Concrete slabs and pads in South Venice and Venice Gardens
Small pads on small lots, raised above the wet-season grade and kept off the drain field.
- Jurisdiction
- Sarasota County
- Permit page
- rules and office
- Drive from Sarasota
- 35 to 45 minutes
- Service
- Concrete Slabs & Pads
What does a pad cost in South Venice?
Small pads about $9 to $15 per square foot, so an AC pad runs $350 to $700, a generator pad $600 to $1,400 with anchor bolts to the template, a 10-by-12 shed pad $1,200 to $2,000, and an 8-by-8 hot-tub pad at 6 inches $1,200 to $2,000. Pads sit 2 to 4 inches above grade because these lots hold water in August.
Planning band from the September 10, 2026 cost tables; not a quote.
What's different about slabs & pads in South Venice & Venice Gardens
Pads in South Venice are the honest small jobs: a condenser sinking on a precast block, a generator after the 2024 outages, a shed for the fishing gear, a spa. The ground is Myakka sand with a shallow water table, so every pad gets a compacted subgrade, 4 inches of base, a raised edge and a slope to the swale; hot-tub and boat pads get 6 inches with #4 bar. Sheds of 100 square feet or less follow the county's exemption; the septic drain field is off limits for all of it.
Generator pads are poured to the manufacturer's template with conduit sleeved before the pour.
Rules that apply here
Sheds of 100 sq ft or less generally exempt; larger pads and any structure on them reviewed through Accela; AC and generator pads ride with the equipment permit; septic setbacks (rules).
A worked example
A 1974 South Venice home: a 22 kW standby generator pad and a 10-by-10 shed pad. Scope: generator pad at 5 inches to the manufacturer's template with anchor bolts and a sleeved conduit, raised 3 inches; shed pad at 4 inches with a thickened edge, raised 3 inches, both on compacted base and sloped to the swale, both clear of the drain field per the county record. Generator permitted with the electrical work; shed exempt at 100 square feet. Cost band: $2,200 to $3,400.
Why raise a pad above the lawn?
Because South Venice lawns stand in water after an August storm, and a condenser or a generator sitting in it corrodes. Two to four inches above grade with a slope away keeps the equipment dry.
Where to go next
Request an estimate in South Venice & Venice Gardens
Last reviewed September 10, 2026 by the Sarasota Concrete editorial team (author name pending owner input).