When
is a permit not needed?
Notice
of Commencement Requirements
Work
Requiring a Contractor
Work
NOT Requiring a Contractor
Is
a Handyman a Contractor?
Is
an Occupational License a License?
Can
a home owner pull a permit for their own property?
"PERMIT
or NOT to PERMIT"
BACK TO TOP
OF PAGEIF YOU ARE
UNSURE WHETHER A PERMIT IS REQUIRED OR NOT, CALL ME AND IN MOST CASES
I CAN GIVE YOU AN ANSWER, IF NOT, I'LL GET ONE!
WARNING:
KNOWINGLY, UNKNOWINGLY, WILLINGLY OR UNWILLINGLY - AIDING, ASSISTING,
EMPLOYING OR ADVISING ANY UNLICENSED PERSON OR ENTITY TO
PRACTICE AS A LICENSED CONTRACTOR CONTRARY TO FLORIDA LAW, MAY BE
CONSTRUED AS "AIDING AND ABETTING AN UNLICENSED CONTRACTOR"
Generally permits are
required for: Any owner, authorized agent, or contractor who desires
to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish, or change the
occupancy of a building or structure, or to erect, install, enlarge,
alter, repair, remove, convert or replace any electrical, gas,
mechanical or plumbing system, the installation of which is regulated
by the technical codes, or to cause any such work to be done.
Some examples of when a
permit IS required would be, but not limited to (information
in red are variables between the city and county of Sarasota:
1. Any construction which
alters the size or occupancy of a building.
2. Construction, alteration,
or replacement of any exterior walls.
3. Enclosing existing
carports, porches and screen rooms for any purpose.
4. Construction of any
raised deck, attached or detached, with or without a roof.
5. Replacement of columns,
beams, joists, rafters, or any other structural component.
6. Replacement of wall,
floor or roof sheathing.
7. Repair and replacement of
interior or exterior stairs and/or guardrails.
8. Electrical, plumbing, or
air-conditioning when altering, adding to, or deleting from the system.
9. Interior load bearing and
non load bearing walls, alterations or replacements.
10. Replacement
of Kitchen cabinets and countertops (City
only).
11. Replacement of windows,
doors, garage doors or skylights in existing or altered wall openings.
12. Hurricane shutters, all
types. Electric fee will be paid for power operated units.
13. Roofing, replacement of
any roofing component.
14. Masonry or engineered
Styrofoam privacy walls or fences with any masonry components (and
fences of all types, City and Siesta Over Lay District only).
15. Dock, Boat-lift,
seawall, or Bulkhead installation or repair.
16. Fire repairs of any type
or scope.
17. Storage and utility
shed, of all types, all materials, and all sizes.
18. Most
trees, excluding most citrus for City requirement, County required
for Commercial and new residential
19) Any
work in the City, requiring a professional licence, over $1,000
in value. New electrical, plumbing, mechanical and gas work, as well
as any structural work, REQUIRES a building permit regardless of
amount of value.
BACK TO TOP
OF PAGESome examples of when a permit
is NOT required would be, but not limited to:
1. Painting. (Except when
advertised as water proofing.)
2. Wall paper and other wall
coverings. (Except Assembly, Day Care, and Institutional Occupancies.)
3. Floor and wall tile.
4. Rugs or carpeting.
5. Replacing kitchen
cabinets. (See item 8. above.)
6. Replacement of fascia and
soffit. (1 & 2 Family Dwellings only.)
7. Non-structural siding
placed over existing siding/sheathing. (1 & 2 Family Dwellings only.)
8. Decks and patios directly
on grade and without footings. (Any material.)
9. Driveways
10. Small, incidental roof
leak repair. (1 Square and $500 or less in the
County -1 Square and $1,000 or less in the City)
11. Wood or chain link
fences. (Except in the Siesta Key Over Lay
District, all fences require permits.) (All fencing require permit in
the City)
12. Non-residential farm
buildings on working farms. (Must meet specific criteria and be
approved by the building and zoning officials to be exempt. )
BACK TO TOP
OF PAGENotice of Commencement's required for
permitted work of $5000 or greater on AC, $2500 or greater for
anything else.
DOES
THE WORK NEED TO BE PERFORMED BY A CONTRACTOR?
BACK
TO TOP OF PAGEThe
following construction related work can be performed in the Un-Incorporated
area of Sarasota County without holding a contractor license
• Painting (Except when
advertised as water proofing)
• Floor and wall tile
• Wall paper and other
wall covering (Except Assembly, Day Care, and Institutional Occupancies)
• Rugs or carpeting
• Replacing kitchen cabinets (Required
in the City)
• Non-structural siding
placed over existing siding/sheathing (1 & 2 Family Dwellings only)
• Driveways, decks,
patios on grade without footers (Any material)
• Drywall
• Wood or chain link
fences (Except in the Siesta Key Over Lay
District, all fences in this area require a permit, therefore a
contractor license would be required. Also all fencing requires
a contractor in the City)
BACK TO TOP
OF PAGESarasota County nor the State of
Florida currently issue a Handyman Contractor License. However, an
occupational license (now called "Local Business Tax", see
below) may be required, please see your local Tax Collectors office.
If construction work needs to be done that is not listed above, and
you are not sure if the work requires a contractor license contact me
and if I am unable to give you an answer, I'll get one and get back
to you.
BACK TO TOP
OF PAGEAn "Occupational
License" has been changed to "Local Business Tax".
This change was made to reduce the confusion that an occupational
licence meant that the individual was a license contractor, which
they are NOT.
BACK TO TOP
OF PAGEThe
following cannot be done without holding the appropriate contractor
license in the Un-Incorporated area of Sarasota County
• Construction,
alteration, or replacement of exterior walls
• Enclosing existing
carports, porches and screen rooms
• Construction of
raised decks (Any material above grade)
• Any construction
which alters the size of a building
• Replacement of
columns, beams, floor and roof structure components
• Privacy walls
constructed of masonry or engineered Styrofoam walls
• Repairs and
replacement of interior or exterior stairs and/or guardrails
• Electrical, plumbing,
air-conditioning when altering, adding or deleting to or from the system
• Interior load bearing
and non-load bearing walls, alteration or replacements
• Replacement of
windows, doors, garage doors and hurricane shutters alteration or replacements
• Roof replacement of
any roofing component
• Storage or utility sheds
• Docks, Seawalls and Bulkheads
• Fire repairs (If
repairs fall into the above categories)
• Landscaping
• Irrigation
• Pool installation and service
If you need construction
work that is not listed above, this does not mean that a contractor
license is not required. This is only an overview of the most
commonly known types of construction work performed in the
Un-incorporated area of Sarasota County. If you need construction
work that is not listed above, and you are not sure if it requires a
contractor license contact me and if I am unable to give you an
answer, I'll get one and get back to you.
Section §3401.7.2 of
the Florida Building Code requires that you bring your entire
structure into compliance with the code if the cumulative value of
construction during any one year period exceeds 50% of the value of
the structure (all new work done must be in full compliance
regardless). You can ask the governing Building Department to use the
Property Appraiser’s valuation of your structure for this
calculation or you can provide an independent appraisal. Please note
that the valuation you provide here will affect the amount of
construction you can perform for the next twelve months before you
are required to upgrade your structure.
BACK TO TOP
OF PAGE
Catch
22: The
State of Florida allows a home owner an exception for acting as
their own contractor with limitations. A
home owner can NOT act as their own contractor under this exemption
unless it is for their own use and occupancy. They can NOT
sell or lease their home for one year upon closure of a
building
permit. If
the home owner failed to obtain a permit that was required for any
work done, a licensed contractor WOULD be necessary to clear up
the issue if the home is to be LEGALLY sold or leased within one year.
