St. Johns County waterfronts.
Match the process to the property.

Start with jurisdiction, not the postal address

The City of St. Augustine, the City of St. Augustine Beach and St. Johns County have separate building processes. St. Augustine Beach publishes a jurisdiction map specifically to help distinguish its boundaries from the surrounding County and St. Augustine. Use parcel mapping and staff confirmation before choosing a submission route.

For a County project, Building Permits is 904-827-6800. Explain the actual shoreline and work: existing wall repair, replacement, dock alteration, drainage or a new bank treatment. The main permit guide provides the municipal routes. Jurisdictions and Municipalities Building Department

Retrieve the old file before designing the new work

County e-services provide permit status, inspection information, plan-review comments and contractor searches. For material not found online, request the permit file through Records Management at 904-827-6822 or the listed records email.

An empty online search is a reason to ask for help, not proof that a wall was never permitted. Compare recovered drawings with the present structure before assuming they describe it. Building Department Building Department records

Does the wall cross a County oceanfront right-of-way?

This is a specific situation with its own process. Development Review Manual Section 40 concerns County-owned oceanfront rights-of-way; its requirements should not be copied onto every private riverfront wall.

The sequence begins with a clearance application and signed/sealed plans for preliminary review. After DEP permitting, the complete package includes the required owner authorizations and release documentation. If the proposed alignment crosses a public access corridor, identify that issue before the contractor finalizes the work limits. Approval to build there does not simply transfer ownership of the public land. Section 40: Oceanfront Right-of-Way Bulkhead Permits Oceanfront ROW bulkhead application sequence

Plan equipment access as part of the project

A public beach entrance is not an assumed construction route. County coastal-construction access uses protected-species training, a quiz and an application, coordinated with Building. The County lists Habitat Conservation assistance at 904-209-3740.

Ask the contractor to show the proposed entrance, equipment, staging and restoration. Establish who obtains permission and how changing beach conditions affect the sequence. County Coastal Management also publishes public beach-project information; check whether nearby work or access changes need coordination. A public project’s schedule or budget does not authorize or price a private wall. Special Use Beach Access Permits Coastal Projects

Keep the approval list and inspection record together

County building review, state environmental review, coastal construction and federal authorization can apply to different parts of one proposal. Have your representative list each applicable approval and its current status. Ask which agencies must review a change before building it.

The County requires inspections before covered work becomes concealed and approval for revisions to reviewed plans. Agree who schedules inspections and retains the evidence, especially when buried anchors, backfill or underwater components are involved.

• Record the approved scope and drawing date.
• Keep permit conditions and inspection requests accessible.
• Save accepted revisions before construction changes.
• Collect completion documents and unresolved items at handover.

For price preparation, use the cost guide. For a prospective purchase, obtain the records early enough to let a professional investigate gaps rather than turning them into an unpriced closing assumption. Building inspections and plan revisions

A records request you can adapt

Add a known permit number and explain whether you need the wall, dock or both. A broad request for “all house records” may return a large file while leaving the waterfront question unresolved. Preserve the office’s response even if no matching record is found.

When plans arrive, check the address, work limits, drawing date and permit status with your professional. A drawing in an application file is not, by itself, evidence that the described work was approved or completed.

Building Department records