Ocoee’s exemption application, owner affidavit and zoning-verification request are three different documents. Submitting the exemption application does not produce a zoning letter, and the City says the zoning letter must be obtained before proceeding with exempt work. That is not evidence that every applicant must finish one application before filing the other. City instructions, exemption application
Match each document to its purpose
| Document | What you supply or acknowledge | What it does not establish |
|---|---|---|
| Residential Permit Exemption Application/Request | Full work description and total project cost, with the notarized affidavit and supporting scope/value documents | It explicitly is not a zoning-review request or zoning letter |
| Owner Exemption Affidavit | Owner statements about the proposed work, excluded trades, flood hazard and responsibilities; signature and notarization | It is not a building permit or a commitment to City inspections |
| Planning/Zoning Verification Request | Select the residential permit zoning-verification route and provide the stated project/site support | An application is not an approved exemption or favorable zoning finding |
Read the application, affidavit and zoning form themselves before signing. The application specifically distinguishes site improvements—such as structures, fences and paving—that need zoning verification. The zoning form provides separate residential-exemption and general-information choices.
One project description across all three
LSL’s cross-check is to compare the parcel identifier, complete scope, project value and drawing version across the documents. A fence in one description must not disappear from another. The exemption application also asks the applicant to certify that any fencing in the request is not associated with a pool, spa or similar recreational water body. Do not treat a pool-safety barrier as an ordinary fence exemption. Application certification
For the residential zoning-verification route, the form lists the owner-signed affidavit, a contract or signed scope with total valuation, applicable site drawing and an impervious calculation sheet. Ask Planning how to address an item that does not appear applicable instead of silently omitting it. Its instructions direct these requests through SAGE under the Planning Division. The form lists $50 per parcel for standard zoning verification with permit exemption and $125 for expanded research; confirm the actual charge for the request rather than adding those alternatives together. Zoning request, pages 2–3
Flag the affidavit’s threshold wording
The affidavit says the work value “does not exceed $7,500.00.” The operative 2026 statute, section 553.79(1)(g), says less than $7,500. Do not infer that a project valued at exactly $7,500 qualifies from the form’s broader wording. Ask the City to resolve the discrepancy before signing or relying on it. Excluded trades, flood-hazard property and the prohibition on dividing a larger project also remain relevant.
An exemption does not end with a City final inspection
The affidavit says the City will not perform construction or final inspections for this exempt work and generally will not issue its completion/occupancy certificate unless otherwise required by law. The previous LSL guide’s generic inspection-and-final sequence was therefore misleading for this route. Keep the actual exemption and zoning decisions and their conditions; do not expect a final-inspection record the City says it will not create. Owner acknowledgments
LSL checked the City pages, all seven pages of the three forms in text and native layout, and the statutory threshold on September 20, 2026. No eligibility, zoning compliance or private project value was determined. Planning’s forms list zoning@ocoee.org and 407-905-3157 for the project-specific questions.