The procedure for obtaining a building permit for the construction of a single family residence, a duplex, an accessory use, or the placement of a mobile home is relatively simple in most cases:

Zoning Division

The initial step involves a review of your plans by the Zoning Division for compliance with zoning regulations and consistency with the Comprehensive Policy Plan.

Planning Division

If the subject property has zoning that is inconsistent with the Comprehensive Policy Plan, the Planning Division may review plans for possible approval, or discuss remedies that may be available.

Public Works Department

The Public Works Department, located at 4200 S. John Young Parkway, will review plans for roadways and drainage.  No Certificate of Occupancy will be issued for any structure until road construction is complete:

Stormwater Management Division
The Stormwater Management Division will review plans for compliance with the Floodplain Ordinance and other requirements. If any part of the lot/property lies within the 100-Year Floodplain, the applicant must obtain a Floodplain permit from the Stormwater Management Division. The Floodplain permit shows the minimum finished floor elevation and the minimum septic tank invert elevation.

Development Engineering Division
The Development  Engineering Division will review lot grading plans as well as road access. If Orange County records indicate that there is no public road to access the property, construction plans which meet minimum County standards must be submitted to the Development Engineering Division. They must include minimum width, proper stabilization, and proposed treatment of stormwater. The plans must have been prepared by an engineer registered in the state of Florida. The engineer must sign and seal the plans with certification of compliance with the "Manual of Uniform Minimum Standards for Design, Construction and Maintenance for Streets and Highways." After review and approval by the County Engineer's office, a right-of-way utilization permit will be issued to allow the applicant to construct the road.

Under certain conditions property owners are allowed to pull building permits for single family homes on non-maintained dirt roads. If the road meets those conditions, prior to issuance of a building permit the owner must get a Non-Maintenance Agreement from Public Works and a Notice of Future Assessment from the Zoning Division.  The Non-Maintenance Agreement says Orange County is not responsible for maintaining the road and the Notice of Future Assessment says if the County ever improves the road the property can be assessed for a share of the improvement cost.

Official Records Department

If the property is located on an unpaved dedicated right-of-way maintained by Orange County, the property owner(s) of record must sign a Notice of Future Assessment (available in the Zoning Division) and have the document recorded at Orange County Official Records. A receipt is issued by the Official Records Department to the owner, who must then present it at the Zoning Division to proceed with the issuance of the building permit.  Official Records is located at 109 E. Church Street.

Utilities Department

The Utilities Department determines the availability of water and wastewater service and which agency will provide the service.  If a water or wastewater line extension or a service and/or lateral installation is required for construction, then approval must be acquired from Utilities. The appropriate fees will be determined during the approval process and must be paid at the Utilities Customer Service Division Office, located at 9150 Curry Ford Road.

Orange County Health Department

If the proposed structure will use either a private well for potable water and/or a septic tank for wastewater disposal, permits will be required from the Orange County Health Department Division of Environmental Health, located at 800 Mercy Drive.

Environmental Protection Division

If the Environmental Protection Division (EPD) confirms that there are wetlands on or adjacent to the subject property, or if the property lies within the Econlockhatchee River or Wekiva River Protection Areas, additional permits from EPD may be required prior to construction, including land clearing. Additionally, the location of a septic system or potable water drinking well may be affected by the presence of wetlands on or near the property.  The Environmental Protection Division is located at 800 Mercy Drive.

Building Division

When all required information or permits are complete, the Division of Building Safety reviews the plans (or in the case of mobile homes, the manufacturer's tie-down information) for Code compliance:

Note: The minimum requirements for building plans, fee schedules, and the procedures for inspections are available as separate handouts online or at the Division of Building Safety.

1. The following construction permits may be required: Building, Electrical, Plumbing, Roofing and Mechanical (heating, air-conditioning, refrigeration, ventilation). In addition, swimming pools, fences, roofs and accessory buildings require separate permits.
2. Please see the Inspections webpage for pertinent inspections information

3. Owner may obtain any required permit, however, they then accept full responsibility for the fees, work to be performed and being sure all work is properly inspected by Orange County.

4. Payment of permit fees and impact fees must be made at the time the permits are issued; some impact fees may be deferred until time of Pre-Power or Certificate of Occupancy. Payment can be made to the Division of Building Safety or the Division of Fiscal & Administrative Services.

5. Building, Gas,  Electrical,  Mechanical and Plumbing permits, as well as impact fees, all have separate fees.  Fee schedules are available by fax, online or in the Division of Building Safety.

6. The following permits are required for mobile homes:
   
   - Tie Down
   - Plumbing, if on private property with new septic tank
   - Electrical
   - Mechanical (heating & a/c)
   - Separate permit for any addition to mobile home even if it was existing prior to move.
   - 1 Trailer per permit, even if several are needed on the same construction site.

These procedures apply to permits for commercial, industrial, institutional, professional and multi-family (three or more dwelling units on a single parcel) structures, including additions and alterations to these:

Sufficiency Review Checklist

 1. The Plans Coordination Section furnishes applicants with a complete set of paperwork for construction plan submittal: application, checklist, routing sheet, etc. Corrections or revisions are to be submitted through Plans Coordination.

 2. For processing, nine (9) sets of civil drawings (site plans) and nine (9) complete sets of architectural and structural plans are required for new construction.  Six (6) sets of architectural and structural plans are required for alterations.

NOTE: One (1) additional copy of the site plan should be submitted to the Zoning Division after approval for the following types of projects: Mobile Home Parks, Shopping Centers, Apartment Complexes, or Campgrounds.  This copy is necessary for addressing and will be retained in the files of the Zoning Division for use in future permitting.

 3.  All site plans must be signed, sealed and dated by a Florida Registered Engineer/Architect (61G15-23.002 F.A.C.)

 4. All architectural plans must be signed, sealed and dated by the designing Florida Registered Architect (61G1-16.003 F.A.C.)

 5. Cost estimates for site work and buildings are required with the submission of plans.

 6. A nonrefundable plan submittal fee is to be paid when plans are submitted.

NOTE: Once plans have been released for permit by all departments, the applicant has six (6) months in which to obtain a permit.  After this time, plans will be considered abandoned and will be discarded.

Site Plan Checklist

Applicant should review this checklist and have all necessary information available when the site plan is submitted.

1. Project Name- date, scale, north arrow, revision dates on plans

2. Location Map- a map which clearly shows the location of the property with respect to existing roads and landmarks

3. Name, address and telephone number of developer and engineer/architect

4. Legal description of parcel (Section, Township, Range)

5. General Notes:

• Existing and proposed use
• Gross acreage
• Net acreage
• Number of dwelling units and number of bedrooms
• Minimum living area and gross density/gross square footage of commercial or industrial
• Net square footage of retail areas or seating capacity
• Percentage of open space
• Building height
• Number of employees

6. Zoning and current use of subject property and abutting property

7. Complete landscape plan, including irrigation (existing and proposed)

8. Parking space calculations (size and location, including handicapped)

9. Boundary of property shown by a heavy line

10. Access to the project by means of paved dedicated right-of-way (driveway width)

11. Topographic survey for existing and proposed conditions (one foot contours based on Orange County data)

12. Existing and proposed structures (including setbacks from all property lines, normal high water elevation and building separations)

13. All existing and proposed utilities (including inverts of pipes, etc.)

14. Location of all easements

15. Fire protection, existing and proposed, that meet State and Local requirements (contact Office of the Fire Marshal)

16. Proposed location of well, if applicable

17. Proposed size and location of septic tank and drainfield

18. Stormwater management plan (including soils report and drainage calculations)

19. Percent of area within flood hazard zone

20. Tree survey and existing wetland vegetation

21. Conservation areas consistent with the County Comprehensive Plan

22. Complete architectural elevations of all proposed structures

23. Complete exterior lighting plan, including fixture schedule and fixture cutsheets

Fee Schedules

Fee schedules are available in the Division of Building Safety located on the first floor of the Orange County Administration Center at 201 S. Rosalind Avenue, or online at www.ocfl.net/building. 

A plan submittal fee must be paid when plans are submitted.  Applicants will be notified of all departmental comments prior to permit issuance.  Comments may be viewed online on the Building E-Services webpage. When the permit is issued, the applicant pays for the building permit fee, impact fees for fire, law, roads, parks and schools, and all other applicable fees.

Types of fees required by the Public Works Development Engineering Division and collected by the Building Safety Division are for commercial construction permits (which include paving, curbs, base, drainage facilities, and sidewalks onsite and offsite).  The Development Engineering Division collects fees and issues permits for right-of-way utilization, underground utilities, excavation and fill, and floodplain.

Other types of fees may be charged by the Public Utilities Department when connecting to the Orange County water and wastewater system(s).

Monday through Friday 6:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
(407) 836-2825 Touch Tone Phones Only

CONNECT is an automated system that allows callers to use a touch tone telephone to inquire about the status of commercial plans in the review process.

Instructions For All CONNECT Functions

1. Dial (407) 836-2825 on any touch tone telephone.
2. Select one of the following options by pressing the number on the telephone keypad.
   1. Request an inspection
   2. Speed inspection scheduling
   3. Instead of selecting "3" on your touch tone telephone, please call 407-836-5550 and select option #2, if you wish to cancel an inspection.
   4. Check the status of plans in the review process
   5. Request CONNECT instructions
   6. End this call
   7. If you need assistance
3. Further instructions for each process will be given by the system. Listen and follow them closely.

Note: Always follow entries with a # (pound) sign when requested. The # key is on the bottom right of the keypad.

To Check the Status of Plans in the Review Process . . .

1. Call the CONNECT system and choose option 4 after all options have been listed.
2. Enter the nine digit permit number. Begin with the permit prefix letter, and end with the # sign.
3. Enter the seven digit verification number. End it with the # sign.
4. The CONNECT system will respond with one of the following statements regarding the status of your plans:
   1. Permit has been issued: Verification number and permit number match. Permit has already been issued.
   2. Permit ready to issue: All departments have approved plans and permit is ready to be issued. Call Plans Coordination (407) 836-5760, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
   3. Permit has been cancelled
   4. Permit number and verification number do not agree. Please try again: One or both numbers may have been keyed incorrectly.
   5. Invalid permit number: Unable to locate permit number. Number may have been keyed incorrectly.
   6. Plan approved: Message used when revised plans have been submitted for a project on which permits have already been issued.
   7. Plans not approved: Review is complete, but one or more departments have rejected plans. Comments may have been received in the mail, or can be picked up at Plans Coordination.
   8. Plans not reviewed: Review has not been completed by any department.
   9. If at least one department has completed its review, the following will occur:
      1. Each assigned reviewing department will be listed followed by the status of the plans using the following format:

         Division name: "Approved" or "Not approved" or "Not reviewed"

         Note: Please do not call individual departments until all have completed their review.

   10. Call back later: The CONNECT system is not available at this time

The Building Safety Division is now processing the following types of applications/payments for issuance of permits and payment validation by facsimile (FAX):

• Electrical
• Low voltage
• Mechanical
• Plumbing
• Roof
• Re-roof
• Applications, licensing and recording fees for state certified licenses
• Re-inspection fee payments

In order to submit your permit applications by facsimile

• Establish a deposit with the Building Safety Division by visiting the Licensing Section of the Division and setting up an account.

  (The minimum required deposit is $150.00 with an annual $30.00 fee to set up the account.)

  After you have established an account, you are ready to submit your applications and payment requests by facsimile.

In order to obtain a permit

• Submit a cover letter indicating the fees to be paid.
• Complete a permit application.
• Submit a photocopy of your license.
• FAX these completed items to (407) 836-2852.

Fence, tent, and mobile home applications may be accepted by the Zoning Division by submitting:

• A cover letter
• A completed permit application
• A photocopy of your license
• Two site plans drawn to scale, with all dimensions indicated
• FAX these completed items to (407) 836-5502.

All applications will need to contain the name and telephone number of a contact person in the event questions develop surrounding the information submitted. Please indicate that payment is by deposit. All incomplete applications will be returned.

Note: If you have submitted a building application by facsimile, it will be necessary that the original application, with an original signature, be mailed to the Building Safety Division within five (5) working days. Rubber stamp and photocopied signatures will not be accepted.

If you have any questions or need any additional information regarding this process, please call the Orange County Building Safety Division at (407) 836-5522.

• Residential Permitting Guide (PDF - 192KB)
• Non-Residential Permitting Guide (PDF - 961KB)
  
  In Spanish (En Español):
  
• Guía para permisos residenciales (PDF - 255KB)
• Guía para permisos no-residenciales (PDF - 616KB)