Most building departments now have their older (closed) permits available online. The first thing you need to know is the jurisdiction where the home is located. It could be in an unincorporated area of a county or possibly within city limits. You can usually go to the county or city website, locate the page on the site for the building department (also might be called “planning and development,” “growth management,” or something similar) and find a “permit search” page. 

    Some jurisdictions allow immediate access and downloading of any permits in their database, while others require you to submit an application online and wait a day or two for them to email the information to you. Smaller towns may even need you to send an email with your request and, again, wait a few days for them to get back to you.

    Building departments in Florida are only mandated by the state to keep old permit data for ten years, and that’s exactly what some jurisdictions do. Others keep them available further back, but it’s unusual to find info on permits issued before the mid-1990s. So it’s a good idea to inquire about how far back their data goes if you are not finding what you need.

    And if you are not that computer literate, a call to your local building department can sometimes get you the permit information you’re looking for over the phone.

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Here’s links to a collection of some of our other posts about BUILDING PERMITS:

• Does a home inspector check for permits? 

• Should I buy a house that has been remodeled/renovated without building permits or has open permits? 

• How can I be sure my roofing contractor got a permit?

• What are the most common problems when a homeowner encloses a porch without a building permit? 

• Do I need a building permit for a backyard shed? 

• Can I remodel an old mobile home without a building permit? 

• Does an above-ground pool require a building permit? 

* Could faulty work or lack of a building permit for home improvements cause an insurance company to deny a claim? 

• Which building permit date is used for the Building Code section of the wind mitigation form? 

• Do you need a permit to repair a roof in Florida?

• Can I replace my own roof in Florida? 

• Do I need a permit to install a water softener? 

• Do I need a permit to replace my water heater? 

• Do I need a permit to replace an exterior door, garage door, or window in Florida?