Fences and Sheds in Fort Pierce

Yes: Fort Pierce code section 125-322(b)(5) requires a construction permit for all new or substantially altered fences and walls (Fort Pierce Common Violations page).

The Building Department's fence checklist says the Planning Department and the Engineering Department both pre-approve a Fort Pierce fence permit before it is issued (Fort Pierce fence permit checklist). The city FAQ puts the review time for fences, sheds and signs at 30 days, and a residential fence carries a flat permit fee of $75.00 on the Building Department Fee Schedule effective July 8, 2025, as posted on October 22, 2026 (Fort Pierce permit timing FAQ; Fort Pierce fee schedule).

The Fort Pierce Common Violations page also lists the upkeep rule: under section 103-342, all fences shall be maintained in reasonably good repair, and a fence in a state of disrepair shall be replaced or repaired (Common Violations, property maintenance).

In Fort Pierce residential districts a fence or wall may be up to six feet tall along property lines and up to four feet tall in the required front yard, under section 125-322(c) (Fort Pierce Common Violations page).

The clear vision rule reaches corner lots and driveways. Section 125-308(a) on the same Fort Pierce page requires a clear vision area at the corner of every property next to the intersection of two streets or of a street and a driveway (Common Violations, clear vision areas). Concertina wire is not permitted except in prison or jail compound areas, and commercial outdoor storage must be screened with a sight-obscuring fence or wall.

The Fort Pierce fence checklist asks for the fence height, total length and material, the valuation, whether the fence is a pool barrier or a temporary construction fence, and a fence form or property survey showing the fence and gates (Fort Pierce fence permit checklist).

The same Fort Pierce checklist, updated 8/3/26, adds a notarized contractor or owner builder signature, an Owner Builder Affidavit when the owner applies, a Debris Affidavit and a recorded Notice of Commencement where one applies, which must reach permitting before the first inspection is scheduled. A concrete block wall fence needs plans digitally signed and sealed by a Florida licensed architect or engineer. A fence that crosses several parcels needs one permit per parcel, with each owner's authorization (fence checklist notes).

Two notes on that Fort Pierce checklist shift the review: a fence in a special flood hazard area is reviewed for flood regulations, and a commercial fence that blocks Fire Department access to a building is reviewed by the Fire Department at the same time, with its own fees paid directly to the Fire Department. The Fence Form and the other paperwork sit on the city's Permit Forms page (Fort Pierce Permit Forms page).

A Fort Pierce fence that will serve as a pool safety barrier has to be submitted at the same time as the pool permit, according to the city's fence checklist (Fort Pierce fence checklist).

The separate Fort Pierce child safety barrier checklist asks for the barrier height, whether it is removable, a Pool Safety Barrier Affidavit, the manufacturer's specifications and installation instructions, and notes that no separate barrier permit is required when the barrier goes in during construction of the pool (Fort Pierce pool safety barrier checklist).

The state sets the minimum shape of the barrier. Florida Statutes section 515.29 requires a residential pool barrier to be at least 4 feet high on the outside, and gates that open to the pool must open outward away from it and be self-closing and self-latching (Florida Statutes section 515.29). Fort Pierce lists fencing relative to pool barriers among the work that is not exempt under House Bill 803 (Fort Pierce House Bill 803 page).

Yes: Fort Pierce posts permit checklists for prefab and site-built sheds, and Florida Building Code section 105.1 calls for a permit before a structure is built (Fort Pierce prefab shed checklist).

Both the prefab and the site-built Fort Pierce checklists list Planning Department and Engineering Department pre-approval (site-built shed checklist). The city's Common Violations page quotes section 105.1: an owner who intends to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move or demolish a building or structure shall first apply to the building official and obtain the required permit (Common Violations, FBC 105.1).

For a prefab shed, the Fort Pierce checklist asks for the shed size, manufacturer, pad type, slab and footing size, a Manufacturer Certification letter from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR), the manufacturer's specifications and drawings, and an anchoring kit where one applies. It also requires a plot plan, shed form or as-built survey showing the shed's location and setbacks along with the location and size of every other existing structure (prefab shed checklist). The city's one page Shed Form asks for the total square footage of the main building, the number of accessory buildings and their total square footage, with a plot plan area and street name (Fort Pierce Shed Form).

Flood zones change the build. A Fort Pierce prefab shed in a special flood hazard area must either be elevated to the design flood elevation or have flood openings, and an elevation certificate is due before the shed's final inspection. The checklist adds that the Fire Department reviews every prefab shed permit packet at the same time, with additional Fire Department fees paid directly to it (prefab shed checklist notes).

A site-built shed, carport, workshop or detached garage in Fort Pierce needs plans digitally signed and sealed by a Florida licensed architect or engineer, plus an engineered drainage plan (Fort Pierce site-built shed checklist).

That drainage plan, drawn by a licensed engineer, must show that stormwater runoff after construction will not reach neighboring properties, include existing and proposed elevations, and state that it complies with section 103-203 of the Fort Pierce Code of Ordinances. The checklist also asks for product approvals with installation instructions, a plot plan or survey with setbacks and every existing structure, subcontractor agreements for any electrical or plumbing work, and the same Notice of Commencement, Owner Builder Affidavit and Debris Affidavit rules as other permits (site-built shed checklist).

Commercial projects of this kind add Fort Pierce Utilities Authority pre-approval when electrical work is proposed, and Fire Department review with its own fees. The Building Department's checklist list also carries a separate Accessory Structure other than Sheds checklist and a Garden Structure checklist for related backyard builds (Fort Pierce Building Permit Submittal Checklists page).

A residential fence permit in Fort Pierce is a $75.00 flat fee, while construction other than the flat rate permits is priced from valuation with a $100.00 minimum, on the schedule effective July 8, 2025 (Fort Pierce Building Department Fee Schedule).

The Florida Statutes section 553.79 permit exemption for single-family work under $7,500 has limits for these projects in Fort Pierce: the city's House Bill 803 page says the exemption is not automatic and must be requested, covers single-family dwellings only, and does not reach structural work, fencing relative to pool barriers or any fence in a flood zone (Fort Pierce House Bill 803 page). The building permits guide covers that request in full.

Last verified: October 22, 2026, by re-reading the Fort Pierce fence, prefab shed, site-built shed and pool barrier checklists, the Shed Form, the fence sections quoted on the Common Violations page, the July 2025 fee schedule, the review time FAQ and Florida Statutes section 515.29 for this fence and shed guide.