A parcel is only as usable as its access, its water and its wastewater. Confirm a recorded legal right to reach the land, and find out early whether it can get a well permit and a septic permit. Those answers can change what the land is worth.
Legal access and easements
Being able to drive onto land is physical access. Legal access is frontage on a public road or a recorded easement across someone else's land. The title commitment and the survey show which one you have.
Florida law recognizes a "way of necessity" for land shut off from a road (s. 704.01, Florida Statutes), but using it means a legal process with a neighbor. Buy access that is already recorded and insurable.
Easements also run across your parcel: a utility, drainage or access easement limits where you can build.
Water: public line or private well
If there is no public water line at the road, you will need a well. A well construction permit is required before a well is installed. The St. Johns River Water Management District lists Lake and Orange among the counties it has delegated that permitting to, so there you apply through the county. Ask a licensed well contractor about depth and water quality nearby.
Wastewater: sewer or septic
Since July 1, 2021 Florida's septic program has belonged to the Department of Environmental Protection, but county health department offices still handle permits and inspections. You need a septic permit before construction, and the building may not be occupied until the installed system is approved.
| Situation | Statutory figure |
|---|---|
| Lot served by a private well | At least one-half acre; sewage flow up to 1,500 gallons per acre per day |
| Lot served by public water | No more than four lots per acre; flow up to 2,500 gallons per acre per day |
| Distance from a private drinking water well | 75 feet |
| Distance from a lake or stream | 75 feet from the mean annual flood line; 50 feet for lots platted before 1972 |
The two distance rows are the statute's figures for systems permitted before June 21, 2022. Current setbacks are set by DEP rule, so confirm them with the county health department.
Worked example: does the lot pass
A 2-acre parcel on a private well: 2 times 1,500 is a ceiling of 3,000 gallons a day, and the lot clears the half-acre minimum. A 0.40-acre lot created today on a private well does not. The same lot on public water would: four lots per acre means a quarter acre each. Lots platted before 1972 are exempt from the size rule.
Then draw 75-foot circles around your well and your neighbor's. On a narrow lot they decide where the house can go.
Local rule near the Wekiva
Much of the Apopka and Wekiva area lies in the Wekiwa Springs Priority Focus Area. Orange County says lots under one acre with conventional septic systems there face a requirement to convert to sewer or an alternative system.
Call the county health department with the parcel ID and ask what septic system the site would need. If power is not at the boundary, ask the utility for a written estimate to extend it.
Before the next lesson
- Find the electric utility for the address with the Public Service Commission lookup.
- Ask the seller for any survey, well log and septic permit they have.
- Read the land and acreage guide.
- Ask Robert to pull the recorded easements for the parcel.
Sources: s. 381.0065, F.S., Florida DEP Onsite Sewage Program, SJRWMD well permits, s. 704.01, F.S., Orange County Septic to Sewer, Florida PSC utility lookup. Checked November 2026.
Section 381.0065(4) sets a half-acre minimum for a lot on a private well. DEP runs the septic program, but county health department offices still take applications.
