Do I need a permit in Sarasota County? 2026 homeowner guide

Updated September 22, 2026

Probably yes. Sarasota County publishes one handout with both halves of the answer: when a building permit is required, and when no building permit is required.¹ Two of its lines catch people out. Taking down three sheets of drywall or more needs a permit. A shed needs one too, unless it is a plastic or rubber box under 7 feet tall AND under 65 square feet. Find your job in the tables below.

What needs a permit in Sarasota County?

Sarasota prints both halves of the answer in one handout, updated August 2026.¹ Its opening line is the whole rule: permits are required for "the construction, alteration, addition or change in occupancy of any building or structure or for work that involves any electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing system."¹

State law sits underneath all of this. It is unlawful to build, alter or repair without a permit unless something excuses you.¹⁶ Florida's own no-permit list is short: 12 jobs, every one of them a gas, heating, or plumbing item.¹⁷ There is no building category and no electrical category on it at all.

The state code has one more door. A building official can okay an ordinary minor repair with no permit. That door is narrow. It shuts on cutting a wall or a beam. It shuts on pipes, gas, wiring, and A/C gear too.¹⁷

Jobs that do NOT need a permit

Job	Permit?	What to know
Painting, wallpaper, wall coverings	No	Inside and out. All on the county's own list.1
Floor or wall tile, rugs, carpeting	No	Straight off the county's no-permit list.1
Replacing kitchen cabinets	No	The county's condition: same layout, and no changes to electrical, plumbing or mechanical systems.1
Home alarm, wired or wireless	No	Sarasota puts no dollar cap on this one.1
Drywall, under three sheets	No	The county counts sheets. Removing or replacing three sheets or more needs a permit, so two is the most you can do without one.1
A small roof leak	No	The county's exact test: "small, incidental roof leaks (one (1) square and $500 or less)."1 A square is 100 square feet of roof, so over either line it is permit work.
Fascia or soffit repair, under 25 percent	No	Single-family homes and duplexes only. At 25 percent or more of the existing soffits, a permit is required.1
Chain link, wood, or vinyl fence	No	The county's wording is "when standards are met," and it names height, placement, and the finished side facing the neighbor or the right-of-way.1
Deck or patio flat on the ground	No	Any material, as long as there are no footings. A raised deck needs a permit. On commercial or multi-family property, every deck does.1
Plastic or rubber storage box	No	Under 7 feet tall and under 65 square feet, residential only, and it still has to meet setbacks. This is the only shed-like thing the county exempts.1
One open beam wood pergola	No	Free standing, under 12 feet by 12 feet, and one per parcel. A second one needs a permit.1
Temporary flood or hurricane barrier	No	On single-family homes. The county lists temporary flood proofing on a single-family residence as exempt under the 2026 law too.12
Farm buildings on a working farm	No	Non-residential only, and it needs the Building Official and the Zoning Administrator to agree first.1
A traditional chickee hut	No	Built by a member of the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida or the Seminole Tribe of Florida, with no plumbing and no electric.1

Two warnings ride on that whole list, in the county's own words. Some of these jobs "require a licensed contractor" even though they need no permit. And a flood zone, or a job that is part of a bigger project, puts the permit back.¹

Jobs that DO need a permit

Job	Permit?	What to know
Roof: new, re-roof, or sheathing	Yes	Replacing roof sheathing is on the county's structural-components line, and the only repair the no-permit list itself exempts is a leak at one square and $500 or less. A larger non-structural roof repair may still take the separate $7,500 route further down this page.3 On a home permitted before the Florida Building Code, tearing the covering off also triggers a check of how the deck is nailed, and a secondary water barrier.118
Windows, exterior doors, garage doors, skylights	Yes	Replacement counts, and so does any change to an exterior wall opening. The new window still has to meet today's code.119
Drywall, three sheets or more	Yes	The county's line is a sheet count, not a dollar value or a square footage. No other county near here writes it this way.1
Shed or utility building	Yes	Every storage or utility shed, including a prefabricated one. The only one on the county's no-permit list is a plastic or rubber container under 7 feet tall and under 65 square feet, and it still has to meet setbacks.1
Raised deck	Yes	Any deck on residential property that is not flat on the ground. On commercial property, all decks.1
Electrical, A/C, or plumbing work	Yes	The county's words: "Alteration, addition, or removal of electrical, air conditioning, or plumbing systems."1 A water heater swap, a panel change, a re-pipe and an A/C change-out are all in this line.
Exterior walls, soffits, or wall coverings	Yes	Building, altering or replacing an exterior wall. Soffits or exterior wall coverings at 25 percent or more of what is there.1
Load-bearing and non-load-bearing walls	Yes	Sarasota asks for a permit to alter or replace an interior wall either way, not only a wall that carries weight.1
Stairs, guardrails, or a stairlift	Yes	Repair or replacement, both.1
Enclosing a carport, porch, or screen room	Yes	Closing in an existing one is permit work.1
Dock, boat lift, seawall, or bulkhead	Yes	Installation and repair, both.1
Motorized or electric-powered gate	Yes	On its own line in the county's list.1
Hurricane shutters and fire repairs	Yes	Both named on the county's permit-required list, along with stucco over wood framing, masonry and engineered Styrofoam components, tiki huts, and mobile home setup.1
Swimming pool	Yes	A pool is a structure, and the county asks for a permit for "Any construction, alteration, addition or change in the occupancy of a structure"; it prices an above-ground pool permit at $75. To pass the last check, a new pool needs one safety feature the state approves: a barrier at least 4 feet high, a safety cover, exit alarms, a self-closing and self-latching device, or a pool alarm.1520
Room addition or new house	Yes	Any construction, alteration, addition, or change in the occupancy of a structure.116

One more Sarasota rule worth knowing. Say an outside appliance such as an A/C unit sits in a flood zone, and flood water damaged it. The county says the building code then requires it to be raised when it is replaced.²

What is the $7,500 permit exemption?

A state law that started July 1, 2026. Non-structural work worth less than $7,500 on a single-family home can sometimes skip the building permit. Sarasota County's Building Official set out how it works in Bulletin 2026-0002.³

Five things have to be true at once. The work is on a single-family home. The full scope does not include electrical, plumbing, mechanical, gas, or structural work. The full scope is less than $7,500. The home is not in a special flood hazard area. And you send a written request to the Building Official.³

It is not yours to decide. The county built a record type called RES-EXEMPT into its permit system so you can ask for the exemption and upload the paperwork the law wants.³

The county answers two questions itself. Exterior windows and doors never qualify: the building code treats them as "vital exterior components," so they count as structural. And you cannot break a job into smaller phases to get under the line, because the test is the full scope of the project.³ What might qualify, in the county's own example: drywall replacement and roof repairs.³

Two other things changed on the same day. Sarasota now runs an expedited review on permits for work under $15,000 on an existing single-family home, and building inspection fees are no longer set by the value of the work.²

What changes if my home is in a flood hazard area?

The no-permit list stops applying. The county says so on the handout itself: if the building is in a flood zone, a building permit is required even for a job the list exempts.¹ The $7,500 break is off too, for a home in a special flood hazard area.³¹⁶

Sarasota uses the 50 percent rule. It limits the cost of repairs, alterations and additions to a non-conforming building to "less than 50%" of what the building itself was worth before the work started, or before the damage. So 50 percent is already over the line, not on it. At 50 percent or more the home is substantially improved or substantially damaged, and it has to be brought up to today's flood rules, which can mean raising it.⁶

The number to watch is not 50, it is 35. Past 35 percent of the building's market value, the county asks for the Cost Itemization Worksheets. Those come on top of the Substantial Improvement Worksheet and the owner and contractor affidavits.⁶ The value counted is the structure alone. Not the land, the pool, the accessory buildings or the landscaping.⁶

You also cannot get around it with separate permits. The county calls that "phasing," and says that if "the sum of the permits exceeds 50% of the market value of the structure" it is still a substantial improvement.⁶ Note the county writes the limit two ways: "less than 50%" for one job, "exceeds 50%" for a set of them. They disagree at exactly half, so treat 50 percent as over the line and ask the county before you plan around it.⁶

Sarasota has a second flood map of its own. Besides FEMA's special flood hazard area, the county uses a Community Flood Hazard Area, and a building can be non-conforming under either.⁶ FEMA issued new maps for the county on March 27, 2024. A zone starting with A or V is the high-risk one and carries a mandatory flood insurance requirement on a federally backed mortgage; a zone starting with X does not.⁷

Can I pull my own permit in Sarasota County?

Yes, for the home you live in. Florida lets an owner pull a permit for their own property instead of hiring a licensed contractor.²¹ The county publishes an Owner Builder Affidavit for it.²

There is a catch worth knowing before you start. The exemption is for a home you will use or live in, not one you are fixing up to sell or lease.²¹

One more thing to weigh. The $7,500 route is not a permit, so ask the Building Official what it does and does not cover before you rely on it. The county's own warning is that skipping the written request "may result in building code enforcement action and possible financial penalties for unpermitted work."³

How much does a building permit cost in Sarasota County?

Most small jobs are $75 to $238. Sarasota charges a flat fee for the everyday permits, under Fee Resolution 2026-068, in force since March 24, 2026.⁵ Bigger remodels are priced differently: a plan review fee by the value of the work, starting at $84 for anything up to $25,000.⁵

Sarasota County permit fees for common jobs

Job	County fee	What to know
Re-roof	$117	The county's "Re-roofing or Recovering" permit. A commercial metal re-roof is $138.5
Windows or doors, size for size	$130	If the opening changes size it is $177 instead.5
A job with one inspection	$77	The county's flat permit with one inspection and no plan review. Two inspections is $123. Ask which one your job falls under.5
Solar panels	$179	The county's photovoltaic permit.5
Whole-house generator	$182	Residential. A gas or LP installation permit is $150.5
Shed, pergola, or gazebo	$100	One flat fee for all three.5
Deck, dock, pier, or flagpole	$123	One flat fee covers the group.5
Above-ground pool or spa	$75	The cheapest permit on the residential list.5
Seawall	$177	A retaining, perimeter or privacy wall is $222.5
Awning	$112	A roof-over on a mobile home is also $112.5
Repair permit with a plan review	$238	The county's miscellaneous repair permit.5
Tearing down a house	$152	The demolition permit.5
Each inspection	$61	Structural, electrical, plumbing, mechanical and gas are all $61 per inspection.5
Remodel: plan review	$84 and up	$84 for work up to $25,000, $129 to $50,000, then up by band.5

Paying by card adds a surcharge of 2.45 percent, at least $1. The county's payment company charges it, not the county. An eCheck is 45 cents, and paying with cash avoids it.¹¹ An appeal or a variance to the Building Code Board of Adjustments and Appeals is $500 each.⁵ Starting work before the permit is issued costs far more than any of this. It has its own section below. The four cities set their own fees.

How long is a building permit good for in Sarasota County?

Six months, with a three-year hard stop. Sarasota wrote its own version of the state rule into the county code. A permit goes invalid if the work does not start within six months of issue, or if it is suspended or abandoned for six months after it starts.⁴

The county spells out what "abandoned" means: six months go by between inspections and no certificate of occupancy has been issued.⁴ So each passed inspection restarts the six-month clock.

The three-year line is the one people miss. Every permit goes invalid if the work is not finished within three years of the day it was issued. The one way out is showing reasonable continuous progress through the inspections.⁴ A long, slow self-build can run out of time even with the inspections passing.

You get one extension, and it is capped at 90 days. Ask in writing, before the permit goes invalid, and the Building Official's answer comes in writing too.⁴ An extension costs $41 on an issued permit or on an application that has not been issued yet, and reinstating an expired permit is $51.⁵

What happens if you do work without a permit in Sarasota County?

Four times the fee. Sarasota's after-the-fact fee is the steepest of any county near here. The fee schedule prices a permit issued after the work started or finished at "Three times the normal amount plus original permit fee."⁵ On a $117 re-roof that is $468.

The citations stack on top, and they climb. A first offence citation for unpermitted work is $100. A second is $250. A third and any after that are $500 each.⁵ Unlicensed activity carries its own citation, and the county lists $2,000 as the maximum.⁵

Getting a stop work order lifted on a house or duplex costs $150, and ignoring one costs $500. Not posting the permit on the job is $85, and failing to get a required inspection is $100.⁵

Buyers, this is the part that matters to you. The record follows the house, not the person who built it. A permit search shows which jobs had a permit. Hold that list up against the house, and a new roof or an added room with nothing on file stands out. That search is the next section.

How do I look up building permits on a house in Sarasota County?

Sarasota is the one county near here where you cannot just search. The county split its permit records on August 18, 2023. Anything closed before that date is on a public archive that needs no login. Anything since is in the county's current system, and the county's own instruction is blunt: "Yes. To search records/permits in Accela, you must have an account."⁸

We checked on September 22, 2026. Open the Building records search without signing in and it sends you to a login page. It reads "This feature requires registration and/or login, please login to continue."⁹ Registering is free, and the county sets out the steps.⁸

Sarasota County permit search by address, step by step

1. For work closed before August 18, 2023, open Sarasota County's permit archive. No account is needed.¹⁰
2. Type the address into the box that says "Enter or search for your property," then pick the property from the list that drops down. The Search Permits button stays greyed out until you pick one.¹⁰
3. Click Search Permits. The permits for that parcel list below, ten at a time.¹⁰
4. For work since August 18, 2023, open the county's current portal, register for a free account, then use General Search on the Building tab and search by address.⁸

Two things to expect on the archive. The list is not all permits. On one of the two homes we searched, code enforcement citations, a complaint and a records request sat in the same list as a re-roof, a sewer line and a pool cage. Read the Type column before you count anything.¹⁰ The rows are not in date order either. On that same home they ran 2023, 2022, 2012, 2006, 2003, 2002, 2004, 2002. Read the In Date column.¹⁰

The two homes we tried returned 11 records and 2 records. The older one reached back to 2002. The newer house was built in 2021 and had almost nothing.¹⁰ The county publishes no earliest date for the archive. So treat a missing job as a question rather than an answer, and ask the county for the record. A home in Sarasota, Venice, North Port or Longboat Key is in that city's system, not the county's.^12131415

That is the part that stops people. You can call the office that covers your address and ask for the permit history. The county's number is 941-861-5000 and its email is building@scgov.net.² Or you can have every office checked at once.

Buying a house? See its permits first.

QReport checks the Sarasota County permit office and, if the address is inside a city, that city's too. For the county it reads both systems, the public archive and the current one, so the years since August 2023 are not missing. Then it tells you in plain words what work had a permit, when the roof, A/C, water heater and wiring were last done, and if the home sits in a flood zone. All four Sarasota cities and towns are covered, and we cover seven Florida counties: Sarasota, Manatee, Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco, Hernando and Charlotte.

See a sample report

Where these rules come from

1. Sarasota County Planning and Development Services, Building Permit Guidelines - When a Building Permit Is Required, marked "UPDATED AUGUST 2026" - "Permits are required for the construction, alteration, addition or change in occupancy of any building or structure or for work that involves any electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing system."; the permit-required list ("Any construction, alteration, addition or change in the occupancy of a structure"; "Construction, alteration or replacement of any exterior walls"; "Replacement or repair of structural components (e.g., beams, joists, trusses, roof sheathing)"; "Alteration or replacement of interior load bearing or non-load bearing walls"; "Construction of a raised deck on residential property and all decks on commercial property"; "Enclosure of existing carports, porches or screen rooms"; "Replacement of soffits and/or exterior wall coverings (25 percent or more of existing soffits)"; "Repair or replacement of any stairs or guardrails (including stairlifts)"; "Replacement of windows, exterior doors, garage doors, skylights or alterations to exterior wall openings"; "Installation or repair of docks, boat lifts, seawalls or bulkheads"; "Removal or replacement of drywall (three (3) sheets or more)"; "Motorized or electric-powered gates"; "Repairs due to fire"; "Hurricane shutters"; "Mobile/manufactured home installation or accessory site-built structures"; "Masonry and engineered Styrofoam components"; "Stucco over wood framing"; "Tiki huts"; "Storage or utility sheds*" with "*Exception: plastic or rubber storage containers less than 7-feet tall and less than 65-square feet (will need to meet any applicable setback requirements)."; and "Alteration, addition, or removal of electrical, air conditioning, or plumbing systems"); the no-permit list ("Floor or wall tile"; "Rugs or carpeting"; "Wired or wireless residential home alarms"; "Interior and exterior wall painting"; "Wallpaper or wall coverings"; "Replacing kitchen cabinets (same layout and no changes to electrical, plumbing or mechanical systems)"; "Repair of small, incidental roof leaks (one (1) square and $500 or less)"; "Any work pertaining to non-residential farm buildings on working farms (Building Official and Zoning Administrator approval needed based on criteria)"; "Chain link, wood or vinyl fences when standards are met (e.g., height, placement, finished side facing neighbor/right-of-way)"; "Repair of existing fascia or soffits for all single-family homes and duplexes (residential only) (less than 25 percent)"; "Placement of decks or patios directly on grade, without footings (any material) (permit required for commercial or multi-family)"; "Plastic or rubber storage containers less than 7-feet tall and less than 65-square feet that meet any applicable setback requirements (residential only)"; "Traditional Chickee Huts constructed by members of the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida or the Seminole Tribe of Florida (no plumbing or electric allowed)"; "Temporary residential hurricane and flood protection barriers on single-family homes"; "One free standing Open Beam Wood Pergola less than 12 ft. x 12 ft. per parcel"); and the three lines that bound that list ("ABOVE ARE EXAMPLES OF WHEN A BUILDING PERMIT IS NOT REQUIRED"; "Some of these work items require a licensed contractor"; "When a building or structure is in a flood zone or the work item above is part of a larger project scope, then a building permit is required.").
2. Sarasota County, Planning and Development Services, Building - "All PDS services previously located at 1001 Sarasota Center Blvd (aka the BOB) have moved to the PDS One Stop located at 870 Apex Road, Sarasota, Florida 34240."; the Building team at 870 Apex Road and at the R.L. Anderson Administration Center, 4000 S. Tamiami Trail, Venice, open "Monday-Friday 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m.* *Closed at 3:30 p.m. on Thursdays", phone 941-861-5000, email building@scgov.net; the HB 803 notes ("Building inspection fees will no longer be based on the value of work performed."; "Temporary flood proofing on single-family residences is exempt from permitting."; "Permits for work less than $15,000 on an existing single-family residence will receive expedited reviews."); "the Florida Building Code requires that exterior appliances (such as HVAC units) located in a flood zone (flood hazard areas) and damaged by flooding must be elevated when they are replaced"; and the Owner Builder Affidavit in the department's forms library.
3. Sarasota County Bulletin 2026-0002, HB 803 and $7,500 Exemption from Building Permits, June 10, 2026, effective July 1, 2026, from Michael Deming, Building Official - the five conditions ("work is on a single-family home -AND- the full scope of the project does not include electrical, plumbing, mechanical, gas, or structural work -AND- the full scope of the project is less than $7,500 -AND- the single-family home is not located in a SFHA (special flood hazard area) -AND- requires a written request to the Building Official for an exemption."); "the county's land management software system (Accela) will contain a RES-EXEMPT record type to allow customers to request an exemption under 553.79(1)(g)"; "failure to follow this process may result in building code enforcement action and possible financial penalties for unpermitted work."; "Since exterior windows and doors are considered by the building code as vital exterior components, they are considered structural and do not qualify for the exemption."; "The exemption pertains to the full scope of the project, so breaking it into smaller phases or pieces is prohibited."; and "Drywall replacement and roof repairs are two possible examples."
4. Sarasota County Code of Ordinances, Chapter 22, Article II, Sec. 22-34, the county's own amendments to the Florida Building Code - "Every permit issued shall become invalid unless the work authorized by the permit is commenced within six (6) months after its issuance, or if the work authorized by such permit is suspended or abandoned for a period of six (6) months after the time the work is commenced; provided, however, that one extension of time, for a period not exceeding ninety (90) days, shall be allowed by the Building Official"; "Requests for extensions must be in writing and submitted to the Building Official before the permit becomes invalid. The Building Official's extensions shall also be in writing."; "work shall be deemed suspended or abandoned if six (6) months elapse between any inspections required by this code and no certificate of occupancy has been issued"; and "All permits shall become invalid if the work has not been completed within three (3) years of the permit issuance date, unless reasonable continuous progress can be demonstrated by the completion of required inspections."
5. Sarasota County Fee Resolution 2026-068, effective March 24, 2026, Exhibit "A" Fees and Fines - the only document in the county's Permit Fee Schedule library. Section 2.C Miscellaneous Permits: Re-roofing or Recovering $117.00; Metal Re-Roof - Commercial $138.00; Permit (1 inspection, no plan review) $77.00; Permit (2 inspections, no plan review) $123.00; Demolition Permit $152.00; Tank Permit Fee $119.00; Seawall $177.00; Dock / Pier / Flagpole / Deck $123.00; Above Ground Pool/Spa $75.00; Wall Signs (Retaining, Perimeter or Privacy) $222.00; Roof Over / Mobile Home $112.00; Window or Door New (when opening size changes) $177.00; Window or Door Replacement (size for size) $130.00; Awning $112.00; Miscellaneous/Repair Permit (with Plan Review) $238.00; Site Lighting $256.00; Shed - Shed / Pergola / Gazebo $100.00; Generator Permit - Residential $182.00; Photovoltaic Permit $179.00; Gas (LP and Natural) Installations $150.00. Section 2.B, Residential Alterations/Renovations, Non-Refundable Plan Review Fee: "Plan Review $0 - $25,000" $84.00 and "Plan Review $25,001 - $50,000" $129.00. Section 2.E Inspection Fees (Per Inspection): Structural, Electrical, Plumbing, Mechanical and Gas, $61.00 each. Section 2.F: Appeal $500.00 and Variance $500.00. Section 6 General Fees: "First Offence Citation for Unpermitted Work" $100.00, "Second Offence Citation for Unpermitted Work" $250.00, "Third & Subsequent Offense Citations" $500.00, "Citation for Unlicensed Activity" $2,000.00, "Non-Posted Permit Penalty" $85.00, "SWO Release - Single Family Residential & Duplex" $150.00, "Violate Stop Work Order" $500.00, "Failure to obtain required inspections, Section 489.129(1)(o)" $100.00, "Permit Extension (Issued Permit)" $41.00, "Permit Application Extension (Not Issued)" $41.00, "Permit Reinstatement (Issued Permit/Expired)" $51.00; and Section 6.I After the Fact Fees, whose row reads "All Permits, Amendments, Variances or Written Conditioned Exceptions issued subsequent to the commencement, or completion of work" against the amount "Three times the normal amount plus original permit fee".
6. Sarasota County, Substantial Improvement/Damage (50% Rule) Frequently Asked Questions - "The 50% Rule is a minimum requirement for participation in the NFIP. It limits the cost of improvements (additions, alterations, and/or repairs) to non-conforming structures to less than 50% of the 'market value' of the structure prior to the start of work or before the damage occurred."; "These designations come from the Community Flood Hazard Area (CFHA), FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA), and the Florida Building Code."; "Only the value of the structure applies and the value the land and of site improvements such as pools, accessory structures, and landscaping are not included."; "A non-conforming structure that is substantially improved or substantially damaged is required to conform with the requirements for new construction, including elevating the structure to the required minimum elevation."; "If the estimate of the cost of proposed improvement or repair is greater than 35% of market value, or required by plans review, in addition to the Substantial Improvement Worksheet and Owner/Contractor Affidavits, the Cost Itemization Worksheets must be completed."; and "If the sum of the permits exceeds 50% of the market value of the structure prior to the initial start of work the structure is considered substantially improved."
7. Sarasota County, Flood Maps - "On March 27, 2024, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) issued new flood maps, affecting Sarasota County property owners."; "The SFHA is a high-risk area defined as land with a 1 percent chance of flooding in any given year. Land in the SFHA is identified by zones that start with A and V. Land outside the SFHA is identified by zones that start with X."; and "Development in the SFHA must comply with the Sarasota County Floodprone Areas Ordinance."
8. Sarasota County, Online Permitting Resources, How to Search Records in Accela - "Do I need an Account? Yes. To search records/permits in Accela, you must have an account."; the registration steps ("Go to Accela Civic Application. Click the CREATE AN ACCOUNT button at the bottom of the page OR click on Register for an Account at the top right of the page. Complete the Registration."); "General Search gives several choices: record/permit number, record type, contractor license number, contractor name, location/address, PID, etc."; "Search by Address"; "You can download your search results if needed by clicking Download Results at the top of your search results list"; and "Looking for Permits Closed Prior to August 18, 2023? Search records that were in the AMANDA system," which links to building.scgov.net.
9. Sarasota County Accela Citizen Access - the county's current permit system, the same one our own software reads. Observed live on September 22, 2026: the home page loads for an anonymous visitor and says "To use ALL the services we provide you must register and create a user account. You can view information, get questions answered and have limited services as an anonymous user."; opening the Building records search without signing in redirects to Login.aspx and shows "Notice: This feature requires registration and/or login, please login to continue."; and the site-wide search does run anonymously but returned "Your search for '2500 WILKINSON' returned no results."
10. Sarasota County Permit Search, the pre-August-2023 archive - the county's public permit archive, no login, the same one our own software reads. Observed live on September 22, 2026: an autocomplete box labelled "Enter or search for your property", a Search by Address block of Street Number, Street Name, Street Type, Zip Code and Parcel ID, and the county's own examples "Sample Parcel ID: 0209010001" and "OLD Permits Sample: BUP2005-00851 NEW Permits Sample: 05 047102 00 B1". The Search Permits button stays disabled until a property is picked from the autocomplete, and picking one moves the browser to building.scgov.net followed by the parcel number. Results carry the columns Permit Number, Type, Parcel, In Date, OCC, Work, Address and Status, ten rows to a page. 2500 Wilkinson Rd (parcel 0074150009) returned "1-10 of 11" mixing permits with code enforcement rows ("Citation NTOP", "Unlicensed Contractor", "Request for Service", "Complaint", "Property Records Request") and running 2023, 2023, 2023, 2022, 2012, 2006, 2003, 2002, 2004, 2002 - not in date order. 2004 Midnight Pearl Drive (parcel 0213030359) returned "1-2 of 2", a March 2021 "Residential1and2Family" single family residence permit and a March 2023 "Request for Service". The newest row on either home was dated March 2023.
11. Sarasota County, Frequently Asked Questions: Surcharges on Electronic Payments, on Resolution No. 2025-165 - "Non-utility payments (permits, licenses, etc.): 2.45% of the payment amount (minimum $1)"; "eCheck/ACH payments: 45 cents per transaction"; "Sarasota County uses a company called Paymentus to collect electronic payments. The surcharge is charged directly by Paymentus, not Sarasota County"; and "You can avoid the surcharges by paying with cash or other non-electronic methods."
12. City of Sarasota Building Division, Building Permit Requirement Guidelines, under City of Sarasota Ordinance 08-4778 - "No permit shall be required when: (1) The repairs do not exceed a value of one thousand dollars ($1000.00) provided that such repairs shall not involve structural work or any other work which violates any of the provisions of the current adopted technical codes"; and "When in doubt about whether a permit is required in the City of Sarasota, please call the City Building Division at (941)263-6494."
13. City of Venice, Building Department, Permitting, City Hall, 401 West Venice Avenue, (941) 882-7547, permitsonline@venicefl.gov - "A permit is required any time an owner or authorized agent intends to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish, or change the occupancy of a building or structure, or to erect, install, enlarge, alter, repair, remove, convert or replace any electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing system, or to cause any such work to be done."; and "As of October 1, 2021, the Building Department will no longer accept paper permit applications."
14. City of North Port, Building and Planning, Permitting - "CS/CS/HB 803, passed by the Florida Legislature and effective July 1, 2026, introduces two new building permit exemptions for single-family residences."; and the city's own Accela Citizen Application, where "contractors, citizens, businesses and visitors can create an account, apply for permits and receive real-time updates."
15. Town of Longboat Key, Building Division, 501 Bay Isles Road, 941-316-1966 - "If you have a question as to whether a permit is required for proposed work, please contact the Building Official at 941-316-1966, ext. 2521. A list of exemptions from permitting for minor work can be found in Section 150.30, Building Permit Required, Subsection (D)."; and "As of April 22, 2025, the Town of Longboat Key has transitioned to the Accela permitting system." The town straddles the county line and runs one building department for the whole island.
16. Florida Statute 553.79 - it is unlawful to construct, erect, alter, modify, repair or demolish without a permit; and the exemption from a permit for "any work valued at less than $7,500" on a single-family dwelling, which does not apply to a property in a flood hazard area or to electrical, plumbing, structural, mechanical or gas work.
17. Florida Building Code, 8th Edition (2023), sections 105.1, 105.2 and 105.2.2 - the complete no-permit list in 105.2 is 12 items under three headings: Gas, Mechanical and Plumbing. There is no building category and no electrical category. Section 105.1 names repair as permit work. Section 105.2.2 lets a building official approve "ordinary minor repairs" without a permit, but bars the cutting of any wall or structural beam and bars work on "water supply, sewer, drainage, drain leader, gas, soil, waste, vent or similar piping, electric wiring systems or mechanical equipment."
18. Florida Statute 553.844(3)(a) - roof-deck re-nailing and a secondary water barrier are required when a roof covering is removed and replaced on a structure not permitted under the Florida Building Code, which is broadly homes built before 2002.
19. Florida Existing Building Code, section 707.4 - a replacement window "shall be designed and constructed to comply with Chapter 16 of the Florida Building Code-Building," with no count or area below which a replacement escapes.
20. Florida Statute 515.27 and 515.29, the Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act - a residential pool must meet at least one of five safety features: a barrier, an approved safety pool cover, exit alarms on doors and windows, a self-closing self-latching device, or an approved swimming pool alarm. A barrier "must be at least 4 feet high on the outside."
21. Florida Statute 489.103(7) - the owner-builder exemption for a person improving their own property, and its conditions.