Permit Services

Frequently asked questions

What does a permit expediter actually do?

A permit expediter runs the permitting process on your behalf: we research the property, prepare the application and its documents, submit through the correct portal, watch the review queue, respond to correction requests, schedule inspections, and stay on it until the permit is closed. We do not do the construction work and we do not review plans as an engineer would. Think of us as the person who knows both local systems cold, so your project does not stall on paperwork.

Do I need a permit for my project?

It depends on the work and the jurisdiction, and guessing wrong is expensive in both directions. As a rule of thumb in this area, most work that is structural, electrical, plumbing, or mechanical needs a permit: water heater and A/C changeouts, window and door replacement, roofs, sheds over a certain size, remodels that move walls or plumbing, docks, and pool cages. Painting, flooring, and simple cosmetic work generally do not. The honest answer for your specific project takes a few minutes of checking, which is exactly what our free assessment does.

How long does a permit take in Sarasota?

It varies by permit type and how busy the review queues are, and nobody can honestly promise you a government turnaround time. Simple trade permits can be same-week; remodels and additions take longer because more reviewers touch them. What we control is everything on our side of the counter: a complete application the first time, corrections answered fast, and inspections scheduled promptly. Incomplete submittals are the single biggest source of delay, and they are entirely avoidable.

What does permit expediting cost?

We charge a flat service fee, quoted in writing before we start, scoped to the specific permit or problem. Government fees, the amounts Sarasota County or the City of Sarasota charge for the permit itself, are separate, passed through at cost, and itemized so you see exactly where every dollar goes. We do not publish a fee menu because a simple water heater closeout and a 2015 expired remodel permit are very different jobs, but the structure is always the same: one flat fee, no surprises.

How do I know if my property is in the City of Sarasota or Sarasota County?

The city limits are irregular, and plenty of properties with a Sarasota mailing address are actually in unincorporated Sarasota County. The quickest check is the property appraiser's record for your parcel, which shows the taxing district. It matters because the two jurisdictions run separate permitting operations: the county reviews through its Accela Citizen Access portal, and the City of Sarasota has its own Building and Permitting division with its own portal and checklists. Send us the address and we will tell you for free.

What happens if I skip the permit?

Unpermitted work does not stay secret. It surfaces when you sell the house, when an insurance claim gets investigated, when a neighbor complains, or when a later project brings an inspector to the property. The consequences range from after-the-fact permits at higher cost, to opening walls so work can be inspected, to removing the work entirely. It can also complicate insurance coverage and closings. Getting the permit up front is nearly always cheaper than legalizing work later.

The title company found an open permit on my closing. What now?

This is one of the most common calls we get, and it is fixable. An open permit means work was permitted but the file was never closed with a passing final inspection. What it needs depends on the permit: sometimes just a final inspection, sometimes an affidavit or sign-off from a contractor, sometimes a renewal because the permit expired. We research exactly what each open item needs, lay out the path, and drive it to closed status. The earlier you start before the closing date, the more options you have.

What is an expired permit?

Under the Florida Building Code, a permit expires when the work stops for 180 days without an approved inspection. The project may even be finished, but if nobody called in the final inspection, the permit sat, timed out, and became an expired open item on the property's record. Expired permits show up in municipal lien searches during sales and have to be resolved: typically reactivating or reapplying, then passing the inspections the original permit needed.

What is a Notice of Commencement, in plain English?

A Notice of Commencement, or NOC, is a document recorded with the county clerk that publicly says construction is starting on your property. Florida law (Statute 713.13) requires one for most improvements over $5,000, and it must be recorded before the first inspection. It exists to protect lien rights in the construction chain. Miss it and your first inspection fails on a technicality. It is a small step that trips up a surprising number of projects, and it is part of what we handle.

What is an owner-builder permit?

Florida lets a property owner pull their own permit without hiring a licensed contractor, under the owner-builder exemption in Statute 489.103. It comes with real obligations: the property must be for your own use or occupancy, generally cannot be sold or leased within a year of completion, and you personally take on the responsibilities a contractor would normally carry, including supervising the work and its safety. For the right person and project it is a legitimate path, and we help owner-builders get the paperwork and process right.

Can you guarantee my permit gets approved?

No, and you should walk away from anyone who says yes. Approval decisions belong to the county and city reviewers, period. What we control, and what actually determines how smoothly a permit moves, is the quality and completeness of the submittal, the speed of correction responses, and whether inspections get scheduled and passed. Our job is to make sure the only thing between you and an approved permit is the government's own review, not a missing document.

Do you do the construction work too?

No. We are not a contractor, an engineering firm, or a law office, and we are careful about that line. We run the permitting process: research, preparation, submittal, tracking, corrections, and inspections coordination. When a project needs a licensed professional, like an engineer's letter for after-the-fact work or a contractor to correct something an inspector flagged, we coordinate with yours or help you find one. Everyone stays in their lane, which is exactly how permitting is supposed to work.

What is in a permit history report?

A permit history report is a plain-English rundown of every permit on record for a property: what was permitted, when, by whom, and the current status of each one, including anything open, expired, or conspicuously missing, like a replaced roof with no roof permit on file. Buyers use it before an offer to avoid inheriting someone else's paperwork problem. Sellers and agents use it before listing so nothing ambushes the closing. It is research we do in the same county and city systems we work in every day.

What areas do you serve?

Sarasota County and the City of Sarasota, on purpose. Those are two different permitting operations with different portals, checklists, and review habits, and knowing both of them cold is the entire value of this service. We deliberately do not spread across half of Florida, because a permit runner who dabbles in ten jurisdictions is exactly as slow as you would be in one. If your property is anywhere in Sarasota County, including Siesta Key, Palmer Ranch, Gulf Gate, Fruitville, Osprey, or Nokomis, you are in our territory.

I started a permit application myself and it is stuck. Can you take it over?

Yes, and it is common. Usually the application is sitting in a correction cycle: the reviewer asked for something, the request reads like it is written in a foreign language, and the clock is quietly running. We pick up the existing application, translate what the reviewer actually needs, fix the submittal, and carry it the rest of the way. You do not lose the fees you already paid, and you stop losing evenings to the portal.

How do I get started?

Request a free assessment with the property address and a sentence about the project or the problem. We look up the property record and permit history, confirm which jurisdiction it falls under, and come back with a plain-English rundown of what the situation needs and a flat written fee, usually the same business day. If it turns out to be something you can easily do yourself, we will tell you that too, for free. No pressure either way.