Hillsborough County covers Tampa and its surrounding unincorporated areas. It’s one of Florida’s most active construction markets and has a well-developed online permit system.
Here’s what you need to know about Hillsborough County site plan requirements.
Hillsborough County Site Plan Requirements Basics
Portal: Accela Citizen Access at hcflgov.net/building Jurisdiction: Unincorporated Hillsborough County
Note: The City of Tampa has its own building department at tampagov.net/construction-services. If your property is within Tampa city limits, use Tampa’s portal, not the county’s.
Plant City and Temple Terrace also have their own building departments.
Hillsborough County Site Plan Format
- Scale: 1″=20′ or 1″=30′ both acceptable choose based on lot size
- File format: PDF upload through Accela Citizen Access
- Title block: Property address, parcel ID (Hillsborough County Property ID), owner name, preparer name, date, scale
Hillsborough County Required Site Plan Elements
For all residential building permits:
- Lot dimensions (from parcel data)
- All existing structures with dimensions
- Proposed structure with dimensions
- All setbacks from proposed structure to property lines, labeled in feet
- Easements shown (drainage and utility)
- North arrow and scale bar
For pool permits:
- Pool dimensions
- Pool equipment location
- Barrier fence with gates and gate hardware type noted
- Impervious surface calculation
- Flood zone designation (many Hillsborough properties are in Zone AE or X)
Hillsborough County Setback Requirements
RS-50 residential zone (single-family residential, 50-foot lot width minimum):
- Front setback: 25 feet
- Rear setback: 20 feet
- Side setbacks: 7.5 feet
- Corner lots: 20-foot side setback facing the street
Pool setbacks in Hillsborough:
- Pool water’s edge to rear and side property lines: 5 feet minimum
- Pool equipment: typically must be 5 feet from property lines
These setbacks are strictly enforced as part of Hillsborough County site plan requirements during permit review.
Accessory structure setbacks (sheds, detached garages):
- Must be 5 feet from the rear property line
- Must be 5 feet from the side property lines
- Cannot be in the front yard
Hillsborough County Septic System Setbacks
Many Hillsborough County properties, particularly in unincorporated areas, are on septic systems. If your property has a septic system:
- The pool’s water’s edge must be a minimum of 10 feet from the septic tank
- Pool water’s edge must be a minimum of 15 feet from the drain field
- Any construction near the drain field can damage it and void your septic permit
Hillsborough County Health Department approval may be required before permit issuance when a pool is proposed near a septic system. In many cases, the site plan must also include an impervious surface calculation to verify lot coverage and demonstrate compliance with local development requirements.
Understanding Hillsborough County site plan requirements is essential when planning a pool project, as reviewers will evaluate setbacks, septic system clearances, lot coverage, and other property-specific development standards.
Septic compliance is a key factor within Hillsborough County site plan requirements and should be addressed early in the permitting process.
Hillsborough County Online Permit Submission Tips
Hillsborough’s Accela system requires:
- Account creation before you can submit
- Separate “activity” for each trade (building, electrical, plumbing). Don’t try to submit everything in one record
- PDF files under 25MB per file (combine smaller files if needed)
- All required information filled out in the online form before uploading documents
Compliance with Hillsborough County site plan requirements helps ensure faster approval and fewer revision requests from the building department.
Proper file formatting is an essential part of meeting Hillsborough County site plan requirements in the Accela system.
Missing details in submissions are one of the most common causes of delays under Hillsborough County site plan requirements.
Case Study: Hillsborough Pool Permit Timeline
A Lutz homeowner wanted to add a 14′ × 28′ pool with a 400 sq ft deck. His property is in unincorporated Hillsborough, RS-75 zone.
We prepared his site plan showing:
- 75-foot lot width with accurate boundary dimensions
- Existing house, driveway, and shed
- Proposed pool centered in rear yard with 8-foot setback from rear property line (RS-75 requires the same 5-foot minimum as RS-50, so he had margin)
- Pool deck shown with impervious surface calculation (his lot was 10,000 sq ft; existing impervious was 2,400 sq ft; proposed deck added 400 sq ft, total 28% impervious, well under the county limit)
- Barrier fence around the entire pool area
- Flood zone AE notation with BFE
Site plan delivered in 11 hours. Permit approved on first submission. Construction started within 10 days of ordering the site plan.
Every Hillsborough County site plan requirements submission must comply with zoning, setback, and flood zone regulations to be approved on first review.
Get Your Hillsborough County Site Plan
Need a fast, accurate site plan for your permit application? We prepare professional site plans designed to meet local permitting requirements and submission standards.
For projects that require an impervious surface calculation, it can be included as part of the site plan package to help satisfy county review and permitting requirements.
Standard residential site plans start at $79 with 12–24-hour delivery. PE-stamped site plans are available from $499, with a typical turnaround time of 2–5 business days, depending on project scope and jurisdiction requirements.
Order your site plan today and get started on your permit application.
