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.
A 2009 county ordinance requires home and business owners with alarm systems to register them (free) with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office SHARP program. It covers unincorporated Pinellas plus the 13 cities that contract with PCSO for law enforcement. False alarm fines escalate, and unregistered alarms are fined from the first false alarm.
Unlike most Florida counties, Pinellas County does NOT require a county-level local business tax receipt. The Board of County Commissioners repealed the county occupational license requirement by resolution on July 25, 1995 (Ordinance No. 95-53). Businesses in unincorporated Pinellas need no county business license; businesses inside a municipality may still need a CITY business tax receipt.
BDRS issues commercial building permits covering work on non-residential buildings and multi-family structures in unincorporated Pinellas County: new buildings and additions, interior build-outs and remodels, change of use/occupancy, fire protection systems, signs, and MEP/gas systems. Applications are submitted entirely online through the Pinellas County Access Portal (Accela) with digital plan sets; commercial reviews generally take around 21 days. Some projects need a pre-application meeting or development review before the building permit application.
Demolishing a structure in unincorporated Pinellas County requires a demolition permit from BDRS - Demolition is one of the record categories in the Pinellas County Access Portal (Accela) - because the county requires a permit for any demolition work in excess of $500 or requiring an inspection. Separately and in addition, ALL demolitions require an asbestos survey by a state-licensed asbestos consultant and a NESHAP demolition notification to the Pinellas County Air Quality Division at least 10 working days (two calendar weeks) before work begins, even if no asbestos is found. The building permit does NOT satisfy the Air Quality notification requirement.
In unincorporated Pinellas County, the county's Building FAQs state a building permit is not required for a fence, but you must still comply with zoning regulations in the Land Development Code (Article X, Division 4, Secs. 138-3700 to 138-3706), and the county's Permitting Guide lists fencing among work that may need a Development Review zoning clearance. The Access Portal also has residential record types for Fence, Masonry Fence/Wall, Retaining Wall and Seawall. Height limits are 6 feet in side/rear setbacks and 3 to 4 feet in front setbacks (up to 5 feet total with semi-opaque decorative toppers), with an absolute prohibition on fences within 15 feet of intersecting right-of-way lines at corners.
Replacing or repairing a roof in unincorporated Pinellas County requires a building permit from Building & Development Review Services (BDRS), applied for online through the Pinellas County Access Portal (Accela). Permits are required for work in excess of $500 or work that requires an inspection. Every re-roof gets a mandatory in-progress inspection, and hurricane-mitigation work (roof deck nailing, secondary water barrier) that gets covered up must be documented with a Re-Roofing Mitigation Affidavit under the Hurricane Mitigation Manual (FS 553.844). BDRS serves unincorporated areas plus Belleair Beach, Belleair Shore, Indian Rocks Beach, Kenneth City, Oldsmar and Safety Harbor; other cities issue their own permits.
Pinellas County Building & Development Review Services (BDRS) issues building permits for one- and two-family homes and related structures in unincorporated Pinellas County (BDRS also serves Belleair Beach, Belleair Shore, Indian Rocks Beach, Kenneth City, Oldsmar, and Safety Harbor). The county requires a permit for any new building, addition, remodeling, demolition, or other work in excess of $500 or that requires an inspection. Applications, plan uploads, fee payment, and inspection scheduling are all handled online through the Pinellas County Access Portal (Accela); simple like-for-like projects may qualify for an Express Permit instead.
Solar photovoltaic systems on homes in unincorporated Pinellas County are permitted through BDRS as a Residential permit - 'Solar' is one of the 17 major residential record categories in the Pinellas County Access Portal (Accela). Applications, plan uploads, fee payment, and inspection scheduling are all online through the portal. Solar is not on the county's Express Permit eligible-work list, so it follows the standard residential permit review path.
New residential pools, spas, and hot tubs in unincorporated Pinellas County require a building permit ('Pools & Spas - Above Ground / Inground' record types) applied for through the Pinellas County Access Portal (Accela). Every application must include a Residential Swimming Pool/Spa/Hot Tub Safety Act acknowledgement selecting one of four drowning-prevention measures (barrier per FS 515.29, ASTM F1346-91 safety cover, 85 dB exit alarms, or self-closing/self-latching doors at 54 inches), plus a no-objection letter from the electric company. BDRS serves unincorporated areas and six partner communities; other cities issue their own pool permits.
Cosmetologists and barbers are licensed statewide by DBPR. Cosmetology requires 1,200 hours of training (FS 477.019); full barbers need a minimum of 900 hours and restricted barbers 600 hours. Salons and barbershops need separate location licenses.
Food trucks (Mobile Food Dispensing Vehicles, MFDV) are licensed by DBPR statewide. Since 2020, Florida law (FS 509.102) preempts local governments from requiring separate food truck licenses, permits, or fees, and from banning food trucks jurisdiction-wide. Trucks that are not self-sufficient must use a licensed commissary.
Restaurants and most food service businesses in Pinellas County are licensed by the Florida DBPR Division of Hotels and Restaurants, not the county. New builds and remodels require a DBPR plan review (free) before licensing, plus local building permits for the build-out and a city business tax receipt where applicable. Retail food businesses (grocery, markets, bakeries without on-premises service) are permitted by FDACS instead.
Real estate sales associates are licensed by DBPR under the Florida Real Estate Commission (FREC). The path: 63-hour pre-license course, application with fingerprints, and the state exam through Pearson VUE. New licensees must work under a licensed broker.
Alcohol sales require a license from the DBPR Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco (ABT). Fees depend on license type and county population; Pinellas is in the top population bracket. Beer/wine licenses are available to any qualified applicant; full liquor (4COP) quota licenses are capped at one per 7,500 county residents and are usually bought on the resale market or won in the annual quota drawing. Local zoning approval is part of the state application.
Operating a vacation rental in Pinellas County involves up to four layers: a state DBPR vacation rental license, state and county tax registrations (6% sales tax + 1% surtax to DOR, 6% Tourist Development Tax to the Pinellas Tax Collector), and city- or county-level rules that vary sharply by location. State law (FS 509.032(7)(b)) bars local governments from prohibiting vacation rentals or regulating duration/frequency, except ordinances adopted on or before June 1, 2011.
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.
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.
Florida Statute 559.955 (2021) preempts local governments from licensing or regulating home-based businesses differently from other businesses. A qualifying home business may operate in any residential zone, but it is still subject to local business taxes under Chapter 205, so a city BTR is still required inside municipalities like St. Petersburg and Clearwater.
The core sequence for launching a business in Pinellas County: register your entity with the Florida Division of Corporations (Sunbiz), get a free federal EIN from the IRS, register for state taxes if applicable, and get a city business tax receipt if you are located inside one of the 24 municipalities. Pinellas County itself does not require a county business tax receipt (repealed in 1995).
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.