Florida Building Permits
Building permits in Florida are issued by cities and counties, not the state, so the rules depend on where your home is. These are the Florida city we cover: Orlando.
Florida Permit Activity at a Glance
Across the city below, we counted 7,474 issued permits for the home projects we track between October 30, 2025 and October 30, 2026. The counts come straight from each city's open permit data and are refreshed monthly. The busiest category was HVAC work in Orlando, with 3,765 permits. Where the data includes an application date, the fastest median time from application to issue was 1 day (roofing in Orlando) and the slowest was 22 days (fence in Orlando).
Orlando Building Permits
4 project guides · 7,474 permits in 12 months · City of Orlando Permitting Services
In Orlando, residential permits are issued by the City of Orlando Permitting Services. Our counts use the city's Orlando Permit Applications dataset. Short answers for each project we cover:
- Roof replacement: Yes. Replacing or repairing a roof on a home in Orlando needs a building permit. The City requires a dry-in/in-progress inspection and an affidavit at final verifying deck nailing and the secondary water barrier.
- AC or furnace replacement: Yes. Installing or replacing a permanently installed air-conditioning or heating system in Orlando needs a Mechanical (MEC) permit. Portable and plug-in units do not.
- Solar panel installation: Yes. Orlando reviews residential solar with a Solar Plan Review Checklist, and the electrical work is permitted as 'New Solar' on the Electrical Permit Application.
- New fence: Sometimes. Orlando requires a fence permit if the fence is over 6 feet, masonry or reinforced, a pool barrier, on a corner lot or alley lot, near an easement, has vehicle or powered gates, or is in a floodplain. Other fences still must meet City Code.
| Project Guide | Permit Needed? | Permits in 12 Months | Median Days to Issue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orlando Roofing Permits | Yes | 3,008 | 1 |
| Orlando HVAC Permits | Yes | 3,765 | 1 |
| Orlando Solar Panel Permits | Yes | 176 | 14 |
| Orlando Fence Permits | Sometimes | 525 | 22 |
Not yet covered for Orlando: new deck or porch. We only publish a project guide when the city's open data identifies that work clearly enough to count at least 10 permits in 12 months and we have checked the rule against an official city source. Until then, ask the City of Orlando Permitting Services directly before starting one of these projects.
How to Use These Florida Guides
Start with the city that issues permits for your address. If you live outside city limits, your county or township usually handles permits instead, and its rules can differ from the city pages here. Each project guide quotes the official rule, lists any fee the city publishes, and links to the source so you can confirm it before you start work. Permit counts show how often each kind of job is permitted locally, and median days to issue show how long a typical application took over the last 12 months. Rules and fees change, so treat the official source as final and call the permit office if your project is unusual.
Data last refreshed October 30, 2026.