Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Village of Highland Park, Florida

Village of Highland Park’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Carports, garages and mobile homes with connected utilities or temporary occupancy inside Highland Park village

  • The captured text ties the permit to connected electricity or plumbing for carports and garages and to a building permit for a temporary mobile home; a general permit requirement for new homes was not captured.
  • Blank Building Permit Authorization Form listed on the village government page; not opened.

  “any carport or garage with connected electricity and/or plumbing will require an electrical and/or plumbing permit”

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  Construction inside Highland Park village

  • Village code requires compliance with the Florida Building Code for all construction and accessory structures.
  • Enforcement inspections in the captured text are performed by Polk County building inspectors on behalf of the village.

  “all construction shall comply with the florida building code and be in conformity with the provisions of this code”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Highland Park village limits (Lake Wales mailing address, Polk County). The village administers its own Unified Land Development Code with zoning districts and an official zoning map.

  • Code text reviewed is the Unified Land Development Code the village lists as adopted December 12, 2012; the village zoning map is labeled Rev 2025 and later amendments were not checked.
  • Zoning-only limits are answered from this code for the village; county rules do not replace them.

  “the zoning districts listed in article 2 and the boundaries thereof are shown upon the official zoning map or series of maps of the village, and made a part thereof”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts inside Highland Park village limits

  • Article 2 lists single-family residential (R-2, R-2H, R-2T), conservation (CON), recreation and open space (ROS) and planned development (PD) districts; the list captured here is partial and the district map was not opened.
  • Map boundaries are in the village's official zoning map, not in the code text.

  “the zoning districts listed in article 2 and the boundaries thereof are shown upon the official zoning map or series of maps of the village, and made a part thereof”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Single-family residential R-2, historic R-2H and traditional R-2T districts inside Highland Park village

  • The 15,000 sq ft figure is stated in the district purpose statement; the numeric values in Table 2.03.01(b) (table of development standards) were not captured.
  • Accessory structures for human occupancy require an additional 2,000 sq ft (see accessory_dwelling claim).

  minimum lot size: >= 15000 sq ft (per district purpose statement, Sec. 2.03.02.02(b); Table 2.03.01(b) not captured)

  “to establish land area for single family residences on a minimum of 15,000 square feet with lots intended to provide protected homesites”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Use of a recreational vehicle, trailer or mobile home as an accessory structure or as living quarters inside Highland Park village

  • Prohibited as accessory structure or living quarters; general RV occupancy on a lot with a principal dwelling was not found in captured text.
  • Temporary mobile home during construction is allowed only under the administrative approval (see manufactured_home_occupancy).

  “no mobile home, trailer, or recreational vehicle or vehicle of any kind shall be permitted to be used as an accessory structure or as living quarters”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Guest house, cottage or garage apartment accessory to a single-family dwelling inside Highland Park village

  • Must be in the rear yard of the principal dwelling; side and rear setbacks apply.
  • Must not be served by an electrical meter billed separately from the principal building and must not be rented.
  • Lot must have an additional 2,000 sq ft for an accessory structure built for human occupancy.
  • Maximum size 75% of principal dwelling floor area; one additional off-street parking space required.
  • Mother-in-law units may not exceed one-third of the principal dwelling (Sec. 2.04.00, not captured in full).

  minimum floor area: >= 480 sq ft (guest house, cottage or garage apartment) · maximum size as share of principal dwelling: <= 75 percent (guest house, cottage or garage apartment) · additional lot area for accessory structure for human occupancy: >= 2000 sq ft (in addition to principal lot requirement)

  “(c) a guest house, cottage or garage apartments constructed after the adoption of this section of the code shall meet these standards:”

Rules another office applies inside Village of Highland Park

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

• InspectionsLimited

  Foundation and rough plumbing inspections for a permanent home where a temporary mobile home is placed inside Highland Park village; performed by a Polk County building inspector on behalf of the village

  • Inspection is cited only for the temporary mobile home approval; full inspection sequence for new homes not captured.

  “foundation and rough plumbing for the permanent structure have been completed and approved by a polk county building inspector on behalf of the village”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Septic tank permits for land inside Highland Park village; the Polk County health department issues the permit (Florida Department of Health in Polk County), not the village

  • Applies where the home is not connected to a public sewer system.
  • Village may prohibit or limit septic tanks in wetland upland-zone protective measures (Sec. 5.03.06).

  “the unit must be connected to a public sewer system or have received a septic tank permit from the polk county health department.”

• Septic permitLimited

  Septic tank permit from the Polk County health department, where a home inside Highland Park village is not connected to a public sewer system (quoted for temporary mobile homes)

  • Permit is cited as an alternative to public sewer connection in the mobile home approval; general septic permit requirements for a permanent home were not captured.

  “the unit must be connected to a public sewer system or have received a septic tank permit from the polk county health department.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Village of Highland Park or Polk County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for a homeowner building on their own land inside Highland Park village
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside Highland Park village
• Tiny homes — Tiny home occupancy inside Highland Park village
• Septic inspection — Septic inspection inside Highland Park village
• Off-grid sanitation — Off-grid sanitation (non-sewer wastewater) inside Highland Park village

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.