"Do you need a permit to replace drywall? A toilet? Gutters? A concrete slab?" These are the most-searched permitting questions in Florida, and almost every answer you will find online is confidently wrong in the same way — it gives you a list, when the list is not what decides it.
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The misunderstanding that costs the most
Start here, because it undoes most of the bad advice on this topic.
The Florida Building Commission's own training material puts it plainly: there are several jobs that do not require a permit, but such work shall be executed according to code — and any construction work, whether a permit is required or not, shall comply with the provisions of the Florida Building Code.
A permit exemption removes the paperwork. It does not lower the standard.
Which means "no permit required" is not a license to build it however you like. The work still has to meet code. It just will not be inspected, which shifts the entire risk onto you.
That matters in three places people do not think about at the time. At resale, when a buyer's inspector finds work that does not meet code. At insurance renewal or claim, when a carrier asks how something was done. And the first time it fails, when there is no inspection record and no permitted scope to point at.
Not sure whether your scope crossed the line? We file permits across Florida every day and can tell you what we would file for it. Request a free quote.
The state baseline list
Florida Building Code § 105.2 is the statewide starting point for work exempt from permits. Broadly, it covers cosmetic and finish work and small non-structural items. Categories that appear consistently:
- Painting, wallpapering and similar finishes
- Floor coverings — carpet, vinyl, tile, wood
- Cabinetwork, countertops, shelving, furnishings and decoration
- Gutters and downspouts, fascia and soffit
- Routine internal and external maintenance that does not alter structural components
- Preliminary site investigation such as test borings and soil sampling
Hillsborough County, for example, publishes that floor coverings, painting, wallpapering, cabinet work, furnishings, decorations, shelving, fascia, soffit, gutters and downspouts and routine maintenance are exempt when you do not alter or install structural components — regardless of cost.
That last clause is the useful part. Where an exemption is written "regardless of cost," a dollar threshold is not what disqualifies you. Structural involvement is.
Past the finish work and into the structure? That is the version we file. Request a free quote.
Three counties, three different lists
Under § 105.2.2 a jurisdiction may establish its own minor-repair exemptions, and this is where a generic answer stops being useful. Three published examples:
| Jurisdiction | Notable exemptions | Where it gets specific |
|---|---|---|
| Miami-Dade Permit exemptions (PDF) |
Floor surfacing with carpet, tile, brick or wood; kitchen cabinets, vanities or paneling replaced in the same configuration; playground equipment; interior, exterior and roof painting (waterproofing roof coatings still need a permit) | Electrical and plumbing repair work by a licensed contractor exempt only under $500 in materials and labor, with an aggregate cap across a 12-month period. Water heater replacement exempt only at 4,500 watts or less, and only if not increasing wattage |
| City of Tampa Code § 5-105.2 |
Painting, papering, tiling, carpeting, cabinets, countertops and similar finish work; fences up to 7 ft high | Area thresholds rather than dollar ones: roof covering work of 500 sq ft or less, stucco or siding of 500 sq ft or less, one-story storage sheds and playhouses of 120 sq ft or less |
| Hillsborough County Work exempt from permits |
Finish work and routine maintenance regardless of cost, where structural components are not altered | Operates the statutory under-$7,500 exemption as an application you must submit through the county portal with documentation |
Same state, same code section, three different answers on the same project. Which is why the honest response to "do I need a permit in Florida" is another question: where, exactly?
Working across more than one Florida county? The differences above are the normal case, not the exception. Tell us your counties and we will handle the filings.
The $7,500 exemption, and the five trades it excludes
This is new law, most contractors have not caught up with it yet, and the headline number is the least important part of it.
HB 803 was signed on 7 May 2026 and took effect 1 July 2026, creating Fla. Stat. § 553.79(1)(g). A local government that issues building permits must exempt the owner of a single-family dwelling, or the owner's contractor, from obtaining a building permit for work valued at less than $7,500 on the owner's property.
That is the part everyone repeats. Here is the part that matters more, quoted from the statute:
Five trades are carved out at any price. If you do electrical, plumbing, mechanical, gas or structural work on a single-family home, this exemption does not apply to you.
Read that against a real job. A $6,000 panel upgrade needs a permit. A $4,000 repipe needs a permit. A $5,500 condenser changeout needs a permit. A $3,000 gas line needs a permit. None of those are close calls, and all four are under the threshold.
What is left is genuinely narrow: non-structural, non-trade residential improvement outside a flood hazard area. Cabinetry, flooring, drywall finishing, painting. Which is largely the work that was already exempt under § 105.2 before HB 803 existed.
It is an exemption you have to apply for
To use it, the owner or the owner's contractor must submit a written request for exemption to the local enforcement agency, with a copy of the contract or other documentation demonstrating the nature and value of the work. Sumter County publishes the statutory language and the request process; Hillsborough County runs it through its own portal.
An exemption with an application form is still a filing. It is just a filing most people do not know exists.
And the statute anticipates the obvious workaround: a construction project may not be divided into more than one project for the purpose of evading the requirements. Splitting a $12,000 job into two $6,000 jobs is specifically excluded.
Two other things HB 803 did
A separate flood-barrier exemption. Distinct from the $7,500 provision, HB 803 requires local governments to waive the permit requirement for temporary hurricane or flood protection barriers protecting a single-family dwelling, subject to conditions including that the barrier is non-habitable and non-load-bearing and is installed by a contractor licensed under Part I of Chapter 489. It is a different exemption with different rules, and the two get blurred together constantly.
A five-business-day review category. HB 803 also amended § 553.792 to require action within five business days where an applicant uses a local government plans reviewer for listed permit types on an existing single-family dwelling valued under $15,000 — covering structural, accessory structure, alarm, electrical, gas, irrigation, landscaping, mechanical, plumbing and roofing. So several of the trades excluded from the $7,500 exemption picked up a fast-track review clock instead. We cover statutory review deadlines in how long does a building permit take.
Doing trade work on single-family homes in Florida? The exemption does not reach you, and the five-day clock might. Request a free quote or call 1-855-478-4290.
What turns exempt work into permitted work
Most of the searched questions — drywall, kitchen remodels, bathrooms, toilets, slabs, pergolas, gutters — have the same shape of answer. The finish-level version is frequently exempt. The same project becomes permitted the moment it crosses one of these lines:
- Structural components. Cutting away a wall or partition, removing or cutting a structural beam or load-bearing support. This is the most common tripwire in a kitchen or bathroom remodel.
- Egress. Removing or changing a required means of egress, or rearranging parts of a structure in a way that affects egress requirements.
- Systems behind the wall. Altering, replacing or relocating water supply, sewer, drainage, gas, waste, vent or similar piping, electric wiring systems or mechanical equipment. Replacing a toilet in the same location is a different project from moving it three feet.
- Configuration changes. Miami-Dade's cabinet exemption applies to replacement "using same configuration" — and states that associated plumbing, ventilation and electrical work requires a permit if relocated, reconfigured or altered.
- Dollar and area thresholds. Where your jurisdiction sets them, as Miami-Dade and Tampa both do.
Which is why "do you need a permit to remodel a kitchen" has no general answer. A kitchen remodel that replaces cabinets and countertops in the same footprint is a different regulatory event from one that moves the sink.
Scope crossed one of those lines? That is the point where it becomes our job. Request a free quote or call 1-855-478-4290.
If it was already built without a permit
A large share of searches on this topic are not planning questions. They are people who already did the work, or bought a house where someone else did.
The normal route is an after-the-fact permit. Expect three things. Increased fees, frequently doubled, are standard across many jurisdictions. Completed work may have to be opened up so it can be inspected, because an inspector cannot approve what they cannot see. And the timeline is worse than the original permit would have been.
Two knock-on effects matter more than the fees. Jurisdictions commonly refuse to issue new permits on a property with unresolved violations or open permits — so unpermitted work from years ago can block a project today. And it surfaces at resale, where it becomes a negotiation item at the worst possible moment.
We cover the property-record side of this, and how to search for it before you buy or design, in the five most common permit rejection reasons.
Need an after-the-fact permit filed? We handle them, including the ones inherited with a property. Request a free quote or call 1-855-478-4290.
How to get a reliable answer
Four steps, in order, and the whole thing takes less than a day.
1. Establish which jurisdiction you are actually in. Municipal or unincorporated county, decided by the parcel rather than the mailing address. In Miami-Dade, folios beginning with 30 indicate unincorporated county. Get this wrong and every subsequent answer is the wrong jurisdiction's.
2. Read that jurisdiction's published exemption list. Most publish one, often as a PDF, and it will be more specific than the state baseline. Requirements for the counties we file in are collected in our Florida permit guides.
3. Describe your actual scope, not the category. "Bathroom remodel" gets you a shrug. "Replacing a toilet in the existing location, no change to supply or waste lines" gets you an answer.
4. Ask the building department, and keep the reply. They answer this routinely and for free. Ask by email rather than phone so you have it in writing. A dated answer from the AHJ is the only thing that actually settles it, and it costs nothing.
Rather not run that loop yourself? Doing it across several counties is exactly the work we take on. Tell us your jurisdictions.
Where we come in, and where we do not
Plainly, because the honest answer sometimes costs us the job.
If your project is genuinely exempt, you do not need us and we will say so. There is nothing to file.
If it needs permits — building, or any of the trade permits that file separately — that is the work. We research what the jurisdiction requires, assemble the package on current forms, verify licensing and registration before filing, calculate fees, submit, track every permit on the job, route any comments to whoever must answer them, and follow up so nothing sits unnoticed.
What we do not do is decide whether your project needs a permit, review plans, interpret code or perform inspections. The exemption question belongs to the building official, and we will point you at them rather than guess on your behalf.
Have a scope and want to know what gets filed? Send it over. Request a free quote — and if the answer is "nothing," we will tell you that too.
Florida permit exemption FAQ
Does exempt from a permit mean the work is exempt from the building code?
No, and this is the most costly misunderstanding in the topic. Florida Building Commission training material states that any construction work, whether a permit is required or not, shall comply with the provisions of the Florida Building Code. A permit exemption removes the application and inspection requirement. It does not lower the standard the work has to meet, and it does not protect you at resale, at insurance renewal, or if something fails.
Do you need a permit to replace drywall in Florida?
It depends on scope and jurisdiction. Cosmetic and finish work is commonly exempt, but drywall replacement stops being cosmetic the moment it involves structural components, altered egress, or relocated electrical, plumbing or mechanical behind the wall. Several counties also cap exemptions by dollar value. Confirm with the authority having jurisdiction for the specific parcel before starting.
What can a homeowner do without a permit in Florida?
The state sets a baseline exemption list in Florida Building Code § 105.2, and jurisdictions may add minor-repair exemptions under § 105.2.2. Cosmetic and finish work such as painting, wallpapering, floor coverings and cabinetry is commonly exempt. But the lists differ meaningfully between counties, several carry dollar thresholds, and exempt work must still meet code. Check the published exemption list for your specific jurisdiction.
Is there a dollar threshold below which no permit is needed in Florida?
There is one, and it is narrower than it sounds. HB 803, effective 1 July 2026, created Fla. Stat. § 553.79(1)(g): work under $7,500 on a single-family dwelling is exempt from the building permit requirement. But the statute excludes any electrical, plumbing, structural, mechanical or gas work on property containing a single-family dwelling, regardless of value, and excludes any property partially or entirely in a flood hazard area. You must also submit a written exemption request with documentation of scope and value, and the project may not be split to stay under the threshold.
What happens if work was built without a permit?
It generally has to be resolved through an after-the-fact permit, which commonly carries increased fees and may require opening up completed work so it can be inspected. Unpermitted work also surfaces at resale and can complicate insurance claims. Jurisdictions will often refuse new permits on a property with unresolved violations or open permits until those are cleared.
Who decides whether my project needs a permit?
The authority having jurisdiction for that parcel, and nobody else. Not a contractor, not a filing service, and not an article. Building departments answer this question routinely and at no cost, and a written or emailed answer is worth having on file before work starts.
Current as of September 2026. Exemption lists change, HB 803 is recent law that jurisdictions are still operationalizing, and local ordinances can be more restrictive than the state baseline. Nothing here is a determination that your project is or is not exempt — we do not make that call and neither does any contractor or filing service. The authority having jurisdiction does. This is general information about administrative process, not legal advice, and not a statement of what any code edition requires.