This is the City of Miami (folio numbers starting 01), not Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Hialeah or unincorporated Miami-Dade.
What a Miami remodel can skip
From the City's Work that Does Not Require a Permit page (read 23 October 2026):
| No permit in the City of Miami | The condition |
|---|---|
| Painting, wallpaper | A permit is needed "If your painting projects affects the stucco" |
| Floor finishes | Single-family homes and duplexes only, no change to load-bearing elements; a stacked duplex needs a flooring permit |
| Cabinets and countertops | Single-family homes and duplexes only, no change to plumbing, electrical or load-bearing walls |
| Like-for-like sink, lavatory or dishwasher | Plumbing exempt list |
| Plumbing or mechanical repairs under $2,500 | Done by a licensed contractor |
| Ceiling fan on existing wiring | Installed by a licensed electrical contractor |
A cosmetic kitchen (new cabinets, counters, floor, paint, a like-for-like sink) can therefore be permit-free. Move the sink, add a circuit for an island or take out a wall, and the whole job needs a building permit.
The $7,500 HB 803 exemption
The City's HB 803 page (read 23 October 2026) explains Florida's exemption for "work valued at less than $7,500 on the owner's property". Its limits:
- It "does not include electrical, plumbing, structural, mechanical, or gas work."
- It does not apply to a property fully or partly in a flood hazard area; check the City's GIS zoning map first.
- "A construction project MAY NOT be divided into multiple smaller projects for the purpose of staying below the $7,500 threshold."
- You or your contractor submit the Building Permit Exemption Form with the contract, and "AN EXEMPTION APPROVAL IS REQUIRED AND MUST BE POSTED ON SITE BEFORE WORK COMMENCEMENT."
So HB 803 suits non-structural, non-trade work such as drywall, trim or interior doors, and only once the City's letter arrives.
Who can pull a remodel permit
A licensed general, building or residential contractor, or you as an owner-builder. The City's owner-builder page limits that to "owner-occupied One-family and Two-family residential properties" used "for his own use and occupancy, and not intended for sale", with proof of ownership in your own name (not a company), a short multiple-choice exam, an interview at the Homeowner Assistance counter (444 SW 2nd Ave, 1st floor) and a notarized disclosure. Two catches:
- "roofing, electrical, mechanical, plumbing and gas permits may only be issued to appropriately-licensed contractors", so the trades on your remodel still need licensed subs.
- You must hire licensed contractors, or pay workers by the hour or by the day; an unlicensed person paid a fixed fee faces "a fine of $500 and/or imprisonment for six months."
Check a contractor's DBPR license on Verify a Licensee; 90.9% of the remodel firms in our file matched an active license.
How the permits fit together
- Master building permit in iBuild, with plans uploaded to ProjectDox.
- Trade sub-permits. Each licensed sub adds its electrical, plumbing or mechanical permit to your process number. The City says "You cannot acquire a sub-permit until you have been approved for a master permit" (Get a Sub-Permit); the contractor's request is answered "within 24-48 hours."
- Inspections are listed on each permit in iBuild, master and subs alike; keep every permit card on site.
What it costs
From the City's fee schedule (Exhibit C, Sec. 10-18, adopted April 2026):
| Fee line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Residential up to 3 units, remodeling (also plumbing, mechanical, electrical) | 0.50% of estimated construction cost |
| Minimum permit fee | $110.00 |
| Up-front fee | $2.80 per $1,000 of estimated value (80% credited at issue) |
| Re-inspection | $57.00 |
The middle half of Miami remodel firms usually file jobs between $9,500 and $35,525; at 0.50%, a $35,000 remodel's building permit is $175 before the trades.
What 3,752 Miami remodel permits show
| Measure | City of Miami remodel and repair |
|---|---|
| Permits on homes, October 2023 to September 2026 | 3,752 |
| Firms | 1,475 |
| Firms with a permit in the last 12 months of the window | 681 |
| Reached Final (permits a year or more old) | 92.8% |
| Usual days from issue to Final | 182 |
| Usual filed value | $15,000 |
| Firms with exactly one permit | 820 (55.6%) |
| Busiest / quietest month | July (index 125) / February (79) |
55.6% of firms filed a single remodel permit in three years, so many contractors bidding your job will have a thin City record; ask for addresses of past jobs and look them up in iBuild. Remodel permits stay open 182 days on a usual job because the permit covers the whole job, so tie the last payment to the Final. Prices by firm: Miami remodel cost; national figures: home remodel cost; counts by year: Miami permit statistics.
See every City of Miami remodeler by share at Final →
Before you hire
Compare firms on the Miami remodeler list and use the national checklist in hiring a remodeling contractor. Rules elsewhere: do I need a permit for a kitchen remodel, bathroom remodel and home remodel; the owner-builder trade-off in owner-builder vs contractor.
What this does not tell you
Our remodel group is City of Miami building permits for remodels and repairs, which includes some foundation and structural repair work; the trade sub-permits are counted under plumbing, electrical and HVAC. Exempt and HB 803 work leaves no permit. Filed values are the contractor's estimate, and fees can change with the City budget.
How we know this
Exemptions, HB 803, owner-builder and sub-permit rules are quoted from City of Miami pages read 23 October 2026; fees from the City's Exhibit C fee schedule (Sec. 10-18) adopted April 2026. Permit counts are City of Miami building permits classified as remodel and repair, October 2023 to September 2026; finished share uses permits a year or more old, and days to Final is the median from issue to final.
Numbers come from City of Miami building permits (since 2014), data through October 17, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- Do I need a permit to replace kitchen cabinets in Miami?
No, in a single-family home or duplex, as long as no plumbing, electrical or load-bearing walls change (City of Miami no-permit list). Moving the sink or adding circuits makes it permit work, with plumbing and electrical sub-permits pulled by licensed contractors.
- Do I need a permit for new flooring in Miami?
Not in a single-family home or a side-by-side duplex if no load-bearing elements change. The City says a flooring permit is required in a duplex with one unit above the other.
- Can a homeowner pull a remodel permit in Miami?
Yes, as an owner-builder on an owner-occupied one- or two-family home not intended for sale, after a short exam and an interview at the Homeowner Assistance counter. The plumbing, electrical, mechanical and gas sub-permits still go to licensed contractors.
- How much is a remodel permit in Miami?
The City's fee schedule (Sec. 10-18, adopted April 2026) charges residential remodels of up to three units 0.50% of the estimated construction cost, with a $110 minimum, plus a $2.80 per $1,000 up-front fee credited at 80%. On the usual $15,000 remodel permit in our data, 0.50% comes to less than the minimum.
- How long does a remodel permit stay open in Miami?
The usual City of Miami remodel permit reached Final 182 days after issue, because it stays open for the whole job; 92.8% of remodel permits a year or more old reached Final.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
- How to legalize unpermitted work: the steps, what it costs, and how long a retroactive permit takes
- Miami's FEMA 50% rule: when a remodel in a flood zone means raising the house
- Albuquerque building permit search: how to look up permits on an address
- Ames building permit search: how to look up permits on an address
- Do I need a remodel permit in San Francisco? OTC kitchens and baths, when you need plans, and the fees
- Do I need a remodel permit in Somerville, MA? Yes for almost everything but paint, tile and floors
For one city
- Work that Does Not Require a Permit — City of Miami Building (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Building Permit Exemptions for Residential Properties (HB 803) — City of Miami (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Become an Owner Builder — City of Miami (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Get a Sub-Permit — City of Miami (accessed 2026-10-23)
- City of Miami Building Permit Fee Schedule (Exhibit C, Sec. 10-18), adopted April 2026 (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Verify a Licensee — Florida DBPR Online Services (2026-10-22)