Martin County, FL Building Safety: Childcare Center Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Enforcing agency
- Fire Prevention Division, Martin County Fire Rescue
- Inspection frequency
- Initial plus yearly thereafter
- Fee deadline
- On or before September 30 each year
- Trigger
- Certificate of occupancy for day care use
- Covers
- Licensed day cares, multi-family, club houses, assembly
Summary
Martin County requires every licensed day care to pass an annual fire inspection from the Fire Prevention Division before it can get or keep a certificate of occupancy, with fees due each year by September 30.
Licensed facilities, day cares, multi-family buildings, club houses and places of assembly will require a fire inspection from the Fire Prevention Division to obtain a certificate of occupancy. Thereafter, yearly fire inspections are required. A yearly fire inspection fee shall be assessed annually by the Fire Prevention Division for the cost of the inspection on or before September 30 of each year. The Fire Marshal shall not issue a certification of compliance until the property is inspected and determined code compliant and all inspection fees are paid.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 62 | Land Development Regulations: Supplement 62).
Full Breakdown
Under Sec. B of the Martin County Code of Ordinances (Chapter 79, Fire Prevention and Protection, Article 1), licensed day care facilities, along with multi-family buildings, club houses and places of assembly, must undergo a fire inspection from the Fire Prevention Division to obtain a certificate of occupancy. That is not a one-time hurdle: the code requires a yearly fire inspection after the initial one, and the Fire Prevention Division assesses an annual inspection fee for the cost of the reinspection, due on or before September 30 of each year.
The Fire Marshal is barred by the same section from issuing a certification of compliance until the day care property has been inspected, found code compliant, and all inspection fees have been paid in full. Sec. A separately authorizes the Board of County Commissioners to set or amend plan-review and inspection fees by resolution, and requires those fees to be paid at the time of application before any permit, review or inspection can proceed. A companion provision, Sec. A, applies the same inspect-then-license model to new businesses generally, tying a Business Tax Receipt to a fire safety inspection from the Fire Prevention Division. The Fire Marshal also has authority under Sec. ch. 215(4).
Violations & Fines
A day care that operates without a current fire inspection cannot lawfully hold a certificate of occupancy or certification of compliance; the Fire Marshal is directed by Sec. 79.8.B to withhold that certification until the facility is inspected, found compliant and all fees are paid. Because the certificate of occupancy is the gating document for occupancy of the facility, an uninspected or non-compliant day care risks losing its ability to operate lawfully until it clears inspection and pays the assessed annual fee.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a home-based day care in Martin County need a fire inspection?
How often does a Martin County day care need reinspection?
Who sets the fire inspection fees for day cares in Martin County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Martin County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Martin County to another location·View the Florida building safety overview
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