How to Apply for Brevard County Building Permits

Do you know if your project needs a building permit or similar? It can be hard to establish whether a specific project needs a permit or planning permission, let alone work out how to go about it. are sometimes obtained for you by the contractor or subcontractor, but if your project is DIY or if they need you to file it, do you know what to do?

You have to start by establishing whether you even need a permit, but even that can be complicated. In addition to Brevard County, we can help you across the country, including in Los Angeles, Chicago, Sarasota County, and Palm Beach County.

When Is a Building Permit Necessary in Brevard County?

For residential purposes, building permits are needed for:

Demolition, including the demolition of accessory structures such as carports or screen enclosures.
Installation or replacement of exterior doors, windows, garage doors, or hurricane shutters. This includes the door between the garage and the living space.
Any electrical work which requires moving or changing the wiring.
Addition of fences or repair of more than 50% of the fence.
Installation of whole-house generators.
Installation of new or replacement HVAC units.
Installation or replacement of docks, seawalls, or boat lifts in manmade bodies of water.
Set up of new or replacement manufactured home.
Installation or replacement of water, sewer, or gas piping, except for replacement of fixtures or appliances.
Installation of an in-ground pool or spa.
Installation of an above-ground pool 24 or more inches deep.
Resurfacing of an in-ground pool or spa.
Repair or replacement of roof covering and skylights, except for mobile homes or tiny houses on wheels.
Exterior additions that impact the footprint of the building, add height, or convert non-living space to living space.
Addition of accessory structures such as garages, sheds, and carports.
New, repair, or replacement of aluminum structures such as screen enclosures and carports.
Residential renovations such as interior remodel new stucco or adding solar roof shingles.
Installation or replacement of solar systems.
Installation or replacement of passive water or pool heating.
Set up of a new or replacement tiny house on wheels.

If in doubt? It needs a permit. Not every county is this tight, but Brevard County is particularly strict. To make it worse, they provide different instructions for each type of permit, so you need to work out which one you need first. DoNotPay can help here!

How to Get a Building Permit in Brevard County

The exact details depend on what kind of permit you need. The basic steps to get a building permit are:

Establish what kind of permit you need.
Gather the required documentation.
Download the application and other required forms, typically including a Notice of Commencement, Owner-Builder Application for Contractor Exemption, and Subcontractor Authorization. This can vary by type. For example, for a pool, you also need to abide by the requirements of the Residential Swimming Pool, Spa, and Hot Tub Safety Act.
Put the applications on a flash drive.
Go to the Planning & Development Department Building at 2725 Judge Fran Jamieson Way, Viera, FL, 32940 to deposit your documents. While Brevard County does have an online system, it is only available for registered contractors, not owner-builders or DIYers. Owners must appear in person.

Needless to say, it's best if you can get your contractor, who can do it online, to take care of this. But if you are acting as your contractor, you are stuck with a complex setup that requires an in-person trip. Even with a contractor, you may want to ensure that everything is done by double-checking it yourself. While DoNotPay can't go to the office for you, we can help you get everything together, calculate required fees, etc.

What Are the Required Documents for a Permit?

The required documents vary. Using the example of constructing a pool, they are:

Application for Building Permit
Owner Builder Application for Contractor Exemption
Subcontractor Authorization for each named subcontractor
Landscaping Land Clearing Affidavit
Notice of Commencement for jobs exceeding $2,500
Residential Swimming Pool, Spa, and Hot Tub Safety Act Notice of Requirements
Plans, which means signed and sealed construction documents
Manufacturer's specifications for pump and main drain and all safety barriers
For above-ground pools, a copy of the manufacturer's installation instructions
Plot plan overlaid on a boundary survey

If you are on a coastline, you will also need State Department of Environmental Protection Approval and to provide a Marine Turtle Protection Affidavit.

Every single permit type has different required documents to keep track of!

What Fees Are Associated With Getting a Permit?

The fees also vary by type of permit and have a complicated structure that is partially dependent on the value of the job. You may find yourself doing a lot of math.

Using the pool example again, though, expected fees are:

Application processing fee: $25
Unlicensed Contractor Activity Enforcement fee: $10
Building Code Review fee: $75 up to $1,000 job value, $3.25 for each additional $1,000.
Florida State Surcharge F.S. 468.631 BCA: 1.5% of the fees above, minimum $2.00
Florida State Surcharge F.S. 553.721 FBC: 1% of the fees above, minimum $2.00
Land development review: $15
Natural resources review: $90
Zoning review: $36

As we said. Math. Contractors have software that works this all out for them. If you don't have a contractor, then you are going to need help putting this together, which can also cost a bit of money. It's frustrating and tedious.

How to Get a Building Permit Without Hassle in Brevard County With DoNotPay

If you are doing a project that is likely to need a but doesn't know where to start, DoNotPay has you covered. Create your cancellation letter in 6 easy steps:

Go to the Planning Permissions product on DoNotPay.
Choose one of the following options:
1. Check whether your project needs a building permit or if it's exempt
2. Generate a permission request letter to send to your HOA
3. Generate a guide on how to complete the building permit application
Choose the focus of your project (new ADU, pool, shed, fence, etc.) and answer a few questions about your plans, including the size of the structure and estimated cost.
Indicate whether you're hiring a contractor and include the estimated start date and the timeline for the project.
Indicate whether any public sidewalk/street space will be used during construction.
And that's it! DoNotPay will help guide you through the building permit process by checking if your project needs a building permit, contacting any HOAs you're a part of to request building permission, or generating detailed instructions on how to start and complete your building permit application process.

Why Use DoNotPay to Get Your Building Permit in Brevard County?

Ultimately, Brevard County doesn't make it easy to get a building permit, or even work out whether you need one. DoNotPay can establish what kind of permit you need and talk you through the process of getting your permit. DoNotPay is:

Fast	You don’t have to spend hours trying to get a permit.
Easy	You don’t have to struggle to fill out tedious forms when you can do it all online using just a single platform.
Successful	You can sit back and relax knowing that we will do all the work for you.