Outdoor kitchens in Collier County

Collier County was created from Lee County on May 8, 1923, as Florida's 62nd county and is named after Barron Gift Collier, who offered to fund the Tamiami Trail through the Everglades in exchange for a new county named in his honor. The Trail officially opened on April 26, 1928.

Collier County has three municipalities, the City of Naples, the City of Marco Island and the City of Everglades City. Everything else in the county is unincorporated. Collier County enforces the Florida Building Code in the unincorporated parts of the county. For flood records, the County refers owners in the City of Naples, Marco Island and Everglades City to their own city offices.

A Naples address alone does not tell which rules apply. We check this at the start of every project and prepare the documents the licensed contractor needs for the permits. Under the Florida Building Code, a permit from the building official is needed before a structure is built or altered and before electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing systems are installed or altered.

The Florida Building Code limits its High-Velocity Hurricane Zone to Broward and Miami-Dade counties, so Collier County is not part of it. Collier County's chief building official gives a minimum design wind speed of 150 mph for Risk Category II structures in the county, up to 170 mph in some areas, based on wind zone maps adopted by the Board of County Commissioners.

During Hurricane Ian in September 2022, storm surge flooded almost all of Collier County south and west of US 41 (Tamiami Trail). The National Hurricane Center reports maximum inundation of 8 to 12 feet above ground in North Naples and 4 to 6 feet from Marco Island through Everglades City, and in Collier County 33 buildings were destroyed and more than 3,500 sustained major damage. In Collier County, Hurricane Ian's wind damage was mainly confined to trees, fences and screens, with near-surface gusts likely in the 80 to 90 mph range, according to the National Weather Service.

The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30. A FREILUFT kitchen is built to stay outside year-round and has storm hooks in the plinth that secure the doors; before a storm, secure everything loose.

The National Weather Service defines the South Florida wet season as May 15 to October 15, when 60 to 70 percent of the yearly rainfall occurs, and Naples averages about 36 inches of rain in that season (1991–2020 normals). Dewpoints are in the 70s almost daily, and in July and August the heat index can frequently reach or exceed 100°F. Near the Gulf, salt air reaches the garden: FREILUFT cabinets use 5/16 in (8 mm) marine-grade aluminum, finished with Off-Shore powder coating with a chromate-free, nano-ceramic pre-treatment. Clean aluminum and the coating with mild soapy water, clean natural stone without acids, and lubricate the hinges twice a year.

Collier County has six FEMA flood zones, and owners can look up the flood zone of a property by street address in the County's flood map viewer. The current coastal flood map took effect on February 8, 2024. A new Flood Insurance Rate Map for Collier County is nearly complete. The preliminary map was released on March 20, 2025, a 90-day appeal period began on August 19, 2026, and the new map is targeted to take effect in summer 2027.

In Collier County, the 50 percent rule applies to buildings in the Special Flood Hazard Area whose lowest floor is below the base flood elevation. Improvements or alterations of 50 percent or more of the building's value before the work must meet current standards for building in a flood hazard area. In Collier County's 50 percent cost estimate worksheet, only work directly associated with the building counts. Items such as detached structures, gazebos, decks, yard lights and screened pool enclosures are listed as excluded. Whether a freestanding kitchen counts as a detached structure is decided by the County for each property.

Collier County's Land Development Code lists chickees and barbecue areas as accessory structures. Outside the Agricultural and Estates districts, they keep the same front and side setbacks as the house, at least 10 feet from the rear lot line and 10 feet from other structures if detached. On waterfront and golf course lots in Collier County, barbecue areas also keep 10 feet at the rear, while pools and screen enclosures of one- and two-family homes need 10 feet, or 20 feet where the pool deck is more than four feet above the seawall or bank (other values apply on Isles of Capri). The code speaks of barbecue areas; how your kitchen is classified, we clarify during planning. The cities and planned communities can set their own rules.

Collier County has a state Coastal Construction Control Line along its Gulf beaches. Seaward of that line, construction and excavation need a permit from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection unless exempt, and the County's setback table for accessory structures defers to the control line where it is involved. Near Collier County's beaches, the County's sea turtle rules apply to development and its lighting within 300 feet of mean high water. Outdoor lighting must be kept to the minimum needed, floodlights and landscape or accent lighting are prohibited, and light sources must be shielded or positioned so they are not visible from the beach, while existing lights visible from the beach must be turned off after 9 p.m. from May 1 to October 31 or shielded. In beachfront gardens, we plan the kitchen lighting with these rules in mind.

In unincorporated Collier County, removing vegetation or placing fill generally requires a vegetation removal permit from the County unless an exemption applies, and during construction reasonable steps such as protective barriers must keep other vegetation from being damaged. Mangrove trimming and alteration in Collier County falls outside the County's vegetation rules because the State governs it under the 1996 Mangrove Trimming and Preservation Act, which covers red, black and white mangroves, living or dead. Applications go to Florida Department of Environmental Protection district offices or delegated local governments.