Outdoor kitchens in Weston, FL

The land that is now Weston was assembled in the 1950s and planned as a single master-planned community first known as Indian Trace. Its development plan was approved in 1978, and the first homes were completed in 1984. Weston became a city on September 3, 1996, when 90 percent of voting residents of the Indian Trace Community Development District chose incorporation. Bonaventure voted to join the new city in 1997.

Weston is a master-planned city of about 27 square miles in southwestern Broward County, bordering the Florida Everglades. In 1999 the City annexed the conservation area along US 27 to its west. Weston includes about 1,877 acres of maintained lakes and canals that store stormwater. Before major storms they are lowered, and the excess water is later pumped to the Everglades or the Atlantic Ocean. Weston is known for flowing waterways and extensive landscaping, with rows of royal palms and layered planting along berms, medians and rights-of-way, and about 50 miles of bike lanes.

Most homes in Weston are in private developments governed by a homeowners' association, which must register with the City every year. In gated or private communities, the association maintains the roads, drainage and landscaping. In Weston, all building plans, including changes to an existing building, need review and approval by Planning and Zoning before a building permit is applied for. The department sets setbacks, building heights and landscaping to preserve the city's appearance. In Weston, the City's Building Code and Permitting Services Department enforces the Florida Building Code and Broward County regulations, reviews plans, issues permits and performs inspections. It received a Class 2 rating in the ISO Building Code Effectiveness Grading in 2024.

In Weston's residential districts, accessory structures may not exceed 12 feet in height. On interior single-family lots, accessory buildings and uses on the rear half behind the house may come within five feet of the side and rear lines, and unenclosed, unroofed patios may also extend to within five feet of a lot line. On Weston lots that back onto a lake, no encroachment other than grass is allowed in lake maintenance and lake access easements, and owners must remove structures and other unpermitted obstructions there. How your kitchen is classified, we clarify with the City during planning.

Weston applies the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone provisions of the Florida Building Code used in Broward County. Its permit requirements call for product approvals for sheds, doors, glass, roofs and shutters, and signed and sealed wind load calculations for shutters, windows, doors, skylights and garage doors. When a hurricane watch is issued, Weston's code requires materials in exposed areas outside occupied buildings to be removed unless they are permanently affixed to the ground or the structure, no later than 12 hours before hurricane-force winds are expected. In Weston's flood hazard areas, development not otherwise covered by the building code must be anchored against flotation, built of flood damage-resistant materials, and have mechanical, plumbing and electrical systems above the design flood elevation. How the kitchen is anchored on your lot, we plan with licensed partners.

Weston prohibits outdoor fires in general, but outdoor noncommercial food preparation, tiki torches and patio fireplaces are exempt when used in a safe and responsible manner. Under Weston's tree preservation ordinance, removing or relocating a tree generally requires a City permit, and tree work not done by the homeowner must be carried out by a tree service registered with the City. Street trees and trees on association property cannot be removed without a City permit. A Weston building permit application needs a current survey showing the proposed improvements and a lot calculation of all impervious areas, and contractors must be registered with the City. Sheds, pergolas and gazebos also need plans signed and sealed by a Florida-licensed architect or engineer.