Alachua County, FL Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)

The Building Division, established within the Department of Growth Management under § 103.1, administers every permit application under the locally amended Florida Building Code (Alachua County Code §§ 331.02–331.03). Once issued, a permit is only a license to proceed, the building official can still require correction of plan or construction errors, and it becomes invalid if work is not commenced within six months of issuance, or if commenced work is then suspended or abandoned for six months (§105.4.1). For a single-family residential dwelling, the code sets an outer limit on how long the county can sit on a complete application: the permit must be issued within 30 working days of application unless unusual circumstances require more time or the application fails to satisfy the Florida Building Code (§105.3.4).

Applications must be filed in writing on a Building Division form that meets F.S. § 713.135(5)–(6), and every permit for a single-family dwelling must carry, in 14-point bold capitalized type, the statutory Notice of Commencement warning about recording a notice of commencement before the first inspection (§105.8). For recurring facility work, the building official may issue an annual facility permit in lieu of a permit for every alteration, valid one year and subject to an annual fee (§105.1.1). Certain minor work is exempt outright, repairs under $500 that don't touch structural, fire, or egress elements, and specific gas, mechanical, and plumbing items, but anything larger, including new construction, additions, and system installations, needs the permit described in §105.1 before the first shovel of work.