Worried a shed will tangle you up with the county? For most of our customers near Ocala, it does not. And when a permit is needed, we will point you to exactly what to do so you are not guessing.
Deploy as first paragraph. Keep verbatim. Most buyers ask us one thing first: do I need a shed permit in Marion County? In the unincorporated county, a detached shed of 160 square feet (a 10×16) or smaller generally needs no building permit, as long as setbacks and zoning are met. Sandalwood Shed’s & More knows the local rules and helps you handle the rest.
Plenty of folks buy a building, set it wherever it fits, and never think about the rules until a code officer or a neighbor brings it up. By then the building is already in the yard, and moving it or tearing it out is a real expense.
The headaches are avoidable. A shed placed too close to the property line can have to be moved. A building that needed a permit and never got one can earn a red tag, a fine, and a stop until the paperwork is sorted. Inside city limits the rules are stricter than in the county, so a building that would be fine on a rural lot can be a problem a few miles away.
None of that has to happen to you. The fix is knowing the rule for your exact lot before the building shows up, and that is what this page and our team are here for.
Here is the short version. In unincorporated Marion County, a detached storage shed of 160 square feet or less does not need a building permit, as long as you meet the setback and zoning rules for your lot. That 160 square foot line is why our 10×16 is the most popular building we sell. It is the biggest shed most people can place without dealing with the county.
Go bigger than 160 square feet, and a permit is generally required. Buildings with electric or plumbing run to them are a different story and usually need a permit no matter the size. And if your property sits inside the city limits of Ocala, Belleview, or Dunnellon, the city rules apply instead of the county rules, and those can require a permit at a smaller size.
Rules change and every lot is a little different, so treat this as a strong starting point, not the final word. For the full breakdown by size and jurisdiction, read our Marion County permit guide.
No-permit size in the unincorporated county
Our top-selling permit-free shed
Ocala, Belleview, Dunnellon have their own rules
Cost to ask us your permit question
The county rule is the one most of our customers fall under, because so many of them are on acreage or larger lots outside the cities. If that is you, the 160 square foot threshold is your guide.
If your home sits inside the city limits of Ocala, Belleview, or Dunnellon, the city handles permitting instead of the county. City rules tend to be stricter, the forms are different, and a permit can be required at a smaller size than it would be out in the county. Setback distances inside the cities can also be tighter than on a rural parcel.
The tricky part is that a city limit line does not always match a mailing address. A home with an Ocala address can still be in unincorporated Marion County. When you talk with us, give us your address and we will help you figure out which set of rules applies to your lot before you order.
No permit does not mean no rules. Even a permit-free shed has to sit where the county allows it. In Marion County, accessory buildings like sheds belong in the side or rear yard, and they have to keep a required distance from your property lines. How far depends on your zoning class and lot, and smaller buildings can qualify for a reduced setback.
Two more things catch people off guard. Zoning controls what you can place and where, so an oddly shaped lot or a corner lot can have extra limits. And if you live in a deed-restricted community or an HOA, the association can have its own rules about size, color, placement, and approval, on top of anything the county requires.
We help our customers think this through before delivery so the building lands in a legal spot the first time. Getting the placement right up front is far cheaper than moving a finished building later.
1. Confirm whether you need one. Check the size and your jurisdiction. Under 160 square feet in the unincorporated county usually means no permit. Bigger, or inside a city, usually means yes. When in doubt, ask us and we will help you read it.
2. File the application. In unincorporated Marion County, residential building permits are filed online through the county Civic Access portal. You create an account, start a residential accessory structure application for a pre-built shed, enter your property address, and submit the building details. A site sketch showing where the shed sits and how far it is from the property lines is usually part of it.
3. Place the building once it is approved. With the permit in hand, we deliver and set your building in the approved spot, level it, and walk it with you. If you would rather not handle the filing yourself, our permit-help referral can do steps one and two for you.
We have been around Marion County building long enough to know how the permit side works, and we put that to work for you. Here is how we help:
First, we answer the question for free. Tell us your address and the size you want, and we will tell you whether you are likely permit-free or whether your lot needs one. No charge, no pressure.
Second, if your building does need a permit, we offer a paid permit-help service. Rather than leaving you to navigate the county portal and paperwork alone, we can connect you with a trusted local permit expediter who handles the filing and the back-and-forth for you. You pay for that help only if you want it.
Third, we make the building itself easy. We deliver and set it level, and we line up the timeline so the building is ready when your paperwork is.
We do not pull the permit in our name, and you do not need a permit from us to take delivery. What you get is a team that knows the local rules and will not let you walk into a surprise.
Here is the honest part. A lot of the time, the easiest building is the one that skips the permit entirely. If a 10×16 holds what you need, we will steer you there on purpose, because it keeps the county out of your project and gets your building to you faster.
If you truly need more room, a permitted building is worth it, and we will help you through it instead of leaving you to guess. Either way, we would rather get you the right building set up legally than push the biggest sale and let you deal with a code problem later.
We help buyers across Marion County and the surrounding counties, and the rules shift from one to the next. Tell us where you are and we will give it to you straight.
Picture this. You called us, told us your address and what you wanted to store, and within a few minutes you knew exactly where you stood: a 10×16 on your lot, no permit needed, set back the right distance from the fence. A week or so later the building is in your yard, sitting level, and the only paperwork was your order.
No red tag on the door. No letter from the county. No moving a finished building because it landed too close to the line. That is what handling the permit question the right way, up front, looks like.
In unincorporated Marion County, a detached shed of 160 square feet (a 10×16) or smaller generally does not require a building permit, as long as setback and zoning rules are met. Anything larger usually needs one, and a building with electric or plumbing typically needs a permit at any size. Always confirm for your exact lot.
It depends on the county and city. In unincorporated Marion County the threshold is 160 square feet, which is why the 10×16 is so popular. Other Florida counties set their own size limits, so the rule on a neighbor’s lot in a different jurisdiction may not match yours.
Yes. If your property is inside the city limits of Ocala, Belleview, or Dunnellon, the city handles permitting and the rules are usually stricter than the county. A permit can be required at a smaller size, and setbacks can be tighter. Give us your address and we will help you find which rules apply.
We do not pull the permit in our name, and you do not need a permit from us to take delivery. We answer the permit question for free and, if you need a permit, we can connect you with a local permit expediter who files it for you as a paid service.
Yes. Even a permit-free shed has to sit in the side or rear yard and keep the required distance from your property lines. If you live in an HOA or deed-restricted community, the association can have its own rules on size, color, and placement on top of the county rules.
Residential shed permits in unincorporated Marion County are filed online through the county Civic Access portal. You create an account, start a residential accessory structure application for a pre-built shed, enter your property address, and submit the building details and a site sketch. If you would rather not do it yourself, our permit-help referral can handle it.
Tell us your address and the size you have in mind, and we will tell you whether you are permit-free or need one, then get you the right building either way. We know the local rules, and the answer is free.
