Work Without A Building Permit

Everyone is always trying to save a buck, and many a home owner, as well as,  business owner looks at a small job and assumes a building permit isn’t nessecary. In Florida, and especially South Florida, you had better do your homework before you decide to do work without a building permit.

Section 105.1 of the Florida Building Code specifically states; Any owner or authorized agent who intends 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 required impact-resistant coverings, electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing system, the installation of which is regulated by this code, or to cause any such work to be done, shall first make application to the building official and obtain the required permit.

Now you are saying to yourself that I am not doing any of that. It is just a minor repair. Section 105.2.2 of the Florida Building Code specifically states; Ordinary minor repairs may be made with the approval of the building official without a permit, provided the repairs do not include the cutting away of any wall, partition or portion thereof, the removal or cutting of any structural beam or load-bearing support, or the removal or change of any required means of egress, or rearrangement of parts of a structure affecting the egress requirements; additionally, ordinary minor repairs shall not include addition to, alteration of, replacement or relocation of any standpipe, water supply, sewer, drainage, drain leader, gas, soil, waste, vent or similar piping, electric wiring systems or mechanical equipment or other work affecting public health or general safety, and such repairs shall not violate any of the provisions of the technical codes.

Guess what! You had better call, or even better, visit your Building Department before you do any work. You can get misleading information over the phone. That section of the Florida Building Code says that you need to get approval to do work without a permit. In today’s big brother world of big intrusive government you need approval, which will permit you,…. to not get a permit,… and permit you to do the work without a Building Permit.  I am sure your head is about ready to explode at this point! Something as simple as painting  your house will probably require a permit, and more than likely, you will have to use a color that is approved by your local government.

If you do work without a building permit, it can cost you. Big time! Double fees at a minimum. Possible fines assessed on a daily basis until you are issued an approved permit. Last but not least, liens on your property. On top of all this you still may be required to remove the work you did because it does not meet the code, encroaches on  setbacks or easements, or just simply violates zoning restrictions.

Permit Source can help with Building Permit issues in Miami-Dade, Broward or Palm Beach County. Feel free to post your question or comment here.

Product Approval vs. Notice of Acceptance

Many contractors, as well as, homeowners, think that these two documents are interchangeable. They are not! Permit Source has had Clients, and the key word here is had, that looked at South Florida as a cash cow based on using the Product Approval document issued by the State of Florida. Basically, they did not do their homework.

The State issued Product Approval indicates that a product is approved for use as a construction material within the State of Florida. But! That approval does not mean that it can be used in a high velocity hurricane zone. There may be an exclusion in that approval that indicates that it is not approved for use in those areas. Those areas just happen to be Miami-Dade, Broward and parts of Palm Beach County.

The Miami-Dade issued Notice of Acceptance, or N.O.A., is specific to the high velocity hurricane zones. You can use and submit the State of Florida Product Approvals but you need to be extra careful that you make sure the product is approved for use in a high velocity hurricane zone. For anyone out side of those areas you can go to Florida Building Code On Line and download the State issued Product Approvals.

For anyone lucky enough to be in the high velocity hurricane zone you can go to Miami-Dade Product Control to download the N.O.A.’s you need. When I say lucky, I am not being facetious! These code requirements will prevent the catastrophic damage that was seen during hurricane Andrew and Katrina.

All these links, as well as, additional resources are available on the Permit Source website and you are free to comment and ask questions on our blog.

Roofing in a High Velocity Hurricane Zone

If you are a roofing contractor in Palm Beach, Miami-Dade or Broward County you should recognize this page. It is Section”A” and “B” of the High Velocity Hurricane Zone Uniform Permit Application Form which is required to be submitted, in duplicate, with any roofing permit application. Palm Beach county has a slightly different version, but the required information is similar. The form is used to detail the roofing systems to be installed, and their components. In addition to the form itself, for each of the products or systems used, a Notice of Acceptance or Product Approval is required to be submitted indicating that the materials are approved for use in a high velocity hurricane zone.

Miami-Dade County and Broward County also require two additional documents to be submitted with the application package. The Underwriters Laboratories fire directory listing indicating that the product or system has a Class”A” fire rating, and the Section 1524 Required Owners Notification for Roofing Considerations.

Just when you figured you were done and ready to submit there still may be another document you need to add. An engineers signed and sealed calculations for enhanced fastener spacing. This is required in all three Counties, depending on the roofing system you are using. There is one exception, and that is that RAS-150 (Roofing Application Standards), a Prescriptive BUR (Built Up Roofing) Requirement is accepted in Broward County instead of an engineers sealed calculations if the systems and products described in RAS-150 are used.

There is still another document you may need. An Asbestos Notification form. The requirement’s on notification and asbestos disposal vary from County to County and are usually under the jurisdiction of the Department of Environmental Protection. Typically asbestos is only an issue on commercial re-roofs.

Your still not done! If this is a commercial re-roof you will need an asbestos report prepared by a certified laboratory and that report submitted with your permit application package. Engineered drainage calculations, pull tests, and moisture sampling may also be required as a part of your submittal.

If this all sounds way too complicated, or if you just do not have the time to put roofing permit application packages together, Permit Source offers that service to our clients. We can do roofing surveys, acquire all the necessary engineering, assemble the permit submittal package and apply for the roofing permit. We are experienced in the over 100 building departments in the Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties and know their specific requirements. Feel free to contact us with any questions you may have or for rate quotes.