The minimum is 1,800 square feet of living area under air conditioning. A two-story home needs at least 1,200 square feet on the ground floor. Every home needs an attached garage for at least two cars, and the garage does not count toward the 1,800.
The home must be built on site, one single-family home per lot, no taller than two stories or 35 feet.
What counts toward 1,800 square feet
Only living area under conditioned air counts. The attached garage is required and is left out of the total whether it is air conditioned or not. Porches, lanais and pool cages are not living area. The restrictions we read set a minimum and do not state a maximum home size.
What kind of home is allowed
- One single-family home per lot, built on site by a contractor, of new materials.
- No more than two stories and 35 feet, measured from the slab.
- Not allowed as a home or an outbuilding: modular, prefabricated or mobile buildings, geodesic domes, A-frames, and round or oval structures. Sheds, greenhouses and gazebos may be prefabricated.
- Roof: at least a 5/12 pitch with a 12-inch overhang. Colors, materials and profiles come from the association's roofing book.
- Paint: body, trim and accent colors come from the association's color book.
- Driveway: hard surface or defined gravel, running at least 50 feet from the garage toward the street or to the property line.
Where the home can sit on the lot
| Lot line | Minimum distance to any structure |
|---|---|
| Front (street) | 40 feet |
| Each side | 25 feet |
| Rear | 25 feet |
| Corner lot | 40 feet from each street, 25 feet from the interior side and the rear |
Fences are the exception to the setbacks. On a one-acre lot these distances still leave a large building area, but an odd-shaped lot, a corner lot or a lot with a horse-trail easement can narrow it. Have the survey in hand before you choose a floor plan.
The trees decide more than people expect
Clear-cutting is prohibited. Each lot keeps a minimum of 30 mature trees per acre (a mature tree is four inches or more across, measured four and a half feet up). A 15-foot tree preservation zone runs along the side and rear lot lines, and no mature tree comes out of it. If a lot starts with fewer than 30 per acre, that smaller number becomes its minimum and no planting is required.
Before any tree is removed for a new home, the owner submits a tree preservation plan, signed tree affidavits for the county and the association, and a report from a licensed environmental consultant confirming no protected species are on the lot. The association inspects before clearing, after clearing and when the home is finished.
Approvals, in order
- Environmental inspection and tree preservation plan to the Architectural Design Committee.
- Committee approval of the home plans, colors and roof.
- Citrus County building permit.
- Outbuildings come later: no accessory structure may go up until the home has its county permit and wall construction has begun.
What this means when you shop for a lot
The 1,800-square-foot floor sets the cost of entry: a Pine Ridge lot is a site for a full-size home with a two-car garage. The setbacks and the tree count decide where that home and any future barn, pool or workshop can go. We check all of it against the survey for a specific lot before you write an offer. For current lot prices see Pine Ridge lots and land; for outbuilding limits see the Buyer Guide.