Building and Permitting

Monday, Sept. 27, 2:25 p.m.: Monroe County government office telephone systems are currently experiencing routing issues with inbound and outbound phone services. The IT Department has reached out to the service provider, who has identified the cause and is working on a resolution. 
We apologize for the disruption and will provide an update as soon as we have more insight into the length of the outage.

Monroe County Specialty Licenses (Certificates of Competency holders):

Chapter 2021-214, Laws of Florida became effective on July 1, 2021 relating to preemption of local occupational licensing (HB 735). To protect and service certain specialty license holders and those requiring their services, the BOCC amended Monroe County Code Chapter 6-240. The amended Code section will provide that in order to provide a reasonable transition period for those license holders affected by the enactment of chapter 2021-214, Laws of Florida, specialty contractor licenses that were active as of June 30, 2021 shall continue to be valid, and will not expire, until June 30, 2023.

Should you have any questions related to this matter please contact us by email at Contractor-license@monroecounty-fl.gov  or by phone at 305-289-2583.

Permit Applications and Review

The Building Department intakes and issues permits for all types of development, including plan reviews by planning, environmental, structural, plumbing, mechanical, electric, floodplain, and fire. 

Use the plan review matrix to see permit types, the various disciplines that review each permit type, and estimated turnaround times for permit submittals.

Permit Applications

Services are provided between 8:30 am and 3:00 pm at each permitting office. 

Plans examiners, inspectors, planners and biologists are now available for meetings with customers at our offices. Please keep in mind that many personnel travel between offices, perform inspections, and have other scheduled meetings. Therefore we are highly encouraging you to make an appointment. We will do our best to meet without an appointment however unscheduled meetings cannot be guaranteed.

Calculate the estimated amount of your payment using the fee estimator. If the fee amount you submit isn’t correct, it will be adjusted at permit issuance or you will be asked to mail in the difference.

Inspections

Call 305-295-5160 to request an inspection. 

For the safety of you and our inspectors:

  • Please use electronic communication and social distancing before and during inspections. Inspectors will call the contact phone number associated with the permit prior to their arrival.  
  • Have plans ready and open to pertinent pages for all inspections to occur at the site.  
  • Forms and affidavits will NOT be accepted in the field.  
  • For items such as AC change-outs, size of the breaker in the panel, a photo may be requested by the inspector.

6-Month Permit Extension Related to Tropical Storm Elsa

Governor DeSantis issued Executive Order Number 21-150 on July 3, 2021 declaring a state of emergency based on the risk posed by Tropical Storm Elsa which authorizes the Building Official to extend Building Permits and the Planning Director to extend Development Orders.

All active/valid Building Permits and Development Orders active on July 3, 2021 are eligible to receive an additional 6 months to receive a passed inspection (once a passed inspection occurs then the permit would again be subject to the continuing 180-day passed inspection cycle.) 

The permit holder is required to notify the county in writing (email is acceptable) and identify the specific permit/development order of their intent to exercise this extension no later than 3:00 p.m., November 30, 2021.  

Please send Building Permit extension requests to Sebben-Crystal@MonroeCounty-FL.Gov or Monroe County Building Department, 102050 Overseas Highway, Key Largo, FL 33037,  Attn: Crystal Sebben – Permit Extension.

Certificate of Occupancy (CO)

Staff will contact permit holders who are ready to receive a CO via email.

Additional Information on Permitting

Outside Agencies Approvals

Prior to commencing construction, the contractor, owner, or builder must first apply to obtain a permit. Obtaining a permit may require the interaction and approval of several agencies outside of the Building Department; with small exceptions, each of these agencies charges fees for their review procedures. The Building Department works to coordinate the involvement of other agencies in the permitting process to obtain a building permit in the most expedient manner while maintaining the county’s high level of quality. This service is not a substitute for a customer’s responsibility to interact with all participating agencies.

Asbestos

Permitting Process for Sewer Tie-In

Public (Commercial) Swimming Pools


Parking of Vehicles/Watercraft

Shipping/Storage Containers


Federal Rules for Renovating & Painting Older Buildings

The Environmental Protection Agency has rules regarding the renovation and repair of painted surfaces in buildings built prior to 1978 or in buildings with children. Contractors removing windows or painting must be certified and must follow certain safety procedures. These rules only require safety procedures, not testing or removing lead-based paint. Property managers and contractors can be fined $38,000 a day for violating these rules.

Additional Agencies

Depending upon the location and use of the proposed improvement, the following agencies may also be involved in the processing of a permit

Mission Statement

The mission of the Building Department is to protect public health and safety, property, and the environment by providing an efficient, effective, and considerate permitting and code administration system, in accordance with the Monroe County Code and Florida statutes consistent with and furthering the Monroe County Comprehensive Plan.