The most common permit question we hear: “It’s just pavers — do I really need one?” On Northeast Florida the honest answer is often yes, and it depends on exactly where you live and what you’re changing. Here’s the practical version for St. Johns, Duval, Nassau, and Flagler counties — with the caveat that rules change and your contractor confirms current requirements as part of the job.
The general pattern everywhere
- Usually reviewed: new driveways, driveway widening or extensions, anything changing the footprint of impervious area, work in the right-of-way (where your driveway meets the street), and drainage changes.
- Often lighter or exempt: like-for-like replacement of an existing surface, backyard patios under size thresholds, walkway repairs, sealing and maintenance.
- Always separate: HOA architectural approval. A county permit doesn’t satisfy your HOA, and your HOA’s blessing doesn’t satisfy the county. Newer communities (Nocatee, Shearwater, the gated golf clubs around World Golf Village) review driveway color, pattern, and footprint.
County by county
- St. Johns County / St. Augustine: countywide review runs through the St. Johns County building department, and anything inside St. Augustine’s historic districts picks up an extra layer of review — plan for it rather than around it.
- Duval County / Jacksonville: the consolidated city–county government means one building department covers most of Jacksonville — which simplifies where to ask, not whether to ask.
- Nassau and Flagler counties: Amelia Island, Fernandina Beach, and Palm Coast each route through their own permitting desks — and anything near the water gets particular attention on drainage and setbacks.
Why you actually want the permit
Three reasons that outlast the small fee: resale — unpermitted flatwork gets flagged in inspections and stalls closings; insurance — post-storm claims go smoother when the property matches the record; and the contractor filter — a pro who shrugs “we don’t need a permit” for clearly reviewable work is telling you how they handle everything else. Every contractor we refer pulls their own permits; it’s a hard line in our vetting guide.
Planning something? Get matched with a contractor who knows your county’s desk by name.