What does the compliance date on my Florida code enforcement notice actually mean?
The compliance date is the date by which the violation named on your notice or order is supposed to be corrected. In Florida, under Chapter 162, a board or special magistrate can set a fine for each day the violation continues after that date, so it is the day the clock matters.
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The nuance is that you may see two dates. A notice of violation generally gives a reasonable time to correct the problem. If the case goes to a hearing, the resulting order sets its own compliance date. Check which document you are holding, because the dates can differ.
How the compliance date works
Florida code enforcement is handled locally. The process generally starts with a notice that identifies the problem and gives time to correct it. If the problem is not corrected, the case is set for a hearing before a code enforcement board or special magistrate. The order that follows states what must be fixed and by when.
Meeting the date means more than finishing the work. The code office named on your notice has to confirm that the property complies. Until that office confirms it, do not assume a fine has stopped. Whether and how a fine is counted, and anything asked about it later, is for that office and the board or magistrate.
If the fix needs a permit, the permit and inspections are part of the timeline. Work done without a permit generally has to be permitted after the fact, which can involve drawings and inspections. Exact steps and deadlines vary by city and county.
What you can check yourself
- Find the date and the document typeLook for the words compliance date or correct by, and note whether the paper is a notice or an order after a hearing. Write down any hearing date as well.
- Match the date to the cited itemRead exactly what is cited, such as debris, a fence, an unpermitted repair or an open permit. The work should match the wording on the paper.
- Check permit statusAsk your local building department whether any permit tied to the property is open or expired. An open permit stays on the property record until it is properly closed out.
- Contact the code office named on the noticeTell them work is under way and ask how they confirm compliance. Their answer about your dates and process is the one that counts.
When to call us
Call when the cited item needs repair, clean-up or construction, or when a permit is involved, including an after-the-fact permit or an open or expired one. Have the notice or order and a few photos of the property ready. We read the notice with you and look at the property, then give a free estimate. The price is agreed in writing before work starts. Call (954) 906-7864 or send a request through the form on the website.
We are a contractor, not a law firm. We do not represent owners at hearings or negotiate fines or liens. Questions about your own case, including deadlines, hearing dates, fines and liens, go to the code enforcement office named on your notice. Legal questions go to a Florida attorney.
What we will do
- Read the notice or orderWe identify what is cited and what work it needs, then scope it in the free estimate.
- Pull the permit when requiredWhen the work needs a permit, we pull it under our Florida Certified Building Contractor licence CBC1267336. Electrical, plumbing and air-conditioning work is done by our Florida-licensed subcontractors, who pull that trade's permit.
- Do the work and schedule inspectionsWe carry out the repair, clean-up or construction and schedule the inspections. We work to get the permit closed out.
- Give you the paperworkYou receive the documents to show the code office named on your notice, so that office can confirm the property complies.
Work by 360 Home Improvements, Florida Certified Building Contractor CBC1267336. Electrical, plumbing and AC work goes to our Florida-licensed subcontractors, who pull that trade's permit.
Related questions
- Does a fine start the day after the compliance date?
- In Florida, a fine may be imposed for each day a violation continues past the compliance date in an order. How your local board or magistrate applies that is stated in your order and varies by city and county. Confirm it with the code office named on the notice.
- Does finishing the work stop the fine?
- Finishing the work is the practical step, but the code office has to confirm the property complies. Do not assume a fine has stopped until that office confirms it.
- Can you promise the work will be done by my compliance date?
- No. How long work takes depends on the scope, permits and inspections. We can look at the notice and the property and talk through what the work involves in the free estimate.
- What if my compliance date is close?
- Contact the code office named on your notice and tell them work is under way. Then call us with the notice so we can scope the work. Whether any date can change is for that office to say.
This page is general information about Florida code enforcement, not legal advice. For questions about your own case (deadlines, hearing dates, fines or liens), contact the code enforcement office named on your notice, or a Florida attorney.
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Tell us what the notice says and where the property is, and we'll get back to you about the work it needs.
Code Violation Solver is run by 360 Home Improvements, a licensed Florida contractor. We fix the condition behind the violation; the code office named on your notice decides the case.