What's Required in Miami
- No permit for cabinets, countertops, floor finishes, painting or wallpaper in a one- or two-family home (City Code 10-5(b))
- No permit for same-spot faucet, sink, disposal, dishwasher or gas appliance (not water heater) replacement by a licensed plumbing contractor
- Plumbing permit for any replacement or rearrangement of pipes, valves or fixtures, including a moved sink or a replaced concealed pipe
- Electrical permit for new circuits or outlets; only like-for-like device replacement by a licensed contractor is exempt
- Building permit with plans when a wall, partition, beam or load-bearing support is cut or removed
- Each permit: 0.5 percent of its scope with a $110 minimum ($45 under $2,500), plus $40 application and state surcharges of 1 percent and 1.5 percent
- Master permit pays the solid waste surcharge ($0.22 per $100, $26 minimum); trade permits exempt
- Contractor must hold a Florida license or Miami-Dade certificate of competency; owner-builder allowed under FS 489.103(7) and FS 489.503(6)
- Notice of commencement before the first inspection when the contract exceeds $2,500
Do You Need a Permit to Remodel a Kitchen in Miami?
Only when the work goes behind the finishes. City Code 10-5(b) lists the building work that needs no permit in a one- or two-family home, and a cosmetic kitchen is on it: cabinets and countertops, floor finishes, painting and wallpaper. The plumbing list, which applies only when a licensed plumbing contractor does the work, adds faucet, sink, garbage disposal and dishwasher replacement, and gas appliance replacement other than a water heater. The electrical list exempts replacing damaged receptacles, switches and breakers by a licensed electrical contractor, and the mechanical list exempts replacing a ventilation fan. So a same-layout refresh with new cabinets, counters, flooring, a new sink in the same spot and a new dishwasher can be done with no city filing at all.
The permit triggers are rearrangement and structure. Replacing or relocating any water, drain, gas or vent pipe is new work that needs a plumbing permit, even when a concealed pipe is only being replaced because it failed; a new circuit for an induction range or island outlet needs an electrical permit; and ordinary minor repairs stop being minor the moment a wall or partition is cut or a beam or load-bearing support is removed, which puts an opened-up kitchen under a building permit with trade permits beneath it.
Miami Kitchen Permit Rules by Scenario
| What you are doing | City filing | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| New cabinets, countertops, flooring, backsplash and paint, same layout | No permit | City Code 10-5(b)(1)(A): cabinets and countertops, floor finishes, painting |
| New sink, faucet, disposal or dishwasher in the same spot, by a licensed plumber | No permit | City Code 10-5(b)(1)(E)(iv) |
| Gas range swapped in place by a licensed plumbing contractor | No permit | City Code 10-5(b)(1)(E)(iv)(1): gas appliances other than a water heater |
| Moving the sink, adding an island sink or replacing concealed piping | Plumbing permit (min. $110 + $40) | City Code 10-5(b)(1)(E)(i): replacement or rearrangement is new work |
| New circuit for a range, oven or island outlets | Electrical permit (min. $110 + $40) | Only like-for-like device replacement is exempt |
| Removing or opening a wall between kitchen and dining room | Building permit with plans plus trade permits | Ordinary minor repairs may not cut any wall or structural support |
| Replacing the range hood fan in place | No permit (ventilation fan replacement) | City Code 10-5(b)(1)(D)(xi)(4) |
How Much Does a Kitchen Remodel Permit Cost in Miami?
Zero for the exempt work. When permits apply, each one, master or trade, is charged 0.50 of the estimated construction cost of its scope, which the code applies as one-half of one percent (the commercial rate in the same section is one percent), with a $110 minimum per permit and a flat $45 only for improvements under $2,500. Every permit adds a non-refundable $40 application fee and state surcharges of 1 percent and 1.5 percent of its fee (at least $2 each), plus a Miami-Dade County code-compliance surcharge whose rate the City Code does not state. The master building permit also pays the city solid waste surcharge of $0.22 per $100 of cost (minimum $26, maximum $600); subsidiary trade permits are exempt from it.
Worked example, a $30,000 remodel that opens a wall, moves the sink and adds circuits: building permit $150 + $40 + solid waste $66 + state surcharges $4.25 = $260.25; plumbing and electrical trade permits at the $110 minimum + $40 + $4 = $154 each; total about $568.25. A $60,000 remodel: building permit $300 + $40 + $132 + $7.50 = $479.50, plus the same two trade permits, about $787.50. If only the plumbing moves and no wall is touched, a stand-alone plumbing permit at $154 is the whole bill. The up-front fee of $2.80 per $1,000 paid at filing is 80 percent credited to the permit fee, revisions after the second review cost $56 per discipline, and starting work before the permit doubles the fee plus $110 on a homestead property.
Who Pulls Kitchen Permits in Miami?
Trade work is normally pulled by the plumber or electrician, who must hold a Florida license or a Miami-Dade County certificate of competency, which the county requires inside the city. Owner-occupants of a single-family or duplex home may file as owner-builder under Florida Statute 489.103(7) and, under FS 489.503(6), do their own electrical work, appearing in person to sign the application. The plumbing exemptions above apply only to licensed contractors, so an owner replacing a dishwasher is not on that list. A notice of commencement must be recorded before the first inspection when the contract exceeds $2,500, and the permit lapses after 180 days without an approved inspection.
How to Get a Kitchen Remodel Permit in Miami
Sort the scope into exempt and permitted work
Cabinets, counters, floors, paint and same-spot fixture swaps by a licensed plumber need nothing; moved pipes, new circuits and opened walls need permits.
Price each permitted scope
Estimate the building, plumbing and electrical costs separately; each permit is 0.5 percent of its scope with a $110 minimum and a $40 application fee.
File the master permit or stand-alone trade permits
A structural change needs a master building permit with trade permits beneath it; plumbing-only or electrical-only work files as a stand-alone permit.
Pay on approval and record the notice of commencement
Fees plus the solid waste and state surcharges are due before issuance; record the notice when the contract exceeds $2,500.
Call rough-in and final inspections
Plumbing and electrical rough-ins before walls close, then finals; keep an approved inspection within every 180 days. Re-inspections cost $57.