Who issues your building permit in Seminole, Orange and Osceola County?

Offices from our city records; ADU entries link to the sourced rules on ADU rules by city. Addresses near a city line, and many 'Orlando', 'Windermere' or 'Kissimmee' mailing addresses, are unincorporated and go through the county, so we confirm the office for every address.

The mailing address doesn't decide it; the city limits do. Many homes with an Orlando, Windermere, Kissimmee or Oviedo mailing address are in unincorporated parts of Orange, Osceola or Seminole County, and those permits go through the county. Inside city limits, the city's building division issues the permit.

A few places need care. Baldwin Park is part of the City of Orlando. Most of Lake Nona is inside the City of Orlando, but some nearby communities with Lake Nona or Orlando addresses are unincorporated Orange County. The Town of Windermere permits inside town limits, while many Windermere addresses are unincorporated Orange County. Celebration is an unincorporated community, so permits go through Osceola County, and its covenants and design review apply as well. Tell us the address and we confirm which building department reviews the work.

• The Florida Building Code, 8th Edition (2023), in effect statewide since December 31, 2023; local offices add their own administrative rules on top.
• Product approval: windows, exterior doors, roofing, skylights and shutters need a Florida Product Approval or a local approval for the job.
• Notice of Commencement: when the direct contract is greater than $5,000, the office needs a copy of the recorded notice before the first inspection; repair or replacement of an existing heating or air-conditioning system under $15,000 is excluded (F.S. 713.135).
• The $7,500 exemption: since July 1, 2026, every local government that issues permits must exempt single-family owners from a permit for work valued under $7,500 on written request, except electrical, plumbing, structural, mechanical or gas work and property in a flood hazard area.
• Flood rules: in a mapped flood zone, improvements costing 50% or more of the building's market value are substantial improvements under the National Flood Insurance Program (44 CFR 59.1).

• ADU rules. Florida lets each city and county decide (F.S. 163.31771). The City of Orlando allows ADUs as a permitted use; Oviedo with a zoning permit; unincorporated Seminole County by right or administratively; unincorporated Orange County only on homestead property; Winter Springs by conditional use; Casselberry has no ADU ordinance yet. See ADU rules by city.
• Flood-zone valuation. Seminole County measures the 50% threshold against the structure's assessed tax value; the City of Orlando uses its appraised value.
• Zoning, setbacks and lot coverage, which decide how big an addition can be and where it can go.
• Historic districts and design review, for example in parts of Orlando and Winter Park, and covenants in planned communities such as Celebration.
• Review times and portals, which change with each office's workload; we build the current turnaround into your written schedule.

Normally the licensed contractor: the permit is pulled under the contractor's licence, and the contractor schedules the inspections. A homeowner can pull a permit as an owner-builder only for their own home and must personally supervise the work, so be wary of a contractor who asks you to pull it. We file the permits for our projects under Florida certified general contractor licence CGC1539321 with the building department for your address.

1. Find your place in the table, then confirm city limits for the exact address.
2. If you're planning an ADU, read the rule for your jurisdiction on ADU rules by city.
3. Look up the flood zone on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center.
4. Send us the address and the project; we confirm the office, the rules and the schedule with your written estimate.