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.
Property owners in Tarpon Springs' designated historic areas need design review before exterior work. The Heritage Preservation Board (five members plus one alternate) makes final decisions on Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) applications and Economic Hardship Exemption applications. The program is administered by the Planning and Zoning Department under the Historic District Design Review Guidelines Manual and Land Development Code Article VII, Heritage Preservation. Applications are submitted online through a dedicated design-review instance of the city's eplansoft portal.
Dunedin's Outdoor Hospitality Permit is a zoning permit for outdoor dining or drinking areas located wholly on private property and associated with a business that provides food or drink service. It is permissible for any restaurant, bar, cafe, or related business. Businesses already operating unapproved outdoor dining areas must obtain the permit by September 1, 2027, under a three-year grace period granted by the City Commission.
Changing what a property can be used for in unincorporated Pinellas County can require a Zoning Change (rezoning), a Future Land Use Map change, or both - often filed together. Applications go through the Pinellas County Access Portal; the Local Planning Agency reviews comprehensive plan amendments and the Board of County Commissioners has final authority on zoning changes. Because Pinellas has a unique countywide planning system, major future land use changes also require an amendment to the Countywide Plan Map administered by Forward Pinellas.
New commercial projects, subdivisions, and larger developments in unincorporated Pinellas County go through Development Review Services (DRS) within Building and Development Review Services. DRS reviews site plans, subdivision plats, and related submittals for the unincorporated county and six partner communities. The process starts with an optional-but-recommended pre-application meeting and runs through the Pinellas County Access Portal.
When a project in unincorporated Pinellas County cannot meet a zoning code standard (setbacks, height, etc.) or proposes a use allowed only as a special exception, the owner applies for a Variance (Land Development Code Sec. 138-230) or a Type 2 Use (Sec. 138-240). The Board of Adjustment and Appeals (BOAA) reviews the application and staff report, holds a public hearing, and takes final action.