Bonita Springs, FL Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Combined cost limit
- $500.00 per dwelling unit per 12-month period
- Drywall exemption
- 100 square feet or less, no fire separation
- Car cover
- Under 200 square feet and under ten feet high
- Garden or yard trellis
- Under 200 square feet and under 12 feet high
- Adopted
- Ordinance No. 13-22, 12-18-2013
- Code section
- Bonita Springs Code § 10-21
Summary
In the City of Bonita Springs, Florida, Section 10-21 amends Florida Building Code Section 105.2 to exempt a short list of small repairs to a single dwelling unit from a building permit. The exemption stops at $500.00 in combined items per 12-month period, and it does not cover work that is part of a larger project or spread across multiple dwelling units.
The following individual improvements or repairs performed within a 12-month period to a single individual dwelling unit do not require a permit. This exemption does not apply to any combination of items that exceed $500.00 or improvements undertaken as part of a larger project or work being performed on multiple dwelling units: ... (d)One hundred square feet or less of drywall, within any 12-month period, where no fire separation is involved.(e)A building permit is not required for the following non-commercial accessory structures when placed on a residentially zoned property:(1)Car cover. Must be less than 200 square feet in size and less than ten feet in height, with a wood, metal or plastic frame and covered with canvas, plastic or vinyl covering.(2)Garden or yard trellis. Must be less than 200 square feet in size and less than 12 feet in height. Accessory building or structure setbacks must be observed and may not include electrical or plumbing.
Full Breakdown
The Bonita Springs City Council adopted Section 10-21 through Ordinance No. 13-22 on 12-18-2013, and it sits in Chapter 10, Article II, Building Codes and Standards. The section works as a local addition to the state building code's list of work exempt from permit. The test is per dwelling unit and per 12-month period: the improvements or repairs must be performed to a single individual dwelling unit, and the exemption does not apply to any combination of items that exceed $500.00.
The exempt list is short and specific. Replacement of plumbing or electric fixtures needs no permit. Replacing a water heater needs none either unless the replacement generates a technology change, and the code's own example is a move from a tank system to a tankless water heater system, which does require a permit. Installation, replacement or repair of low voltage systems is exempt for telephones, data transmission, security systems, closed circuit and cable TV paging systems and speakers, and landscaping and pool lighting. Drywall is exempt at one hundred square feet or less within any 12-month period, and only where no fire separation is involved.
Two non-commercial accessory structures on residentially zoned property are also exempt. A car cover must be less than 200 square feet in size and less than ten feet in height, with a wood, metal or plastic frame and a canvas, plastic or vinyl covering. A garden or yard trellis must be less than 200 square feet in size and less than 12 feet in height. The section closes by requiring that accessory building or structure setbacks be observed and that these structures not include electrical or plumbing.
Read Section 10-21 alongside Section 10-22, which defines substantial improvement for the city as any combination of repair, reconstruction, rehabilitation, alteration, addition or improvement over a five-year period whose cumulative cost equals or exceeds 50 percent of the market value of the structure. Projects of that size are not small repairs. Zoning setbacks themselves sit in the Land Development Code, a separate volume.
Violations & Fines
Section 10-21 prints no fine of its own. Work outside the exemption, such as combined items above $500.00 in a 12-month period or a technology-change water heater swap, needs a permit under the Florida Building Code. Under Section 10-96(b)(5), a partially constructed building whose building permits have expired is a public nuisance, and Section 10-105 makes violations of that property maintenance article a second-degree misdemeanor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to replace a water heater in Bonita Springs?
What is the dollar limit for permit-free repairs?
Can I put up a car cover or trellis without a permit?
How much drywall can I replace without a permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bonita Springs
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