What's Required in Miami
- Building permit for any deck; City Code 10-5(b) exempts no platform or deck at any height
- Fee: 0.5 percent of estimated cost with a $110 minimum ($45 under $2,500), plus $40 application, solid waste surcharge ($0.22 per $100, $26 minimum) and state surcharges of 1 percent and 1.5 percent
- Decks at one- and two-family homes are reviewed under the Florida Building Code, Residential (City Code 10-1)
- Miami 21 T3: accessory structures in the second or third layer at 5 feet side and rear, 20 feet front; screen enclosures 5 feet side and rear
- Roofed decks count toward the 50 percent first-floor lot coverage cap in T3
- Electrical work on the deck needs a separate electrical trade permit
- Contractor must hold a Florida license or Miami-Dade certificate of competency, or the owner files as owner-builder under FS 489.103(7)
- Notice of commencement recorded before the first inspection when the contract exceeds $2,500
- Permit void if work does not start within 180 days or lacks an approved inspection for 180 days
Do You Need a Permit to Build a Deck in Miami?
Yes, at any height. The City of Miami Code requires a permit to construct, enlarge, alter or repair any structure, and its list of permit-exempt work in section 10-5(b) names only wallpaper, paint, floor finishes, cabinets and countertops, nursery shade cloth, playground equipment, movable partitions under 5 feet 9 inches and ordinary minor repairs. There is no 30-inch platform exemption of the kind the model codes carry, so a ground-level 10x12 platform and a raised deck off the second floor both go through plan review. Decks attached to a one- or two-family home are reviewed under the Florida Building Code, Residential, which City Code 10-1 applies to those homes and their accessory structures.
Zoning under Miami 21 governs where the deck can go. An uncovered deck is an Accessory Structure that may attach to the house, sits in the second or third layer (beside or behind the house), and follows the ancillary-building setbacks in the T3 zones: 5 feet from side and rear lines, 20 feet from the front. A roofed deck becomes building area and counts toward the 50 percent first-floor lot coverage limit; an unroofed screen enclosure over a deck must keep a 5 foot side and rear setback. The 2025 Miami 21 amendment (Ordinance 14354) added a Waiver path for raised decks that need extra height.
Miami Deck Permit Rules by Scenario
| What you are doing | City filing | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Ground-level wood or composite deck, any size | Building permit (min. $110 + $40) | City Code 10-5(b) has no platform exemption |
| Raised deck attached to the house with stairs and guards | Building permit with plans | FBC Residential applies to 1-2 family homes (City Code 10-1) |
| Replacing only decking boards and railing on sound framing | Ordinary minor repair, usually no permit | City Code 10-5(b)(1): repairs that cut no structure |
| Replacing joists, beams, posts or footings | Building permit | Structural replacement is not an ordinary minor repair |
| Roofed deck or pergola over the deck | Building permit; counts toward lot coverage | Miami 21 Illustration 5.3: 50 percent first-floor coverage |
| Screen enclosure over the deck | Building permit; 5 ft side and rear setback | Miami 21 5.3.2 unroofed screen enclosures |
| Deck lighting or an outlet | Electrical trade permit ($110 + $40) | City Code 10-18(b)(1); subsidiary permits exempt from solid waste surcharge |
How Much Does a Deck Permit Cost in Miami?
Residential permits are charged 0.50 of the estimated construction cost, which the code applies as one-half of one percent (the commercial rate in the same section is one percent), with a $110 minimum and a flat $45 only under $2,500. Every permit adds a non-refundable $40 application fee, a solid waste surcharge of $0.22 per $100 of cost (minimum $26, maximum $600), state surcharges of 1 percent and 1.5 percent of the permit fee (at least $2 each), and a Miami-Dade County code-compliance surcharge whose rate the City Code does not state.
Worked example, a $12,000 deck: 0.5 percent is $60, so the $110 minimum applies; with $40 application, $26.40 solid waste and $4 state surcharges the total is about $180.40. A $40,000 raised deck with stairs: fee $200, application $40, solid waste $88, state surcharges $5, about $333. The up-front fee of $2.80 per $1,000 paid at filing is 80 percent credited to the permit fee. Re-inspections are $57 and revisions after the second review $56 per discipline. Starting work before the permit doubles the fee plus $110 on a homestead property.
Who Builds It and How Long Does Approval Take?
A contractor needs a Florida license or a Miami-Dade County certificate of competency, which the county requires inside the city. An owner-occupant of a one- or two-family home may file as owner-builder under Florida Statute 489.103(7), appearing in person to sign. The City Code requires a single-family permit to issue within 30 working days unless unusual circumstances apply, and the permit becomes invalid if work does not start within 180 days or goes 180 days without an approved inspection. A notice of commencement is needed before the first inspection when the contract exceeds $2,500.
How to Get a Deck Permit in Miami
Place the deck on a survey
Show it beside or behind the house at 5 ft from side and rear lines and 20 ft from the front in T3, and check lot coverage if it will be roofed.
Prepare the construction drawings
Footings, framing, ledger attachment, stairs and guards under the Florida Building Code, Residential; include product approvals for any roofing.
Apply to the Building Department
File with the $40 application fee and the up-front fee of $2.80 per $1,000 of value, signed by the licensed contractor or the owner-builder.
Pay the permit fee on approval
The $110 minimum or 0.5 percent of cost, plus the solid waste and state surcharges; record a notice of commencement if the contract exceeds $2,500.
Call footing, framing and final inspections
Keep an approved inspection at least every 180 days; a failed or unready visit costs $57 and no further inspection is scheduled until it is paid.