Do You Need a Permit to Remodel a Bathroom in Florida?
Most Florida bathroom remodels need a permit. A narrow exemption starts in July 2026. It only excuses small, non-structural jobs in owner-occupied homes under $7,499. It does not cover plumbing or electrical work, and most bathroom jobs involve both. Which office issues your permit depends on your city: Fort Pierce, Port St. Lucie, or Vero Beach.
What does Florida's 2026 permit exemption actually cover?
Florida House Bill 803 started on July 1, 2026. It lets some small jobs skip the permit. But the rules are strict.
The job must be non-structural. The home must be owner-occupied, not a rental. The total cost must be $7,499 or less.
The exemption also leaves out plumbing and electrical work. A real bathroom remodel almost always needs both. Moving a drain for a new shower is plumbing. Adding a vanity light is electrical. If either one is part of the job, the exemption does not apply. That is true even when the home is owner-occupied and the cost is under $7,499.
Only a small cosmetic job is likely to qualify. Think a new vanity top, fresh paint, or new hardware. Nothing that touches a pipe or a wire. That is a small slice of what most bathroom remodels involve.
Which office issues your bathroom remodel permit?
| City | Permitting authority | How to submit |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Pierce | City of Fort Pierce Building Department | In person or online |
| Port St. Lucie | City of Port St. Lucie Building Department | Reviewed against the 8th edition Florida Building Code |
| Vero Beach | Indian River County Building Division (shared with the city) | MyGovernmentOnline |
Each city runs its own process. None of the three use the same office.
In Fort Pierce, plans go to the City of Fort Pierce Building Department. This office reviews new construction, remodeling, and additions. You can drop off plans in person or send them online. See Fort Pierce's permit office for more on this city.
In Port St. Lucie, permits go through that city's own Building Department, separate from St. Lucie County. Every submittal is checked against the 8th edition of the Florida Building Code. Getting your plans right the first time avoids a second review. Read more about Port St. Lucie's code review process.
Vero Beach works differently. The city shares its Building Division with Indian River County. Permits run through the county office on 27th Street. The office uses an online system called MyGovernmentOnline. See Vero Beach's two-track permit process for the full picture.
TPM tells you which office your job goes through. We walk our bathroom remodeling process through with you in all three cities. Want to know which office handles your permit? Get a free estimate and Trenton will tell you before he picks up a tool.
What happens if you skip the permit?
In Fort Pierce, the answer is clear. If the city finds work that was never permitted, it charges a doubled permit fee. If the city already issued a stop work order, that adds another $100 fee.
That is not the end of it. The homeowner must then submit certified design drawings. They also need a Certification of Completion. A Florida-registered architect or engineer must seal that certificate, confirming the finished work meets code after the fact. If no one can produce that certificate, the city can require the walls to be opened back up so the required inspections can happen.
This rule is specific to Fort Pierce. Port St. Lucie and Indian River County run their own enforcement, with their own fees. But the pattern holds everywhere. A permit pulled after the fact costs more than one pulled before work starts. It also comes with paperwork a same-day inspection would not have needed.
Can you pull your own permit, or does the contractor have to?
You can pull your own permit in most cases. But it is not always the easy path.
In Port St. Lucie, the city runs a Contractor E-Permitting Portal. This online system handles permit uploads, revisions, and inspection scheduling. It is for licensed contractors only. A homeowner who wants to pull a permit there must apply in person. They must sign the application themselves, during lobby hours.
That is a real time cost, not just paperwork. Whoever pulls the permit must be free during business hours. They must know what the office needs. They must answer if a revision comes back.
This is where TPM saves you the legwork. We know what each of the three offices expects, and we walk that paperwork through with you step by step. You will not have to learn three permit systems the week the job starts.
How much does the permit add to your timeline?
The permit step usually happens before any demolition starts. Tile, vanities, and shower glass often need to be ordered ahead of time too. The permit and the material order run on the same clock.
Vero Beach adds the most time of the three cities. A remodel there needs the county Building Division permit. It also needs a separate City of Vero Beach Planning application when the home sits inside city limits. That is two approvals instead of one. It is the most common reason a Vero Beach start date slips, compared to Fort Pierce or Port St. Lucie.
Ask your contractor early which permit path fits your address. Knowing that before materials are ordered keeps your start date real, not a guess. See everything TPM handles across the Treasure Coast, or get the exact answer for your address.
Ready to find out what your bathroom remodel actually needs? Request your free estimate and TPM will walk you through the permit your address requires. No guessing.
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Questions about your remodeling job? We serve Okeechobee and the surrounding area with honest, upfront advice.
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FAQ
Related questions
Do you need a permit to retile a shower in Florida?
Often yes. Retiling a shower usually means tearing out and rebuilding the waterproofing behind it, which is more than a cosmetic swap. If the retile also moves the drain or the plumbing, it falls outside the HB 803 exemption. Check with your city or county building office before starting.
Do you need a permit to replace a toilet in Florida?
A straight swap in the same spot, with the same connections, can be small enough to skip a permit in some cases. Moving the toilet's location or its drain line is plumbing work, and that takes it out of the exemption. Confirm with your local building department before you assume either way.
Does the HB 803 exemption apply to a rental property?
No. The exemption applies only to owner-occupied single-family homes. A rental, even a small non-structural project under $7,499, still needs a standard permit.