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

Section 6-140 puts the Building Official in charge of the inspection sequence: once the permit holder or an agent calls for an inspection, the Building Official either releases that stage of construction or flags the violations that need correcting before work continues, and decides both the timing and which elements get checked at each stage. Section 6-141 lets the Building Official rely on independent inspectors or recognized inspection services, but only after verifying their licensing and reliability, and any certificate based on those reports must be recorded the way the Building Official specifies.

Section 6-144 adds two inspections the Florida Building Code's Section 110 does not by itself require locally. A foundation survey, sealed by a registered surveyor and showing the building's placement and surrounding setback dimensions, must be on the jobsite and approved before the framing inspection can pass; a contractor can substitute uncovering and stringing the property line markers instead of a formal survey. A final inspection is required on every permit involving plan review or public health, safety, and welfare work, and it is the permit holder's job to call for it.

Skipping the final inspection does not just delay the certificate of occupancy: Section 6-144(2)b makes the permit null and void if the final inspection isn't obtained within the permit's duration limits, and completed, uninspected work is referred to code compliance. Section 6-145 then requires the certificate of occupancy itself before any building can be used, occupied, or converted to a new use, with sign-off needed from the Building Official on Florida Building Code compliance, the Planning Director on Part II compliance, the Floodplain Administrator on Chapter 122, and the fire marshal on life-safety code compliance where applicable.