Miami Beach, FL Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Up-front fee
- Nonrefundable, rounded up to nearest $5
- Unpermitted work penalty
- 100% of required fee (Sec. 14-61(b))
- No-inspection refund window
- 50% refund if requested within 90 days
- Expired permit renewal
- 25% of original fee within 180 days
- Enforcing office
- Miami Beach Building Department
Summary
Miami Beach requires an up-front, nonrefundable processing fee before it will begin reviewing a building permit application, and that fee is credited toward your final permit cost. Anyone who starts construction, alteration or repair work before the building official approves plans and issues the permit owes a 100 percent penalty on top of the required fee.
(b)Double fees. Any person who commences any work on a building, structure, electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing systems before obtaining the building official's approval or the necessary permits shall be subject to a penalty of 100 percent of the required permit fee, in addition to the required permit fees, plus a penalty for the first, second and subsequent offenses as outlined in appendix A. ... (a)Up-front processing fee.(1)When the building permit application is received, the applicant shall pay an "up front" processing fee as specified in appendix A.(2)This processing fee is not refundable, but shall be credited toward the final building permit fee. The "up front" processing fee, after it is calculated, shall be rounded up to the nearest $5.00, with a minimum fee as specified in appendix A.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 98 | Resiliency Code (Current Land Development Regulations): Publication | Ordinance 89-2665 (Previous Land Development Regulations): Publication).
Full Breakdown
00 with a stated minimum. Refunds afterward are narrow: no refund on the minimum or up-front fee, on a permit where plans review or an inspection has already occurred, on a permit revoked by the building official, cancelled by court order, or expired. A permit under which no inspections were performed gets a 50 percent refund if requested within 90 days of issuance; nothing is refunded after that window. 4 also carries a fee. An expired permit can be renewed within 180 days of expiration for 25 percent of the original fee plus a minimum processing fee, using the same plans and project.
Separately, Section 14-61(b) makes clear that starting work on a building, structure, electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing system before the building official approves it or issues the necessary permit is a distinct violation, not just a fee-timing issue, triggering a 100 percent double-fee penalty in addition to the underlying permit fee.
Violations & Fines
Commencing work before the permit issues triggers a 100 percent penalty on top of the required permit fee under Section 14-61(b), with escalating penalties set in Appendix A for a second or subsequent offense. If the city must reinspect the same uncorrected Florida Building Code violation after an initial inspection and one free reinspection, the fee for each further reinspection is four times the cost of the initial inspection.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I get a refund if I cancel my Miami Beach building permit?
What happens if I build in Miami Beach without a permit first?
Can I renew an expired Miami Beach building permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Miami Beach
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Miami Beach to another location·View the Florida building safety overview
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Building Permits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Miami-Dade County handle building permits.