Renovating a Condo in South Florida: Approvals and Permits

Condo remodeling guide

The short answer

Step 1

Who has to approve a condo remodel

Florida’s Condominium Act does not set one statewide approval form for interior work. It sets the limits, and each building’s recorded documents fill in the process. Three provisions of section 718.113, Florida Statutes matter most:

• Safety and soundness. A unit owner “shall not do anything within his or her unit or on the common elements which would adversely affect the safety or soundness of the common elements” or of property the association maintains. Walls, slabs and shared systems are exactly what a remodel touches.
• Common elements. There can be no material alteration or substantial addition to the common elements “except in a manner provided in the declaration”.
• Maintenance. The association maintains the common elements, except for limited common elements the declaration assigns to owners.

In practice, most declarations and rules require the board or the manager to approve alterations before work starts. They also set the conditions: drawings, the contractor’s licence and insurance, working hours, elevator and loading-dock bookings, and floor protection. The documents differ from building to building, so read your own before you sign a contract, not after.

Step 2

What is yours to change, and yours to insure

The line between your unit and the common elements is drawn in the declaration, so there is no universal map. The insurance statute, though, gives a useful statewide guide to what sits on your side. Under section 718.111(11)(f), the association’s property policy covers the condominium property “as originally installed or replacement of like kind and quality”, and it must exclude the finishes inside your unit that serve only your unit:

Two practical consequences follow. First, an upgraded kitchen or bathroom is mostly your insurance risk: the association policy covers like-kind replacement of what was originally installed, so tell your own insurer about a significant upgrade. Second, after a casualty such as a water leak or storm, section 718.111(11)(g) lets an owner rebuild the unit’s portions only with the board’s prior written consent. The board may condition that consent on the repair method, the contractor’s qualifications and the contract, and the owner must pull the permits first.

Step 3

Which permits a condo remodel needs

Association approval is not a building permit. The Florida Building Code (section 105.1) requires a permit to alter a building, or to install, alter or replace any electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing system. A kitchen or bathroom remodel that moves a sink, adds a circuit, relocates a vent or opens a wall needs one.

Since July 1, 2026, Florida law (chapter 2026-63, HB 803) lets the owner of a single-family dwelling request an exemption for work valued under $7,500. It does not help a condo owner. Fort Lauderdale’s guide to the law says the exemption does not apply to “condos, apartments, or multifamily buildings”. The law also excludes all electrical, plumbing, structural, mechanical and gas work, whatever the property type.

So the permit office depends on where the building is, not on the county name in your address. Our three-county permit guide and the county pages for Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach explain how each one works.

Step 4

Milestone inspections and reserve studies: why they affect your remodel

After the Surfside collapse, Florida passed SB 4-D (signed May 26, 2022). Two of its requirements now shape life in most South Florida condo towers. Neither is about your unit, but both can change when and how you renovate.

• Milestone inspection (section 553.899): condo and co-op buildings of three or more habitable stories need one by December 31 of the year the building turns 30, and every 10 years after that. A local agency may require it at 25. Phase 1 is a visual examination by a licensed architect or engineer. If phase 1 finds substantial structural deterioration, a phase 2 follows, possibly with testing, and the repairs must be commenced within 365 days of the phase 2 report.
• Structural integrity reserve study (section 718.112(2)(g)): the same buildings need one at least every 10 years. It covers the roof, structure and load-bearing walls, fireproofing and fire protection, plumbing, electrical systems, waterproofing and exterior painting, and windows and exterior doors. Owners of a unit-owner-controlled association can no longer vote to waive or reduce those reserves for studies adopted on or after December 31, 2024.

Why this matters to a unit owner planning a remodel:

• Overlap. Phase 2 repairs, window replacement or riser work can mean shut-offs, restricted elevators or access into units. A kitchen scheduled for the same months can stall.
• Budget. Reserve funding and repairs are paid by the owners. Know about any planned assessment before you commit your renovation budget.
• Information. The association must send every owner a copy of the inspector’s summary. Read it, and ask the manager for the repair schedule.

1. May 26, 2022SB 4-D signedCreates the statewide milestone inspection and the structural integrity reserve study.
2. Dec 31, 2024First statewide deadlineThe first milestone deadline for existing qualifying buildings; reserve waivers end for studies adopted from this date.
3. 2025Amended againChapter 2025-175 amends the milestone and condominium sections; the rules change most sessions.
4. Jul 1, 2026HB 803 in forceThe under-$7,500 permit exemption for single-family owners; condos are not included.

A special case

Impact windows, doors and shutters

Hurricane protection has its own rule. Under section 718.113(5), the board must adopt hurricane protection specifications for each building, and it may not refuse an owner’s installation that conforms to them. Installing hurricane protection to those specifications is not treated as a material alteration of the common elements. Ask for the current specification before you choose a product, then match it exactly.

Miami-Dade and Broward are in the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, so openings there must meet impact criteria or be protected. Our page on hurricane-rated window systems explains product approvals. Palm Beach County is outside the HVHZ, but Florida product approval still applies.

Interactive checklist

A sequence that avoids stop-work surprises

Our process

How this shapes an Elbaz condo project

For condo renovations, including kitchen remodels and bathroom remodels, we read the building’s documents with you before design, prepare what the association asks for, and handle the permits with the correct building department. On a design-build project, the design and the approval package are prepared together, so the drawings the board sees are the drawings we build.

If your building is part of a flood-zone project or the unit is on a lower floor, our guide to the FEMA 50% rule covers the flood rules. When you are ready, send us your plans and your building’s rules: it is easier to plan around them than to redesign later.