Do I Need a Permit to Convert My Garage Into an ADU in Pinellas County?
Yes: turning a garage into an ADU changes how the space is used and adds plumbing and electrical work, so it needs a building permit in every Pinellas jurisdiction, and Florida's 2026 exemption for small jobs under $7,500 doesn't cover any of that work. Because a space with its own kitchen, bathroom and entrance counts as an ADU, the conversion also has to meet your city's ADU zoning rules, and in a flood zone the garage's floor level can decide whether a conversion is allowed at all.
Why the Permit Is Required
A garage conversion changes the use of the space and includes plumbing and electrical work, which requires a building permit in every Pinellas jurisdiction.
Building
changes
Converting a garage into living space changes how the building is used.
Plumbing + electrical
A kitchen and bathroom require work that is excluded from Florida's small-job exemption.
ADU requirements
A separate entrance, sleeping area, bathroom and full kitchen make the space an ADU.
The $7,500 exemption doesn't apply
Florida's 2026 exemption for small jobs under $7,500 excludes all electrical, plumbing, structural, mechanical and gas work and it doesn't apply to properties in flood hazard areas.
Can a Front-Facing Garage Become an ADU?
St. Petersburg's code has specific rules for converting an attached front garage into an ADU.
Garage door
The garage door must be removed.
Match the house
The new wall must match the home's exterior finishes and colors.
Green space
A 3-foot strip of green yard must separate the new wall from remaining pavement.
Parking
Required parking must fit entirely on your property, with at least one unobstructed space reserved for the ADU resident.
Unincorporated Pinellas County Rules
Outside city limits, Pinellas County has its own ADU requirements.
What if you only want a second kitchen?
Pinellas County allows a second kitchen in a single-family home as long as it keeps one main entrance, one address and no separately metered utilities.
Flood Zones: Settle This Before Design
In a flood zone, the garage's floor level and the scope of the work can affect whether a conversion is allowed at all.
Substantial Improvement
Within a rolling one-year period that reach 49% of the building's market value can trigger flood-resistant construction requirements for the entire building.
Lowest
Floor
New or substantially improved buildings must generally sit at least 1 foot above base flood elevation.
Garage
Conversion
A garage used only for parking or limited storage is different from a garage converted into a bedroom and kitchen.
Non-conversion acknowledgment
Some elevated structures have recorded agreements requiring enclosed areas to remain non-living space.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, but it still needs a permit, because turning a garage into living space changes its occupancy, which St. Petersburg's building department lists as permit work. Without a separate kitchen, bathroom and entrance it isn't an ADU, so the ADU size and parking rules don't apply, though the flood rules above still do.
In St. Petersburg, garage, carport and porch enclosures finished before March 1, 2002 that meet FEMA elevation requirements can be permitted after the fact without inspections, using an as-built drawing and a sworn statement recorded with the county, at normal permit fees and with no penalty. The city treats enclosures made on or after that date as work without a permit. Outside St. Pete, ask your building department.
In unincorporated Pinellas, yes: unconditioned garage or storage space that serves the ADU counts. In St. Petersburg, a detached ADU's 800-square-foot limit includes storage and shared laundry in the same building, but up to 300 square feet per required parking space, for up to three enclosed spaces, is left out.
A licensed contractor, or you as an owner-builder if you own the home and will live there. St. Petersburg requires an owner-builder to appear in person and sign a disclosure statement along with the application.