To modify anything on the exterior of your home or lot in The Villages, you file The Villages Architectural Review Application with the Community Standards Department before any work begins. The form is free, and a completed submission is reviewed within 14 business days by either the Architectural Review Committee (ARC) or the Architectural Review Hearing Officer.1The Villages Community Development Districts. Architectural Review Most of the work is on your end: getting the project description, dimensions, and site plan right so staff can match your paperwork to your parcel and your district’s standards.
Which Projects Need an Application
Any change to the outside of your home or lot triggers the requirement. That covers pool additions, porch enclosures, landscaping changes, fencing, arbors, pergolas, trellises, painted driveways, driveway coatings, repainting the house, and room additions.1The Villages Community Development Districts. Architectural Review Replacing an existing material with something that looks different — a new shingle color, a different style of walkway stone — falls under the ARC’s scope too. If a neighbor could see it from the street or an adjacent property, assume you need approval.
Standards are adopted district by district, so a color or design your neighbor got approved in another district is not automatically fine in yours.2The Villages Community Development Districts. Community Standards Check the rules for your own Community Development District before you build the application around a specific plan.
Filling Out the Form
You can download the application from the district government website’s applications page or pick up a paper copy at the Community Standards office.3The Villages Community Development Districts. Popular Applications
The top of the form asks for your full name, contact details, Village name, Unit number, and Lot number. Pull the identifiers from your property deed or annual tax bill. A wrong digit here can hold up the whole file because staff cannot match it to your parcel.
The project description is the part that matters most. Spell out exactly what you plan to do and give the height, width, and length of every proposed structure or alteration. “Add landscaping to the front yard” is not enough. Describe the beds, their measurements, the plants, and any edging or accent materials such as rocks, mulch, or pine straw.4The Villages. Middleton Architectural Review Application Form The form also asks for the color of every proposed material — shingles, paint, driveway coatings, pergola finishes, and the like.
If you are hiring a contractor, you will list the business name and phone number. The district collects this for its records; it does not ask you to attach a license or proof of insurance.
What to Attach
Incomplete attachments are where most applications stall. Any project that changes the footprint of your homesite needs a site plan, boundary survey, or at minimum a hand-drawn sketch showing:5The Villages Community Development Districts. Architectural Review Application Form
- Existing platted easements and any easements created by the declaration of restrictions, plus setbacks. Missing a utility easement is one of the fastest ways to draw a denial.
- Existing improvements — the house, driveway, walkways, and any other current structures the project will touch.
- Every proposed change marked clearly, including new landscaping beds, walls, curbing, and edging, so the reviewer can tell new work from what is already there.
- Dimensions of all proposed work: height, width, and length for room additions, pergolas, driveway extensions, beds, walls, and walkways.
- Distances from every proposed change to nearby property lines, including beds, trees, shrubs, and water features.
Projects that do not change the existing footprint, such as a repaint in a new color, generally do not need a site plan.4The Villages. Middleton Architectural Review Application Form The form will still want the new colors, the location and quantity of any new plant material, and identification of accent materials in landscaping beds.
Where to Submit
The Community Standards Department is at 3571 Kiessel Road, The Villages, FL 32163, open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.6VCCDD Family Districts. Deed Compliance You can drop off the completed application in person during those hours, or call 352-751-3912 with questions before you file.
For online filing, the Village Center Community Development District runs a portal where you can complete the form and upload your attachments.7Village Center Community Development District. Advanced Forms After you submit, you will get an email confirming receipt and the hearing date for your project.
There is no fee. The ARC has warned residents that any message asking for payment to file or review an application is fraudulent.1The Villages Community Development Districts. Architectural Review
Review Timeline and Decision
A completed application received by 5:00 p.m. Friday is reviewed within 14 business days, either by the ARC or the Architectural Review Hearing Officer depending on your district. The clock stretches if the file is missing information or the reviewer requests more detail. You will be notified of the decision by email.
Do not start work until the written approval is in your hands. The district’s FAQ is explicit that the application must be approved before any work is performed.8The Villages Community Development Districts. FAQs – Section: Architectural Review Starting early can put you into the enforcement track described below.
How Long an Approval Lasts
An approved application is good for nine months from the date of approval. You can ask the ARC for one extension of up to another nine months. Anything beyond that requires a written request to the Community Standards Department, which forwards it to your District Board of Supervisors.9The Villages Community Development Districts. Architectural Review Manual If the approval expires before you break ground, you start over with a new application.
If Your Application Is Denied
The denial notice should identify the standard your proposal did not meet. The most direct next step is to revise the project to address that specific concern and refile. You can contact the Community Standards Department to talk through what changes would bring the plan into compliance before you resubmit. Reviews are conducted based on the rules and guidelines your individual district has adopted, so the fix has to line up with your district’s standards rather than a general Villages rulebook.2The Villages Community Development Districts. Community Standards
County Building Permits Are a Separate Step
ARC approval is not a building permit. The Villages spans parts of Sumter, Lake, and Marion counties, and each county enforces its own building code. Structural work — room additions, pools, electrical, plumbing — usually needs a county building permit on top of the ARC sign-off. Sumter County, for example, handles permits through its Building Services office at 7375 Powell Road in Wildwood or online.10Sumter County, FL. Building Services Get the ARC approval first, then pull the county permit, then start work.
What Happens If You Skip It
The Community Standards Department has two arms: Architectural Review and Deed Compliance.2The Villages Community Development Districts. Community Standards Skip the application, or build something different from what was approved, and Deed Compliance can open a case. Neighbors can also report possible violations, and staff verify the complaint.
Fine schedules vary by district. District No. 10’s published schedule sets an initial fine of $150 for unapproved modifications and similar infractions, plus $50 for each day the violation continues, and up to $500 per day for repeat violations.11The Villages Community Development Districts. External Deed Restriction – Standards Definitions The district can also seek injunctive relief in circuit court, and any Order of Enforcement is recorded as a lien against the property. You would also owe the district’s attorneys’ fees and costs. In emergencies, the Board of Supervisors can order summary enforcement and abate the violation immediately. Filing the paperwork correctly on the front end is the cheap path.