Commercial Construction Permits in South Florida – Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach County 2026

Commercial construction permits in South Florida cover an extraordinarily broad range of project types — from a small restaurant renovation in a strip mall to a major healthcare campus development, from a boutique hotel to a large-scale industrial warehouse complex. Miami-Dade County, Broward County, and Palm Beach County each have comprehensive permitting requirements for all commercial construction activities. Understanding commercial construction permits is essential for business owners, developers, property investors, and commercial contractors working anywhere in South Florida.

What Qualifies as Commercial Construction?

Commercial construction includes any construction project in a non-residential occupancy classification under the Florida Building Code, including: offices, retail stores and shopping centers, restaurants and food service establishments, hotels, motels, and resorts, healthcare facilities including hospitals, medical offices, and clinics, educational institutions including schools, colleges, and universities, entertainment venues including movie theaters, arenas, and event spaces, sports facilities including gyms, fitness centers, and professional sports venues, industrial and warehouse facilities, mixed-use developments, and public and government buildings.

Multi-family residential buildings above a certain size threshold — typically four or more units — are also processed as commercial construction permits in South Florida, as they fall under different Florida Building Code occupancy classifications than single-family and duplex residences.

Commercial Building Permit Types in South Florida

New Commercial Construction Permit covers all new commercial buildings from ground up. New commercial construction requires the most extensive documentation of any permit type: architectural plans from a Florida-licensed architect, structural engineering plans and calculations from a Florida-licensed structural engineer, mechanical engineering plans from a Florida-licensed mechanical engineer, electrical engineering plans from a Florida-licensed electrical engineer, plumbing engineering plans, civil engineering and site plans, environmental assessments where required, and building code compliance analysis.

Commercial Tenant Improvement Permit is among the most common commercial permits in South Florida. Tenant improvement permits cover the build-out of leased commercial space including offices, retail stores, restaurants, medical clinics, and other commercial tenants. Tenant improvement permits require architectural plans, MEP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing) engineering plans, and coordination with the base building's existing systems. Fire sprinkler system modifications triggered by the tenant improvement require separate fire permit applications.

Restaurant Permit covers new restaurant construction and restaurant renovations. Restaurant permits are among the most complex commercial permits because they require: building permits for construction, mechanical permits for commercial kitchen exhaust hood systems, plumbing permits for commercial kitchen plumbing and grease traps, electrical permits, and health department plan review for food service facility compliance. Miami-Dade County, Broward County, and Palm Beach County Health Departments all regulate food service establishments and must approve restaurant plans before permits are issued.

Hotel and Hospitality Permit covers hotel construction, hotel renovations, resort development, motel construction, and bed-and-breakfast establishments. Hotel permits require compliance with accessibility requirements under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Florida accessibility laws, fire protection requirements for hotel occupancies, and health department requirements for pool and food service facilities.

Healthcare Facility Permit covers hospitals, surgery centers, medical office buildings, dental offices, imaging centers, rehabilitation facilities, and other healthcare occupancies. Healthcare permits in Florida require compliance with Chapter 59A-3 of the Florida Administrative Code (health facility construction standards), the Florida Department of Health's health facility engineering review, CMS requirements for Medicare and Medicaid-certified facilities, and Joint Commission requirements for accredited facilities. Healthcare construction permitting is among the most complex and time-consuming in South Florida.

School and Educational Facility Permit covers K-12 public and private schools, charter schools, colleges and universities, and early learning centers. Public school construction in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties is governed by the Florida Department of Education (FLDOE) and the State Requirements for Educational Facilities (SREF). Private school construction must comply with local building codes. Educational facility permits require specialized plan review by FLDOE or the applicable state reviewing authority.

Industrial and Warehouse Permit covers warehouse construction, light industrial facilities, manufacturing plants, distribution centers, cold storage facilities, and related industrial occupancies. Industrial permits in South Florida must comply with Miami-Dade, Broward, or Palm Beach County industrial zoning requirements and may require environmental review for facilities with hazardous materials storage or industrial process discharges.

Sports and Recreation Facility Permit covers gym and fitness center construction, indoor sports facilities, bowling alleys, skating rinks, swimming facility construction, and other recreation facilities. Large sports venues — arenas, stadiums, training facilities — require extensive structural engineering and life safety planning.

Mixed-Use Development Permit covers buildings that combine residential, commercial, retail, and other uses in a single structure or development. Mixed-use permits are complex because different portions of the building may be subject to different occupancy classifications, fire protection requirements, and zoning overlay requirements.

Florida Building Code Commercial Occupancy Classifications

Commercial buildings in South Florida are classified under the Florida Building Code into occupancy groups that determine the construction requirements: Assembly (A), Business (B), Educational (E), Factory and Industrial (F), Hazardous (H), Institutional (I), Mercantile (M), Residential multi-family (R-1, R-2), Storage (S), and Utility/Miscellaneous (U). The occupancy classification determines required fire protection systems, egress requirements, structural requirements, accessibility requirements, and construction type limitations.

Commercial Plan Review Departments

Commercial permit applications in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties undergo review by multiple government departments simultaneously: Building plan reviewers (structural, architectural), Electrical plan reviewers, Mechanical plan reviewers, Plumbing plan reviewers, Fire Marshal plan reviewers (for fire protection and egress compliance), Zoning reviewers, Environmental reviewers (DERM in Miami-Dade), Health Department reviewers (for food service and healthcare), Department of Transportation (for projects affecting county or state roads), and South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) for projects affecting water management infrastructure.

Plan review timelines for commercial projects are significantly longer than residential projects. Large commercial developments can spend 6 months to 2 years in the plan review phase. Medium commercial projects — restaurant renovations, office build-outs, small retail developments — typically require 30 to 90 days for plan review when applications are complete and correctly prepared.

Commercial Construction USD Fees

Commercial permit fees are charged in USD and are typically calculated as a percentage of the construction valuation of the project. Commercial permit fees are substantially higher than residential permit fees due to the greater scope of review required. A large commercial project may incur tens of thousands of USD in permit fees alone. Application fees, plan review fees, inspection fees, and reinspection fees are all charged separately in USD.

Commercial Contractor License Requirements

Commercial construction in South Florida requires appropriately licensed contractors for each trade. General Contractor licenses or Building Contractor licenses with commercial scope are required for commercial general contracting. Commercial electrical work requires Electrical Contractor (unlimited) licenses. Commercial mechanical work requires Mechanical Contractor licenses. Commercial plumbing requires Plumbing Contractor licenses. All contractors must carry commercial-scale workers' compensation insurance, substantial general liability insurance, and valid Local Business Tax Receipts.

Contact Information for Commercial Permits

Miami-Dade Building Department: (786) 315-2000, miamidade.gov/permits. Miami-Dade County DERM: (305) 372-6600. Miami-Dade Health Department: (786) 845-0550.

Broward County Building Division: (954) 765-4400, broward.org/building. Broward County Health Department: (954) 467-4700.

Palm Beach County Building Division: (561) 233-5100 (West Palm Beach), (561) 274-1200 (South County). Palm Beach County Health Department: (561) 840-4500.