Time-sensitive
Daily fines adding up in Tampa, FL
You have an order or a notice, and the fines are counted for each day the violation continues. That is the part that makes people anxious. Start with the paper in your hand. Read it line by line and find three things: 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, including that you are getting the repair work scoped. Questions about your fine, your deadline or your hearing belong to that office, not to a contractor. What we handle is the other half: the condition on the property that the notice describes.
Call us or send your notice details · free estimate
Tampa is an incorporated municipality, so code enforcement is normally run by the municipality itself, though some local governments contract it out — the office with your case is the one named on your notice. Statewide, code enforcement works under Chapter 162, Florida Statutes, which lets cities and counties use either a code enforcement board or a special magistrate. The process generally begins with a notice of violation giving the owner a reasonable time to correct the problem. If it is not corrected, the case is set for a hearing, and the board or magistrate issues an order with a compliance date. A fine may be imposed for each day the violation continues past that date, and 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, dates and amounts vary by city and county and are stated on your notice, so confirm them with that office.
While your case is open, don't
- Do not let the dates pass unnoticed. The compliance date and any hearing date are printed on your notice or order, so note them and keep the code office informed as work moves forward.
- Do not start permit work before the permit is issued. Work that needs a permit should be permitted first, or you can end up adding an unpermitted-work problem on top of the one you already have.
- Do not tear out finished work early. When an after-the-fact permit is involved, the building department decides what has to be opened up and inspected, so wait until that is clear before demolishing anything.
- Do not assume the fine has stopped. Only the code office named on your notice can confirm that the property complies, so never treat finished work as the end of the case until they say so.
What we do
- We read the notice with youWe go through the cited violation as it is written on the notice or the order, so the work is scoped against what the code office actually cited. Then we look at the property.
- Free estimate, price in writingWe tell you what work the violation needs and agree the price in writing before any work starts. Cost comes down to the size of the repair, the materials, and whether a permit and inspections are involved.
- Permits where the work needs themSection 105.1 of the Florida Building Code requires a permit for most construction, alteration and repair work. We pull the permit under our licence, including after-the-fact permits for work already done. Electrical, plumbing and air-conditioning work is done by our Florida-licensed subcontractors, who pull that trade's permit.
- We do the workRepair, replacement, clean-up or construction, depending on what was cited. The goal is a property condition that matches what the notice asked for.
- 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 officeWe hand you the documentation to show the office named on your notice, so that office can confirm compliance. When the property came into compliance is their determination, not ours.
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 Tampa
Tampa's weather does a lot of the damage behind these cases. Humidity runs high all year, summer thunderstorms roll through daily from June through September, and salt-laden air off Tampa Bay and the Gulf corrodes metal hardware — gate operators, garage door springs and tracks, exterior locks, dryer vent hoods — far faster than inland. South Tampa and other waterfront areas feel it first. Hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30, and storm damage left unrepaired, such as roofs still under tarps, downed fences or 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.
The housing stock here is split, and that changes what a repair involves. Hyde Park, Tampa Heights and Seminole Heights hold 1920s bungalows, often with detached garages or carports. Then there are mid-century concrete block and stucco homes, and a large volume of newer construction in New Tampa and the outlying suburbs, much of it in HOA and gated communities. Replacement garage doors in this region generally need to be hurricane-rated or brace-equipped, because the Florida Building Code sets wind-load requirements statewide and products must be approved for where they are installed. Your building department can confirm what approvals it accepts.
Questions people ask
- Can you stop the daily fine?
- No. Fines, liens and hearings are decided by the code enforcement board, special magistrate or local government named on your notice. We fix the property condition and give you the paperwork; that office decides what the fines do.
- Does the day the work is finished matter?
- A board or special magistrate can set a fine for each day a violation continues after the compliance date, so the day the property is brought into compliance matters. Only the code office named on your notice can confirm compliance. Ask them how they want to be notified.
- Who runs code enforcement in Tampa?
- Tampa is an incorporated municipality, so code enforcement is normally run by the municipality itself, though some local governments contract it out. The notice names the office handling your case, and that is who you contact about deadlines and hearing dates.
- The work was already done without a permit. Now what?
- Work done without a permit generally has to be permitted after the fact, which 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. The building department with jurisdiction sets what it needs.
- My case involves storm damage or an unsafe condition. What should I do first?
- Keep people away from the hazard — children above all — and do not attempt structural or roof repairs yourself. Call us for a free estimate, and contact the code office named on your notice about the case itself.
- Are you licensed to work in Tampa?
- 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 performed by our Florida-licensed subcontractors, who pull that trade's permit.
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 in Tampa, and agree the price in writing before work starts — call (954) 906-7864 or send a request through the form on this site. Questions about the fine, the deadline, the hearing 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.
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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.