Do I need a permit to pour a concrete slab in Florida?

It depends on what the slab is for and where it is. In unincorporated Hillsborough County a residential shed under 150 square feet needs no permit, but a shed, gazebo or carport over 150 square feet does, and the exemptions vanish on property in a flood hazard area. A slab that is part of a house or addition goes in under that building's permit.

Do I need a permit for a shed in Hillsborough County?

Not if it's a residential shed or greenhouse under 150 square feet and the lot is not partly or fully in a flood hazard area. Over 150 square feet, the county asks for a Residential Miscellaneous building permit, a site plan with setbacks, and sealed or approved plans.

Is the City of Tampa's shed rule the same as the county's?

Not necessarily. The City of Tampa runs its own accessory structure permits, and its exemption size was not something we could confirm from its published pages. Check with the City's Construction Services before you size a shed inside city limits.

Does a concrete patio or driveway need a permit in Hillsborough County?

The county's list of permit-exempt work doesn't mention flatwork, patios, driveways or pads either way. Ask the county for your address, and remember work that touches the right-of-way at the street is controlled separately.

Does an exemption mean the code doesn't apply?

No. The county states that an exemption from a permit doesn't waive any other building code requirement. An exempt shed still has to be built and anchored properly.

Concrete Slab Permit Tampa and Hillsborough County

Last reviewed October 2026. Rules change; confirm with the office for your address.

First: City of Tampa or Hillsborough County?

Concrete slab permit questions start with an address. Inside Tampa city limits, the City of Tampa issues building permits and runs accessory structures through a five-step online process (application, fee estimate, plan review, inspections, completion). In unincorporated Hillsborough County, which includes Brandon, Riverview, Valrico, Seffner, Town 'N' Country and Carrollwood, the county issues permits through HillsGovHub. The two don't always draw the same lines.

Who to ask

Your address	Permit office	Online system
Inside Tampa city limits	City of Tampa Construction Services	City permit portal (Accela Citizen Access)
Unincorporated Hillsborough County	Hillsborough County permitting	HillsGovHub
Another city in the county	That city's building department	Varies

Swipe the table sideways to see every column →

The 150 square foot line in Hillsborough County

Hillsborough County's list of work exempt from permits includes residential sheds and greenhouses under 150 square feet. Its accessory structure checklist then covers structures over 150 square feet, naming sheds, gazebos and carports. Between those two pages sits the rule most Tampa Bay homeowners need.

Common slab projects in unincorporated Hillsborough County

Project	What the county's pages say	Next step
Shed or greenhouse under 150 sq ft	No permit, unless the lot is in a flood hazard area	Confirm your flood zone
Shed, gazebo or carport over 150 sq ft	Residential Miscellaneous building permit, site plan, sealed or DCA-approved plans	Plans before the pad is poured
Metal building, detached garage	An accessory structure over 150 sq ft	Permit with sealed plans
Patio, driveway, equipment pad	Not listed on the exemption page either way	Ask the county for your address
House or addition slab	Part of the building permit	Follows the approved plans

Swipe the table sideways to see every column →

White vinyl shed beside a small paved sitting area — A vinyl shed set on a hard surface instead of grass.

The flood-zone exception

The county's exemption page says, citing HB 803, that permit exemptions don't apply when a property is partly or entirely in a flood hazard area. On those lots, a 10x12 shed that would be exempt a few streets inland may need a permit. For structures over 150 square feet in a Special Flood Hazard Area, the county's checklist adds ASCE 24-14, the Florida Building Code and National Flood Insurance Program requirements.

Look up your zone on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center → and read the Tampa flood zone guide for what the zones mean.

What an over-150 permit asks for

A scaled site plan with the new structure and existing buildings
Property lines with dimensions and the setback from the structure to each line
Easements, conservation areas and wetlands
Trees 12 inches or more in diameter, and permits for any being removed
Plans that meet the Florida Building Code, sealed by a Florida architect or engineer, or approved DCA plans
A recorded Notice of Commencement before the first inspection
An Owner-Builder Disclosure Statement if the owner is acting as the contractor

Why the plans matter to the slab

The sealed plans for a shed, carport or metal building show how it's anchored for Tampa's 150 to 160 mph design wind, and the anchors land in the slab. A pad poured before the plans exist may not match them. The hurricane anchoring guide explains why.

Timber forms staked out on bare ground for a large shed pad — Forms staked for a big shed pad, before base and concrete.

Concrete slab section from the Florida code, the detail behind a slab permit in Tampa and Hillsborough County — Our own diagram from the Florida Building Code, Residential (R403, R506). Not to scale and not a design for any property.

What this guide could not confirm

Two numbers are left for you to get from the source rather than from us: the City of Tampa's own exemption size for accessory structures, and Hillsborough County's freeboard requirement for how far above base flood elevation new construction must sit. Both can change a project, so ask the City or the county's floodplain office directly.

Concrete Slab Permits in Tampa and Hillsborough County