Columbia County, FL Building Safety: Building Inspections (2026)

Under Sec. 26-34, the board of county commissioners sets a schedule of inspection fees to defray the cost of inspecting and enforcing the building code, and applicants pay those fees to the county's authorized officer when applying for a building permit. Sec. 26-37 establishes the Columbia County Building Inspections Department, headed by a building official (also called the building inspector) who is appointed or hired by the board of county commissioners and who carries out and administers the article. The building official may appoint deputy officials, inspectors and plans examiners, and department records are open to public inspection under Florida law.

The same section gives the building official right of entry: whenever an inspection is necessary to enforce the article, or whenever there is reasonable cause to believe a building or premises has an unsafe or hazardous condition, the official may enter at reasonable times to inspect, first presenting credentials if the property is occupied or making a reasonable effort to locate the owner if it is not. If entry is refused, the official may seek an inspection warrant. The building official can also issue written stop-work orders on any work proceeding contrary to the code, and may suspend or revoke a permit issued in error, based on incorrect information, or obtained through a false statement, per Secs. 26-37(4) through (6).