Permits are a real part of the Miami-Dade contractor experience. Knowing what needs one (and which municipality runs it) catches a lot of bad quotes before you sign.
Who has authority where
Miami-Dade County is unusual for the United States in that it is split between many incorporated cities, each with their own building department, plus large unincorporated areas the county itself permits.
- Unincorporated Miami-Dade (most of West Kendall, Westchester, parts of South Miami-Dade): permitted by Miami-Dade County RER (Regulatory and Economic Resources).
- City of Miami (Brickell, Edgewater, Wynwood, Little Haiti, Coconut Grove core): City of Miami Building Department.
- City of Miami Beach (South Beach, Mid-Beach, North Beach, Sunny Isles is separate): City of Miami Beach Building Department.
- Coral Gables: independent. Stricter aesthetic / historic guidelines on roof tile color, window frames, fences.
- Hialeah, Doral, Aventura, North Miami, Homestead, Pinecrest, Palmetto Bay, Cutler Bay, Bal Harbour, Surfside, Sunny Isles Beach, Key Biscayne, Bay Harbor Islands, Miami Lakes: each have their own building departments.
A contractor working a job in Coral Gables must pull from Coral Gables, not from Miami-Dade County. Out-of-area pros sometimes get this wrong, the permit gets rejected, the job stalls.
What needs a permit
- Roof replacement, even partial, even on flat roofs.
- Window or door replacement (impact or otherwise).
- Electrical panel changes, EV chargers on dedicated circuits, generator installs.
- Plumbing re-pipes, water heater replacements (in most municipalities), gas line changes.
- HVAC change-outs (full system replacements). Some emergency same-day replacements get permitted retroactively.
- Pool resurface, equipment changes, fence/cage rebuild.
- Structural changes, room additions, impact-window installs, garage door replacement (HVHZ).
- Fences over a certain height (varies by city).
- Solar PV systems.
What does not need a permit (usually)
- Like-for-like appliance swaps (water heater varies by municipality).
- Painting, flooring (non-structural), drywall patching.
- Landscaping, lawn irrigation tweaks (full new irrigation system needs permit).
- Cosmetic-only repair work under $2,500 in most municipalities.
Costs
Permit fees in Miami-Dade vary widely by job type and municipality. Common ranges: roof permit $300 to $1,200; window/door $150 to $600 plus $25 to $80 per opening; electrical panel $150 to $400; HVAC $150 to $400; pool resurface $200 to $500. Larger jobs add inspection fees (usually $40 to $90 per inspection, multiple per job).
Who pulls it
Always the licensed contractor. Owner-builder permits are technically possible but risky for big trades, you take on the contractor liability and the inspectors hold you to the same standard. If a contractor proposes "off-permit" pricing to save money, walk away. Florida insurance carriers can deny claims if work was done without permits.
Inspections
Most permitted jobs have multiple inspection points (rough, in-progress, final). Roof jobs in Miami-Dade typically have a tin-tag/dry-in inspection followed by final. Impact-window jobs need a load-test verification at one or more openings.
If you are not sure whether your job needs a permit, the contractors on Pro.Miami can tell you on the first call. Submit a request.