Wellington, FL Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)

Sec. 105.1 requires any contractor, owner, or agent authorized under Florida Statute 489 who intends to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish or change the occupancy of a building, tenancy or structure, or to install or alter an impact-resistant covering, electrical, gas, mechanical, fire protection or plumbing system, to first make application to the building official and obtain the required permit before the work begins. Sec. 105.1.1 lets the building official issue an annual facility permit in place of a separate permit for each routine alteration to an existing electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing system, valid for one year and subject to an annual fee.

Sec. 105.2 exempts specific minor work from permitting, such as cabinets and countertops with no reconfiguration, non-fixed fixtures and racks under 5 feet 9 inches, and traditional playground swings accessory to a one- or two-family dwelling, though the building official can still require a Zoning permit for some of those items. Sec. 105.3.1 gives the building official a reasonable time to examine an application after the submittal fee is paid, and voids the application if that fee is not paid within ten days. Sec. 109.4 penalizes work commenced before a permit issues with an added penalty fee, on top of the required permit fees, unless the work was true emergency work and the permit is applied for within three business days. Skipping the required permit for regular construction is scheduled as a Class I citation offense in Sec. 2-47.