Tampa Outdoor Kitchens is an independent matching service for homeowners buying an outdoor kitchen in Tampa and the wider the Tampa Bay area. We built it because outdoor kitchen pricing in this trade is genuinely opaque: the same counter run can be quoted at two very different prices, and the difference is usually what has been left out — the utility runs, the footings, the permit, the trenching — rather than what is included.
What we do
We publish the local conditions and the published trade figures that affect outdoor kitchens in and around Tampa, we run free tools and calculators on the site, and we route quote requests to licensed local professionals who do the work. Requests go to up to three providers, usually within one business day. There is no fee for homeowners and no obligation to hire anyone.
We are not a contractor
To be explicit: we are not a contractor. We do not design, build or install outdoor kitchens. We do not pour slabs or footings, we do not run gas, water or electrical lines, we do not sell appliances, stone or cabinetry, we do not hold the contract for any job, and we do not warrant the work of any professional we introduce. Every claim about what will be done on your property, and every warranty behind it, belongs to the licensed professional you hire. We are the introduction, not the builder.
Who we serve
Our coverage follows Tampa and the surrounding Hillsborough County (Tampa, Brandon, Riverview, Lutz), Pasco County (Wesley Chapel, and the northern half of Lutz), Pinellas County (Clearwater, St. Petersburg) area across the Tampa Bay area. Nearly everything that governs an outdoor kitchen here is decided locally: permits are issued by Two different offices, decided by the parcel, not the mailing city. Inside Tampa city limits, residential building, structural and gas permits for an outdoor kitchen are issued by the City of Tampa Construction Services Division (part of the Development & Growth Management Department), which reviews plans, issues permits and performs inspections; applications run through the city's Accela Citizen Access portal (https://aca-prod.accela.com/Tampa/Welcome.aspx). For unincorporated Hillsborough County -- which is where Brandon, Riverview and Lutz sit -- permits come from Hillsborough County Development Services, the customer service centre for planning, zoning, development review and building inspection, at County Center, 601 E. Kennedy Blvd. (16th Floor), Tampa; since January 2021 every application, plan upload and inspection runs through the county's HillsGovHub portal. Sources: https://www.tampa.gov/construction-services ; https://hcfl.gov/departments/development, HOA approval is a separate process through Florida law limits what a Tampa-area HOA's architectural review committee (ARC) can do to an outdoor-kitchen plan, and it is worth knowing before you submit. Under Florida Statutes 720.3035(1), the association or its architectural committee may review and approve the location, size, type or appearance of a structure or improvement only to the extent that authority is 'specifically stated or reasonably inferred' in the recorded declaration of covenants or in published guidelines the declaration authorises; it must apply and enforce those standards reasonably and equitably on all parcel owners; and it may not require a building permit to have been issued by a government authority as a precondition of its own review. In practice a homeowner should read the declaration and any published ARC guidelines for which structures are covered (lanais, pavilions, pergolas, fences and built-in kitchens are commonly listed), submit scaled drawings, materials and colours before scheduling construction, and insist on a written decision. Source: Florida Statutes 720.3035 (https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0700-0799/0720/Sections/0720.3035.html), and gas is supplied through Florida sets who may legally run a natural-gas line to a grill, and it is not the homeowner's handyman. Under Florida Statutes 489.105, the two licence classes whose scope of work expressly includes installing natural gas fuel lines and related venting are the mechanical contractor (3)(i) and the plumbing contractor (3)(m) -- a plumbing contractor may install, maintain, alter or extend natural gas piping without obtaining any additional local regulatory licence. A homeowner may pull their own permit only as an owner-builder under 489.103(7), which requires the property to be in their name and their primary residence, and leaves them as the responsible party of record. The run is also permitted and inspected work rather than an appliance swap: Pasco County lists 'Gas' as its own standalone residential permit package alongside plumbing and electrical, separate from the building permit, and Tampa and Hillsborough issue gas trade permits the same way -- pressure test, then a final gas inspection before the line is placed in service. In Clearwater the gas utility itself (CGS Energy, a city-owned municipal gas system) performs gas piping and installation as a service. Sources: Florida Statutes 489.105 (https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0400-0499/0489/Sections/0489.105.html); Pasco County Building Construction permits and forms (https://www.pascocountyfl.gov/services/building_construction/permits_and_forms.php). Gas line work, new electrical circuits and any covered structure usually need a permit, and the gas and electrical work has to be done by licensed trades. That layering is one reason the introduction matters — a professional who works in your jurisdiction knows which authority is issuing the permit and what the inspection sequence looks like.
We serve homeowners and property managers building a first outdoor kitchen, replacing one that has failed, or adding a cover, a bar or a fireplace to a space that already works. Same free process either way.
How to check a professional before you hire
- Confirm the contractor has built outdoor kitchens, not just indoor remodels
- Verify the company carries current general liability and workers comp insurance
- Request references from outdoor projects completed in the last two years
- Confirm the structure warranty covers at least one year
- Ask who pulls the gas, electrical, and plumbing permits and who does the utility connections
- Ask for a written utility plan covering gas line sizing, electrical circuit capacity, and water shutoff locations before signing
- Verify gas lines are pressure-tested before the grill is connected
- Check that electrical circuits are grounded and GFCI-protected
- Ask for the counter run itemised by material and rate per linear foot, not just a total
- Ask how the build handles wind, rain, and freeze-thaw in your climate
- Read the payment schedule: a deposit at contract is normal, payment in full before the counter and appliances are set is not
Why the numbers on this site are sourced
Cost bands, per-linear-foot rates, installed add-on ranges and lifespans here are the published trade figures, quoted as published rather than rounded or averaged. Where the site names a material choice, it names the published comparison behind it, and where a figure does not exist publicly we say so and tell you what to ask instead. The local detail — permitting authority, gas supply, the soil under the footings and what the climate does to a counter run — belongs to the jurisdiction you are building in, which is why it is stated per market rather than borrowed from another one.
Nobody should be choosing a five-figure build on the strength of a phone call.
Frequently asked questions
Are you an outdoor kitchen contractor?
No. We are an independent matching service and we are not a contractor. The professional who takes the job holds the contract, the licence and the warranty for the work.
How do you make money?
The service is free to homeowners. Requests are routed to local professionals who participate in the network; nothing is charged to you for the introduction, and no provider is ranked by payment.
Which areas do you cover?
Tampa and the surrounding Hillsborough County (Tampa, Brandon, Riverview, Lutz), Pasco County (Wesley Chapel, and the northern half of Lutz), Pinellas County (Clearwater, St. Petersburg) area across the Tampa Bay area. If you are outside a town limit, say which crossroads you are nearest and we will route from there.
