Permits for an outdoor kitchen in Destin, Walton County, and Panama City Beach

The pieces of an outdoor kitchen (a slab or pavers, a masonry island, a gas line, a circuit, a sink) each fall under rules that require a permit. Your first job is to figure out which office has your lot.

Step one: find your jurisdiction

Walton County's own building checklist lists planning contacts only for the county and the cities of DeFuniak Springs, Freeport, and Paxton. None of the beach communities is a city, so Walton County handles all of them.

Panama City Beach needs a closer check. The city says properties outside its limits are "handled by a different jurisdiction." The Bay County Property Appraiser record shows "Tax Area: 13" for parcels inside the city. Check it before you assume a PCB address means a city permit.

Destin

Destin takes every permit application online through My Government Online (MGO), with Destin selected as the jurisdiction.

The city's homeowner FAQ says a permit is required to build, add to, alter, repair, move, or demolish a building or structure, and to install or alter electrical, gas, mechanical, or plumbing systems the Florida Building Code regulates. The FAQ applies the same rule to structures you can't live in, and lists patios, walkways, driveways, accessory buildings, and retaining walls. It adds that "clearing, grading, adding fill, and adding impervious surfaces such as pavers all require permits."

What to expect once you apply:

• Site plan. Simple permits need a scaled site plan showing structures, property lines, and setbacks. The city does not accept aerial photos.
• Foundation survey. The city requires one for foundations of 100 square feet or more.
• Notice of Commencement. For improvements over $5,000 in materials and labor, you file a Notice of Commencement with the Okaloosa County Clerk of Court and upload it to the MGO permit.
• Inspections. Every permit requires at least one inspection, and the permit holder must request each one.
• Permit life. A permit stays valid for one year from issuance, or until the next Florida Building Code edition takes effect, whichever is later, as long as work continues. The city voids it after six months with no recorded inspection.

The Building Division's FAQ lists its phone as (850) 654-1119. Flood questions go to the city's Engineering Department.

Miramar Beach and 30A

Walton County describes two steps. "Step 1 begins with a review by the Planning and Development Services Department," then "Step 2 is building permitting that is handled by the Building Department." South of Choctawhatchee Bay, the county wants a building permit or development order in place before any land clearing or alteration.

The county's building checklist, revised July 21, 2026, sets out what a permit for a home's accessory structure needs:

• Plans. None if construction is under 100 square feet and not coastal. Otherwise, signed and sealed plans. Inside the coastal construction zone, a Florida registered architect or engineer must stamp and seal them.
• Wind and flood statements. "Both types of plans must include the Walton County Wind Load Statement." If the property sits in a flood zone, the plans need a flood zone statement.
• Site plan. Planning must approve it first.
• Setbacks. The checklist's general figures are 20 feet front, 15 feet back, and 7.5 feet on each side. From water, it lists 50 feet to a creek, bay, or river, 25 feet to wetlands, and 100 feet to a coastal lake.

The setbacks come with a caveat: the checklist has a separate rule for some single-family lots of record from before November 7, 1996 that are less than 200 feet deep. Confirm the numbers with Walton County Planning, (850) 267-1955. The Building Department's number is (850) 892-8160. Applications go through the county's Civic Access portal, linked from the Building Division page.

Panama City Beach

The city's Building Division "reviews, permits, and inspects structures as small as a shed and as large as a high-rise condominium." Its FAQ adds three rules you'll meet on an outdoor kitchen:

• Notice of Commencement. Required above a $5,000 direct contract price, or $15,000 for mechanical work. The Building Department must have the recorded notice before inspections.
• Contractors. A contractor needs a Florida certified or registered license and must register with the city to pull permits.
• Owner-builders. You must pass a basic written exam. The city won't issue owner-builder permits for property owned by an LLC or a trust, or for condo unit improvements.

The building code

Florida has one statewide building code. State law says the Florida Building Code is adopted statewide without local adoption, and local offices enforce it. Destin and Panama City Beach both say they enforce the 2023 (8th edition) Florida Building Code with the 2020 National Electrical Code.

That changes soon. The Florida Building Commission's workplan sets December 31, 2026 as the effective date of the 9th edition (2026) code. An application filed before that date falls under the 8th edition; one filed after falls under the 9th. If your project straddles the date, ask the permit office which edition your plans should follow.

Before you apply

1. Confirm the jurisdiction from the property record.
2. Pull your survey and mark setbacks.
3. Look up the FEMA flood zone and check whether the lot sits seaward of the coastal construction control line. The flood and coastal guide explains both.
4. Read your association's guidelines. See the HOA guide.
5. Decide who will pull the permit. If you plan to do it as an owner-builder, read the hiring guide first.

To talk with a local contractor about the permit path for your lot, send a request.