Work done without a permit in Jacksonville, FL
A notice for unpermitted work means the code office believes construction, alteration or repair was done on the property without the permit that work needed. It can be a garage that was closed in, a patio or porch that was enclosed, a room that was converted, windows or doors that were swapped out, or electrical or plumbing changes behind a finished wall. It does not matter who did it. Work a previous owner did without a permit stays with the property. First step: read the notice all the way through, write down the compliance date and any hearing date, and call the code office named on it with questions about your own case. That office is the only one that can tell you what your case needs and when.
Call us or send your notice details · free estimate
Jacksonville 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 yours. Across Florida, code enforcement works under Chapter 162, Florida Statutes, which lets a city or county 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. A fine may be imposed for each day a 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. Steps, deadlines and amounts vary by city and county and are stated on your notice.
While your case is open, don't
- Do not start the work before the permit is issued. Building more on top of unpermitted work usually makes the permit harder to process, not easier.
- Do not tear out the work yet. It is the building department, not the contractor, that decides what has to be opened up, changed or taken out, so wait for that direction.
- Do not let the compliance date or hearing date pass unnoticed. Put both dates on a calendar and call the code office named on the notice if anything on it is unclear.
- Do not assume old work is grandfathered. Work already done without a permit generally has to be permitted after the fact, and the permit record follows the property through a sale.
- Do not guess at the permit history. An open or expired permit stays on the property record until it is properly closed out, so check the status with the local building department.
What we do
- We read the notice with you and look at the workWe walk the property with the notice in hand and identify exactly what was built, enclosed, converted or replaced. The estimate is free and we agree the price in writing before any work starts.
- We check the permit historyWe look at what was permitted on the property and what was not, including anything open or expired that still sits on the record.
- We prepare drawings and apply for the after-the-fact permitWhere the building department needs drawings, we have them prepared. We apply under our Florida Certified Building Contractor licence CBC1267336.
- We open up finished surfaces where an inspector has to lookAn after-the-fact permit can mean opening walls or ceilings so framing, wiring or plumbing can be seen. The building department decides what must be opened.
- We bring the work up to code or take it outWhere the work can be kept, we bring it up to the Florida Building Code. Where it cannot be kept, we take it out and restore the area.
- Trade work goes to licensed subcontractorsElectrical, plumbing and air-conditioning portions are done by our Florida-licensed subcontractors, who pull that trade's permit.
- We schedule inspections through to finalWe work to get the permit closed out 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 Jacksonville
Garage conversions, enclosed porches and patios, and replaced windows, doors and roofs are the kinds of work that need a permit under section 105.1 of the Florida Building Code and that can be seen from the street. Jacksonville has a lot of that stock. Detached single-family homes with attached one- and two-car garages dominate here, and the housing runs from early-1900s wood-frame and brick homes in Riverside, Avondale and Springfield to mid-century concrete-block ranches and a large share of 1990s-to-present stucco and block subdivisions on the Southside, Northside and in Mandarin and Bartram Park. The repair needed behind an unpermitted-work notice looks very different in a century-old frame house than in a block house from the 1990s.
Jacksonville sits on the Atlantic coast and the tidal St. Johns River, with long hot summers, near-daily afternoon thunderstorms and high humidity year-round, and northeast Florida does see several freezes each year. Salt-laden air shortens the life of exterior hardware well inland. 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. Replacement work done in a hurry after a storm is often the work that later turns up without a permit. Products and assemblies have to be approved for the conditions where they are installed; outside the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone they typically carry Florida Product Approval or a local approval, and the building department can confirm what it accepts.
Questions people ask
- The work was done by the previous owner. Does that matter?
- Work done without a permit stays with the property, so the notice comes to the current owner. The after-the-fact permit process is the same either way. Ask the code office named on your notice about how your specific case is being handled.
- Will I have to open up walls or ceilings?
- Sometimes, yes. An inspector may need to see framing, wiring or plumbing that is now covered. The building department decides what must be opened up or changed, not us.
- Can you work on an older home in Riverside or Springfield?
- Yes. We work throughout Florida, including Jacksonville and the surrounding area. Older wood-frame and masonry homes often need a different approach than newer block and stucco construction on the Southside.
- What about the fines or the lien on my property?
- We are a contractor, not a law firm. We do not represent owners at hearings and we do not negotiate fines or liens — those are decided by the code enforcement board, special magistrate or local government named on your notice. Take questions about your case to that office, and legal questions to a Florida attorney.
- What does it cost to fix unpermitted work?
- It depends on the size and type of the work, whether drawings are needed, how much finished surface has to be opened for inspection, whether electrical, plumbing or AC trades are involved, and whether the work can be kept or has to be taken out. We give a free estimate and agree the price in writing before work starts.
- Who issues the permit in Jacksonville?
- Permits are issued by the city or county building department with jurisdiction over the property. Jacksonville is an incorporated municipality, so code enforcement is normally run by the municipality itself and the notice names the office. Confirm permit status and requirements with that building department.
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
We give a free estimate: we read the notice with you, look at the property, tell you what work the violation needs, and agree the price in writing before anything starts. Call (954) 906-7864 or send a request through the form — and take questions 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.
Other violations in Jacksonville
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.