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Florida building permit guides
Updated September 2026
Permit rules are written by the county and then rewritten by each city inside it, which is why two houses ten minutes apart can get different answers. These guides work through it job by job, and every rule names the page or the statute it came from.
Do I need a permit in Pinellas County?
The $500 repair rule, the under-$7,500 exemption, roofs, windows, sheds and flood zones. 30 jobs, 19 sources.
Do I need a permit in Hillsborough County?
No dollar threshold here - the county publishes an exempt list instead. Sheds, fences, porches, roofs, windows and flood zones. 24 jobs, 13 sources.
Do I need a permit in Pasco County?
The county's own exempt list, the $7,500 exemption you have to ask for, roofs, windows, sheds, fences and the 49 percent flood rule. 29 jobs, 24 sources.
Do I need a permit in Manatee County?
The county lists both halves. An electric water heater swap and an ordinary wood fence can need no permit here; roofs and windows always do. 29 jobs, 18 sources.
Do I need a permit in Sarasota County?
Three sheets of drywall needs one. So does almost every shed. Plus the six-month clock, the three-year stop, and why you cannot search the county's current permit system without an account. 29 jobs, 21 sources.
Do I need a permit in Charlotte County?
A roof repair under 100 square feet, with no truss or rafter work, does not. Drywall outside a flood zone does not. Most everyday permits are a flat $90, and a Punta Gorda mailing address does not mean the city covers you. 27 jobs, 26 sources.
Do I need a permit in Hernando County?
A roof repair on less than 100 square feet of covering does not, and neither does a same-type water heater in the same spot, as long as the work meets code and zoning setbacks. A re-roof is $190 plus fees, sinkhole work takes two permits, and a Brooksville mailing address rarely means the city covers you. 26 jobs, 20 sources.
Do I need a permit in Polk County?
A water heater swap needs one here, and a plain chain link fence does not. A small roof repair is the county's call, a home re-roof permit starts at $85, and most of the 17 cities run their own building department. 20 jobs, 22 sources.
Do I need a permit in Brevard County?
A shingle patch of 100 square feet or less needs no permit here, but a new fence or a shed does. The code review fee starts at $75 and climbs with the job's value, and the county's own pages disagree on a water heater swap. 22 jobs, 22 sources.