Do I need a roofing permit in unincorporated Miami-Dade? The two-square rule, fees per square foot, and 21,395 permits

This covers properties whose folio number starts with 30: Kendall, Westchester, The Hammocks, Fontainebleau, the Redland and the other areas outside a city. Miami, Hialeah, Coral Gables and the other cities run their own building departments; the City of Miami's rules are in Miami roofing permit.

The county's rule

From the county's Permit Exemptions page (read 24 October 2026):

The county's newer exemption for small projects, from Florida House Bill 803 (from 1 July 2026, under $7,500 on a single-family home, duplex or townhouse outside a flood hazard area), does not help most roofs: the same page says structural work still needs a permit, and a property even partly in a flood hazard area does not qualify. Ask before relying on it.

Who can pull it. The county issues permits in the name of whoever does the work: "Only licensed contractors or owner-builders" (How to Apply). Its owner-builder page says an owner-builder "may apply for any trade permit including building, roofing, electrical, plumbing, gas and mechanical", for a one- or two-family home in a person's name that is for the owner's own use. The owner completes an owner-builder validation, in person or virtually, with photo ID and proof that it is the primary residence. Selling or leasing within 24 months of the permit makes the law presume the work was done for sale. The City of Miami, by contrast, limits owner-builders to shingle roofs.

What it costs

From the county's Building Fee Schedule, Implementing Order 4-63 (effective 1 October 2026):

So a 2,000-square-foot shingle re-roof is about $226 at $0.113, or $206 at the hardening-pilot $0.103, before the 7.5% surcharge and the state's 1% and 1.5% surcharges. Tile on the same roof is $288. A Notice of Commencement must be recorded when the job is over $5,000 (How to Apply).

How to apply and get it inspected

1. Check the folio. It must start with 30 on the Property Appraiser's site; otherwise the city's department has your roof.
2. Apply. Contractors can file roofing permits without plan review through the county's e-permitting system; others go through the EPS portal. The Permitting and Inspection Center is at 11805 SW 26 Street (786-315-2000).
3. Record the Notice of Commencement if the job is over $5,000; it must be recorded before inspections.
4. Inspections. Book online in the Building Permit Selection Menu or at 786-315-2100, by 4 p.m. the business day before. Inspectors work 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. weekdays, and the county asks for an OSHA-approved ladder on site (Inspections).

What 21,395 roofing permits show

Flat and low-slope roofs are the biggest single group, ahead of shingle and tile. April leads, ahead of the June rains; December is the quietest month. 33186 (around Kendall) leads ahead of 33165 (Westchester) and 33176. Monthly counts and the contractors named most often are on Miami-Dade roofing permits; every kind of work is on Miami-Dade permit statistics, and the rows are on browse Miami-Dade permits.

Before you hire

Look up the roofer's earlier county permits with Contractor Permit Inquiry in the county's permit menu (Miami-Dade building permit search) and the license on the state's site (how to check a contractor's license in Florida). Other places' rules are in do I need a permit to replace my roof, and filed values elsewhere in roof replacement cost.

What this does not tell you

The county's file has no permit status and no final inspection date, so we cannot say how many roofing permits passed final or how long they took. It starts in November 2024, so there is no earlier year to compare. The value is the estimate written on the permit, not the final price, and about a fifth of roofing permits carry none (16,620 of 21,395 have one).