The work was already done without a permit. What now?

Work done without a permit generally has to be permitted after the fact. That can involve drawings, inspections and opening up finished surfaces so the work can be inspected. We pull after-the-fact permits under our licence as part of the job.

Can you get my fine or lien taken care of?

No. We are a contractor, not a law firm, and we do not represent owners at hearings or negotiate fines or liens. Fines, liens, hearings and appeals are decided by the code enforcement board, special magistrate or local government named on your notice, and legal questions go to a Florida attorney.

Will the repair be finished before my compliance date?

We cannot promise a completion date. Permit review, engineering and inspection scheduling are outside our control. Tell the office named on your notice where things stand and ask them about your dates.

Do you do the electrical and plumbing too?

Those trades are handled by our Florida-licensed subcontractors, who pull that trade's permit. Our own licence is a Florida Certified Building Contractor licence, CBC1267336, verifiable on the Florida DBPR website.

What does an unsafe-structure repair in Tampa cost?

It depends on what the building official found, whether an engineer and structural plans are required, how much framing or concrete is affected, and which trades are involved. We look at the property, tell you what the violation needs and agree the price in writing before work starts.

Keep people clear of the damaged area

Unsafe structure or building in disrepair in Tampa, FL

A notice like this means a building official looked at the property and found a condition that makes the structure, or part of it, unsafe. It may be structural damage, rotted framing, spalling concrete, broken stairs, railings or balconies, fire or storm damage, or a building left open and unsecured. Read the notice all the way through. Write down the compliance date and any hearing date, and note exactly which office issued it. Then call that office with any question about your case. Keep people away from the affected area — children above all — and follow any instruction the building official gave you. Do not try structural or roof repairs yourself.

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Call us or send your notice details · free estimate

A sagging aluminum carport beside a Florida home with temporary wood shoring under one corner, a contractor seen from behind checking a post with a level.

Tampa is an incorporated municipality, so code enforcement here is normally run by the municipality itself, though some local governments contract it out. The office named on your notice is the one to contact. Across Florida, code enforcement is handled locally under Chapter 162, Florida Statutes, which lets 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 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. The exact steps, dates and amounts are on your notice and vary by city and county — confirm them with that office.

While your case is open, don't

Do not re-enter the unsafe area. An unsafe-structure finding is about people's safety first, so keep everyone out of the affected part of the building until the building official says otherwise.
Do not start the work before the permit. Section 105.1 of the Florida Building Code requires a permit for most construction, alteration and repair work, and unpermitted work generally has to be permitted after the fact anyway.
Do not tear out damaged framing or concrete yet. The building department may require structural plans from an engineer, and removing evidence of the damage can make it harder to show what was there and what was repaired.
Do not let the compliance or hearing date pass unnoticed. Those dates are set by the office named on your notice, and that office is who you ask about them.

What we do

We read the notice with youWe go through the notice or unsafe-structure order to see exactly what the building official found, then look at the property. The estimate is free.
Make safe and secureWhere the finding involves an open or unsecured building or a failing stair, railing or balcony, the first work is usually securing the area so no one can reach the hazard.
Engineer where the department requires itWhen the building department requires structural plans, an engineer is brought in before the repair work is designed and permitted.
Permits and repairs under our licenceWe pull the permit under our Florida Certified Building Contractor licence CBC1267336, after-the-fact permits included, and carry out the structural repairs. Electrical and plumbing work is done by our Florida-licensed subcontractors, who pull that trade's permit.
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 officeYou get the permit and inspection 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 sits on the bay, and salt-laden air off Tampa Bay combined with near-constant humidity corrodes reinforcing steel and spalls concrete on balconies and older buildings. That shows up on mid-century concrete block and stucco homes from the 1950s through the 1970s and on waterfront buildings in South Tampa, Davis Islands, Harbour Island and the Channel District. The 1920s bungalows in Hyde Park, Tampa Heights, Ybor City and Seminole Heights are wood-framed, and long wet seasons are hard on framing, porches and stairs.

Hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30, and storm damage left unrepaired — a roof still under tarp, a damaged wall, an opening left unsecured — is a frequent reason for these notices across the Tampa area. For condominium and cooperative buildings of three or more stories, section 553.899, Florida Statutes, requires structural milestone inspections by a licensed engineer or architect; repairs identified in that report are then permitted and carried out through the local building department. Our state certification is valid in every Florida county, so we work in Tampa and throughout the region.

Questions people ask

The work was already done without a permit. What now?: Work done without a permit generally has to be permitted after the fact. That can involve drawings, inspections and opening up finished surfaces so the work can be inspected. We pull after-the-fact permits under our licence as part of the job.
Can you get my fine or lien taken care of?: No. We are a contractor, not a law firm, and we do not represent owners at hearings or negotiate fines or liens. Fines, liens, hearings and appeals are decided by the code enforcement board, special magistrate or local government named on your notice, and legal questions go to a Florida attorney.
Will the repair be finished before my compliance date?: We cannot promise a completion date. Permit review, engineering and inspection scheduling are outside our control. Tell the office named on your notice where things stand and ask them about your dates.
My Tampa condo had a milestone inspection and the report lists structural repairs.: Repairs identified in a milestone inspection report under section 553.899, Florida Statutes, are permitted and carried out through the local building department. We can do that permitted repair work. Confirm applicability and timing with the building department or the DBPR.
Do you do the electrical and plumbing too?: Those trades are handled by our Florida-licensed subcontractors, who pull that trade's permit. Our own licence is a Florida Certified Building Contractor licence, CBC1267336, verifiable on the Florida DBPR website.
What does an unsafe-structure repair in Tampa cost?: It depends on what the building official found, whether an engineer and structural plans are required, how much framing or concrete is affected, and which trades are involved. 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 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 send questions about the case itself, including dates, fines and liens, to the code office named on your notice.

Call now · (954) 906-7864

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.

NamePhoneEmailProperty address (the property on the notice)CityZIP code (Florida)What does the notice say?Compliance date (if the notice gives one)Hearing date (if any)Anything else (optional)I agree that 360 Home Improvements may contact me about this request by phone call, text message and email at the number and email I gave, including with automated technology and an AI assistant. Consent is not a condition of any purchase. Message and data rates may apply; reply STOP to opt out of texts.

We use your details only for this request. Not legal advice; for legal questions about your case, contact the code office named on your notice or a Florida attorney. See the privacy page.

Same violation in nearby cities

Unsafe structure or building in disrepair: every Florida city we cover

Other violations in Tampa

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.