Every guided workflow in the knowledge base, permits, licenses, land use, records, and life events, with the responsible agency, requirements, fees, and official application links.
Docks, seawalls, riprap, tie poles, boat lifts, marinas, and all dredging or filling in Pinellas County waters require a Water and Navigation permit from Pinellas County. The county's Water and Navigation section reviews projects for environmental impacts, navigational impacts, and construction requirements, and it permits projects in both unincorporated areas and within municipal limits. Most projects also need a state authorization from FDEP (an Environmental Resource Permit, general permit, or exemption, plus state-owned submerged lands authorization) and a federal Army Corps authorization, which for minor work in Pinellas County waters is often covered by a general permit such as PGP SAJ-96.
Florida transferred the septic (onsite sewage treatment and disposal system) program from the Department of Health to DEP under the 2020 Clean Waterways Act, but in Pinellas County the Florida Department of Health in Pinellas County (DOH-Pinellas) still handles septic permitting and inspections under DEP rules. DEP has directly taken over permitting only in 16 Panhandle counties and Marion County; Pinellas is not among them.
Tree removal permitting in Pinellas County depends on where the property sits. Unincorporated Pinellas County requires a Tree Removal/Habitat Permit under Chapter 58 of the county code, with new simplified regulations effective Jan. 23, 2026. The City of St. Petersburg and the City of Clearwater each run their own tree removal permits. Statewide, Florida Statute 163.045 lets owners of single-family detached residential property remove a dangerous tree without a local permit when a certified arborist or Florida licensed landscape architect documents the risk.
A well construction permit from the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) is required before installing a water well anywhere in Pinellas County. Unlike Manatee, Sarasota, and Marion counties, Pinellas has no delegated local well-permitting agency; SWFWMD issues permits directly, typically obtained by your licensed water well contractor.