Time-sensitive
Daily code violation fines adding up in Miami, FL
A daily fine means a compliance date has passed, or is about to. Under Chapter 162, Florida Statutes, a code enforcement board or special magistrate can issue an order with a compliance date, and a fine may be imposed for each day the violation continues past that date. Start with the paper in your hand. Read the notice or the order straight through. Write down the violation it describes, the compliance date, and any hearing date. Then contact the code office named on that notice and tell them where things stand. Only that office can tell you what your case needs and what the fine situation is. We are a contractor, not a law firm, so we do not speak for you at a hearing and we do not negotiate fines or liens. What we do is fix the property condition behind the case.
Call us or send your notice details · free estimate
Miami is an incorporated municipality, so code enforcement here is normally run by the municipality itself, though some places contract it out. The notice names the office handling your case, and that name is the one to use. The Florida process is generally the same across the state: a notice of violation identifies the problem and gives a reasonable time to correct it; if it is not corrected, the case is set for a hearing; the board or magistrate issues an order with a compliance date; a certified copy of an order imposing a fine can be recorded in the public records, where it becomes a lien on the property. Exact steps, deadlines and amounts vary by city and county and are stated on your notice. Confirm them with the Miami code office named there.
While your case is open, don't
- Do not let the dates slip by unnoticed. The compliance date and any hearing date are printed on the notice or the order, and they still apply as written, so put them in your calendar and keep the code office informed that work is under way.
- Do not start permit work before the permit is issued. Work that needed a permit and was done without one generally has to be permitted after the fact, which can mean drawings, inspections and opening up finished surfaces again.
- Do not tear out existing work first. The building department may need to see the work to inspect it, so wait until it is clear what has to be opened up and what can stay.
- Do not assume the fine has stopped. Never treat a violation as closed until the code office named on your notice confirms compliance — the day the property is brought into compliance matters, and only that office can confirm it.
- Do not do roof or structural repairs yourself. If the case involves an unsafe structure, a damaged roof or a pool barrier, keep people away from the hazard — children above all — and leave that work to a licensed contractor.
What we do
- We read the notice with youWe go through the violation as the notice or the order describes it, then look at the property. The goal is to know exactly which condition the code office cited.
- Free estimate, price in writingWe tell you what work the violation needs and agree the price in writing before any work starts. No work begins on a handshake.
- Permits pulled where the work needs themWhere a permit is required we pull it under our Florida Certified Building Contractor licence CBC1267336, after-the-fact permits included. Electrical, plumbing and air-conditioning work is done by our Florida-licensed subcontractors, who pull that trade's permit.
- The work itselfRepair, clean-up or construction, depending on what was cited. We do the work to the condition the notice describes.
- Inspections and close-outWe schedule the inspections and work to get the permit closed out. An open or expired permit stays on the property record until it is properly closed.
- Paperwork for the code officeYou get the documents to show the code office named on your notice that the property complies, so that office can confirm it.
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.
How it works in Miami
Miami sits on the water, and that shows up in code cases. Salt-laden air off Biscayne Bay and the Atlantic corrodes gate hardware, exterior locks, hinges, tracks and metal fasteners far faster than inland, so stainless and coated hardware is close to mandatory near the water. Housing here is mostly concrete block and stucco — mid-century single-family homes in the older inland neighborhoods, plus a large share of high-rise condominiums downtown, in Brickell and along the bay. Condo associations and gated communities are very common in Miami, so exterior work often needs HOA approval as well as a permit.
Miami-Dade is part of the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, where roofing, windows, doors, shutters and similar products need approval for that zone, usually a Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance. That limits product choices and affects what a repair involves. Hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30, and storm damage left unrepaired — roofs still under tarps, downed fences, scattered debris — is a common source of code enforcement notices afterward. Florida's long wet growing season also lets yards and vacant lots overgrow quickly, so maintenance complaints come in year-round. Under section 105.1 of the Florida Building Code, most construction, alteration and repair work needs a permit, issued by the building department with jurisdiction over the property.
Questions people ask
- Will fixing the property stop the daily fine?
- What happens to a fine is decided by the board, special magistrate or local government named on your notice, not by us. Our part is the work, the permits, the inspections and the paperwork. Ask the code office named on your notice what it needs to confirm compliance.
- A lien is already recorded. Is it too late to do the work?
- A certified copy of an order imposing a fine can be recorded in the public records, where it becomes a lien on the property. The lien is the code office's and the board's or magistrate's business, so put your questions to them, and legal questions to a Florida attorney. We can still scope and carry out the repair work the violation describes.
- The work on my Miami property was done years ago without a permit. What now?
- Work already done without a permit generally has to be permitted after the fact. That can involve drawings, inspections and opening up finished surfaces so the work can be inspected. We pull after-the-fact permits under our licence and schedule the inspections.
- Does the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone change the repair?
- In Miami-Dade, roofing, windows, doors, shutters and similar products need approval for the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, usually a Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance. That narrows what can be installed. Your building department can confirm what it accepts.
- Are you licensed to work in Miami?
- We hold a Florida Certified Building Contractor licence, CBC1267336, a state certification valid in every Florida county and verifiable on the Florida DBPR website. Electrical, plumbing and air-conditioning work is handled by our Florida-licensed subcontractors, who pull that trade's permit.
- What does the work cost?
- We do not quote figures before seeing the property. Cost depends on the violation cited, the size and condition of the work, whether a permit is required, and whether approved products for the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone are involved. The estimate is free and the price is agreed in writing before work starts.
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.
Send us the notice
The estimate is free: we read the notice with you, look at the property, and agree the price in writing before any work starts — call (954) 906-7864 or send a request through the form on this website. Questions about the case itself, including the compliance date, the hearing date, the fine or a lien, go to the code office named on your notice, and legal questions go to a Florida attorney.
Request a free estimate
Tell us what the notice says and where the property is. We'll look at what the violation needs and agree the price with you before any work starts.
Same violation in nearby cities
Other violations in Miami
- A lien was recorded on my property
- Work done without a permit
- Open or expired permits
- Overgrown lot, yard or debris
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.