Do I need a permit for a kitchen remodel in Florida?

The rule in the Florida Building Code

The Florida Building Code, section 105.1 says anyone who intends to alter a building, or to install or alter its electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing system, must first get a permit. A kitchen remodel that takes out a wall, moves the sink, adds circuits for new appliances or reroutes a gas line falls under that.

Florida's list of permit-free work (section 105.2) only covers a few gas, mechanical and plumbing items, and section 105.2.2 allows ordinary minor repairs without a permit only with the building official's approval, never when walls are cut or piping, wiring or equipment is added or moved. Paint and new hardware are a different matter from a new layout, and your building department draws that line for your job.

What Manatee County publishes

A kitchen remodel can be anything from new paint and hardware to taking out walls and rerouting gas, water and power. The permit question changes with the job, so a blanket yes or no would be a guess. What matters is what your plan touches.

Manatee County lists permit types for Residential, Plumbing, Electrical, Mechanical, Door and Window, and Roof work, plus express permits for Residential Plumbing and Residential Electrical. A kitchen that changes the layout can touch several of them.

What Manatee County publishes

The Building Division page links to a document titled "What work does and does not require a permit?" That document is the best official answer for cabinets, countertops, flooring and similar items. We could not open its contents, so we do not list its items. Please read it yourself or ask the office.

The state building code lists exempt work in Chapter 1, Section 105.2 (Florida Building Code, 2023, 8th Edition). We did not read that list, so we do not quote it.

Parts of a kitchen job to ask about

These are the questions to put to the permit office. We are not saying each one needs a permit:

• Moving the sink, dishwasher or gas line.
• Adding circuits for a new range, oven, microwave or lighting.
• Moving or removing a wall. If it might carry weight, read our guide on load-bearing walls.
• Moving a range hood or vent.
• Replacing windows or doors in the kitchen. The county has a Door and Window permit type.
• Any work on a lot in a flood zone. The county says any alteration to a building in the floodplain requires a permit.

What a permit means for your schedule

With a permit comes plan review and inspections. The county has not published a turnaround time for standard residential permits on the pages we read, so ask the office for the current wait. A Manatee County permit expires after 180 days if no required inspection has been approved. Our page on permit expiration has more.

Skipping a permit can cost more later. Our guide on open permits when selling a home is one place that shows up.

Getting a firm answer

Call 941-748-4501 ext. 3800 or email permitting@mymanatee.org. Give your address and describe the plan in one sentence, for example "new cabinets and counters, same layout, move the sink 4 feet". If you are in Bradenton or Palmetto, use the city office instead. See Bradenton and Palmetto.

Questions to ask any contractor about permits

Whoever you hire, get these answers in writing before you sign:

• Which permits does this job need, and who is pulling each one?
• Who schedules the inspections?
• What happens to the schedule if an inspection does not pass?
• Is the permit cost in the estimate, or listed apart?

You can check any Florida contractor's license at myfloridalicense.com. Our guide on comparing remodeling estimates shows how to line bids up side by side.

How Hildebrand handles kitchen remodels

Hildebrand Construction & Remodeling pulls every required permit and meets Florida Building Code inspections. Plumbing and electrical are done by licensed trade partners that we manage and coordinate, all under one licensed contractor. We quote every kitchen after an on-site visit. Your estimate is in writing, and the price does not change without your written approval.

See our kitchen remodels and what kitchens cost in Florida. Call or text (941) 284-2218, Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM.

Questions homeowners ask