Free tool
Which Florida building department controls your address?
Filing with the wrong jurisdiction is one of the most common and most avoidable ways to lose a week. Here is how to answer it properly in about five minutes.
The four-step check
- Start with the parcel, not the address. Search your county property appraiser's records by address to get the parcel ID and the jurisdiction recorded against it. This is authoritative in a way that a mailing address is not.
- Confirm against the municipal boundary. Most Florida jurisdictions publish a boundary map or a GIS layer. If your parcel sits near a line, confirm rather than infer.
- Call the department you think it is. Building department staff will tell you in thirty seconds whether an address is theirs. They would much rather do that than reject a submittal.
- Check for overlays and other agencies. Historic districts, community redevelopment areas, coastal zones and airport overlays add reviewers. Fire districts, utility service areas and water management district boundaries do not follow municipal lines.
A Sarasota mailing address can be unincorporated Sarasota County. Wesley Chapel is unincorporated Pasco. Lakewood Ranch and Longboat Key both straddle the Sarasota–Manatee line. Bradenton and Bradenton Beach are different cities. Hillsborough County and the City of Tampa use entirely different portals.
Florida county permitting portals
Where unincorporated county submittals generally go, and which municipalities inside each county file separately. Municipal departments run their own systems.
| County | County submittals generally via | Municipalities that file separately |
|---|---|---|
| Sarasota County | Sarasota County's online permitting portal | City of Sarasota, City of Venice, City of North Port, Town of Longboat Key… |
| Manatee County | Manatee County's Accela-based online services portal | City of Bradenton, City of Palmetto, City of Anna Maria, City of Holmes Beach… |
| Hillsborough County | HillsGovHub, Hillsborough County's permitting and development portal | City of Tampa, City of Temple Terrace, City of Plant City, Unincorporated Hillsborough County |
| Pinellas County | Pinellas County's online permitting system | City of St. Petersburg, City of Clearwater, City of Largo, City of Pinellas Park… |
| Charlotte County | Charlotte County's community development permitting system | City of Punta Gorda, Port Charlotte (unincorporated), Englewood (unincorporated), Rotonda West (unincorporated) |
| Lee County | Lee County's building permit services portal | City of Cape Coral, City of Fort Myers, Town of Fort Myers Beach, City of Sanibel… |
| Collier County | Collier County's growth management permitting portal | City of Naples, City of Marco Island, Everglades City, Immokalee (unincorporated) |
| Miami-Dade County | Miami-Dade County's permitting and inspection system | City of Miami, Miami Beach, Hialeah, Coral Gables… |
| Broward County | Broward County and municipal permitting systems | Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Pembroke Pines, Coral Springs… |
| Palm Beach County | Palm Beach County Planning, Zoning & Building systems | West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Boynton Beach… |
| Orange County | Orange County's One-Stop permitting services | City of Orlando, Winter Park, Apopka, Ocoee… |
| Duval County | City of Jacksonville permitting systems | City of Jacksonville (consolidated), Jacksonville Beach, Neptune Beach, Atlantic Beach… |
| Polk County | Polk County building division permitting system | Lakeland, Winter Haven, Bartow, Haines City… |
| Pasco County | Pasco County building construction services portal | New Port Richey, Zephyrhills, Dade City, Port Richey… |
| Brevard County | Brevard County planning and development permitting system | Melbourne, Palm Bay, Titusville, Cocoa… |
| Volusia County | Volusia County growth and resource management permitting | Daytona Beach, Deltona, Port Orange, Ormond Beach… |
| St. Lucie County | St. Lucie County building and code regulation systems | Port St. Lucie, Fort Pierce, St. Lucie Village |
| Seminole County | Seminole County development services permitting system | Sanford, Altamonte Springs, Oviedo, Winter Springs… |
| Alachua County | Alachua County codes enforcement and permitting system | Gainesville, Alachua, Newberry, High Springs… |
| Monroe County | Monroe County building department permitting system | Key West, Marathon, Islamorada, Key Colony Beach… |
Covering the counties we work in most. We file in all 67 — if yours is not listed, call and we will confirm it for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find out which building department covers my address?
Start with the county property appraiser's parcel record, which ties a parcel to a jurisdiction. Then confirm against the municipal boundary map, because postal addresses follow delivery routes rather than city limits. If the parcel is near a boundary, call the department you think it is — they will confirm, and they would much rather do that than reject your submittal.
Can a property be in more than one jurisdiction?
A parcel has one building department, but several agencies can have review authority over the same project — fire district, water and sewer utility, water management district, and overlay districts such as historic or coastal zones all have boundaries that do not align with municipal lines.
What happens if I file with the wrong department?
At best a rejection at intake and a resubmittal to the correct office, costing a week or two. At worst, fees paid to the wrong entity and a review completed by an authority with no jurisdiction over your project.
Send us an address
We will confirm which building department controls it and what it requires. Free, and we come back within 30 minutes.
Ready to get your permit moving?
One call tells you which jurisdiction controls your project, what it will take, and what it will cost. Most of the time we can scope it on the phone.