Building Permits · Miami-Dade & Miami Beach · 2026

Miami-Dade building permit costs and timelines

What permits actually cost, how the fees are calculated, how long they take, and why Miami Beach runs slower than the rest of the county — the realities to plan a build around.

The short version: building permit fees in Miami-Dade are government charges calculated mainly on your project's construction value, plus separate trade permits and — for new construction — impact fees. For a custom home, the all-in permitting can reach the tens of thousands; a remodel is far less. Timelines run from about a month for a straightforward remodel to several months for ground-up construction, and Miami Beach adds design review on top.

These are county and city fees, not a builder's charge. Here's how they're calculated and what to expect.

How fees are calculated

What a Miami-Dade permit fee is made of

A single "permit" is really several charges stacked together:

Building permit fee — the core fee, calculated from your declared construction value on a published fee schedule. The higher the job value, the higher the fee.
Trade permits — separate permits and fees for electrical, plumbing, and mechanical (HVAC) work, each reviewed on its own.
Impact fees — charged on new construction and added square footage to fund schools, roads, and parks. On a new single-family home these are often the largest single line, and they don't apply to a like-for-like remodel.
Other charges — plan-review, code-compliance, technology/scanning fees, and environmental (DERM) review where applicable, plus radon and other state surcharges.

Because the building fee is valuation-based and impact fees scale with new area, two projects of the same size can carry very different permit costs depending on scope and location.

By project type

Typical permit cost and timeline

Project type	Typical permit cost	Typical timeline
New single-family construction	~$20,000–$60,000+ (impact fees are the largest part)	3–6 months
Home addition	~$2,500–$15,000+ (impact fees on new area)	1–4 months
Large / whole-home remodel	~$3,000–$15,000+ (valuation + trade permits)	1–3 months

Ranges are for planning only — actual fees depend on your construction value, the specific municipality, and impact-fee schedules. Miami Beach adds design review and typically runs longer than the figures above.

Why Miami Beach is harder

The Miami Beach building permit process

Miami Beach sits under stricter review than most of Miami-Dade, for three reasons:

Design review. Many projects must pass the Design Review Board — or, in historic districts, the Historic Preservation Board — before a building permit is even filed. That approval process can add months to the front of the schedule.
Flood & resiliency. As a low-lying barrier island, Miami Beach enforces higher base-flood and freeboard requirements, which shape the design and add review scrutiny.
HVHZ. Like all of Miami-Dade, Miami Beach is a High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, so impact products and assemblies must carry Miami-Dade Notices of Acceptance — one more layer of documentation reviewers check.

None of this is a reason to avoid building in Miami Beach — it's a reason to build with a team that knows the boards and submits complete, coordinated packages the first time.

Avoiding delays

How an owner keeps permitting on schedule

Most permit delays are self-inflicted: incomplete drawings, uncoordinated disciplines, or missing documents that trigger a round of review comments — and each round can add weeks. The projects that move fastest do a few things right: they submit a complete, coordinated set (architectural, structural, and MEP aligned) on the first pass, have the survey and any elevation certificate ready, and — in Miami Beach — build the design-review timeline into the schedule from the start rather than discovering it late.

How JMK handles this for clients

Permitting, managed end to end

On our ground-up new construction and large-remodel projects, we manage the full permit process — assembling the coordinated set, filing across every discipline, tracking the review, and responding to comments so the project keeps moving. In Miami Beach, we plan for design review up front. The permit process is one of the most common causes of a build running late; managing it is part of the job, not an afterthought.

Common questions

Miami-Dade permits — FAQ

How much does a building permit cost in Miami-Dade?

It depends on construction value and project type. Building fees are calculated from your declared job value, with separate trade permits and — for new construction and additions — impact fees. A new single-family home commonly totals around $20,000–$60,000+ all-in (impact fees are the largest part), while a remodel typically runs a few thousand to around $15,000.

How long do permits take in Miami-Dade?

Roughly 1–3 months for a remodel and 3–6 months for new single-family construction, from submission to issued permit. The biggest variable is review rounds — an incomplete or uncoordinated set triggers comments that each add weeks. Miami Beach runs longer because of design review.

Why is the Miami Beach building permit process slower?

Miami Beach requires design review — through the Design Review Board, or the Historic Preservation Board in historic districts — before a building permit is filed, which adds months up front. It also enforces higher flood and freeboard requirements as a barrier island, adding scrutiny to the design.

What permits does new construction in Miami require?

A new home needs a master building permit plus separate electrical, plumbing, and mechanical (HVAC) permits, and often paving/drainage, and environmental (DERM) approvals. Impact fees apply. Miami Beach and other municipalities add design-review approval before the building permit is filed.

Planning a build in Miami-Dade?

We manage permitting end to end so your project doesn't stall in review. Tell us about your lot or your plans and we'll map the path.

Start your project Call 305-890-4953