Two kinds of demolition permit
The county's building permit application separates a total demolition of a detached structure from a partial demolition of something attached to the home. A detached teardown is filed with the square footage of the structure. An attached or partial demolition needs detail drawings showing the area coming out and any electrical or plumbing connections being removed, and may trigger subsidiary electrical and plumbing permits once the demolition permit is issued.
That distinction is the practical one for homeowners: pulling down a free-standing shed is a different filing from opening up a kitchen wall.
Asbestos comes first
Miami-Dade requires an asbestos survey for every demolition project and for renovation projects over 160 square feet. An Affidavit for Asbestos Survey has to be completed before work starts, and a Notice of Demolition or Asbestos Renovation form goes in for plan review at least 10 working days before the project begins.
The county's Environmental Resources Management office reviews single-family and small residential demolition permits (four units or fewer) on a walk-through basis. Homes with four or fewer units that were never used commercially and are not part of a larger development are exempt from most federal asbestos rules, but the survey and the notice are still part of the county's process.
Ten working days means ten business days, not two calendar weeks. Build it into the schedule — the notice cannot be back-dated.
Who can pull the permit
Within the City of Miami, only a qualified licensed contractor may apply for a demolition permit; a homeowner cannot apply directly. The city also asks for a recent site survey by a certified surveyor, a tree survey showing protection around every tree on site, and Environmental Resources Management approval. If the demolition is the result of a code violation, the permit fee is increased.
Miami-Dade has more than thirty municipalities, and each one with its own building department sets its own submittal rules. Unincorporated Miami-Dade files with the county; Hialeah, Doral, Miami Gardens, and the rest file with their city. Check which one you are in before assembling paperwork.
Sheds, fences, and pools each have their own rule
Sheds need a permit in Miami-Dade, going up and — for a permitted, site-built structure — coming down. Prefab kit sheds that were never permitted are removed as yard equipment; if yours has a permit on record, ask the building department whether closing it out requires a demolition filing.
Fences that are not wind-resistant, like chain-link and picket, are exempt from a building permit but still need a zoning permit. Removing one is not a permitted act, but replacing it is.
Swimming pools are demolished by removing any stagnant water and the above-ground parts of the structure, breaking open the bottom, and filling with sand or clean fill to grade. That is a demolition permit and a licensed contractor's job for an in-ground pool; an above-ground pool is a removal.
- ✓Shed: permitted structure — confirm whether removal needs a filing
- ✓Chain-link or picket fence: zoning permit to install; removal is not permitted work
- ✓Above-ground pool: removal, no demolition permit
- ✓In-ground pool: demolition permit, licensed contractor, fill to grade
- ✓Interior tear-out that touches wiring or plumbing: partial demolition permit with drawings
What this means for a light demolition job
Most of what we remove — fences, decks, hot tubs, above-ground pools, screen enclosures, tiki huts, concrete patios — needs no demolition permit in Miami-Dade. Where a structure was permitted, we ask the building department on your behalf before scheduling, and the permit, if one is needed, stays in the owner's name. Anything that requires a licensed contractor to pull the permit, we refer.