Sell Vacant Land in Marion County for Cash

Marion County’s comprehensive plan places the whole county in Springs Protection Zones. The Primary zone is based on a zero to 10-year groundwater travel time to the springs, and the Secondary zone covers the rest of the county. A separate Environmentally Sensitive Overlay Zone surrounds Silver and Rainbow springs; the Silver, Rainbow, Salt, Glen and Juniper spring runs; lakes of 200 acres or more; land within 500 feet of perennial rivers and streams; and all of Silver River State Park.

Inside that overlay, the plan bars septic systems in the 100-year floodplain, limits floodplain density to one home per acre, and requires waterfront lots to be at least 125 feet wide, although lots that existed on January 1, 1992 are exempt from the width rule. A lot near a spring, river or large lake can be harder to build on than its size suggests. This is general information; Marion County Growth Services can confirm the rules for a specific parcel.

The county’s Urban Growth Boundary marks where urban densities and central services are planned. Outside it, the Rural Land designation is intended mainly for agriculture, at one home per 10 gross acres. The Farmland Preservation Area, created in 2005, is an overlay meant to protect farmland, the county’s equestrian character and the karst ground that recharges the Floridan Aquifer. Hamlet developments are not allowed there, and any plan amendment that would raise density inside it must also extend the Urban Growth Boundary to take in the parcel.

For older subdivisions outside the boundary, the plan encourages owners to vacate antiquated plats and return them to acreage. Its Transfer of Vested Rights program lets owners of Rural Land that was platted before the plan and zoning took effect give up those development rights in exchange for credits that can be used in urban areas. Before you price a rural tract, check its future land use and zoning on the county’s GIS map or with Planning & Zoning.

Marion County is divided between the St. Johns River and Southwest Florida water management districts, with the boundary running roughly along Interstate 75, so the district rules that apply depend on which side a lot is on. A well construction permit is required before any new well is drilled, and in Marion County those permits are issued locally through the Marion County Health Department.

Septic permits in Marion County come from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, which took over the program here on July 1, 2025. Applications go through DEP’s online portal with a site plan and a site evaluation. Anyone who plans to build on a lot without central sewer will need both permits.