Leon County building department

Leon County Development Support and Environmental Management (DSEM) issues building permits for unincorporated Leon County. The City of Tallahassee runs its own Growth Management permitting and its own portal, so check jurisdiction first. The shared Tallahassee–Leon County permit site (tlcpermits.org) has a Jurisdiction Finder Map and links to both governments’ systems.

How to apply

Leon County permit applications are filed through Leon County Permits Online, the county’s Accela Citizen Access site at aca-prod.accela.com/leonco. You’ll need a public user account. tlcpermits.org has a new-user registration video, upload and resubmittal videos, and a public user guide. Contractors also have to complete the county’s Contractor Verification Form.

Single-trade permits that can be pulled online are issued immediately. For everything else, the county’s FAQ lists these typical approval times:

Project	Typical approval
New single-family home	8 days
Manufactured home	5 days
Accessory structure	5 days
Commercial project	15 days
Other project types	5 days

DSEM is at the Renaissance Center, 435 N. Macomb St., 2nd Floor. It’s open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday 8 a.m.–5 p.m., and Wednesday 9:30 a.m.–5 p.m. Each division keeps a Service Advisor on duty daily for walk-in and phone customers, with no appointment needed. The Building Plans Review and Inspection Division’s direct line is (850) 606-1333.

What needs a permit

From DSEM’s building FAQ:

• Sheds: A building permit is required over 100 sq ft. Sheds of any size still need site review.
• Decks: A permit is required if the deck is larger than 100 sq ft or more than 30 inches above grade on any side.
• Residential fences: No building permit, because the Florida Building Code doesn’t regulate them.
• Also requiring permits: Backup generators, demolitions, exterior alterations and repairs, grinder pumps, retaining walls, and solar installations.

Owner-builders: A homeowner who lives in the home can get all permits for projects on it.

Fees

DSEM’s fee schedule was revised June 1, 2022, and the building fees took effect 6/1/22. New homes and additions are charged per square foot under roof, including porches, garages, and carports. For one- and two-family residential work, building plan review is $0.16 per sq ft and building inspection is $0.15 per sq ft. Mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and gas each add their own per-square-foot amounts. Selected flat fees:

Permit	Fee
Re-roof or roof re-cover	$241.45
Exterior doors and windows	$189.71
Decks, docks, ramps, boardwalks	$271.52
Generator / solar PV / grinder pump	$180.00 each
In-ground pool / screen enclosure	$382.48 / $397.66
Demolition	$197.12
Stand-alone trade permit (minimum)	$135.00
Re-inspection (1st–3rd of same item)	$90.00

Every permit also carries a 3% technology fee and a 2.5% state surcharge, both calculated on plan review and inspection fees. Starting work without a permit doubles the plan review and inspection fees. DSEM also offers an online Building Fee Calculator.

Inspections

Method	How
Online	Log in to your Leon County Permits Online (ACA) account
Phone (Voice Permits IVR)	(850) 606-1306. Press 1 to schedule, 2 to cancel or reschedule, 3 for results, 4 for plan review status, 0 for staff
Text (SelecTXT)	Text “SCHEDULE,” “CANCEL,” “RESCHEDULE,” or “RESULTS” to (855) 927-1525
After hours / weekends	(850) 606-1398. Billed at $90 per hour, 2-hour minimum

Inspections can be done as soon as the day after you schedule. Have the permit number and the inspection code ready. The county’s Inspection Scheduling Instructions handout lists every code, for example 100 for footing, 101 for setbacks, and 107 for framing.

Floodplain rules

In Leon County, the flood protection elevation is generally 3 feet above base flood elevation. Residential lowest floors in Special Flood Hazard Areas must be at or above that level. If any part of the property sits below the flood protection elevation, new construction and substantial improvements need an elevation certificate, and it must be submitted before the building can be occupied. Substantial improvement means work whose cumulative cost equals or exceeds 50% of the structure’s pre-construction market value.

Contractor licensing

The county’s contractor licensing matrix sorts trades three ways:

• State exam required: Several trades, including roofing, pool, plumbing, mechanical, and electrical.
• County exam, county license: Excavation, siding/windows/doors, garage doors, and specialty work such as screen rooms, signs, awnings, gutters, and aluminum.
• No exam: Sub-trades such as fence installation, painting, and landscaping. The county stresses that these are not licenses.

Certified (statewide) licenses are issued by the Florida DBPR Construction Industry Licensing Board.

Related offices

• City of Tallahassee Growth Management: (850) 891-7001, for properties inside city limits. City inspections use the city’s IVRS at (850) 891-1800.
• Fire plan review: On commercial work, the City of Tallahassee does fire plan review, and its fee is collected on county permits.
• Septic permits: Now issued by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, not DSEM.