Outdoor kitchen permits in Miami-Dade

For the utilities, the county works with separate trade permits. Miami-Dade County lists pergolas and gazebos among the projects that need a permit and issues trade permits for electrical, plumbing and mechanical work. The work itself is done by licensed trades. Florida law prohibits working as a contractor without state registration or certification, and electrical contracting requires certification or registration as well. In Florida, businesses that install, service or repair LP gas systems and appliances are licensed by the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Anyone can verify a Florida contractor license online with the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, by name or license number.

This part matters when the kitchen gets a roof, a pergola or a covered lanai. Miami-Dade County lies in the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone and has the most advanced requirements of the Florida Building Code. A Miami-Dade County Notice of Acceptance (NOA) is a product approval, and products that receive one must meet the requirements of Florida's High-Velocity Hurricane Zone. Miami-Dade County's Product Control Section reviews products that protect the building envelope, mainly windows, exterior glazing, wall cladding, roofing, exterior doors, skylights, siding and shutters. In the City of Miami, all roofing work needs a building permit, and roofing materials need a Miami-Dade County Notice of Acceptance or a Florida Product Approval. In unincorporated Miami-Dade, a pergola or trellis without a roof that is not wind-resistant needs no building permit but a Zoning Improvement Permit, and other agencies may still require approvals. The FREILUFT range does not include roofs or pergolas. We plan any roof with local partners from the start.

In the City of Miami, work on a historically designated property requires a certificate of appropriateness. City staff can review repairs and minor alterations, while new construction, major additions and alterations usually need a special certificate of appropriateness reviewed by the Historic and Environmental Preservation Board. For new features such as pools, paving, decks, fences, walls or landscaping on a historic property, the City asks for a site plan, and for a tree survey when trees are removed. A certificate of appropriateness does not replace the building permit. The City of Miami's historic preservation rules are set out in Chapter 23 of the City Code, and its Historic and Environmental Preservation Board designates historic properties and monitors changes to them. Other cities run their own reviews. In Coral Gables, the Board of Architects reviews projects, including new residences, pools and paving, so that the city's architecture stays consistent with its regulations and traditional character; for a typical building permit, its approval comes before the permit is issued. In Miami Beach, work on historic structures or within historic districts needs a certificate of appropriateness from the Historic Preservation Board or Planning Department staff.

In the City of Miami, the Miami 21 Code sets the standards for new development, and its atlas assigns a zone to every property. Zoning can affect where on the lot a kitchen may stand. Many neighborhoods also have homeowners' association rules that apply on top of the codes, so check them early.

In Miami-Dade County, removing or relocating a tree needs a permit unless the County's environmental code exempts it, and several cities, among them Miami and Coral Gables, have their own tree ordinances. In the City of Miami, removing or relocating a tree requires a tree removal permit under the City Code. In the City of Miami, work involving trees, coral rock walls or other environmental features in environmental preservation districts or scenic transportation corridors needs a certificate of approval. We plan around existing trees wherever we can.

Miami-Dade County explains how to check whether a property lies in a Special Flood Hazard Area, and in flood zones, structures must be built high enough and designed to resist flood damage. Work in, on or over tidal waters, such as docks and seawalls, needs a Miami-Dade County Class I permit, also inside cities such as Miami.