Almost always. What the July 2026 $7,500 exemption does and doesn't cover, which office issues the permit in Orlando and Seminole County, the Notice of Commencement, and who pulls it. Updated October 2026.
We typically reply the same business day.
Almost always, yes. Since July 1, 2026, a single-family owner in Florida can request an exemption from a building permit for work valued under $7,500, but the exemption excludes any electrical, plumbing, structural, mechanical or gas work and any property in a flood hazard area. A bathroom remodel nearly always moves or replaces plumbing or wiring — a tub-to-shower conversion, a relocated drain, a new circuit — so it is permitted and inspected by the city or county for your address. A like-for-like vanity, a mirror, paint and hardware are the kind of work that can qualify. The contractor pulls the permit; we do, under licence CGC1539321.
| Work | Permit? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Tub-to-walk-in-shower conversion | Yes | Plumbing — the drain and valve change, and the base is rebuilt |
| Moving the toilet, sink or shower drain | Yes | Plumbing through the slab |
| New circuit, exhaust fan wiring, lighting rewired | Yes | Electrical |
| Removing or moving a wall | Yes | Structural |
| New water heater or a relocated supply line | Yes | Plumbing (and mechanical or gas where it applies) |
| Like-for-like vanity, faucet or toilet swap | Usually no, by exemption request | No new plumbing lines; under $7,500; not in a flood hazard area |
| Paint, mirror, hardware, a new light fixture on the existing box | No | Cosmetic |
| Tile over a sound substrate with no plumbing change | Ask the office | Depends on the jurisdiction and the value of the work |
The exemption applies only to single-family homes, only on a written request with the contract, and never to work in a flood hazard area; a project may not be split into pieces to get under $7,500.
HB 803 (chapter 2026-63, now in F.S. 553.79) took effect July 1, 2026. It requires local governments to exempt single-family homeowners and their contractors from a building permit for work valued under $7,500, after a written request with the contract. It then lists what the exemption never covers: any electrical, plumbing, structural, mechanical or gas work, and any property in a flood hazard area. It also bars splitting a project into pieces to get under the threshold.
For a bathroom that list is the whole story. The visible parts of a remodel — tile, vanity, fixtures — sit on top of plumbing and wiring, and almost every remodel changes one or the other: a tub comes out and a shower valve and drain go in, a vanity moves and the supply lines follow, a fan or a heated floor needs a circuit. So the exemption covers a small cosmetic job and little else. An exemption is also not a waiver of the code: the work still has to meet the Florida Building Code, 8th Edition (2023); it simply is not reviewed and inspected.
Answers that still quote a $2,500 figure for the Notice of Commencement, or say bathrooms never need a permit, predate this law or confuse two rules. The Notice of Commencement threshold is $5,000 (below), and the permit question is answered by the list of exclusions above.
The city if the property is inside city limits, the county if it is unincorporated — the mailing address does not decide it. Winter Park, Oviedo, Lake Mary, Sanford, Longwood and most of the places we serve run their own building division; many homes with an Orlando, Apopka, Winter Garden or Windermere address are in unincorporated Orange County; Celebration permits through Osceola County. We confirm the parcel before filing.
| Place | County | Permit office |
|---|---|---|
| Bathroom remodeling in Orlando | Orange | City of Orlando Permitting Services inside city limits; Orange County Division of Building Safety for unincorporated addresses such as Conway, Dr. Phillips and Azalea Park |
| Baldwin Park and Lake Nona | Orange | City of Orlando Permitting Services (most of Lake Nona; some nearby communities are unincorporated Orange County) |
| Bathroom remodeling in Oviedo | Seminole | City of Oviedo Building Division; Black Hammock, Chuluota and Geneva go through the Seminole County Building Division |
| Winter Springs, Casselberry, Longwood | Seminole | Each city's building division |
| Lake Mary, Sanford, Altamonte Springs | Seminole | City of Lake Mary Building Division; City of Sanford Building Division; City of Altamonte Springs Building Division |
| Winter Park and Maitland | Orange | City of Winter Park Building Division; City of Maitland Building Division |
| Apopka, Ocoee, Winter Garden, Windermere | Orange | Each city's building division inside its limits; Orange County for unincorporated addresses (much of Wekiwa Springs, Horizon West and the Windermere estate communities) |
| Kissimmee and St. Cloud | Osceola | City of Kissimmee Building Division; City of St. Cloud Building Division; Osceola County for unincorporated addresses |
| Celebration | Osceola | Osceola County Building Department, after Celebration's architectural review for any exterior change |
The full list with ADU rules and flood-map links: who issues your permit in Seminole, Orange and Osceola County.
Winter Park: yes for any plumbing or electrical change, through the City of Winter Park Building Division, whose permitting rules are stricter than most neighbors'; the historic and neighborhood design reviews that cover many 1920s–50s homes apply to exterior changes, which a bathroom rarely involves unless a window moves. Orlando: yes, through City of Orlando Permitting Services inside the city limits, including Baldwin Park and most of Lake Nona; homes with an Orlando mailing address in Conway, Dr. Phillips or Azalea Park are usually in unincorporated Orange County, where the Orange County Division of Building Safety reviews the work. Inside Orlando's historic districts exterior changes are reviewed before a permit is issued.
Who pulls it matters. Florida requires the contractor's licence number on every bid, proposal, contract and advertisement (F.S. 489.119), and a contractor who takes more than 10% of the price up front must apply for the permit within 30 days and start within 90 days of its issue (F.S. 489.126). A contractor who asks you to pull the permit yourself is shifting responsibility for the work and the inspections to you. You can verify any Florida licence on the DBPR search; ours is CGC1539321.
The exemption never applies in a flood hazard area, so every bathroom remodel there is permitted whatever its value. Look the address up on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center. A bathroom remodel alone rarely approaches the substantial-improvement threshold — work costing 50% or more of the building's market value (44 CFR 59.1) — but a bathroom done as part of a whole-house remodel can, and the building then has to meet the flood standards for new construction. We check the zone before pricing.
Quoted word for word from our Google Business Profile (Oct 2026). Reviewers name the work; we add nothing.
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Sources (primary sources, checked 2026-10-16): F.S. 553.79 · F.S. 713.135 · F.S. 489.126 · F.S. 489.119 · Florida Building Code · 44 CFR 59.1 · FEMA Flood Map Service Center · DBPR. This page explains rules in general terms; it is not legal advice, and the building department for your address has the final word.
Call (407) 993-6889 or send your project details — we’ll get right back to you.