Work done without a permit in Miami, FL
A notice about unpermitted work means the code office believes construction, alteration or repair was done at the property without the permit the Florida Building Code requires. It may be an enclosed garage or patio, an addition, a converted room, replaced windows or doors, or electrical or plumbing changes. It does not matter if a previous owner did it; work done without a permit stays with the property. Read the notice all the way through. Write down the compliance date and any hearing date it gives you. Then contact the code office named on the notice with any question about your own case.
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Miami is an incorporated municipality, so code enforcement here is normally run by the city itself, though some places contract it out — the notice names the office handling your case. Under Chapter 162, Florida Statutes, Florida cities and counties use either 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 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. The steps, deadlines and amounts vary by city and county, so confirm yours with the office named on the notice.
While your case is open, don't
- Do not do more work before the permit is issued. Adding to work that is already unpermitted only enlarges what the building department has to review later.
- Do not let the compliance date or hearing date pass unnoticed. Those dates are on your notice for a reason, and only the code office named on it can tell you what they mean for your case.
- Do not tear out the work before the building department says what it needs. It is the building department, not the contractor or the owner, that decides what has to be opened up, corrected or taken out.
- Do not assume old work is fine because it looks finished. Stucco and paint hide framing, wiring and plumbing, and an inspector may need those areas opened so the work behind them can be seen.
What we do
- We read the notice with you and look at the propertyWe go through what the notice says was done without a permit and walk the work in person. The estimate is free.
- We check the permit historyWe look at what was permitted at the property and what was not, including any open or expired permit still sitting 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 for the after-the-fact permit under our Florida Certified Building Contractor licence CBC1267336.
- We open up finished surfaces where an inspector has to see behind themWalls and ceilings are opened only where the building department requires it, so framing, wiring or plumbing can be inspected.
- We bring the work up to the Florida Building CodeThe unpermitted work is corrected to code, or taken out where it cannot be kept. Electrical, plumbing and air-conditioning portions are done by our Florida-licensed subcontractors, who pull that trade's permit.
- We schedule the inspections and work to close the permit outWe carry the job through to final inspection 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 Miami
Garage conversions, enclosed porches and patios, and replaced windows, doors and roofs are the kinds of work that need a permit and that can be seen from the street — which is often how a Miami case starts. Much of the older housing stock here is concrete block and stucco from the 1940s through the 1970s, and many of those homes have carports or a single-car garage that someone later enclosed. Brickell, Downtown Miami and the bayfront have a large share of high-rise condominiums, where exterior changes also run into association rules. Whoever did the original work, the permit question follows the property.
Miami-Dade is part of the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, so roofing, windows, doors, shutters and similar products installed here need approval for that zone, usually a Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance. That matters when windows or doors were swapped out without a permit, because the replacement has to be a product the building department accepts. Hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30, and storm damage left unrepaired is a common source of notices afterward. Salt air off Biscayne Bay and year-round humidity are hard on metal fasteners and hardware, so an after-the-fact permit on older work sometimes turns up corrosion that has to be addressed as part of bringing it to code.
Questions people ask
- The work was done before I bought the house. Is that different?
- Work done without a permit stays with the property, so the current owner is the one the notice goes to. The path is still an after-the-fact permit, inspection and correction of anything that does not meet the Florida Building Code. Questions about your particular case go to the code office named on your notice.
- Will walls have to be opened?
- Sometimes. An after-the-fact permit can mean opening walls or ceilings so an inspector can see framing, wiring or plumbing, and it is the building department that decides what must be opened up or changed. We do that work where it is required and close it back up afterward.
- My windows and doors were replaced without a permit. Does Miami have special rules?
- Miami-Dade is in the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, so windows, doors, shutters and roofing products need approval for that zone, generally a Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance. Your building department can confirm what it accepts. If the installed product does not qualify, the work may need to be changed.
- Can you handle the electrical and plumbing parts?
- Yes, through Florida-licensed subcontractors in those trades, who pull that trade's permit. The building portion is permitted under our Florida Certified Building Contractor licence CBC1267336, which is a state certification valid in every Florida county and verifiable on the Florida DBPR website.
- Can you get the fine stopped or the lien taken off?
- No. We are a contractor, not a law firm: we do not represent owners at hearings and we do not negotiate fines or liens. Fines, liens, hearings and appeals are decided by the code enforcement board, special magistrate or local government named on the notice, and legal questions go to a Florida attorney.
- What drives the cost?
- The size and type of the unpermitted work, whether drawings are needed, how much finished surface has to be opened for inspection, and how much of the work has to be corrected or taken out. We look at the property, tell you what the violation needs, and agree the price 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 in Miami, and agree the price in writing before any work starts. Call (954) 906-7864 or send a request through the form on this website — and for questions about the case itself, the deadlines, the hearing or any fine, contact 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.
Same violation in nearby cities
Other violations in Miami
- Roof citation
- Fence, wall or pool barrier citation
- A lien was recorded on my property
- Daily fines are adding up
- 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.