City of St. Petersburg Development Services Citizen s Guide to Fences, Walls, and Hedges for Residential Properties August 2003 Revision
Fence, wall, and hedge regulations for residential properties in St. Petersburg are all the same. It doesn t matter if you re planning to install a fence or plant a hedge row, the regulations for placement and allowable height are identical. To determine what you can do on your property, just ask the following questions. 1. WHAT TYPE OF LOT DO YOU HAVE? Regulations for fences, walls, and hedges are determined by the type of lot you have and where it is located. There are different regulations for lots which have waterfront yards, lots which are on corners, and lots which front on major streets. The following chart shows the various types of lots in St. Petersburg and the regulations that apply. If you have questions regarding a peculiar lot or situation, please contact our staff for additional assistance.
2. WHAT IS MY REQUIRED FRONT YARD? For the majority of single-family lots, the required front yard is 25 feet deep measured from the front property line. The front property line is usually located at the edge of the sidewalk. If you don t have a sidewalk, you should consult a survey of your property to identify the location of the front property line. For lots that are zoned RS-100 or RS-150, or RS-E, the front yards are 25*, 30, and 35 feet, respectively. * If your lot has neighboring houses with a setback between 30 and 40 feet from the front property line, your required front yard is 5 feet less than the greater of your neighbor s setbacks. In no case is the front yard required to be greater than 35 feet. 3. IS MY FRONT YARD REALLY MY FRONT YARD? Many of our residents think that the front of their house faces their LEGAL front yard when, in fact, it actually faces their LEGAL street side yard. According to St. Petersburg City Code, the legal front yard for a corner lot is ALWAYS the narrower frontage of the lot. Consequently, the front yard is not determined by the location of the front door, driveway, or garage. It is always based upon the smaller property line dimension. It is very important to know which yard is your legal front yard when planning a fence, wall, or hedge. 4. WHAT IS MY REQUIRED STREET SIDE YARD? The street side yard is the side yard adjacent to the street. Required yards are based upon your zoning district as follows: Lots of 60 Lots of 60 feet feet or more feet or less in width in width RS-E 15 feet NA RS-150 25 feet 12 feet RS-100 15 feet 12 feet RS-75 15 feet 12 feet
5. IS THE VISIBILITY TRIANGLE OPEN? Visibility triangles are areas which have height restrictions to allow for safe visibility when operating a motor vehicle or bicycle, or for pedestrian movement. Within required visibility triangles - fences, hedges, and walls cannot exceed 36 inches in height. The following diagram shows the required visibility triangles. 6. DOES MY NEIGHBORHOOD HAVE NEIGHBORHOOD DESIGN REVIEW (NDR) OR AM I LOCATED IN A HISTORIC DISTRICT? If your neighborhood is within an NDR area or if your property is in one of the City s historic districts, then there may be design regulations associated with your fence. Fences in NDR areas or historic districts should be wood, PVC, or some other decorative material that is painted or stained. Walls should finished and not be built of simple masonry blocks. Chain-link fencing in front yards is not permitted. If you have specific questions, contact the City s Urban Design and Historic Preservation Division at 893-7153. Neighborhoods which have design review include: North Shore Snell Isle Crescent Heights Crescent Lake Historic Kenwood Palmetto Park Grand Central Uptown Bartlett Park Roser Park
7. IF YOU HAVE A WATERFRONT LOT, HOW DEEP IS YOUR WATERFRONT YARD? As shown on the fence and wall diagram, waterfront yards have specific regulations that apply to fences, walls, and hedges. The depth of the required waterfront yard is based upon the depth of the lot. Depth of Lot Depth of Waterfront Yard Less than 120 feet 15 feet 120 feet to 130 feet 20 feet More than 130 feet 25 feet Measurement taken from centerline of seawall or waterside lot line for lots without a seawall 8. HOW DO I CALCULATE LOT DEPTH? Depth of the lot for a rectangular lot is easy to determine. For irregularly-shaped lots, use the following diagrams:
9. HOW DO I CALCULATE LOT WIDTH? Width of a lot for a rectangular or square lot is simple to determine. For irregularlyshaped lots, use the following diagrams: 10. DO I NEED A PERMIT TO CONSTRUCT A WALL? Yes, a building permit is needed. To obtain the permit, a site plan and construction detail must be submitted along with the permit fee. Permit applications are available on-line at the City s website (http://www.stpete.org/applications.htm) or in person at the 1 st floor of the Municipal Services Center. 11. DO I NEED A PERMIT TO INSTALL A FENCE? No. No permit is necessary for installation of a fence on single family residential property, however, the property owner is responsible for compliance with all applicable regulations. If you follow these steps in the planning of your fence, wall, or hedge, you should be right in line with what is permitted under the City s current regulations. If you have specific questions, our staff is available to assist in person, by telephone, or by e-mail. City of St. Petersburg Division of Development Review Services Municipal Services Center One 4 th Street North St. Petersburg, Florida 33701 Telephone: (727) 893-7471 Fax: (727) 892-5557 E-mail: ZoningOfficial@stpete.org