New Resident Guide

Moving to St. Johns County, Florida

A practical move-in guide for St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra, Nocatee, St. Johns, the beaches and communities throughout St. Johns County — with utilities, registration, schools, emergency contacts, local services and moving resources in one place.

Plan the actual move first

Two easy ways to move into St. Johns County

Need the truck + transportation?

Find a full-service mover

MoversNearMe.com helps consumers research moving companies, compare moving services, review company information and plan local or long-distance moves.

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Already have a truck, POD or trailer?

Hire moving labor only

MovingLaborNearMe.com provides labor-only moving help for loading, unloading, portable containers, rental trucks and in-home moving projects. You provide the transportation; the crew handles the lifting.

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First 48 Hours

Your move-in checklist

  • Confirm electricity, water/sewer and trash service for the exact address.
  • Update homeowner, renter, auto and flood insurance as needed.
  • Verify public-school zoning before enrollment.
  • Update your driver license and vehicle records when Florida law requires it.
  • Change your mailing address and update banks, employers and subscriptions.
  • Register for Alert St. Johns and check your evacuation zone.
  • Locate nearby doctors, urgent care, veterinarians and pharmacies.
  • Review HOA, CDD, gate, parking, trash-cart and amenity rules.
  • If you bought a primary residence, review homestead-exemption eligibility.
  • Save emergency and non-emergency phone numbers before you need them.
Utilities & home services

Who do I call to turn utilities on?

Utility providers vary by address in St. Johns County. Your closing documents, landlord, HOA or current meter information can help identify the correct provider. These are the major local contacts to check first.

St. Johns County Utilities

Water / sewer service for many unincorporated county addresses.

904-209-2700

After-hours water/sewer emergency: 904-209-2745

County Utilities

City of St. Augustine Utilities

Water / sewer account service for addresses served by the City of St. Augustine.

904-825-1037

Public Works: 904-825-1040

City Utility Service

JEA

Electric, water and/or wastewater service at some northern St. Johns County addresses.

904-665-6000 Start / Move Service

Florida Power & Light

Electric service provider for many Florida addresses; confirm service availability by property.

888-988-8249

Report outage: 800-468-8243

Start / Stop / Move

Clay Electric Cooperative

Electric cooperative serving portions of northeast Florida. Confirm by service address.

800-224-4917

Outage reporting: 855-939-3840

New Service

Florida City Gas

Natural-gas service where available.

800-993-7546

Smell gas? Leave the area and call 911, then the gas provider.

Start / Transfer Gas

St. Johns County Trash & Recycling

In unincorporated St. Johns County, residential curbside collection is funded through the solid-waste assessment; new residents generally do not establish a separate curbside account.

904-827-6980 Collection Information

City of St. Augustine Trash & Recycling

City residents use the City's Solid Waste & Sanitation program.

904-825-1049 City Collection Schedule
Florida paperwork

Driver license, vehicle registration, voting & homestead

St. Johns County Tax Collector

Local offices handle driver-license services, address changes, vehicle tags, titles and registrations.

904-209-2250
  • Main Office: 4030 Lewis Speedway, St. Augustine
  • DuPont Center: 6658 US 1 South, St. Augustine
  • Julington Creek: 725 Flora Branch Blvd., St. Johns
  • Ponte Vedra branch services are also available.
Locations & Services

New-to-Florida timing

Florida law can require a new resident who drives to obtain a Florida driver license within 30 days after beginning Florida employment or enrolling children in Florida public school. Florida vehicle registration can also be triggered within 10 days in those circumstances. Military and other exceptions may apply.

Vehicles previously registered out of state generally require Florida insurance and may require VIN verification before Florida registration.

Driver License Out-of-State Vehicles

Homestead Exemption

If the home is your permanent Florida residence, review homestead-exemption eligibility with the St. Johns County Property Appraiser. The statutory filing deadline is generally March 1, with the next business day used when March 1 falls on a weekend.

904-827-5500 Apply / Learn More

Register to Vote

St. Johns County Supervisor of Elections can help with registration, address updates and polling information.

904-823-2238 Supervisor of Elections
Families & schools

Enroll children using the exact home address

St. Johns County public-school assignment is based on the student's primary residence address. Large communities can be split between schools, so use the district Attendance Zone Locator rather than relying only on a neighborhood name.

New-student registration typically requires:

  • Birth certificate / guardianship documents
  • Recent health examination documentation
  • Required immunization documentation
  • Proof of St. Johns County residence
StJohnsFL.org School Guide Official Enrollment

SJCSD Student Services

904-547-7598

Use your street address to confirm the zoned school before enrollment.

Attendance Zone Locator
Settle in locally

Doctors, veterinarians, insurance & everyday services

Use the StJohnsFL.org Local Business Directory for local providers. Listings are being built out across St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra, Nocatee, St. Johns and the beaches.

St. Johns County Animal Control

For animal-control concerns, lost/found pets and Pet Center information.

904-209-0746

Pet Center: 904-209-6190

Animal Control

Home insurance reminder

Florida insurance can be address-specific. Ask about wind coverage, hurricane deductibles, flood exposure and whether the property is in a flood zone before assuming the prior owner's setup applies to you.

Browse Local Insurance Providers
Save these numbers

Emergency & safety contacts

Emergency

911

Police, fire or medical emergency.

St. Johns County Sheriff's Office

904-824-8304

County law-enforcement non-emergency line.

St. Johns County Fire Rescue

904-209-1700

Administrative / non-emergency contact. Call 911 for emergencies.

St. Augustine Police

904-825-1070

City of St. Augustine non-emergency dispatch.

St. Augustine Beach Police

904-471-3600

St. Augustine Beach non-emergency contact.

Call Before You Dig

811

Utility-locate service before digging on the property.

Alert St. Johns

Sign up for county emergency notifications covering severe weather, evacuations, water advisories, road closures and public-safety incidents.

Sign Up for Alerts

Know your evacuation zone

Hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30. Save your evacuation zone and review routes before a storm is approaching.

Emergency Management
A few local extras

Things new residents often forget

Beach driving pass

St. Johns County requires beach-driving passes during the seasonal pass period. County residents receive resident pricing with qualifying ID / property documentation.

Beach Pass Information

HOA & CDD details

Many newer St. Johns communities have an HOA, CDD or both. Check dues, gate access, parking, amenity rules, trash-cart requirements and move-in procedures.

Neighborhood Guide

Mail & address changes

Update USPS forwarding, banking, insurance, employer/payroll, subscriptions, driver-license records and anyone who still sends paper mail.

Change-of-Address Checklist
MoversNearMe.com Moving Toolbox

Moving resources for every stage of the move

Use these tools before, during and after moving into St. Johns County.

MovingLaborNearMe.com

Labor-only moving resources

Official-information note: Utility service areas, public-school boundaries, government deadlines, phone numbers, collection schedules and emergency procedures can change. The links above point to the relevant official agencies and utility providers so new residents can confirm address-specific information before acting.