Do you need a permit to remodel in South Florida?
A plain-English breakdown of what requires a permit in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and St. Lucie County — and what doesn't.
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Usually requires a permit
- •Moving or adding plumbing lines or fixtures
- •New electrical circuits, panel work or recessed lighting
- •Removing or altering a wall
- •Window and exterior door replacement
- •Roofing and structural repair
- •Driveways and work in the public right-of-way
- •Adding or enclosing living space
Usually does not
- •Painting, interior or exterior
- •Flooring replacement (no structural change)
- •Cabinet replacement in the same layout
- •Swapping a vanity or faucet in place
- •Trim, built-ins and closet systems
Rules vary by city. We confirm with the local building department before work starts.
How it works by county
Miami-Dade County
Permits are issued by the individual municipality, or by Miami-Dade County for unincorporated areas. Some cities add design or historic review on top.
Broward County
Each city runs its own building department under the Florida Building Code, with Broward County oversight. HOA approval is common on exterior work.
Palm Beach County
City or county depending on address. Historic districts in Delray Beach and West Palm Beach have additional review for exterior changes.
St. Lucie County
Port St. Lucie permits through the city building department; unincorporated addresses go through St. Lucie County. Most subdivisions also require HOA approval on exterior work.
Local notes by city
St. Lucie County
- Port St. Lucie — Port St. Lucie permits through the City of Port St. Lucie Building Department, and most of the newer subdivisions here are HOA-governed, so exterior colors, driveway materials and roofing selections need approval before we order.
- St. Lucie West — St. Lucie West sits inside Port St. Lucie city limits, so the city handles the permit, but nearly every village here is association-governed with its own rules on exterior color, driveway material and work hours.
- Tradition — Tradition is a master-planned section of Port St. Lucie where the community association reviews exterior selections before the city permit is even filed. The homes are newer, so most projects here are finish and layout upgrades rather than system replacements.
- Fort Pierce — Fort Pierce addresses fall under either the city or St. Lucie County depending on the parcel, and the older downtown and Edgartown blocks are wood-frame rather than block, which changes how tile, plumbing and framing work get priced.
Martin County
- Stuart — Stuart permits through the city while addresses just outside the line go through Martin County, and the historic downtown district adds design review for anything visible from the street.
- Palm City — Palm City is unincorporated Martin County, so every permit runs through the county, and river and canal-front lots here carry flood-elevation requirements that need settling before the design is final.
- Jensen Beach — Jensen Beach is Martin County-permitted, and Hutchinson Island condos stack association approval, elevator scheduling and floor underlayment specs on top of the county permit.
- Hobe Sound — Hobe Sound is unincorporated Martin County with everything from small original cottages to gated waterfront estates, so scopes here vary widely and the county handles the permit either way.
- Port Salerno — Port Salerno is county-permitted, and the older homes near Manatee Pocket regularly need electrical and drain-line updates once a kitchen or bathroom is opened up.
Palm Beach County
- Boca Raton — Boca Raton permitting is handled by the city or county depending on address, and many communities require association review before work begins.
- Delray Beach — Delray's historic districts near downtown have design guidelines for exterior work; interior remodels move faster.
- Boynton Beach — Boynton Beach has a large stock of 55+ community condos and villas, where association rules on flooring underlayment and work hours apply.
- West Palm Beach — West Palm Beach permits through the city, and historic neighborhoods like Flamingo Park and El Cid have additional review for exterior changes.
- Wellington — Wellington is village-permitted with HOA oversight in most neighborhoods, and equestrian-area properties often have larger driveway and patio scopes.
- Royal Palm Beach — Royal Palm Beach permits through the village, and most subdivisions here require HOA sign-off on exterior colors and driveway materials.
- Jupiter — Jupiter permits through the town, and coastal or Loxahatchee River parcels can add flood-zone and environmental review before a remodel permit is issued.
- Palm Beach Gardens — Palm Beach Gardens is largely master-planned, so PGA National, Mirasol and BallenIsles-style associations sign off on materials and colors before the city ever sees the permit application.
- Tequesta — Tequesta is a small village with its own building department, and waterfront lots near the Loxahatchee usually need elevation and flood details submitted with the application.
- Juno Beach — Juno Beach is compact and condo-heavy along the coast, so association approval and turtle-season lighting rules can both shape an exterior scope.
- North Palm Beach — North Palm Beach permits through the village, and plenty of the original 1950s homes here still run on their first electrical panel and cast-iron drain lines.
- Riviera Beach — Riviera Beach covers both mainland neighborhoods and Singer Island condo towers, and the two follow very different permit and association paths.
- Palm Beach — The Town of Palm Beach runs its own building department with landmark and architectural review, and restricts construction hours during season — we build the schedule around both from day one.
- Lake Worth Beach — Lake Worth Beach has a large historic district downtown, so exterior changes there go through historic review while interior remodels move at normal city speed.
- Greenacres — Greenacres permits through the city, and most subdivisions here carry HOA rules on driveway material and exterior paint color that need clearing before we order.
- Lantana — Lantana is a small town with its own building department, and the older east-side homes near the Intracoastal usually need plumbing and panel attention during a remodel.
- Palm Springs — Palm Springs is a compact village of mostly original 1960s and 1970s homes, where a kitchen or bath scope often ends up including a panel upgrade.
- Loxahatchee — Loxahatchee and The Acreage are county-permitted, on large unincorporated lots with well water and septic — all three change how a kitchen, bath or driveway scope has to be written.
Broward County
- Fort Lauderdale — Fort Lauderdale permits go through the city, and waterfront properties may trigger additional review. Older Victoria Park and Rio Vista homes often need electrical updates.
- Hollywood — Hollywood's historic districts near downtown and the beach add review steps for exterior changes; interior remodels are typically straightforward.
- Pembroke Pines — Most Pembroke Pines neighborhoods are HOA-governed, so exterior paint colors and driveway materials usually need approval before we start.
- Davie — Davie has a mix of town and county jurisdiction depending on the parcel, plus larger lots where drainage matters for patio and driveway work.
- Plantation — Plantation's older sections date to the 1960s and often need panel and plumbing attention when a kitchen or bath is opened up.
- Coral Springs — Coral Springs has some of the stricter HOA and city aesthetic standards in Broward — worth confirming approvals before ordering exterior materials.
- Weston — Weston is almost entirely HOA-governed with a consistent architectural standard, so we submit color and material selections for approval up front.
- Sunrise — Sunrise has a lot of 1970s–1980s housing where original bathrooms and kitchens are still in place — full gut scopes are common here.
- Pompano Beach — Pompano Beach permits through the city, and much of the housing east of Federal Highway dates to the 1950s and 1960s, so kitchen and bath work here regularly uncovers original galvanized supply lines.
- Deerfield Beach — Deerfield Beach has a heavy concentration of 55-plus villas and condo associations, which means association approval, work-hour limits and floor underlayment specs before anything starts.
- Miramar — Miramar splits between an older eastern half and newer western communities, and most of the western subdivisions require HOA sign-off before exterior or driveway work begins.
- Tamarac — Tamarac is full of 55-plus association-governed villas where flooring underlayment ratings and permitted work hours are set by the association, not the city.
- Margate — Margate is mostly original 1960s and 1970s stock, so panels, drain lines and jalousie windows come up often once a kitchen or bath is opened.
- Coconut Creek — Coconut Creek is almost entirely HOA-governed with tight rules on exterior color and driveway material, so approvals get submitted before a single material order goes out.
- Lauderhill — Lauderhill mixes older single-family blocks with large condo associations, and the city building department handles permits for both sides of that.
- Oakland Park — Oakland Park's Coral Heights and Lloyd Estates blocks frequently need panel and plumbing updates during a remodel, and the city reviews exterior changes inside its downtown district.
- Wilton Manors — Wilton Manors is a small city with its own building department and compact lots, so material staging, dumpster placement and parking all get planned into the schedule up front.
- Parkland — Parkland enforces some of the strictest architectural and tree rules in Broward, and nearly every neighborhood needs HOA approval before exterior work can start.
- Cooper City — Cooper City is HOA-governed across most subdivisions, and the city requires permits for driveway and patio work that a lot of owners assume is exempt.
- Dania Beach — Dania Beach pairs older east-side homes near the marina with newer construction, and coastal parcels can add flood-zone review to the permit.
- Hallandale Beach — Hallandale Beach is condo-heavy, so most projects run on association rules for elevator use, work hours, insurance certificates and floor sound ratings.
- Lighthouse Point — Lighthouse Point is a small waterfront city with its own building department, and canal-front work can trigger extra review before a permit is issued.
Miami-Dade County
- Miami — Miami permits run through the City of Miami Building Department, and older Little Havana and Shenandoah homes often need plumbing and panel updates as part of a remodel.
- Miami Beach — Miami Beach adds condo association approval and, in historic districts, design review on top of the standard building permit — we plan the schedule around both.
- Coral Gables — Coral Gables enforces strict Board of Architects review on anything visible from the street, so exterior scopes need extra lead time built into the schedule.
- Doral — Most Doral housing stock is newer, so remodels here are usually about updating builder-grade finishes rather than replacing failing systems.
- Kendall — Kendall projects are permitted through Miami-Dade County, and many HOAs here require approval before exterior or driveway work starts.
- Hialeah — Older Hialeah homes frequently have original cast-iron drain lines and 60-amp panels — worth checking before you commit to a kitchen or bath scope.
- Aventura — Aventura is condo-heavy, which means association rules on work hours, elevator use, floor underlayment and insurance certificates. We handle that paperwork.
- Pinecrest — Pinecrest lots are large and the village enforces its own permitting and tree ordinances, which matters for driveway and patio work.
Common questions
Who pulls the permit — me or the contractor?
A licensed contractor should pull it under their license. Be cautious if a contractor asks you to pull an owner-builder permit for work they're performing; that shifts liability to you.
How long does a permit take?
Simple trade permits are often days; permits requiring plan review can take several weeks depending on the city. We factor the local timeline into your schedule.
What if work was done without a permit before I bought the house?
Unpermitted work can surface during inspection or at resale. It can usually be permitted after the fact, sometimes with opening of walls for inspection. We'll tell you what's realistic.
Does my condo association approval replace a permit?
No. Association approval and a city building permit are separate requirements, and condos typically need both.
We handle permits and inspections
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