must be behind the front building line, although loading or unloading may occur anywhere on the premises.6 The private-property occupancy limit does not support using an RV as a long-term home while building.6 San Antonio’s flood-hazard rules separately require temporary RVs or park trailers to remain fewer than 180 consecutive days or be fully licensed and ready for highway use; that placement rule does not extend the residential occupancy allowance.116 We could not confirm general tiny-home or accessory-dwelling permission; ask San Antonio about the proposed dwelling and its zoning district.

Building a home in San Antonio: what should you check first?

Start by asking San Antonio to confirm the parcel’s zoning district and the proposed home’s fit with lot size, floor space and setbacks; the A Agriculture district has specific requirements for each.235 Arrange septic review with the Florida Department of Health in Pasco County if the project uses an onsite system.4 Obtain San Antonio’s approval of the building permit application before submitting to Dade City Building Department.1 For land outside city limits, use the Pasco County guide for the county’s building permit jurisdiction.12 We could not confirm city water-connection, driveway-access or lot-splitting requirements; ask San Antonio before committing to a parcel.

Watch-outs

  • San Antonio’s A district dimensions do not establish the requirements for every zoning district.25
  • The flood-hazard RV placement alternative does not override San Antonio’s 10-day private residential occupancy limit.116
  • We could not confirm city-specific building review fees, tiny-home approval or private-well requirements; ask San Antonio’s Permit Coordinator before buying.1

Sources

  1. San Antonio Building Services / Permit Coordinator (sanantonioflorida.org)
  2. Code of Ordinances: Chapter 82 - ZONING, Sec. 82-2 (A) Agriculture zoning district (San Antonio), quoted and re-checked
  3. Code of Ordinances: Chapter 82 - ZONING, Sec. 82-2 (A) Agriculture zoning district (San Antonio), quoted and re-checked
  4. Onsite Sewage Treatment & Disposal Systems (OSTDS) - Florida Department of Health in Pasco County (San Antonio), quoted and re-checked
  5. Code of Ordinances: Chapter 82 - ZONING, Sec. 82-2 (A) Agriculture zoning district (San Antonio), quoted and re-checked
  6. Code of Ordinances: Chapter 82 - ZONING, Sec. 82-11 Supplementary regulations (San Antonio), quoted and re-checked
  7. 2026 Florida Statutes § 489.103, Exemptions (Florida statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  8. Dade City Building Department (sanantonioflorida.org)
  9. Florida Department of Health in Pasco County (pasco.floridahealth.gov)
  10. Share of soils USDA rates "not limited" for a conventional septic drain field (SSURGO). A strict rating: the median county is about 6% and a tenth of counties are 0%, so a low figure means most lots need a site evaluation or an engineered system, not that septic is impossible. Cite it only with that caveat: Bolthole Index county data
  11. Code of Ordinances: Chapter 70, Sec. 70-181 Temporary placement (San Antonio), quoted and re-checked
  12. Florida Statutes § 125.56 — Enforcement and amendment of the Florida Building Code (Florida statewide rule), quoted and re-checked

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 San Antonio

San Antonio’s own rules

  • Minimum dwelling sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

    Single-family dwellings in the A Agriculture zoning district.

    • The section also requires a width-to-depth ratio of not less than 1:4.

    minimum enclosed living space: >= 1000 square feet

    “Minimum floor space. (1) Enclosed space—1,000 feet of living space. (2) Ratio of width to depth shall be not less than 1:4.”
  • Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

    Lots in the A Agriculture zoning district.

    minimum lot area: >= 217835 square feet (Five acres)

    “Minimum lot requirements. The minimum lot area is 217,835 square feet (five acres).”
  • SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

    Main buildings in the A Agriculture zoning district.

    • Side yard abutting a street has a 20-foot minimum measured from the street line.
    • The average-front-yard rule applies where the stated frontage conditions exist.

    front setback: >= 50 feet (Average-front-yard rule may apply.) · side setback: >= 25 feet (20 feet where side yard abuts a street.) · rear setback: >= 50 feet

    “front yard [...] 50 feet [...] side yard [...] 25 feet [...] rear yard [...] 50 feet in depth.”
  • Living in an RVLimited

    Living, sleeping or housekeeping use of recreational or camping equipment on private residential property inside San Antonio city limits.

    • Camping and recreational equipment may be parked or stored on private residential property only subject to the listed conditions.
    • It may not be occupied or used for living, sleeping or housekeeping purposes for more than ten days.
    • If parked outside a garage, it must be behind the front building line.
    • It may be parked anywhere on the premises for loading or unloading.

    maximum occupancy period: <= 10 days (Loading or unloading may occur anywhere on the premises.)

    “used for living, sleeping or housekeeping purposes for more than ten days.”
  • Camping on your landLimited

    Temporary camping or recreational-vehicle placement inside San Antonio city limits.

    • On private residential property, use for living, sleeping or housekeeping is limited to ten days under Sec. 82-11(g).
    • In flood hazard areas, temporary recreational vehicles or park trailers must be on site fewer than 180 consecutive days or be fully licensed and ready for highway use.
    • City-owned land or rights-of-way have a separate 48-hour parking limit for vehicles commonly used for living or sleeping.

    private residential occupancy limit: <= 10 days · flood-hazard temporary placement: < 180 consecutive days (Alternative is fully licensed and ready for highway use.) · city-owned land parking limit: <= 48 hours

    “used for living, sleeping or housekeeping purposes for more than ten days.”
  • Building in a floodplainLimited

    Recreational vehicles, park trailers and manufactured homes in flood hazard areas inside San Antonio city limits.

    • Temporary recreational vehicles and park trailers must be on site fewer than 180 consecutive days or be fully licensed and ready for highway use.
    • Ready-for-highway-use means on wheels or a jacking system, attached only by quick-disconnect utilities and security devices, with no permanent attachments such as additions, rooms, stairs, decks or porches.
    • Manufactured homes installed or replaced in flood hazard areas are inspected by the building official and must comply with the chapter and issued permit.

    temporary RV placement: < 180 consecutive days (Alternative is fully licensed and ready for highway use.)

    “Be on the site for fewer than 180 consecutive days”

Rules another office applies inside San Antonio

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

  • Septic permitRequired

    Proposed new septic installations, repairs, modifications and existing-system approvals inside San Antonio city limits.

    • The permit is issued by the Florida Department of Health in Pasco County.
    • The source also states that operating permits apply to aerobic treatment units, performance-based treatment systems, commercial septic systems, and industrial or manufacturing-zoned or equivalent septic systems.
    “All proposed new installations, repairs, modifications and approvals of existing systems require a permit”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask San Antonio or Pasco County directly.

  • Building permit — Building permit requirement for construction inside San Antonio city limits.
  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption from building permitting or licensing inside San Antonio city limits.
  • Tiny homes — Tiny-home occupancy inside San Antonio city limits.
  • Accessory dwellings — Accessory dwelling units inside San Antonio city limits.
  • Well permit — Private or public well permitting inside San Antonio city limits.
5 more unanswered
  • Mandatory utility hookup
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Subdividing land
  • Driveway access
  • 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 San Antonio publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Pasco County’s page lists the county offices to call.

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