Fort Pierce City Government Guide

The City of Fort Pierce, incorporated in 1901 and the county seat of St. Lucie County, is governed by a City Commission made up of a mayor and four city commissioners.

The About Fort Pierce page gives the city's incorporation year as 1901 and describes Fort Pierce as the county seat of St. Lucie County, the center of the Treasure Coast (About Fort Pierce page). The Mayor and City Commission page lists the mayor and four commission seats, two assigned to District 1 and two to District 2, each identified by a seat number (Mayor and City Commission page).

The commission page gives one phone number, (772) 467-3065, for reaching the mayor and commissioners and for making appointments, and says commissioners keep office hours at Fort Pierce City Hall, with appointments required (Mayor and City Commission page). The general City Hall line is 772-467-3000, at 100 N U.S. Highway 1, Fort Pierce, FL 34950 (City Clerk page). County offices are covered in the St. Lucie County government guide.

The Fort Pierce City Commission holds regular meetings on the 1st and 3rd Monday of each month at 5:05 PM in the City Commission Chambers at City Hall, moving to Tuesday when Monday is a holiday.

The commission page places the chambers at 100 N. U.S. Highway 1, the same Fort Pierce street address listed for the City Clerk (City Clerk page) and for the Finance Department, where code citations can be paid in person or by mail (Citation Process page).

The commission page adds a second recurring session: the 2nd Monday of each month at 9:00 AM (Mayor and City Commission page). The city FAQ describes only the 1st and 3rd Monday meetings at 5:05 p.m. at City Hall and says the meetings are broadcast on Comcast's Channel 27 FPTV (city FAQ). The two city pages therefore list the schedule differently; the commission page is the one that names the 2nd Monday session, and it points readers to the city's meeting listing for special meetings, workshops and cancellations.

Fort Pierce agendas and minutes are prepared and published by the City Clerk, whose duties include preparation and publication of all Commission agendas and meeting minutes and legal notices for public hearings (City Clerk page). The clerk's listed duties also include city board and committee appointments.

The Fort Pierce City Clerk keeps the city's official records, answers public records requests, runs municipal elections and issues certificates of use, vacation rental registrations and contractor licenses.

The Fort Pierce City Clerk page lists the office's duties: administration of oaths, proclamations, resolutions and ordinances, administration of municipal elections, maintenance of the Code of Ordinances and Comprehensive Plan, serving as public records custodian, the citywide records retention program, and issuance of certificates of use, vacation rental registrations and contractor licensing (City Clerk page). Official files are kept for all ordinances, resolutions, contracts and deeds.

The Fort Pierce clerk's office sits at 100 N. U.S. Highway 1, with mailing address P.O. Box 1480, Fort Pierce, FL 34954, phone 772.467.3065 and fax 772.467.3841 (City Clerk page). The city FAQ adds that the City Clerk's office can say whether a contractor is licensed with the city, at 772-467-3065 (city FAQ).

The City Clerk's current page says Fort Pierce stopped collecting Business Tax Receipts on July 1, 2024 and now requires a Certificate of Use for every business, but a city FAQ still tells owners to get a Fort Pierce Business Tax Receipt.

According to the Certificates of Use page, the City Commission adopted Ordinance 24-019 to establish the Certificate of Use requirement, applications go through the city's online permitting portal, only one Certificate of Use is required per business location, and each certificate is valid for one year and renews on the anniversary of the first application (Certificates of Use page). Questions go to 772.467.3065.

The city FAQ still answers that a business within the city limits of Fort Pierce needs a Fort Pierce Business Tax Receipt from the City Clerk's Office, and that a County Business Tax Receipt is also required (city FAQ). The Citation Process page also still lists Chapter 22, business tax receipts, as a Class II violation (Citation Process page). The two city pages conflict on the city receipt; the Certificates of Use page is the one that names the July 1, 2024 change. For a new commercial use, the FAQ's first step is to email the property address and business details to the Planning Department, which confirms the zoning district and whether the use is allowed (city FAQ).

Fort Pierce's permit FAQ puts roof permits with product approval at the same day, fences, sheds and signs at 30 days, mobile homes at 45 days and all other projects at 60 days, longer if a submittal is incomplete.

The Fort Pierce FAQ warns that revisions to an incomplete application, or to construction documents that do not meet code minimums, take the same time as a new submittal, so a 60 day timeline may become 120 or 180 days (permit timing FAQ). The FAQ also says driveway locations are approved by the Department of Engineering before the building permit is issued, and that the driveway forms must be inspected 48 hours in advance before concrete is poured.

The Fort Pierce Permit Forms page collects the residential and commercial forms, among them the Building Permit Application, Fence Form, Shed Form, Reroofing Form, Right of Way Application, Owner Builder Affidavit Disclosure Statement and the Fee Schedule Effective 7-8-2025 (Permit Forms page). Trees are separate: Section 22-192 of the city code requires a tree permit to cut down, relocate or damage a protected tree, and the city FAQ sets the tree removal permit at $35, applied for in the Building Department (city FAQ).

Fort Pierce code citations are civil, issued under Florida Statute 162.21, with fines from $50 to $250 depending on the violation class and prior citations, and disputes go to a Special Magistrate.

The Citation Process page explains that Code Enforcement Officers and Animal Control Officers may issue citations, that paying the civil penalty admits the violation, and that a disputed citation is heard by a Special Magistrate in the Commission Chambers of City Hall on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month at 9:00 am unless a court hearing is mandatory (Citation Process page). The table below copies the fine schedule from that Fort Pierce page.

Parking follows the same Fort Pierce enforcement office. The Parking page lists 2-hour limits in designated areas, no overnight parking at city parks and beaches, and no parking over 24 hours in city-provided spaces unless authorized (Parking page). A parking citation can be paid within 30 days of the violation, online through an emailed invoice or at City Hall, 2nd Floor, and a written request to contest it received within 14 days of the violation avoids delinquency penalties. Code Enforcement takes parking questions at (772) 467-3720.

Most Fort Pierce city errands start at City Hall, but special event questions go to the city's event line and code or parking questions go to Code Enforcement.

Events on city property need a special event permit, and the city FAQ names a wedding, party or fundraiser as examples (city FAQ). Serving alcohol in a Fort Pierce park or on a city street adds a consumption-only permit at $50 or a sales and consumption permit at $200, each with a liability insurance certificate and City Manager approval (Alcohol Permits page). The Fort Pierce parks guide covers pavilion rentals, and the Fort Pierce utilities guide covers FPUA service and city trash collection.

Last verified: October 22, 2026, when the Fort Pierce commission, City Clerk, Certificates of Use, permit forms, citation, parking and alcohol permit pages and two city FAQ entries were re-read for this government hub.