Our Methodology
How we research, verify, and date every permit rule, and why we default to the cautious outcome.
The standard we hold ourselves to
A permit site is only worth using if it is accurate, so we treat accuracy as the product. Every rule that drives a result on this site is written down, traced to an official source, and dated. This page explains exactly how that works, so you can judge whether to trust it.
Where our answers come from
Our results are not generated by a language model guessing at the law. They come from a deterministic rule engine: a set of rules we research and enter by hand, each keyed to a project type, a jurisdiction, and the answers you give. The same inputs always produce the same result, so a result is reproducible and reviewable.
Every rule is sourced and dated
For each published rule we require:
- At least one official source. We rely on primary sources: the Florida Building Code, the Florida Statutes, the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, and the county and city building departments themselves. We do not cite other blogs as authority.
- A "last verified" date. You can see when we last checked a rule against its source. Requirements change, and a date tells you how fresh the guidance is.
- Honest warnings. Where a rule has common exceptions (flood zones, historic districts, HOA rules, like-for-like replacements), we say so rather than pretending it is simpler than it is.
Why we lean cautious
When a rule is genuinely unclear, we default to telling you a permit may be required and to confirm with your building department. This is deliberate. Over-stating "you may need a permit" costs you a phone call. Under-stating it can cost you a fine, a stop-work order, or a failed inspection later. So the strongest "no" we usually give is "a permit is likely not required," and only when a source supports it.
Jurisdiction contacts
For each of the cities and counties we cover, we collect the department name, website, permit portal, phone, address, and hours directly from that government's own site, and we mark each contact verified with a date. When we cannot confirm a field, we say "not listed" rather than guessing.
When laws change
Florida updates its building code and its statutes, and counties update their ordinances and fees. We monitor for changes to the areas we cover and re-verify. Rules are versioned, so a result you saved reflects the guidance as it stood when you ran it.
We are still not your building department
This rigor makes our guidance a strong starting point, not an official determination. Only the authority having jurisdiction over your property can confirm requirements and issue a permit. Please read our Disclaimer, and use the free checker to see this method in action.
Found something wrong?
If you believe a rule is out of date or incorrect, tell us and point us to the source. We take corrections seriously, so send them through our contact form.