Bolthole Index

Pasco County, Florida

Building permits, zoning and septic in the Town of St. Leo, Florida

The Town of St. Leo, Florida starts its building-permit process with town zoning compliance approval; Dade City issues building permits and handles inspections under contract.1 St. Leo sets its own zoning standards, including a 1,300-square-foot minimum living area for single-family homes.23 Septic permits go through the Florida Department of Health in Pasco County, while town sewer-availability restrictions also apply.45

At a glance

Building permits
Town zoning approval first; Dade City handles building permits and inspections1
Zoning
Town zoning with district-specific dimensional standards2
Minimum home size
1,300 square feet of living area for single-family dwellings; specified ancillary areas excluded3
Rural residential lots
RDR district: minimum 2.25 acres, subject to the PUD dimensional-waiver process6
Septic permits
Pasco health department; town requires sewer connection where sewer is available45
Driveway permits
Road owner determines the authority; required access approvals precede the town building permit7
Owner-builder
Florida exemption is conditional and does not remove building permits or code compliance8

Who to call

Building permits

Dade City Building Division

Building permits, code enforcement and inspections for St. Leo under town contract

(352) 521-1460

Planning & zoning

Town of St. Leo Administration

Starting contact for town zoning compliance applications and parcel-specific zoning questions

(352) 588-2622

34544 County Road 52

Septic permits

Florida Department of Health in Pasco County

Septic permits and inspections in Pasco County, including St. Leo

727-841-4425 Option 3

[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 Town of St. Leo 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 Town of St. Leo, FL?

For a home project in St. Leo, start with the town’s Zoning Compliance Application; after approval and payment of any applicable fees, take the application and accompanying paperwork to the Dade City Building Division.1 St. Leo contracts with Dade City for building permitting and inspections, so the town zoning step and the building-permit step involve different counters.1 Ask Dade City which building permits and inspections your particular scope requires, and ask town administration about zoning compliance before preparing the submission.19

Does the Town of St. Leo have zoning, lot-size and setback rules?

St. Leo has town zoning, and dimensional standards depend on the parcel’s district.2 In Rural Density Residential (RDR), the minimum lot area is 2.25 acres and the maximum building height is 35 feet.610 RDR has a 25-foot front setback, a 15-foot rear setback and a side/street entry of 15/20 feet; special setbacks and corner- or through-lot provisions also apply.11 Ask town administration to confirm the parcel’s district and applicable setbacks before choosing a house location.9 The town commission may waive dimensional standards through the PUD process, but density and FAR limits are excluded from that waiver.2

How do septic permits work inside the Town of St. Leo?

St. Leo requires sewer connection where sewer is available; where sewer is unavailable, new development can use approved and permitted onsite sewage treatment and disposal systems.5 The Florida Department of Health in Pasco County handles septic permitting and inspection, including permits for new installations, repairs, modifications and approvals of existing systems.4 Town septic restrictions additionally address lot area, lot width, well separation and sewer availability, so a health-department permit is only part of the sanitation review.12 Private filtration systems covered by the town’s septic provision require periodic effluent testing on town-established schedules, with inspection costs paid by the owner.13

Can you live in an RV or tiny home in the Town of St. Leo?

St. Leo’s single-family dwellings must contain at least 1,300 square feet of living area, excluding open porches, open breezeways, carports, garages and screened areas.3 A proposed tiny home classified as a single-family dwelling therefore must meet that town minimum; a small building does not escape the living-area rule simply because the owner calls it a tiny home.3 We could not confirm St. Leo’s private-land RV occupancy, temporary camping or separate tiny-home classification rules; ask town administration about the proposed use before buying land for that purpose.9

Building a home in the Town of St. Leo: what comes first?

  1. Confirm the town zoning district and design around its dimensional standards, including the single-family living-area minimum.23
  2. Resolve sewer availability; if sewer is unavailable, discuss the proposed septic system with Pasco’s health department and the town.54
  3. Obtain required driveway approvals before the building permit: FDOT for state roads, Pasco County for county roads and the town as applicable for local roads.7
  4. Submit the town Zoning Compliance Application, then deliver the approved paperwork and applicable fee payment to Dade City for building permitting and inspections.1

Florida’s owner-builder exemption requires qualifying personal use and direct onsite supervision; building permits and code compliance still apply.8

What should you check before buying land in the Town of St. Leo?

Use the town zoning review to check whether the intended home fits the district’s dimensional standards, rather than assuming that acreage alone makes a parcel buildable.2 A rural-residential lot’s zoning size requirement and the town’s septic lot-area, width and well-separation restrictions are separate checks.612 Florida requires a water-well permit from the appropriate water management district or delegated authority before well construction, repair or abandonment; confirm the applicable authority and exceptions before commissioning a well.14 For land outside town limits, use the Pasco County guide for the county’s separate zoning jurisdiction.15

Watch-outs

  • An approved town zoning application still must go to Dade City for the building-permit stage.1
  • Sewer availability can rule out a new septic proposal in St. Leo even when a septic system would otherwise be possible.5
  • We could not confirm a current St. Leo building-permit fee schedule or private-land RV occupancy rule; ask town administration about zoning and Dade City about building-permit fees.91

Sources

  1. Dade City Building Division (townofstleo.org)
  2. St. Leo Land Development Code § 7.7—Zoning districts dimensional standards (Town of St. Leo), quoted and re-checked
  3. St. Leo Land Development Code § 5.10—Minimum floor area requirement (Town of St. Leo), quoted and re-checked
  4. Florida Department of Health in Pasco County (pasco.floridahealth.gov)
  5. St. Leo Comprehensive Plan—PSF Objective 2.1 (Town of St. Leo), quoted and re-checked
  6. St. Leo Land Development Code § 7.7—Zoning districts dimensional standards (Town of St. Leo), quoted and re-checked
  7. St. Leo Comprehensive Plan—TE Objective 1.4 (Town of St. Leo), quoted and re-checked
  8. 2026 Florida Statutes § 489.103, Exemptions (Florida statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  9. Town of St. Leo Administration (townofstleo.org)
  10. St. Leo Land Development Code § 7.7—Zoning districts dimensional standards (Town of St. Leo), quoted and re-checked
  11. St. Leo Land Development Code § 7.7—Zoning districts dimensional standards (Town of St. Leo), quoted and re-checked
  12. St. Leo Comprehensive Plan—PSF Objective 2.1 (Town of St. Leo), quoted and re-checked
  13. St. Leo Code § 14-24—Septic tanks (Town of St. Leo), quoted and re-checked
  14. Water Well Contractor Licensing and Permitting (Florida statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  15. Pasco County GIS zoning districts layer, 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 Town of St. Leo

Town of St. Leo’s own rules

  • Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

    Land inside St. Leo town limits.

    • Dimensional standards may be waived through the PUD process at the town commission's discretion, except density and FAR limits.
    “Table B identifies the development dimensional standards that apply to each zoning district.”
  • Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

    All single-family dwelling units inside St. Leo town limits.

    • Open porches, open breezeways, carports, garages, and screened areas are excluded from living-area calculation.

    minimum living area: >= 1300 square feet (Exclusive of open porches, open breezeways, carports, garages, or screened areas.)

    “All single-family dwelling units shall contain a minimum of 1,300 square feet of living area exclusive of open porches, open breezeways, carports, garages, or screened areas.”
  • Who permits septicMixed (with conditions)

    On-site sewage treatment and disposal inside St. Leo town limits.

    • Town policy identifies Department of Health and/or Department of Environmental Protection approval and permitting when sewer is unavailable.
    • Town Code § 14-24 imposes additional local septic restrictions and sewer-connection requirements.
    “If sewer is not available, new development may meet the concurrency requirement for sanitary sewer through the use of on-site sewage treatment and disposal systems (OSTDS) approved and permitted by the Department of Health and/or the Department of Environmental Protection.”
  • Septic permitRequired

    New development inside St. Leo town limits where sanitary sewer is unavailable.

    • The OSTDS must be approved and permitted by the Department of Health and/or Department of Environmental Protection.
    • Where sewer is available, the Town instead requires sewer connection under its comprehensive-plan policy and Code § 14-24.
    “If sewer is not available, new development may meet the concurrency requirement for sanitary sewer through the use of on-site sewage treatment and disposal systems (OSTDS) approved and permitted by the Department of Health and/or the Department of Environmental Protection.”
  • Septic inspectionLimited

    Private septic filtration systems described in St. Leo Code § 14-24(b).

    • Effluent must be tested periodically and comply with the section's standards.
    • Inspection schedules are established by Town resolution and the owner pays the periodic-inspection cost.
    “After the installation of the private filtration system described in subsection (b) of this section, the effluents there from must be tested periodically and found to be in compliance with the standards of this section, in accordance with inspection schedules established from time to time, by resolution of the town, and the cost of such periodic inspection shall be paid by the owner of the system.”
  • Off-grid sanitationLimited

    New development inside St. Leo town limits where public sewer is unavailable.

    • Use is through approved and permitted OSTDS.
    • Town Code § 14-24 imposes lot-area, lot-width, well-separation, and sewer-availability restrictions.
    “If sewer is not available, new development may meet the concurrency requirement for sanitary sewer through the use of on-site sewage treatment and disposal systems (OSTDS) approved and permitted by the Department of Health and/or the Department of Environmental Protection.”
  • Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

    Proposed subdivisions inside St. Leo town limits that entail construction of streets and/or utilities.

    • Underground utilities and service connections at property lines must be installed before street base course, paving, or curbing.
    • No aboveground utilities are permitted; developer bears installation costs.
    “When a proposed subdivision entails construction of streets and/or utilities, underground utilities such as water mains, electric, telephone, cable TV, gas mains, sanitary sewer lines, storm sewer lines, and all service connections at property lines shall be installed prior to the installation of any street base course, paving, or curbing.”
  • Driveway accessRequired

    Development access inside St. Leo town limits before issuance of a Town building permit.

    • FDOT driveway permits are required for state roads.
    • Pasco County driveway permits are required for county roads.
    • Town driveway permits are required as applicable for local roads.
    “Require FDOT driveway permits for development access on state roads, Pasco County driveway permits on all County roads and Town driveway permits, as may be required, on all local roads prior to issuance of a Town of St. Leo building permit.”
  • Permit processPartial

    Development access permits preceding a Town building permit inside St. Leo town limits.

    • FDOT permits apply to state-road access; Pasco County permits apply to county-road access; Town permits may be required for local-road access.
    • The supplied material does not provide a complete Town building-permit application process.
    “Require FDOT driveway permits for development access on state roads, Pasco County driveway permits on all County roads and Town driveway permits, as may be required, on all local roads prior to issuance of a Town of St. Leo building permit.”

Rules another office applies inside Town of St. Leo

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

  • Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

    Rural Density Residential (RDR) zoning district inside St. Leo town limits.

    • PUD process may waive dimensional standards other than density and FAR at town commission discretion.

    minimum lot area: >= 2.25 acres

    “Rural density residential (RDR) 2.25 acres 75 25 15/20 15 35 Density: 1 unit/ 2.25 acres FAR: 0.2 0.4”
  • SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

    Rural Density Residential (RDR) zoning district inside St. Leo town limits.

    • Table B special building setbacks refer to §§ 7.9 and 7.10; corner- and through-lot rules also apply.

    front setback: >= 25 feet · side/street setback: 15/20 feet · rear setback: >= 15 feet

    “Rural density residential (RDR) 2.25 acres 75 25 15/20 15 35 Density: 1 unit/ 2.25 acres FAR: 0.2 0.4”
  • Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

    Rural Density Residential (RDR) zoning district inside St. Leo town limits.

    • The table's general height-increase note identifies increased limits only for IL, B, MDR, and A districts; no RDR increased-height limit is stated in that note.

    maximum height: <= 35 feet

    “Rural density residential (RDR) 2.25 acres 75 25 15/20 15 35 Density: 1 unit/ 2.25 acres FAR: 0.2 0.4”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Town of St. Leo or Pasco County directly.

  • Building permit — Residential construction inside St. Leo town limits.
  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential work inside St. Leo town limits.
  • Building code adopted — Construction inside St. Leo town limits.
  • Certificate of occupancy — New residential occupancy inside St. Leo town limits.
  • Lot coverage — Residential lots inside St. Leo town limits.
4 more unanswered
  • Camping on your land
  • Tiny homes
  • 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 Town of St. Leo publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Pasco County’s page lists the county offices to call.

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