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

Code of Ordinances § 6-36 makes it unlawful to start construction, alteration, repair, removal, placement or demolition of a building or structure without first filing an application and obtaining a permit from the building department, with a narrow exemption for agricultural structures on ag-zoned land costing $1,000 or less. Applications under § 6-37 must include scaled drawings showing the plumbing and electrical layout, a site plan with distances to property lines, a legal description, and for lots under one acre a foundation survey before final inspection.

Commercial, industrial or similar plans go through building-official approval before a permit issues. Under § 6-41 the building department must examine an application within 30 days; deficiencies are returned to the applicant for correction before a permit is issued. Permits expire 90 days after issuance under § 6-43, but the building official may grant additional 90-day extensions for just cause on written request made before expiration. A copy of the permit must be posted on the premises and open to public inspection until the work is finished and final inspection is made, per § 6-44.

The building official may revoke a permit under § 6-45 if the application or plans contained a false statement or material misrepresentation. Starting work before obtaining the required permit, under § 6-42(b), doubles the permit fee and does not excuse the applicant from otherwise complying with the chapter or from any other prescribed penalty. This chapter applies only within unincorporated Clay County; incorporated cities such as Green Cove Springs, Orange Park and Keystone Heights administer their own separate permitting codes.