What needs a permit
- The slab. A court is an accessory structure and needs a building permit everywhere in the metro. The application is a site plan showing the court, setbacks, easements and existing structures, plus the slab detail.
- Fence over 6 feet. Building permit everywhere. Chain link under 6 feet needs no permit in the City of Orlando and a zoning permit in unincorporated Orange County.
- Lights. Electrical permit, pulled by a licensed electrician, everywhere.
- Trees. Removing a large oak needs its own permit in the City of Orlando and in Orange County, and Winter Park is stricter still. Replacement trees are sometimes required.
- Lines, coatings, net posts. No permit for a resurfacing or a conversion on an existing court.
Lot coverage
This is the rule that catches people. The City of Orlando limits impervious surface by zoning district, and 55 percent is the typical ceiling; a 1,800 square foot slab on a 7,000 square foot lot with a house, driveway and pool deck already on it can go over. Unincorporated Orange County works the other way, requiring 40 percent of the lot to stay as private open space, and its code treats pools and tennis courts differently from sheds in that math. Ask the zoning counter how a court is counted on your parcel before you assume. Seminole County and the cities have their own tables. Tile over a permeable base is sometimes accepted as pervious where coverage is the problem; the surface guide explains that option.
The HOA goes first
Almost every subdivision built here since 1990 is deed restricted, and the architectural review board meets monthly. Submit to them before the permit application, because they take longer and because a court the HOA rejects is a permit you paid for and cannot use. A good packet has:
- A site plan with the court, fence and poles dimensioned to the property lines.
- Elevations of the fence and poles.
- Color chips for the surface and a fence sample or spec sheet.
- Fixture cut sheets and a photometric plan if there are lights.
- A note on noise: surface type, fence panels, and the distance to the nearest neighbor's lanai.
Boards in Lake Nona, Hunter's Creek, Keene's Pointe and the Seminole communities have seen pickleball applications before and most have a position on them already. Ask the management company what the board wants to see; it saves a month.
Who pulls the permit
The licensed contractor doing the work. Florida regulates contractors at the state level through the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, and a licensed builder's number goes on the permit application and on your contract. You can look it up at myfloridalicense.com in a minute. Electrical work is a separate licensed trade and the electrician pulls that permit. The construction page shows where permitting falls in the schedule, and the cost page shows what the fees typically run.
Straight answers
Do I need a permit to build a pickleball court in my backyard in Orlando?
Yes. The slab is an accessory structure and needs a building permit in the City of Orlando, Orange County, Seminole County and every city in the metro. Fence over 6 feet and lights are separate permits.
How long does HOA approval take for a court?
Two to six weeks is typical, longer if the board asks for a photometric plan or a noise note and you have to resubmit. Send the packet before the permit application.
Is Lake Nona in the City of Orlando or Orange County?
City of Orlando. Permits go through the City's permitting services. Dr. Phillips, Bay Hill and most Windermere addresses outside the town limits are unincorporated Orange County.
What if my lot is over the impervious surface limit?
Options are a smaller pad, removing other hard surface, or a tile court over a permeable base where the jurisdiction accepts it as pervious. A variance is possible but slow. Check the number before you design.