Building on a Four Seasons Lot: Permits, Setbacks and the Architectural Committee

Building in Four Seasons means working with two groups. The county or the Village issues building permits. The Four Seasons Architectural Control Committee (ACC) approves your plans. Here is how the order works on Horseshoe Bend and in Porto Cima, plus the setbacks, tree rules and approval steps. Find a lot on the Horseshoe Bend or Porto Cima pages.

Permit order on Horseshoe Bend

Horseshoe Bend lots inside the Village of Four Seasons follow this order for a single-family home:

• 1. Village of Four Seasons: zoning and the building permit.
• 2. The ACC: it needs a copy of your Village permit before it approves.
• 3. Horseshoe Bend Special Road District: driveways, culverts and other work in the right-of-way. Its permits are free.
• 4. Ameren: only for work on the lake side.

Not all of Horseshoe Bend is inside the Village. Outside it, Camden County Planning and Zoning issues the permit, and the Lake Ozark Fire Protection District fire marshal reviews the plans.

Permit order in Porto Cima

Porto Cima is in unincorporated Camden County. The Village is not involved.

• 1. The ACC: architectural approval before any work.
• 2. Camden County Planning and Zoning: the building permit.
• 3. Sunrise Beach Fire Protection District: fire review.
• 4. Camden County Road and Bridge: driveway and culvert permits.
• 5. Ameren: only for work on the lake side.

Setbacks

Setbacks run from the surveyed property lines. The house and garage must sit inside the building envelope. These are the numbers.

• Front: the Declaration sets 30 ft. The Builders Guide lists 25 ft from any lot line that touches the road right-of-way. When the two differ, the Declaration controls.
• Side: 10 ft, or 15 ft on golf-course lots.
• Rear: 50 ft. The Guide allows 40 ft where the area has central sewage collection. On a lot whose rear line adjoins a golf course, the ACC can allow a lesser setback. It is not automatic.
• Shoreline: 50 ft from the 662 contour on Horseshoe Bend and 40 ft on Shawnee Bend.
• Easements: 10 ft inside all lot lines, 20 ft where the lot line is a street right-of-way, and 30 ft of slope and drainage easement along street frontage.

Inside the Village, its own R-1 zoning sets a front setback of 25 ft or 25% of the average lot depth, whichever is smaller. It also sets a 40% building coverage limit and a height limit of 35 ft or 2.5 stories. Camden County’s R-1 district allows a 15 ft front setback since its 2026 rewrite. The POA numbers are larger. When a POA rule and a government rule differ, the more restrictive one applies.

Size and design rules

• Minimum main-floor living area depends on lot class and plat date. Class A and AWF lots are 1,200 sq ft (platted before 3/31/1998) or 1,500 sq ft. Class B is 1,020 or 1,200 sq ft. Class C is 840 or 1,100 sq ft. Golf-course lots are 1,500 sq ft. The class appears on the recorded plat.
• The Builders Guide sets no maximum height. The ACC can still refuse plans over height, roof pitch or style.
• Every new home needs at least a one-car garage, a trash enclosure and a hard-surface driveway.
• Only AWF and BWF lots can have a dock. No docks are allowed on unimproved lots.

Tree policy

• Trees over 6 inches in diameter, measured 5 ft up, stay until the lot is actually being developed.
• After permits, removal is limited to trees within 20 ft of the house footprint, drain field and hardscape, plus diseased or dangerous trees.
• You mark each tree with tape. ACC staff inspect first, and only marked trees come out.
• Removal without a permit brings a $500 fine per tree plus replacement trees.
• Underbrush clearing needs an ACC permit but no fee.

How ACC plan approval works

Every exterior improvement, site preparation or grading needs written ACC approval before work starts. ACC approval is not a building-code approval.

• Submit: a certified boundary survey from a Missouri surveyor with 2-ft contours and trees 6 inches and larger, two copies of an 18 by 24 site plan, two sets of floor plans with elevations, a landscape plan, one digital copy, color swatches and a wastewater plan.
• Fees: by total square feet under roof, garage included. Up to 2,500 sq ft is a 1-year permit, a $600 fee and a $5,000 refundable deposit. From 2,501 to 5,000 sq ft it is 18 months, $1,000 and $7,500. From 5,001 to 8,000 sq ft it is 2 years, $1,500 and $10,000.
• Meetings: the ACC meets the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month and reviews up to five new-home submittals per meeting, first come. Decisions are mailed in about five working days.
• Appeals: go first to the ACC, then to the POA Board within 30 days.
• Inspections: pre-site, footing, framing and final are included in the fee. Passing the footing inspection makes the lot an improved lot for POA dues.

This guide covers custom-home lots under the Four Seasons ACC. Townhome and villa areas have their own supplemental declarations and dues.

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