How do I permit work that's already done?

0 of 7 done

Start with what's already on paper. It shapes the application and can save time later.

• ☐Find the notice. Write down the case number, the compliance date, and the inspector's name and phone number.Who: You

  Work out the days you have with the deadline checker

• ☐Look up the property's permit history with your building department, online or at the counter, so you know what's already on file, including any old permit that was never closed.Who: You

  Find your city’s online portal by county

• ☐Collect what you have about the work: the contract or invoices, who did it, and roughly when.Who: You
• ☐Find any photos taken while the work was being done, especially of anything now covered by drywall, ceilings, flooring or stucco.Who: You

  They help the contractor and the inspector understand what's there. Whether photos are accepted in place of opening something up is the building department's call.

• ☐Find your property survey and any plans you got when you bought the house.Who: You
• ☐Find the labels, invoices or product approval numbers for any windows, doors, shutters or roofing that were installed.Who: You

  Florida's product approval system covers windows, exterior doors, shutters and roofing (section 553.842, Florida Statutes).

• ☐If you're in a homeowners' or condo association, find any approval it gave for the work.Who: You

0 of 5 done

Before anyone draws or builds anything, find out what the building department will need, and what the code office will accept if you have a case.

• ☐Ask the inspector exactly what will satisfy the notice: an after-the-fact permit taken through final inspection, or removing the work. Ask whether an application on file by the compliance date is enough.Who: The code enforcement office
• ☐If the permit process will run past the compliance date, ask about more time before the date passes, and get the answer in writing. That decision is the code office's.Who: The code enforcement office
• ☐Ask the building department what an after-the-fact application needs for this work, such as drawings, engineering, a survey or product approvals.Who: The building department
• ☐Ask how the fees work. Section 109.4 of the Florida Building Code lets the building official set an added fee, on top of the normal permit fees, for work started before a permit was issued.Who: The building department
• ☐Write down who you spoke to, when, and what they said.Who: You

Worth knowing: If a stop work order is posted on the property, don't continue the work until the building department lifts it.

0 of 5 done

A licensed contractor compares what was built with the code and with what the city has on file.

• ☐Have a licensed contractor look at the work and compare it with the code and the city's records.Who: Your licensed contractor
• ☐Get a plain answer on which parts look permittable as built, which need corrections, and which may have to come out. The building department makes the final call.Who: Your licensed contractor
• ☐Have any electrical, plumbing or AC work looked at by a contractor licensed in that trade, who pulls that trade's permit.Who: Your licensed contractor
• ☐Get a written scope of work covering the permit and any corrections.Who: Your licensed contractor
• ☐Check the contractor's license on the state's DBPR license search.Who: You

  Open the DBPR license search (opens in a new tab)

Worth knowing: Don't have unlicensed help fix it. The city needs to see permitted, inspected work, and more unpermitted work adds to the problem.

0 of 4 done

The building department reviews the work as built, usually from drawings. What it asks for depends on the job.

• ☐Have drawings made of the work as it was built, to the level the building department asks for.Who: Your licensed contractor
• ☐Where the building department asks for it, have the structure checked and the drawings signed and sealed by a Florida-licensed engineer or architect.Who: Your licensed contractor
• ☐Show the work on the survey (a site plan), so zoning can check where it sits on the lot.Who: Your licensed contractor
• ☐Match each window, door, shutter or roofing product to its product approval.Who: Your licensed contractor

0 of 5 done

The contractor applies for the work as it was built, with the drawings and documents.

• ☐The licensed contractor applies for the permit.Who: Your licensed contractor
• ☐Each trade applies for its own permit: electrical, plumbing or mechanical.Who: Your licensed contractor
• ☐Answer any plan review comments and resubmit until the permit is approved.Who: Your licensed contractor
• ☐Permit issued. Keep the permit number.Who: The building department
• ☐Send the permit number to the code officer, so the case file shows the work is under way.Who: You

0 of 4 done

Each inspection the permit lists has to pass. With work that's already finished, the inspector may need to see what's now covered up.

• ☐Book each inspection on the permit, in order.Who: Your licensed contractor
• ☐Be ready to open things up where framing, wiring or plumbing is now hidden: drywall, ceilings or stucco may have to be opened in places.Who: Your licensed contractor

  Section 110.1 of the Florida Building Code says work that needs a permit must stay exposed for inspection until it is approved, and that the city isn't responsible for the cost of opening up and closing finishes for an inspection, so build it into the scope.

• ☐Ask whether the building department will accept other evidence for some hidden work, such as photos or a Florida-licensed engineer's report. That's its decision.Who: The building department
• ☐Each inspection passed and recorded.Who: The building department

Worth knowing: Keep it moving: permits expire. For a single-family home, Florida law says a building permit expires 1 year after it is issued, or when the next edition of the Florida Building Code takes effect if that is later, and the building department can extend it (section 553.79(1)(c), Florida Statutes). Ask your building department when yours expires and what keeps it active.

0 of 4 done

Anything that doesn't meet the code is corrected under the permit, then reinspected.

• ☐Get the inspector's list of corrections, in writing or from the online portal.Who: The building department
• ☐The contractor makes the corrections under the permit.Who: Your licensed contractor
• ☐Anything that can't be permitted comes out, and the area is restored. Section 105.1 covers demolition too, so ask whether removal needs its own permit.Who: Your licensed contractor
• ☐Each correction reinspected and passed.Who: The building department

0 of 3 done

The permit closes when the final inspection passes.

• ☐Final inspection passed on the building permit and on every trade permit.Who: The building department
• ☐Check the building department's records show each permit closed after its final inspection.Who: You
• ☐Get copies of the final inspection results and the approved drawings.Who: You

0 of 4 done

Passing final is usually what the code office needs to confirm compliance, but a case isn't closed until the code office closes it.

• ☐Tell the code officer the permit passed final, give the permit number, and ask for the reinspection or whatever the office uses to confirm compliance.Who: The code enforcement office
• ☐Get it in writing that the case is closed in compliance, such as an affidavit of compliance or a closing letter.Who: The code enforcement office
• ☐If fines or a lien are part of the case, ask the code office how it handles them now that the property complies. That decision is the city's or county's; for legal questions, talk to a Florida attorney.Who: The code enforcement office
• ☐Keep the permit, the approved drawings, the inspection results and any closing letter with your house papers. They show the work was permitted if you sell or refinance.Who: You