How to get a building permit

Complete an Application

When you arrive in our offices, you will be asked what type of project you are doing. With that information, our staff will provide you with one or more applications to complete while you are waiting for service. Although we have tried to make the forms as easy to complete as possible, if you have a question about a term you see or are unsure about an answer, feel free to ask any of our staff for help completing the form.

Items needed to submit with the application(see description below):
One (1) Building Permit Application (located on the forms page)
One (1) Site Plan Drawing
Two (2) sets of Construction Drawing
Two (2) sets of Windload Calculations
Two (2) Sets of Energy Sheets
Florida Product Approval Numbers
Two (2) Sets of Engineered Truss Layouts
Santa Rosa Island Athority Approval(if applicable)

Receive a Land Use Certificate

Before you are seated with one of our staff, the first thing that you will do is confirm that your project conforms with County codes. With your property reference number in hand (if you don't have it available, we have easy access to the information), one of the representatives from Planning and Zoning here at our offices will first review the zoning maps to determine whether the project is allowed in your zoning district. After this review, their representative will identify the future land use category for the parcel, establish required construction setbacks for your parcel, identify the drainage basin it is located in, identify its flood zone, and if it is not in a subdivision, whether the parcel has been appropriately subdivided. If your parcel is not in a subdivision, you will also look at the soil map to determine whether there may be wetlands that require an additional survey.

Data Entry

With this review complete, one of our Permitting Clerks will then go about the task of entering all of this information into our computer system. All of the information you have provided on the proposed construction, as well as the information obtained during the land use review, is entered into the system. In that way we build a profile of your project that allows us to establish the types of inspections required as well as the permit fees that must be charged.

During this process, we will also review all of the plans and applications you are submitting to ensure they are complete. * Please review Additional Items Needed (see below). Note: If you will be installing, modifying, or repairing a septic system, you will also need to submit an application with Health Department personnel, whose offices are located at 1300 W. Gregory Street.

Fee Collection/Permit Issuance

You will next be asked to go to our cashier to pay your permitting fees. These fees are based on the information provided during the application process and are established by County ordinance. Once your plans have been approved and you have paid all fees, the cashier will also print your permit, ask you to sign it, and provide instruction for its display on the job site.

Construction and Inspection

As you proceed with construction, our inspectors will need to review your progress several times for code compliance. When you are ready for these inspections, please call our offices to schedule the inspection. (Before you request a rough framing inspection, you must have passed your electrical, plumbing, gas, and mechanical inspections.) When the inspector visits the construction site, he/she will either pass or reject the work that has been done. In either case, he/she will place a sticker on the inspected system. If the work was rejected, the inspector will also leave a list of violations at the site. If you have additional questions after reviewing the inspector's comments, feel free to phone them at our offices for clarification of the discrepancies.

Project Completion

After appropriate inspections have been completed, our staff will automatically notify Gulf Power and Energy Services of Pensacola when your project is ready for power and natural gas, respectively. When the entire project is complete, we will review the inspections completed, assess any additional fees, and print a Certificate of Occupancy.

Description of Additional Items Needed

There are also other items that must be provided when applying for a building permit, based on the details of your project. Below is a description of the items listed above.

Santa Rosa Island Athority Approval(if applicable) - If your project is on Santa Rosa Island , the Island Authority must review and approve the plans before submission to the County. Your permit will not be issued without this approval.

Submit 2 sets of Construction Drawings - You will need to submit 2 sets of construction drawings for your project. These drawings will be reviewed by our plan reviewers and chief inspectors for compliance with applicable building codes. When complete, one set of these drawings will be maintained on file, and the other set will be returned to you. Your set must be maintained on the job site for review and comparison by our inspectors.

Include Florida Product Approval Numbers - Structural components such as windows, exterior doors, garage doors, roofing shingles, etc. are required to have a Florida Product Approval Code. This information is available from the manufacturer or from the Product Approval page at www.FloridaBuilding.org.

Submit 2 sets of Windload Calculations - Florida Statutes require structures built within the State to be capable of withstanding hurricane-force winds. This wind speed requirement varies from 140 - 120 miles per hour depending on the location.. The requirement to submit these calculations applies only to those structures with an area of 400 square feet or more. Your home designer or architect should prepare these calculations as part of the building design.

Prepare a Site Plan - The site plan should show an outline of the property; the location of the proposed construction; all existing structures on the property; any driveways, sidewalks, and walkways; the names of any adjacent roadways; the type of drainage (curb and gutter, ditch, etc.) and the direction stormwater flows off the property. Be sure to include the external diminsions of each structure, the distance measured between structures, and to the property line, and the diminsions of the property. This drawing should be to scale if at all possible. If you are installing a septic system, an additional copy (total of 3) must be submitted, and it must be drawn to scale. If sanitary sewer is accessible from your construction site, you will need to make arrangements with Escambia County Utilities Authority to connect it. You will be required to provide evidence of these arrangements before a permit will be issued.

Submit 2 Sets of Energy Sheets - These sheets are prepared by Gulf Power as a free service for residential structures. Through an energy audit process, they provide an evaluation of the energy efficiency of the proposed construction. These sheets can be obtained at several Gulf Power offices throughout the County.

Submit 2 Sets of Engineered Truss Layouts - These can be obtained from a truss manufacturing company upon request.

Apply For a Roofing Permit - All new construction, repairs to existing buildings and re-roofs, and those additions in excess of 5 squares of shingles (approximately 500 square feet), require a roofing permit.