Do you need a permit for siding, windows or stucco in Florida?

The $7,500 exemption applies only to single-family homes on a written request, only outside flood hazard areas, and never to structural, electrical, plumbing, mechanical or gas work.

Since July 1, 2026 (HB 803, now in F.S. 553.79), local governments must exempt single-family homeowners and their contractors from a building permit for work valued under $7,500, after a written request with the contract, but the exemption excludes any electrical, plumbing, structural, mechanical or gas work and any property in a flood hazard area, and a project may not be split to get under the threshold. For exteriors, that draws the line at structure and openings: replacing rafter tails, sheathing or framing behind rotted fascia or siding is structural, and windows and doors are openings in the envelope, so both stay permitted. Paint, sealant and cosmetic patching are not on the list and are generally treated as maintenance.

An exemption is not a waiver of the code. The Florida Building Code, 8th Edition (2023) still applies to the work, and every window, exterior door, shutter or roofing product installed in Florida must carry Florida Product Approval or a local approval for that job (F.S. 553.842), whether or not a permit is pulled.

Florida's product-approval law covers windows, exterior doors, roofing products, skylights, shutters and impact protective systems: each product must carry a statewide Florida Product Approval number, or a local approval for the job, and a statewide approval bars further local testing. The approval documents the pressures the product was tested to; the design wind pressure it must meet is set per address under the code (FBC Section 1609), not as one number for the region.

A Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance is not required here by statute. The High-Velocity Hurricane Zone covers Broward and Miami-Dade counties only; Seminole, Orange and Osceola are outside it, so a Florida Product Approval for the pressure at your address is what the permit office checks. Impact-rated units count as opening protection, which matters for insurance (below).

They can. Under F.S. 627.0629, residential property insurers must include discounts or credits in their rates for construction features shown to reduce windstorm loss — roof strength, roof covering, roof-to-wall connections, opening protection and similar. The features are documented on a wind-mitigation inspection, form OIR-B1-1802 (Rev. 04/26 is required for inspections from April 1, 2026), which may be signed by a licensed home inspector with mitigation training, a certified building code inspector, a licensed general, building or residential contractor, an engineer or an architect. After impact windows, shutters or a new roof, ask your insurer whether a new inspection changes the premium; the FAQ hub covers the insurance rules.

The city if the property is inside city limits, the county if it is unincorporated; the mailing address does not settle it. Before the permit, many communities review the change: HOA and architectural review boards in Tuscawilla, Heathrow, Baldwin Park, Lake Nona, Celebration and the Windermere estates approve colours, materials and window styles, and the historic districts of Longwood, Sanford, Winter Park, Winter Garden and Orlando review street-facing changes. That review is separate from the permit and usually comes first.

The full list with ADU rules: who issues your permit in Seminole, Orange and Osceola County.

• Licence number on the proposal and contract — Florida requires it on every bid, contract and advertisement (F.S. 489.119); verify it on the DBPR licence search. Ours is CGC1539321.
• Permit pulled by the contractor, in its own name, for window and door replacement, re-siding and structural repairs; inspections scheduled by the contractor and the permit closed at the end.
• Notice of Commencement — recorded and posted before the first inspection when the direct contract is greater than $5,000 (F.S. 713.135); we prepare it with the permit paperwork.
• Deposit — a contractor who takes more than 10% up front must apply for the permit within 30 days and start within 90 days of its issue (F.S. 489.126).
• Product approvals on file — the Florida Product Approval numbers for every window, door and shutter, which the permit office and your insurer may ask for.
• Flood zone checked — the exemption never applies in a flood hazard area; look the address up on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center. Exterior work alone rarely approaches the 50%-of-value substantial-improvement threshold (44 CFR 59.1), but a whole-house project can.

1. Site visit: fascia, soffit and trim checked for rot, stucco for cracks and hollow spots, sealant at windows and bands, siding for water behind it, gutters and drainage.
2. Scope and selections, with the product approvals for windows and doors; HOA or design-review submittal where it applies.
3. Permit filed with the city or county for your address for windows, doors, re-siding and structural repairs.
4. Repairs first: rot cut out and replaced, flashing at the transitions, stucco causes fixed and the wall patched or re-coated with the texture matched.
5. Windows, doors and siding installed, flashed and sealed; inspections called.
6. Paint last, so the new work and the old surface match; permit closed and a walkthrough.