Which renovations actually need a permit?

Usually needs a permit

• Structural changes, including removing or altering a bearing wall.
• Electrical work beyond swapping a fixture.
• New or relocated plumbing.
• HVAC changeouts.
• Roofing.
• Window and door replacement.
• Decks above a certain height, sheds above a certain size, pools and fences.

Usually does not

• Paint, inside or out.
• Flooring.
• Cabinets replaced in the same footprint.
• Countertops.
• Trim and interior doors.

Thresholds differ between Seminole County, Orange County and the cities inside them, so confirm yours with the building department before you assume. One phone call with your parcel number settles it.

Why it matters more than the fine

The reason to permit work is not the penalty. It is that unpermitted work follows the house: an appraiser gives it no value, a buyer discounts it, and some insurers will decline a claim connected to it. That is three costs, and they all arrive at the worst moment.

Roughly half the low appraisals I see are missing permitted square footage — the detail is in what to do when an appraisal comes in low.

If the work was done before you bought it

You can often permit it after the fact. It involves a fee, an application and an inspection, and sometimes opening up part of the work so an inspector can see it. It is less painful than people fear and it converts a liability into square footage that counts.

1. 1Pull the permit history on the parcel so you know what is missing.
2. 2Ask the building department what they require for an after-the-fact permit on that scope.
3. 3Have a licensed contractor make the application where the trade requires one.

I pull permits weekly and can tell you which route is realistic for your particular piece of work: the contractor side. If the work in question is a garage conversion, read what that does to resale first.

What a permit actually involves

1. 1An application, usually with a drawing or a product approval number attached.
2. 2A fee, which varies by jurisdiction and by the value of the work.
3. 3Inspections at defined stages, which is the part that protects you.
4. 4A final inspection and a closed permit, which is the document to keep.

An open permit is worse than no permit at resale, because it shows work that was started and never signed off. If you inherit one, closing it is usually straightforward and always better than leaving it.