Fence, wall or pool barrier: what to do next in Port St. Lucie, FL
Port St. Lucie sits only a few miles from the Atlantic, and salt air, constant humidity and daily summer thunderstorms are hard on fences, walls, gates and pool barrier hardware. A citation for a fence, wall or pool barrier usually points to one of a few things: a leaning, broken or storm-damaged fence, work built without a permit or outside the allowed height or setback, or a pool gate or barrier that does not do its job. Start with the notice. Read it, write down the compliance date and any hearing date, and contact the code office named on it with questions about your case.
Call us or send your notice details · free estimate
In Port St. Lucie, which is an incorporated municipality, code enforcement is normally run by the city itself, though some cities contract it out. Your notice names the office. Across Florida, code enforcement is handled locally under Chapter 162, Florida Statutes. A notice of violation generally describes the problem and gives a time to correct it. If it is not corrected, the case can be set for a hearing before a code enforcement board or special magistrate. Exact steps, dates and amounts are on your notice and vary by place, so confirm them with that office.
While your case is open, don't
- Don't start building before the permit. The Florida Building Code (section 105.1) calls for a permit for most construction, alteration and repair work, and the building department with jurisdiction over your property can tell you whether your job needs one.
- Don't lose track of your dates. The compliance date and any hearing date on the notice stay as written, so keep them where you can see them and ask the code office named on the notice if anything is unclear.
- Don't tear out the fence or wall first. Taking out finished work before the building department says what it needs can add cost, and for unpermitted work that office decides whether it can be permitted after the fact or must be rebuilt.
- Don't rely on a quick fix at the pool. A strap, a wedge or a loose latch is not a repair, and a pool barrier citation is about keeping young children out of the water.
What we do
- We read the notice with youWe go through what the citation says, whether it is a leaning or storm-damaged fence or wall, unpermitted work, or a pool barrier with gaps or a gate that will not close and latch by itself. Then we look at the property.
- We check the lines and setbacksWhere the citation involves position or height, the survey is checked for the property line and setbacks so the repair or rebuild goes where it should.
- We agree the price in writingThe estimate is free. We tell you what work the violation needs and agree the price in writing before any work starts.
- We pull the permit and do the workWhen the job needs a permit, we pull it under our Florida Certified Building Contractor licence, CBC1267336. That includes after-the-fact permits. We repair or rebuild the fence or wall to code, and we bring the pool barrier into line with Chapter 515, Florida Statutes, and the Florida Building Code.
- We schedule inspections and give you the paperworkWe schedule the inspections through to final and work to get the permit closed out. You get the paperwork to show the code office named on your notice.
Work by 360 Home Improvements, Florida Certified Building Contractor CBC1267336. Electrical, plumbing and AC work goes to our Florida-licensed subcontractors, who pull that trade's permit.
How it works in Port St. Lucie
Port St. Lucie grew from large platted subdivisions into newer western communities such as Tradition and Verano, and much of the housing is single-family homes with block and stucco walls. Many newer areas are HOA-governed or gated. That means fences, walls and pool enclosures of very different ages can sit within a few miles of each other. The cited work may be an older fence worn by years of sun and sprinkler overspray, or newer work that was built without a permit.
Storm season matters here. The Treasure Coast is a high-risk hurricane corridor, and Florida's hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30. Storm damage left unrepaired, such as downed fences, is a common source of code enforcement notices afterward. Fence work falls under the Florida Building Code wind requirements. The High-Velocity Hurricane Zone is Broward and Miami-Dade, so elsewhere in the state products typically carry Florida Product Approval or a local approval. The building department can confirm what it accepts. Salt air also pits and corrodes gate latches, hinges and operators, which is one reason a pool gate may stop latching.
Questions people ask
- Who do I call about my notice in Port St. Lucie?
- Call the code office named on the notice. Port St. Lucie is an incorporated municipality, where code enforcement is normally run by the city itself, though some cities contract it out. Questions about deadlines, hearings, fines or liens go to that office, and legal questions go to a Florida attorney.
- Does a fence repair need a permit?
- The Florida Building Code (section 105.1) requires a permit for most construction, alteration and repair work. Permits come from the building department with jurisdiction over the property, so ask it about your job. We pull the permit under our licence when the work needs one.
- What if my fence or wall was built without a permit?
- Work done without a permit generally has to be permitted after the fact. That can involve drawings, inspections and opening up finished surfaces. The building department decides whether the work can be permitted as built or must be rebuilt to the approved height and position.
- Can salt air and storms really cause a pool barrier citation in Port St. Lucie?
- They can wear out the parts that make a barrier work, such as latches, hinges and gate hardware. Storm damage can also knock down a fence or wall. We look at what the citation says and repair the cited item to code.
- Do you represent me at the hearing or deal with the fine?
- No. We are a contractor, not a law firm. We do the repair or rebuild work and the permit and inspection steps. Fines, liens, hearings and appeals are decided by the board, magistrate or local government named on your notice.
This page is general information about Florida code enforcement, not legal advice. For questions about your own case (deadlines, hearing dates, fines or liens), contact the code enforcement office named on your notice, or a Florida attorney.
Send us the notice
The estimate is free, and we agree the price in writing before work starts. Call (954) 906-7864 or send a request through the form on the website, and take questions about the case itself to the code office named on your notice.
Request a free estimate
Tell us what the notice says and where the property is. We'll look at what the violation needs and agree the price with you before any work starts.
Other violations in Port St. Lucie
- Daily fines are adding up
- Work done without a permit
- A lien was recorded on my property
- Open or expired permits
- Overgrown lot, yard or debris
- Roof citation
- Unsafe structure or building in disrepair
Code Violation Solver is run by 360 Home Improvements, a licensed Florida contractor. We fix the condition behind the violation; the code office named on your notice decides the case.