Janet,
you may have already considered this, as you mentioned a contractor, but....
Your very FIRST step should be to contact your local zoning office and permitting dept, and your local tax office. You need to find out exactly what you need to do to be able to build any structure on your property. And you will have to pay additional taxes once you do, either in the form of tangible property tax or increased property tax.
They can tell you the lot setbacks you have to adhere to (distance from the street, the property line) and what permits, if any, you will need.
Building code restrictions vary greatly from state to state, as do who is responsible for pulling a building permit. In some states the contractor applies for and pulls the permit. In others the homeowner does that.
The type of structure and the size determine what hoops they make you go through. Whether you have a slab foundation or not, how high the roof is, etc can make difference.
In Florida, (and other Gulf COast states I am sure) there is the added factor of building to the hurricane code. Mine had to be built to withstand at least 110 mph winds.
If you plan to have electricity and water run to the structure, you will also be having to permit that as well and have inspections done.
Don't skip this step....if you start building and find out you didn't comply with all the red tape, they can and will come and put a halt to your project. It happened to a friend of mine. They got halted, and also got fined.
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