The Florida Building Code stipulates that building permits are required for replacement of windows and sliding glass doors, as well as screen enclosures, storage sheds and carports of canvas or metal. Working without a permit is illegal and can result in fines, causing problems when you want to sell your house. Only licensed contractors or homeowners (acting as owner-builders) may obtain a permit to perform the job.

TYPICAL REQUIREMENTS TO OBTAIN A PERMIT FOR INSTALLING WINDOWS AND DOORS

Most municipalities require more or less the same type of information to issue a permit for replacing windows and doors. The City of Coral Gables, for example, requires the following information in order to process and approve a building permit for replacing windows and doors:

Photos of the property, which cannot be Polaroids and taken in black & white.
Two copies of the Product Control Approval. All letters in the product control approval must be 8 1/2 inches by 11 inches and all drawings must be 11 inches by 17 inches.
Two copies of the site specific wind-load calculations signed and sealed by an engineer for the opennings where the windows or doors are to be installed.
Two copies of the full floor plan and elevations drawn at 1/4 inch to 1 foot scale.
If the windows and/or doors to be installed will not be located in the existing openings, or the size of the opening is being altered, then submittal must be made to the Board of Architects.

HOW CAN YOU OBTAIN A PERMIT?

You don't have to worry about the hassle of obtaning a building permit. Astor Construction is a licensed general contractor of the State of Florida and will obtain the permit for you if you agree to do so in our quote. We have our structural engineers who will make all the necessary drawings and wind-load calculations to submit a complete application to the corresponding municipality.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO OBTAIN A PERMIT?

The turn-around time to pull a permit varies significantly from municipality to municipality. Once we submit the necessary paperwork, it takes us between 2 to 6 weeks to obtain a building permit approved. Some times, the process can take longer if permit reviewers have comments about a drastic change in style between the existing windows and the proposed new windows. Each municipality has its own turn-around time and its specific workflow processs.

HOW MUCH DOES A PERMIT COST?

Permit fees assessed by municipalities vary. So, it is hard to anticipate how much a permit will cost. As an illustration, we have compiled a list of some our past projects at different cities in South Florida. These numbers are references only. This way our clients might have a better idea of how much a typical window/door permit fee costs. As a common practice, we pay the fee to the City. Then, we get reimbursed by our client. This is an efficient and transparent way of handling the uncertainty of how much permit fees to charge to clients.

Table I: Permitting Fees by Municipality
City / Date	Permit fee	Numbers of openings	Windows / Doors	Total size in Sq. Ft.	Price per Sq. Ft.
Coral Gables 07/31/07	$159.98	22	22 / 0	375 1/2	$0.43
Coral Gables 06/14/08	$247.98	12	10 / 2	211 1/2	$1.17
Coral Gables 01/26/09	$246.89	7	13 / 1	186	$1.33
Doral 11/20/08	$88.40	1	0 / 1	40 3/5	$2.18
Miami 09/24/07	$105.78	4	0 / 4	178 8/9	$0.59
Miami 09/28/07	$128.98	2	0 / 2	118 8/9	$1.08
Miami 10/02/07	$103.92	2	0 / 2	111 2/3	$0.93
Miami 12/18/07	$154.00	3	0 / 3	150 5/9	$1.02
Miami Beach 08/12/05	$138.20	7	7 / 0	75 4/5	$1.82
Miami Beach 10/11/06	$133.30	2	2 / 1	80 3/8	$1.66
Miami Beach 05/22/07	$130.60	4	4 / 0	86	$1.52
Miami Beach 01/30/08	$164.00	16	16 / 0	245 1/5	$0.67
Miami Beach 05/07/08	$200.00	5	2 / 3	147 1/2	$1.36
Miami Beach 06/12/08	$266.50	23	28 / 1	425 2/3	$0.63
Miami Beach 10/03/08	$235.00	18	23 / 2	414 5/7	$0.57
Miami Dade 06/03/10	$82.44	12	10 / 2	175 1/3	$0.47
Miami Lakes 05/20/08	$114.64	12	13 / 1	255 1/8	$0.45
Miami Shores 03/27/07	$285.40	14	12 / 2	292 3/4	$0.97
Miami Shores 05/22/09	$368.45	25	23 / 2	357 3/5	$1.03
North Miami Beach 05/22/09	$742.19	11	18 / 1	308	$2.41
Plantation 07/05/06	$50.15	21	19 / 2	396	$0.13
Source: Astor Windows and Doors Accounting