Frequently Asked Questions
What do you want to know about?
Permit Offices
Plan Review
Field Inspections
Complaints and Violations
Permit Offices
What are your hours of operation?
The Building Inspection Division is open for business from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Mondays through Fridays. The field inspectors normal hours are 7 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Building Plan Examiners are available for consultation with the public from 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. daily, on a first come first serve basis.
Why do I need a building permit?
A building permit is required by law to establish the minimum requirements to safeguard the public health, safety, and general welfare.
A building permit is required for any construction that physically changes or adds structures to your property or for work regulated by local codes or ordinances, such as:
- New buildings
- Additions – room additions, patio covers, swimming pools, etc.
- Alterations – re-roofs, garage conversions, exterior stucco, etc.
- Repairs – replacement of water heaters or other plumbing fixtures, irrigation systems, air conditioning units, new electrical service, rewiring, etc.
- Moving or demolishing a building
- Change of use of structures
- Installation of heating equipment, such as wood stoves, central heat, wall heaters and wood burning or gas fireplaces
- Swimming Pools
When is a permit required?
When is a permit not required?
Building
- Patio slabs
- Replacement of plumbing fixtures after the stop, excluding water heaters
- Stopping of leaks
- Clear drain stoppages, provided such repairs do not involve or require the replacement or rearrangement of valves, pipes or fixtures - Connection of portable equipment such as portable heating appliances, portable ventilation equipment, portable cooling units and portable evaporative coolers
- Any steam, hot or chilled water piping within any heating or cooling equipment regulated by the code
- Replacement of any part within a single piece of equipment
- Any self-contained refrigeration system containing 10 pounds or less of refrigerant and actuated by motors of one horsepower or less
Plumbing
Mechanical
When is a Notice of Commencement required?
Who are the enforcing agencies for permitting?
Building Inspection Division
What do I need to register as a contractor to pull permits?
New Contractor Registration Registration Form Fillable100908.pdf You need:
1. Construction license from the State of Florida
2. Picture ID card
3. Proof of workers compensation insurance or exemption
4. Two Business Tax Receipts: One for the company from any county in the state of Florida and one for the qualifying agent from the City of Jacksonville
5. City ID card signed by qualifying agent. The qualifying agents signature can be notarized if they cannot appear in person.
If a person who is licensed by the State of Florida (Chapter 489 Contracting, Florida Statutes) as a general, building or residential contractor wants to apply for a building construction permit, he/she shall first receive an identification number from the Building Inspection Division, phone (904) 630-1100. In order to receive the ID number, a certificate holder shall appear in person.
How much does a permit cost?
Permit fees for required permits shall be as provided in the following schedule:
Building or construction permit fees: For the purpose of determining fees, floor area shall be the gross overall, outside dimension, floor area of a building at each story, including all portions under roofs. Where a building permit fee is paid for a new building or addition, separate permits and fees shall not be required for fences, walls, dwelling, awnings, masonry fence walls, or other components normal to building construction. Separate fees shall be paid for electrical, plumbing, mechanical, miscellaneous or other permits shown elsewhere in this schedule.Yes you can apply for a permit over the Internet. Please see our Online Permits page. See our New system FAQ.pdf.
Can I apply for a permit over the Internet?
How long are permits good for?
What codes are currently being enforced?
The City of Jacksonville Building Division is currently enforcing the 2007 Florida Building Code with the 2009 supplement.
Fire Safety: 2007 Florida Fire Protection Code
Plumbing Code: 2007 Florida Plumbing Code
Electrical Code: 2008 National Electric Code
Mechanical Code: 2007 Florida Mechanical Code
Gas Code: 2007 Florida Fuel-Gas Code
Where can I get a copy of the current codes?
Code Books can be purchased from The Florida Building Commission website or at AAA Construction Bookstore – 7402 Atlantic Blvd. Jacksonville FL (904) 722-9994
For local zoning code information, contact:
Planning and Development Department
Ed Ball Building
214 N. Hogan Street, Suite 300
Jacksonville, FL 32202
Plan Review
Where do I submit my plans and what will be required?
FINAL PLAN REVIEW PROCESS (Building Permit)
Two complete sets (all disciplines) of plans, drawings and specifications together with the building permit application shall be submitted and logged in at the Plan Review Counter, Ed Ball Building 214 N. Hogan Street Room 280,
Jacksonville, Florida 32202.
The sets will be reviewed by all disciplines including the fire marshal. Once the review is completed, you will be notified of any comments.
Note: make sure all plans are complete (mechanical, electrical, plumbing - mep). If this is a renovation project, and you are not revising one or more of the mep trades, indicate that very clearly on your plans. Many plans are returned for more information, simply because we do not know the extent of your work. See complete details on our website.
Do I have to hire a licensed architect or engineer to prepare my plans?
Only under certain circumstances. No permit may be issued for any building construction, erection, alteration, modification, repair or addition unless the applicant for such permit provides to the enforcing agency that issues the permit any of the following documents that apply to the construction for which the permit is to be issued and which shall be prepared by or under the direction of an engineer registered under chapter 471 Florida Statutes:
Electrical documents for any new building or addition that requires an aggregate service capacity of over 600 amperes (240 volts) on a residential electrical system or 800 amperes (240 volts) or more on a commercial or industrial electrical system and that costs more than $50,000. Plumbing documents for any new building or addition that requires a plumbing system with more than 250 fixture units or which costs more than $50,000. Fire sprinkler documents for any new building or addition that includes a fire sprinkler system that contains 50 or more sprinkler heads. A Contractor I, Contractor II or Contractor IV, certified under §633.521, may design a fire sprinkler system of 49 or fewer heads and may design the alteration of an existing fire sprinkler system if the alteration consists of the relocation, addition or deletion of not more than 49 heads, notwithstanding the size of the existing fire sprinkler system. Heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning documents for any new building or addition that requires more than a 15-ton-per-system capacity, which is designed to accommodate 100 or more persons or for which the system costs more than $50,000. This paragraph does not include any document for the replacement or repair of an existing system in which the work does not require altering a structural part of the building or for work on a residential one-family, two-family, three-family or four-family structure. Any specialized mechanical, electrical or plumbing document for any new building or addition that includes a medical gas, oxygen, steam, vacuum, toxic air filtration, Halon or fire detection and alarm system that costs more than $5,000.
Engineering Requirements for Residential Plan Submission
If the design professional is an architect or engineer registered in Florida, then he/she shall sign and seal the drawings, specifications and accompanying data as required by Florida Statute. This includes one-and two-family dwellings.
What is the current average turn-around time for plan review?
Residential plan review turn-around time is five working days. Commercial plan review turn-around time is 10 working days.
Field Inspections
When do I call for an inspection? Who do I call?
(904) 630-1100 between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Inspections can also be requested over the Building Inspections website. Prior to any inspection being performed, the permit and the notice of commencement must be posted on the job site. Construction documents must be available on the job site and maintained in a weatherproof container and must be legible.
What paperwork am I required to leave on the job site for the inspector?
Does someone need to be at the job site for the inspection?
What does the inspector need to inspect?
How can I contact my inspector?
How do I register a complaint about what appears to be a building code violation or a complaint about a contractor?
You can call the CARE system at (904) 630-CITY and they will take your complaint and route it to the appropriate department.
How do I verify that my contractor is licensed?
Call the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (D.B.P.R.) at (904) 727-6530 or the Construction Trades Qualifying Board (C.T.Q.B.) at (904) 630-2647. You can verify State Contractors Licenses and complaints by going to Myflorida.com.
Generally, the building inspector will need to inspect all aspects of the work before it is covered or concealed from view. These inspections are done to assure that the work has been done to a minimum safety standard and that it complies with the approved plans for the project. The following is a list of the typical inspections that may be required on a project:
- Foundation Slab (prior to pouring concrete)
- Framing
- Insulation
- Drywall
- Fireplace
- Plumbing and electrical (rough and final)
- Duct work
- Air conditioning and heating equipment
- Gas piping and gas equipment
- And many others, depending on the type of work being done.
The inspector's name and phone numbers are recorded on the issued permit. The inspector can be reached on their cell phone or Nextel number and are listed by trade on our
contact page.
Complaints and Violations It is not required that someone be on site, however,
it is the contractor's responsibility to arrange for the inspectors to have access to the premises to inspect all permitted work.An application for a permit for any proposed work shall be deemed to have been abandoned six months after the date of filing for the permit, unless before then a permit has been issued. One or more extensions of time for periods of not more than 90 days each may be allowed by the building official for the application, provided the extension is requested in writing and justifiable cause is demonstrated.The following model codes and ordinances are to be used for the design and construction of all projects in Duval County: The cost is based on a variety of factors, depending on the type of work being done, square footage of the work or the contract price of the work. The minimum cost for a permit is $60. Section 320.409 of the City's Ordinance Code details the schedule of permit fees.A Notice of Commencement is required for any permitted work in excess of $2,500 for all work with the exception of mechanical, which is in excess of $7,500.