Sees cracks, sinkholes, leaning. Start with the rule for your own city, then the checklist.
The rule where you are, with the code section and the date we checked it.
Fort Lauderdale accepts building permit applications only from contractors holding a current certificate of competence and licence in their field (Cod
Fort Lauderdale · BrowardFort Lauderdale's code puts storm protection of a boat on its owner: a vessel at a municipal dock space must be protected by its owner once a hurrican
Miami Beach · Miami-DadeMiami Beach says contractors must be registered with the city to work in Miami Beach. State-certified contractors register with a business tax receipt
Miami Beach · Miami-DadeMiami Beach's fee schedule cuts the permit fee for minor repairs under $20,000 by 40% for three months after a hurricane event, though not for railing
Boca Raton · Palm BeachBoca Raton's code gives a contractor two routes: register with the city and pay the fee, or show its certificate, workers' comp, bond and liability co
Boca Raton · Palm BeachBoca Raton lets emergency repairs go ahead first, but the permit application must reach the building official before the close of business of the next
Pompano Beach · BrowardPompano Beach will not issue a permit for licensed construction or alteration work until the contractor's licence and insurance are on file through th
Hollywood · BrowardHollywood opened contractor registration in its Accela Citizen Access portal on 12 August 2024, and from 4 August 2026 all new permit applications go
Key West · MonroeKey West's code requires every contractor working in the city to hold and keep a city licence, issued under the city's business tax receipt rules (Sec
Delray Beach · Palm BeachDelray Beach requires registration for any contractor performing licensed work in the city, filed through eServices with an active Florida licence tha
Delray Beach · Palm BeachDelray Beach makes failing to maintain or repair a needed seawall a public nuisance, with 60 days to show progress and 365 days to finish after notice
Jupiter · Palm BeachJupiter repealed its local business tax receipt article in 2021 (Ord. 14-21), so a town BTR is not part of the check here. Permits are applied for, tr
Coral Gables · Miami-DadeCoral Gables's Building Department registers contractors on a notarised form as a Florida state certified contractor, a Florida state registered contr
Coral Gables · Miami-DadeCoral Gables makes boat owners responsible for securing their boats before a hurricane; boats using the city waterway for refuge must be securely moor
Key Biscayne · Miami-DadeKey Biscayne's permit checklist says all contractors must be registered with the Village, with a valid contractor's licence, liability insurance, a bu
Key Biscayne · Miami-DadeKey Biscayne bans putting yard waste on or within ten feet of the right-of-way once a hurricane watch is issued, unless the Village Manager instructs
Lighthouse Point · BrowardLighthouse Point registers a contractor once all four documents arrive together: general liability, workers' comp or an exemption, a state licence or
Deerfield Beach · BrowardDeerfield Beach clears disaster debris from public and private rights-of-way, and gated communities must give the city access during a declared emerge
Dania Beach · BrowardDania Beach's permit instructions say contractors must also complete the city's Contractor Registration Form and include a copy of a valid driver's li
Dania Beach · BrowardDania Beach requires every lot owner, occupied or not, to securely tie down loose lumber, trash and other materials once a hurricane advisory is issue
Hallandale Beach · BrowardHallandale Beach makes registration a condition of getting a building permit: licensed contractors must file with the building division, and update ev
Hallandale Beach · BrowardHallandale Beach requires owners and occupants with a balcony, open terrace or unenclosed yard to remove or secure loose objects when a hurricane watc
Lauderdale-by-the-Sea · BrowardIn Lauderdale-by-the-Sea a permit for licensed construction or alteration work is issued only when every contractor and subcontractor has its registra
Lauderdale-by-the-Sea · BrowardLauderdale-By-The-Sea requires construction materials, roof tiles and debris on all sites to be secured, stored or removed when a tropical storm or hu
Miami · Miami-DadeThe City of Miami says contractors must be registered to verify their certification before building or renovating in the city. Registration is by emai
Miami · Miami-DadeMiami's own marinas say city mooring facilities are not safe in tropical storms or hurricanes and recommend vessels leave before a hurricane watch or
Surfside · Miami-DadeSurfside lists what a contractor must have to pull a permit: a copy of the state certified licence, an insurance certificate naming the Town of Surfsi
Surfside · Miami-DadeSurfside requires boats and boat trailers stored on lots in the H30A and H30B districts to be secured or removed immediately on a hurricane warning, a
Aventura · Miami-DadeAventura's code requires every contractor working in the city, or applying for a building permit there, to register annually with the Community Develo
Aventura · Miami-DadeAventura's construction-site rules require the owner, occupant or user of a site to secure it once a hurricane watch is issued, following Miami-Dade C
Sunny Isles Beach · Miami-DadeSunny Isles Beach requires contractors working in the city, or applying for permits there, to register every year with the Building Department (Code S
Sunny Isles Beach · Miami-DadeSunny Isles Beach requires all construction materials, including roof tiles, on every project site to be secured or removed once a severe weather advi
Bay Harbor Islands · Miami-DadeBay Harbor Islands charges no registration fee, and contractors upload new registrations and licence or insurance updates in its Citizenserve portal.
Bay Harbor Islands · Miami-DadeBay Harbor Islands gives landowners three hours after a hurricane watch is posted for Miami-Dade County to empty or cover dumpsters of construction de
Bal Harbour · Miami-DadeIn Bal Harbour the public can search active permits and view their status without an account, but contractors need a registered account to manage perm
Bal Harbour · Miami-DadeBal Harbour requires new marinas and multi-slip docking facilities to prepare hurricane plans approved by the Emergency Management/Building Inspector.
West Palm Beach · Palm BeachWest Palm Beach requires a contractor with no permanent location or branch office in the city to register with the city before doing business there (C
West Palm Beach · Palm BeachWest Palm Beach bans live-aboard vessels from mooring or anchoring in the city's part of Lake Worth, except in marina districts or designated mooring
North Palm Beach · Palm BeachNorth Palm Beach says contractor registration in My Government Online must be completed before a permit application is submitted, and all contractors
North Palm Beach · Palm BeachNorth Palm Beach requires boats and trailers kept at homes (boats up to 30 ft and 12 ft high) to be securely affixed to the ground or removed immediat
Palm Beach · Palm BeachPalm Beach requires all bulkheads and seawalls to be kept impervious, without cracks or holes that pass sand; a cited owner must submit an engineer's
Palm Beach Gardens · Palm BeachPalm Beach Gardens says all contractors must register in its Community Development Portal, and everyone - even someone with an account in another city
Palm Beach Gardens · Palm BeachPalm Beach Gardens collects post-disaster debris from public and private roads once a local, state or federal emergency is declared; on private roads
Boynton Beach · Palm BeachBoynton Beach requires contractors and specialty contractors with no location or branch office in the city to register before doing business there, un
Boynton Beach · Palm BeachBoynton Beach removes disaster debris from city property, county and state roads and private roads after a major or catastrophic disaster, but owners
Highland Beach · Palm BeachHighland Beach's permit checklist says the contractor or applicant must be registered with the Town through MyGovernmentOnline, and even subcontractor
Highland Beach · Palm BeachHighland Beach requires construction materials to be secured on a hurricane watch, and roof tiles not yet fastened to be removed or secured before a w
Marathon · MonroeMarathon gives the City a right of entry to remove disaster debris from canals, private or public - and from upland lots next to a canal when needed f
Islamorada · MonroeIslamorada requires state-certified and registered contractors with a valid Monroe County certificate of competency to register with the Village befor
Islamorada · MonroeIslamorada treats removal of disaster debris from private property as the owner's responsibility, though the Village may clear private rights-of-way,
Wilton Manors · BrowardWilton Manors applies hurricane rules to occupied homes as well as job sites: on a hurricane watch, materials in exposed outdoor areas must be removed
Hillsboro Beach · BrowardHillsboro Beach asks new contractors to register through its Community Core permit system using 'Apply for Contractor Licenses', and the same portal s
Hillsboro Beach · BrowardHillsboro Beach requires every active construction site with exterior work or exterior storage to pass a pre-storm inspection before a tropical storm
Oakland Park · BrowardOakland Park registers contractors on a notarised form and accepts only a Florida state certification or registration and/or a Broward Central Board o
North Bay Village · Miami-DadeNorth Bay Village registers contractors from 1 October to 30 September, waiving the fee for state-certified contractors and charging $25 to holders of
North Bay Village · Miami-DadeNorth Bay Village authorizes the Village Manager, on a hurricane warning or alert, to order vessels removed from any dock, pier, wharf or mooring in t
Golden Beach · Miami-DadeGolden Beach's online-permitting instructions say all contractors must be registered with the Town, and every permit submitted needs the permit applic
Golden Beach · Miami-DadeGolden Beach's Town Council has declared deteriorated, broken, cracked or failing docks and seawalls to be unsafe structures that must be repaired or
Palmetto Bay · Miami-DadePalmetto Bay requires every contractor to register in its new Citizen Portal before applying for a building permit - including contractors registered
Palmetto Bay · Miami-DadePalmetto Bay requires boats and personal watercraft kept at homes to sit on a transport trailer and be secured so they are not a hazard in high winds
Miami Shores · Miami-DadeMiami Shores Village requires all owners to keep seawalls in good repair and substantially impermeable, and treats work costing half the wall's value
Ocean Ridge · Palm BeachOcean Ridge lists a current Town contractor registration - and registrations for every subcontractor - among the documents for any permit, and its no-
Gulf Stream · Palm BeachGulf Stream requires all workers hired for your property - not just builders - to be registered with the Town, renewed every year, and contractors who
Gulf Stream · Palm BeachGulf Stream treats makeshift plywood hurricane protection as a nuisance unless it goes up no more than 14 days before landfall and comes down within 1
Manalapan · Palm BeachManalapan's Building Department says any person, firm or business must have a business registration before starting work in Town, and its 2026 instruc
Manalapan · Palm BeachManalapan makes coastal structures the perpetual maintenance responsibility of their owners, with seawalls and bulkheads kept impervious to sand and f
Tequesta · Palm BeachTequesta registers contractors by email to permits@tequesta.org and says no registration issues until county and state requirements - including the Co
Juno Beach · Palm BeachJuno Beach's permit FAQ says to create an MGO Customer Portal account and register as a contractor with the Town; only once the account is verified an
Juno Beach · Palm BeachJuno Beach allows only non-motorized watercraft to be stored on the beach, by town permit, and owners must remove them on notice of a hurricane watch;
Lantana · Palm BeachLantana's Contractor Registration Form asks for a state licence or competency, a county business tax receipt from your local county, and liability and
South Palm Beach · Palm BeachSouth Palm Beach requires all contractors and subcontractors to register every fiscal year whether or not a permit is pulled, and accepts a business t
Lake Worth Beach · Palm BeachLake Worth Beach does not consent to any vessel anchoring or mooring in city waterways and requires those that do to be able to move under their own p
Key Colony Beach · MonroeKey Colony Beach makes owners responsible for securing boats and gear for storms, and if a hurricane watch is declared while an owner will be away mor
The rule that applies across the whole county, and where the cities inside it depart from it.
Broward is the only one of the four counties we cover with a countywide seawall standard, and the number most people quote is the wrong one.
Miami-Dade CountyMiami-Dade works the opposite way to Broward. The county runs the environmental permit through Chapter 24, but it sets no countywide seawall
Palm Beach CountyPalm Beach is the hardest of the four counties to get a straight answer in. Broward has a county standard its cities were required to adopt;
Monroe CountyMonroe is the only county of the four where we can say with certainty that no elevation standard exists, because we read every mention of se
Which agencies are involved, what they want, and the order they want it in.
Permits, agencies and the order they go in, for Broward.
Regional guidePermits, agencies and the order they go in, for Miami-Dade.
Regional guidePermits, agencies and the order they go in, for Palm Beach.
Regional guidePermits, agencies and the order they go in, for Florida Keys.
What to look for, where to look for it, and what it means when you find it. Walk your wall in twenty minutes.
A screening sheet for owners, not an engineering inspection.
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