City of Boca Raton, Florida Building Permit Guide

The City of Boca Raton — southern Palm Beach County's flagship city, from the beachfront and the Boca Raton resort district through the corporate corridors west — issues building permits through Development Services, with the Building Division running a deliberate two-part system. Part one is Boca eHub, the city's online planning and permitting platform: apply for permits, plans, and business tax receipts, check status, pay invoices, request inspections, and search public records in one place. Part two is Boca Eplans — ProjectDox — where permit files upload for plan review, comments post, and approved files download once the permit issues.

Boca's coastal character shows up in its forms library: the Beach Area Lighting Restriction Affidavit (sea-turtle lighting compliance on beach-area parcels), the Re-roof Mitigation Package and Roof Re-nailing Secondary Water Barrier Affidavit on the roofing side, a Digital Signature Affidavit for electronic sealing, and a Universal Permit Application anchoring the package. Under Florida Statute 553.80, the city also posts annual Building Permit and Inspection Utilization Reports — a fee-transparency artifact most applicants never know exists.

Applies inside City of Boca Raton limits. Neighboring Delray Beach and Deerfield Beach run their own permitting, and unincorporated parcels route to Palm Beach County - confirm the jurisdiction before filing.

What requires a building permit in City of Boca Raton?

Florida requires a permit under the Florida Building Code (section 105.1) for most construction, alteration, repair, demolition and change of occupancy; since 1 July 2026 a narrow exemption covers some single-family work under $7,500, and single-family permits stay valid for at least a year. When a permit is required in Florida

Who handles permitting in City of Boca Raton?

Development Services operates from 200 NW 2nd Avenue, with the department's main office reachable at (561) 393-7789 (fax 561-393-7784) and the administrative offices at 201 W. Palmetto Park Road. The Building Division publishes how-to guides for both halves of the system — eHub for applying, paying, scheduling, and searching; Eplans for uploading, tracking review comments, and downloading approved files — and the forms library covers the specialty affidavits (HOA, owner, authorized agent, digital signature) that Boca packages commonly need. All permitting runs through the Boca eHub + Boca Eplans (ProjectDox).

• Address: 200 NW 2nd Ave., Boca Raton, FL 33432
• Phone: 561-393-7930 (Building Permits; fax 561-367-7049) · Monday to Friday 8:00am to 4:00pm, Wednesday 8:00am to 3:00pm
• Email: permits@myboca.us
• Hours: Monday–Friday (city business hours)

In 2025, building permits issued in City of Boca Raton authorized 84 new privately owned housing units, all of them single-family homes, according to the U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey.

City of Boca Raton permit types

A building permit is one record among many. Development Services — Building Division issues work under separate record types, and filing under the wrong one is a rejection, not a correction — the application is closed and refiled, and the review clock restarts.

Residential permit types

Commercial permit types

Roofing permits in City of Boca Raton

Solar and roofing work follow statewide rules on HOA limits, product approval, reroof inspections and hurricane mitigation. Solar and roofing rules in Florida

City of Boca Raton building permit cost

Permit fees are assessed per the city's schedule through Boca eHub — with the statute-mandated annual utilization reports documenting how permit and inspection revenue is deployed. The specialty costs are documentation items: the re-roof mitigation and secondary water barrier requirements on roofing scopes, beach-area lighting compliance on coastal parcels, the $150 formal permit-history search on transactions, and the affidavit set — owner, HOA, authorized agent, digital signature — that rounds out a complete Boca package.

How City of Boca Raton permitting works

City of Boca Raton trade permits

Electrical permits

Required for service installations, panel upgrades, solar PV, and most wiring alterations in City of Boca Raton, filed by a licensed electrical contractor against the master building permit through the City of Boca Raton Development Services — Building Division.

Plumbing permits

Required for new plumbing, repipes, water heater changeouts, fixture relocations, and gas piping; fees follow the local schedule with per-permit minimums.

Mechanical (HVAC) permits

Required for HVAC installations and changeouts, ductwork, and refrigeration; specialized systems are permitted and inspected separately.

Miscellaneous & specialty

Roofs, pools and spas, screen enclosures, mobile home set-ups, and demolition are permitted separately. Exterior components need current Florida Product Approval rated for the local wind speed.

How to get a building permit in City of Boca Raton

Inspections in City of Boca Raton

Inspections request and track through Boca eHub, with the approved Eplans file set on site as the working documents. Roofing inspections check the mitigation and secondary-water-barrier documentation, and coastal parcels can expect lighting-compliance verification on exterior scopes. For transactions, remember the records split — self-service status in eHub is free, but the letterhead search that closes deals is the $150 JUST FOIA product.

Official City of Boca Raton permitting resources

• City of Boca Raton Development Services — Building Division
• Fee information
• Online permitting / portal
• Permit lookup
• Florida Building Code (8th Ed.)
• Florida Product Approval search
• DBPR license verification

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to get a building permit in City of Boca Raton?

The two-part flow moves at the pace of the Eplans review cycle — complete uploads with digital signatures and the right affidavits clear fastest, and comment responses restart review promptly when handled in the portal. Owner-builder eligibility and transaction-related record searches are the items to resolve early. Call Development Services at (561) 393-7789 for current turnaround by permit type.

How do I look up a permit in City of Boca Raton?

Boca eHub carries free self-service searches of current public records, permits, plans, code cases, and inspection requests. Formal open/closed permit searches are different: results on city letterhead — the version used to complete real estate transactions — carry a $150 fee and submit through the city's JUST FOIA portal, so budget the fee and lead time into closing timelines.

How does Boca Raton's two-part permit system work?

Boca eHub is where you apply, check status, pay fees, schedule inspections, and search records; Boca Eplans (ProjectDox) is where you upload the permit files — including the application generated in eHub — for plan review, track comments, and download approved files at issuance. The city posts how-to guides for both.

Who qualifies as an owner-builder in Boca Raton?

Four requirements, all mandatory: the property must be a single-family home; you must be listed as the owner; the property cannot be owned by a business; and you must currently live there — not rent it out. LLC-titled and investment properties don't qualify; those scopes need a licensed contractor.

How do I get a formal permit history for a Boca Raton closing?

Through the city's JUST FOIA portal, for a $150 fee — the results come on city letterhead and are the version used to complete most real estate transactions. Free self-service searches of permits and records run through Boca eHub, but they aren't the letterhead product.

What extra paperwork do Boca Raton roofs and beach parcels need?

Roofing scopes carry the Re-roof Mitigation Package and the Roof Re-nailing Secondary Water Barrier Affidavit; beach-area parcels add the Beach Area Lighting Restriction Affidavit for sea-turtle lighting compliance. Both live in the city's permit forms library alongside the Universal Permit Application.

Do I need a permit to install solar panels in City of Boca Raton?

Yes. Photovoltaic installations in City of Boca Raton are permitted under a dedicated solar record type reviewed on both a structural and an electrical track. Solar thermal — passive water and pool heating — is a separate record. Under Fla. Stat. §163.04 a homeowners' association cannot ban solar panels, though it can decide where on the roof they go if that does not reduce their performance; HOA review is separate from the building permit. Utility interconnection and Permission to Operate run in parallel with the permit, not inside it.

Does a roof replacement require a permit in City of Boca Raton?

Yes. A roof covering replacement almost always requires a permit in Florida, including City of Boca Raton. Products must carry a current Florida Product Approval or Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance rated for the wind speed at the project address, and inspections usually run deck nailing, then dry-in, then final. Some minor repairs fall below the permit threshold, and a small single-family job under $7,500 can qualify for the written-request exemption under F.S. 553.79(1)(g), so ask the department first.

What is the difference between a residential and a commercial permit in City of Boca Raton?

Residential work is generally a single-discipline review filed as a master permit with trades filed against it. Commercial work in City of Boca Raton runs concurrent review across building, fire, and zoning, requires signed and sealed plans for every affected discipline, and can carry impact and concurrency fees on top of permit fees. Change of use adds accessibility and life-safety review.

Do trade permits need to be pulled separately in City of Boca Raton?

Yes in most cases. Electrical, plumbing, and mechanical work is permitted separately by the licensed contractor for each trade and filed against the master building permit. Each trade permit carries its own fee and its own inspection sequence.

What happens if I file under the wrong permit type in City of Boca Raton?

The application is rejected rather than corrected. Development Services — Building Division closes the record, the filing is resubmitted under the correct record type, and the review clock restarts from zero. Confirming the record type before filing is the cheapest step in the entire process.

Can I apply for all Boca Raton permit types online?

Most record types are filed through eHub and ePlans, but availability varies by permit type and by applicant. Florida law requires building departments to accept completed applications electronically, but owner-builders must still appear in person to sign (F.S. 489.103(7)).

Simplify City of Boca Raton permitting with Alliance Permitting

A two-part eHub-and-Eplans pipeline, a four-part owner-builder gate, turtle-lighting affidavits, and a $150 letterhead search behind every closing — Boca Raton's process is polished and particular. Alliance Permitting is a permit expediter for City of Boca Raton and assembles the full affidavit stack and runs both systems so your Boca project issues on the first pass.

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Alliance Permitting is a permit documentation and submission company: we prepare your paperwork, file it correctly, and coordinate with the building department through issuance - including preparing private-provider documentation where that option is available. We are not a contractor and do not perform licensed plan review or inspections; that work stays with your team and the jurisdiction.

This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general informational purposes and reflects publicly available information believed accurate as of July 2026. Permit requirements, fees, and processes change; always confirm current details with the City of Boca Raton Development Services — Building Division before filing. This is not legal advice.