County Building Permits
Franklin County Building Permit Guide (Unincorporated Area)
How to apply for a building permit in unincorporated Franklin County, Florida. Permit authority, application steps, fees, and inspection requirements.
Permit Authority
All unincorporated areas of Franklin County, including St. George Island, Eastpoint, and Alligator Point.
- Department
- Franklin County Building Department
- Address
- 248 US Hwy 98, Eastpoint, FL 32328
- Phone
- 850-653-9783
Online Permit Portal
Platform: CitizenServe • Account required: No • Submission: In-person only
Additional resources:
Application Process
- Confirm the parcel is in unincorporated Franklin County rather than in the City of Apalachicola or the City of Carrabelle.
- Determine whether the project also needs a Franklin County zoning permit before the building permit. Zoning development permits are required before building permit application for residential development that alters lot coverage.
- Apply through the CitizenServe portal or use the paper permit application from the county documents page.
- Use the checklist built into the county application. Incomplete applications will be returned and not accepted.
- Submit all required plans, forms, and outside-agency approvals. For online applications typical processing is 3 to 7 business days; for paper applications 7 to 10 business days.
- Obtain all required supplemental permits, schedule inspections, and complete final inspection and Certificate of Occupancy steps through the building department.
Typical processing time: 3-7 business days for online applications; 7-10 business days for paper applications.
General Requirements
Permits are required for all projects over $1,000 or 100 square feet. All projects in a Special Flood Hazard Area require a permit.
Required Documents
- Completed permit application
- Supplemental forms with all subcontractors listed
- 2 complete engineered plan sets
- Wind load analysis
- Boundary survey
- Site plan
- Energy code form
- Septic letter or permit if applicable
- Recorded Notice of Commencement or bank letter for contractors
- Owner-builder affidavit if the owner is acting as contractor
- Permit validity
- Permit is valid for one year; construction must commence within six months.
- Building code
- Florida Building Code (current edition)
- Owner-builder
- Owner-builders are held to the same standards as contractors.
- Contractor requirements
- Contractors must be properly licensed and maintain compliance with state requirements.
Fees
- Permit fee formula
- Based on valuation under ICC's current valuation data table with regional modifier calculated annually.
- Penalty (no permit)
- Fees are doubled when work starts before a permit is obtained.
Fees change. Verify current amounts at the official fee schedule.
Work That Does NOT Require a Permit
Contact the Franklin County Building Department to confirm whether your project requires a permit before starting work.
Inspections
How to Schedule
- CitizenServe Portal (online)
- 850-653-9783 (phone)
- Inspection hours
- Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM to 4:30 PM
Typical inspection sequence: Applicants must schedule all required inspections at the appropriate time.
Additional Resources
- Building code: Florida Building Code (current edition)
- Zoning information: View zoning info
- Zoning Documents
- New Residential Application
- New Commercial Application
- License lookup guide: Florida Contractor License Requirements
- Contract template: Florida Homeowner-Contractor Agreement
- Florida hub: Florida Contractor License & Permit Hub
Information on this page was last verified: March 2026. Permit rules and fees change — confirm current requirements directly with the Franklin County Building Department before applying.
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