Broward County Remodeling Permits: What Needs One and How It Works

In Broward County, almost any remodel that touches structure, wiring, plumbing, air conditioning, the roof, windows or shutters needs a building permit. The permit is issued by your city’s building department, not by the county, unless the property sits in unincorporated Broward. Only small maintenance work, and since July 2026 some minor non-trade work on single-family homes, is exempt.

The details that catch homeowners are Notice of Commencement, inspections and closing the permit, often years later at sale. Here is how it works as of 2026.

Who issues your permit: your city or Broward County?

Broward is unusual. The Florida Building Code, with Broward’s own administrative amendments, applies across the whole county, in both cities and unincorporated areas. But enforcement is split. Each city appoints its own building official, and that official must be certified by the Broward County Board of Rules and Appeals (BORA), which governs how the code is enforced countywide.

In practice, the county’s own Building Code Division issues permits only for the Broward Municipal Services District (the unincorporated pockets) and Fort Lauderdale International Airport. Everyone else applies to their city. The county publishes a directory of municipal building departments, and Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Dania Beach, Hallandale Beach, Pompano Beach, Coral Springs, Weston and Pembroke Pines, among many others, all run their own.

So the first question on any Broward project is simply: which jurisdiction is this address in? A Hollywood mailing address is not proof of a Hollywood permit. Check the property appraiser record, then go to that city’s portal. Our Hollywood Lake House and Dania Beach projects were both in cities with their own departments.

What remodeling work needs a permit in Broward?

Broward’s version of Section 105.1 of the code requires a permit before you construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move or demolish a building, change its occupancy, or install, alter, repair or replace electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing systems. Impact-resistant coverings such as shutters are named specifically. Here is how that lands on typical remodeling work:

What Broward exempts

The exemption list in Broward’s Section 105.2 is narrower than most people expect. It includes:

• General maintenance or repairs costing $1,500 or less in labor and materials that do not change the occupancy, as determined by the building official.
• Roof covering maintenance or repair costing $1,500 or less.
• Stopping leaks in drain, waste or water pipes, clearing stoppages, and pulling and resetting a toilet, as long as no pipes, valves or fixtures are replaced or rearranged.
• Replacing minor mechanical parts such as a thermostat, and portable heating or cooling units that are not connected to ductwork.

A full kitchen or bathroom costs far more than $1,500, so it does not fit the maintenance exemption even when nothing moves.

The new $7,500 exemption for single-family homes

A 2026 change to Florida Statutes section 553.79 (from HB 803, effective July 1, 2026) requires local governments to exempt the owner of a single-family dwelling, or the owner’s contractor, from a permit for work valued under $7,500. It is less generous than it sounds:

• It does not cover any electrical, plumbing, structural, mechanical or gas work.
• It does not apply if any part of the property is in a flood hazard area, so check your flood zone before counting on it.
• You cannot split a project into pieces to stay under the limit.
• You still have to submit a written request with the contract or other documentation showing the nature and value of the work.

The statute is written for single-family dwellings. Condo owners should not assume it applies to them, and the condo association’s own rules still apply either way.

Notice of Commencement: the $5,000 threshold

A Notice of Commencement is a document recorded with the county clerk that tells subcontractors and suppliers who owns the property, who the contractor is and who to send lien notices to. It is part of Florida’s construction lien law, Chapter 713.

Under section 713.135, if the direct contract is greater than $5,000, a copy of the recorded notice must be filed with the building department before the first inspection. Without it, the department may not perform or approve later inspections. The one carve-out is a contract to repair or replace an existing heating or air-conditioning system for less than $15,000.

The rest of the rules sit in section 713.13:

• The owner records the notice before work actually starts, and posts a certified copy (or a notarized statement that it was filed, with a copy) at the job site.
• The owner must sign it personally. A contractor cannot sign on your behalf.
• If work does not start within 90 days of recording, the notice is void.
• By default it expires one year after recording. Payments you make after it expires are treated as improper payments, which can leave you exposed to paying twice if a subcontractor files a lien.

A recorded notice is not required to issue the permit itself. It is required before the inspections that keep the permit alive. On a project that will run longer than a year, ask your contractor to set a later expiration date on the form from the start.

How inspections work

Every permit carries a set of inspections, timed so the inspector sees work before it is covered up (rough plumbing and electrical before the walls close, for example) and again at final. The inspector must withhold approval until defects are corrected, and Broward’s amendments allow an inspector to order concealed structural framing exposed in some cases.

Inspections also keep the permit valid. Under Broward’s Section 105.3.2, a permit becomes void if work does not start within 180 days of issuance, or if work is suspended or abandoned for 90 days. Work counts as started if it gets an approved inspection within 90 days of issuance. The building official can grant up to two 90-day extensions for good cause.

The 2026 law also added a 5-business-day decision deadline for certain permits on existing single-family homes when the work is valued under $15,000 and the applicant uses a local government plans reviewer. It does not change much for a full home renovation.

Closing permits, and why open permits come back to bite

A permit is closed when the final inspection passes. That sounds administrative, but open and expired permits surface when a buyer’s side checks the property, and they slow sales down.

Florida law gives some relief. Under section 553.79, a building permit for a single-family dwelling now expires one year after issuance or on the effective date of the next edition of the Florida Building Code, whichever is later, and the city can extend it. Cities may email or mail a notice at least 30 days before a permit expires. If the work was substantially completed, an expired permit can be closed without a new permit, and an owner can close a permit using the original contractor, a different contractor, or as an owner-builder. A local agency may also close a permit six years after issuance if it finds no apparent safety hazard.

The law also says a city cannot deny a permit to, or fine, an arm’s-length buyer solely because a previous owner left a permit open. That protects buyers. It does not protect sellers: the city keeps its remedies against the owner who pulled the permit and the contractor listed on it.

Our rule is simple. A job is not finished until the final inspection is passed and the permit shows closed in the city’s system, and the final payment is tied to that.

How we run Broward permits

We confirm the jurisdiction before we design anything, because requirements and review times differ by city. We put the Notice of Commencement on the schedule before the first inspection, not after a failed one. And we tell clients early when a project is in a flood hazard area, because that changes what is exempt and can trigger the much larger question covered in our article on the FEMA 50% rule.

If you are comparing contractors for a kitchen or bathroom in Fort Lauderdale or Hollywood, ask each one who pulls the permit, in whose name, and who records the Notice of Commencement. If the answer is “you do,” read our piece on owner-builder permit risks first, and our contractor hiring checklist.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a permit to remodel a bathroom in Broward County?

Almost always. If you replace the shower valve, supply lines, drains, wiring or exhaust fan ducting, it is plumbing, electrical or mechanical work that needs a permit. Broward’s maintenance exemption stops at $1,500 in labor and materials, and the new $7,500 single-family exemption excludes plumbing and electrical work entirely. A same-position vanity swap may be different, so ask your city.

Does Broward County or my city issue my building permit?

If your property is inside a city, that city’s building department issues the permit. Broward County’s Building Code Division issues permits only for the unincorporated Broward Municipal Services District and Fort Lauderdale International Airport. The county publishes a directory of city building departments. Confirm the jurisdiction on the property appraiser record, not the mailing address.

When is a Notice of Commencement required in Broward?

Under Florida Statutes section 713.135, when the direct contract is greater than $5,000, a recorded Notice of Commencement must be filed with the building department before the first inspection. HVAC repair or replacement contracts under $15,000 are exempt. The owner signs it personally, records it with the clerk and posts a certified copy at the job site.

Can I replace windows without a permit in Broward?

No. Broward’s administrative provisions require a permit to install or replace windows, doors and impact-resistant coverings such as shutters. Replacement products also need a valid product approval. Window and door work affects how the house performs in a hurricane, and inspectors check the installation, not just the product.

How long is a Broward building permit valid?

Under Broward’s amendments, a permit becomes void if work does not start within 180 days of issuance or stops for 90 days. An approved inspection within 90 days counts as starting. For single-family homes, state law now sets expiration at one year after issuance or the next code edition, whichever is later, and the city can extend it.

What happens if a previous owner left a permit open?

State law says the city cannot deny you a permit, issue you a violation notice or fine you solely because a prior owner’s permit was never closed, if you bought at arm’s length. The open permit can still complicate a sale or refinance, so it is worth closing. An expired permit can be closed without a new one if the work was substantially completed.