Open or expired permits in Tampa, FL
An open permit means the permit was issued but never finalized. Somewhere along the way an inspection was missed, or the last inspection was never called in, and the permit stayed on the property record. An expired permit is one that ran out of time before it was closed. If you have a notice in hand, read it all the way through first. Write down the compliance date and any hearing date it gives you. Then call the code office named on the notice with any question about your own case — deadlines, hearing dates, fines or liens are theirs to answer, not ours. Many people find out about these permits a different way: a title search during a sale or a refinance turns them up. Either way, the permit stays on the record until it is finalized.
Call us or send your notice details · free estimate
Tampa is an incorporated municipality, so code enforcement here is normally run by the municipality itself, though some places contract it out. The office named on your notice is the one to deal with. Across Florida, code enforcement runs under Chapter 162, Florida Statutes, which lets cities and counties use a code enforcement board or a special magistrate. The process generally starts with a notice of violation that identifies the problem and gives a reasonable time to correct it; if it is not corrected, the case is set for a hearing, and the board or magistrate issues an order with a compliance date. Permits themselves are a separate track: under section 105.1 of the Florida Building Code a permit is required for most construction, alteration and repair work, and permits are issued by the building department with jurisdiction over the property. That department decides what each open permit still needs before it can be closed.
While your case is open, don't
- Do not let the dates pass unnoticed. The compliance date and any hearing date on your notice apply as written, so put them on a calendar and keep in contact with the code office listed.
- Do not tear out finished work yet. The building department decides what each permit needs, and opening up walls or ceilings before that is known can create work nobody asked for.
- Do not start new work before the permit is in place. Work done without a permit generally has to be permitted after the fact, which adds another file to a record you are already trying to clear.
- Do not assume a permit closed itself. An open or expired permit stays on the property record until it is properly closed out, so check the status with the building department rather than guessing.
- Do not guess at the permit history. Some permits were opened by a previous owner or by a contractor who is no longer around, and only the department's records show what was issued and what is missing.
What we do
- We pull the permit historyWe get the permit record for the property from the building department and go through it with you. Each open or expired permit gets identified, along with the inspections it is still missing.
- We check the work against the approved plansWe look at what is actually built and compare it to what was approved on the permit. That tells us whether the file can move straight to inspection or whether something has to be corrected first.
- We schedule the missing inspectionsWhere a permit only needs inspections called in, we schedule them and meet the inspector. Where an inspector requires corrections, we do that work.
- We renew or re-apply under our licenceIf a permit has expired, it may be renewed, or a new permit applied for under our Florida Certified Building Contractor licence CBC1267336 when the original contractor is gone. After-the-fact permits are included in what we pull.
- We bring in licensed trades where the permit is theirsElectrical, plumbing and air-conditioning work is done by our Florida-licensed subcontractors, and each of them pulls that trade's permit.
- We work each permit through to closedWe stay with each file through its inspections and give you the paperwork to show the code office named on your notice.
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 housing stock spreads across a century. There are 1920s bungalows in Hyde Park, Tampa Heights and Seminole Heights, mid-century block and stucco homes from the 1950s through the 1970s, and a large volume of newer construction in New Tampa and the outlying suburbs. Older homes have usually changed hands several times, and a renovation permit from a previous owner can sit open for years without anyone noticing. Newer subdivisions have their own pattern, with permits tied to additions, pools, gates and garage work.
Storms are the other common source. Hurricane season in Florida runs June 1 through November 30, and Tampa sits on the bay with hurricane and tropical storm exposure through that whole stretch. Roof replacements, window and door replacements and storm repairs all require permits, and any one of them can be left open if the final inspection was never called in. Salt-laden air off Tampa Bay and near-constant humidity also mean repairs get made often in waterfront areas like South Tampa, Davis Islands and Ballast Point — more work means more permit files. The building department with jurisdiction over your property confirms the status of each one.
Questions people ask
- How do I find out if there are open permits on my Tampa property?
- The building department with jurisdiction over the property keeps the permit record, and you can ask them for the status. We can also pull the history as part of a free estimate and go through it with you. An open permit stays on the record until it is finalized.
- The permit was opened by the previous owner. Does that matter?
- The permit is attached to the property record, so it still has to be closed out. Where the original contractor is gone, a new permit can be applied for under our licence and worked through to closed. The building department decides what each file needs.
- Will closing the permits stop the fines on my case?
- We cannot say. Fines, liens, hearings and appeals are decided by the code enforcement board, special magistrate or local government named on the notice, and that office is who you ask about your case. We handle the physical work and the permit side.
- A roof permit from a storm is still open. Is that common in Tampa?
- Yes. Storm repairs, roof and window replacements and a previous owner's renovation can all leave permits open on a Florida home, and Tampa sees plenty of all three given hurricane season here. Each one is checked against the approved plans and the inspections it is missing.
- What does this cost?
- We do not quote figures without looking. The cost depends on how many permits are open, what inspections are missing, whether corrections are needed, and whether a trade permit is involved. The estimate is free and the price is agreed in writing before work starts.
- Do you work outside Tampa?
- Yes. Our Florida Certified Building Contractor licence CBC1267336 is a state certification valid in every Florida county, verifiable on the Florida DBPR website. That covers Tampa and nearby areas such as Temple Terrace, Brandon, Riverview, Lutz and Plant City.
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 the permit history, tell you what the work involves, and agree the price in writing before anything starts. Call (954) 906-7864 or send a request through the form on this site — and take any question about the case itself, including deadlines and hearing dates, to the code office named on your notice.
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.