Do I need a permit for interior remodeling in St. Augustine?
It depends. Whether interior remodeling needs a permit in St. Augustine comes down to the details of your project.
Cosmetic interior work such as painting, flooring, cabinets, and drywall patching generally does not need a permit, while remodeling that involves electrical, plumbing, mechanical, gas, or structural changes does. Florida HB 803, effective July 1 2026, exempts single-family work under $7,500 from a building permit, but it excludes those five trades and does not apply in flood-hazard areas. Most permit-worthy remodels involve one of those trades.
Florida and local notes for St. Augustine
Electrical, plumbing, mechanical, gas, and structural work still need a permit regardless of cost. HB 803 bars splitting a project to stay under $7,500 and does not apply in flood-hazard areas. Local departments implement HB 803 individually, so confirm the policy in your jurisdiction. St. Johns County's own permitting office is the St. Johns County Building Department, reachable on (904) 827-6800 at https://www.sjcfl.us/departments/building-department/. Its online permit portal is https://webapp.sjcfl.us/WATSWebX/Permit/SearchPermit.aspx. It issues permits for the unincorporated county. If your city does not run its own building department, and many smaller Florida municipalities do not, this is the office that will handle the job. Each trade normally needs its own permit on top of the building permit, so ask which trade permits your scope will require. St. Augustine says interior painting, minor repairs, and interior decorating usually do not require a permit, while renovations usually do. St. Augustine does not require a building permit for improvements under $7,500 on a single-family home (effective July 1, 2026), but only after the city approves an exemption request filed through a land development application with the contract or cost documents. Electrical, plumbing, mechanical, gas, structural work, and property in a flood hazard area still need permits at any cost, and starting without an approved exemption doubles the permit fees. The city states that one project cannot be split into smaller jobs to stay under the $7,500 limit.
Documents you may need
- Permit application (for trade or structural work)Sometimes required
- Scope description or plansSometimes required
- Trade subpermits (electrical, plumbing, mechanical, gas)Sometimes required
- Licensed contractor informationSometimes required
- Renovation - Residential permit application through the Permit PortalSometimes required
- Architectural or engineered building plans (FBC 107)Sometimes required
- Energy calculations and truss engineering, if applicableSometimes required
- Exemption request with contract or cost documents for work under $7,500Sometimes required
Possible inspections
- Rough inspections for any electrical, plumbing, or mechanical changes
- Framing inspection if walls are altered
- Final inspection
- Rough trade inspections where trades are involved
Frequently asked questions
- Do I need a permit for interior remodeling in St. Augustine?
- It depends. Whether interior remodeling needs a permit in St. Augustine comes down to the details of your project. The documents and inspections sections on this page list what the building department typically asks for.
- Who issues the permit in St. Augustine?
- The local building department for St. Augustine handles permitting. This page lists its contact details and online portal. Your mailing city is not always the permitting authority, so confirm the jurisdiction before you apply.
- How do I find out the exact requirements for my project?
- Run the free PermitRoadmap check for your specific project and answers. It returns the likely permits, documents, inspections, and next steps, each linked to its official source.
PermitRoadmap is an independent informational service and is not affiliated with any city, county, state agency, or permitting authority. Results are informational and do not replace confirming requirements with the local permitting authority.