How Much Does a Screened-In Patio Cost in Melbourne, FL?

Using our Florida planning ranges, plan on about $12–$25 per square foot of floor area for a new screened-in patio in Melbourne, so a 12 x 20 ft screen enclosure over an existing slab comes to an estimated $2,900–$6,000. A 30 x 40 ft pool cage runs an estimated $14,500–$30,000 in a standard design, and rescreening a sound frame costs a fraction of that. We didn't find credible Melbourne or Brevard prices for enclosures or screen rooms, so use these ranges to plan and judge real bids by their written scope.

Three kinds of screened patio, priced differently

"Screened patio" covers a few different projects. Settle which one you want before you collect prices, because they aren't priced or permitted the same way.

New screen enclosure cost per square foot

These are our statewide planning ranges, not Melbourne survey data. They're measured on the floor area the enclosure covers and include the aluminum frame, screen, doors, engineering and the permit. They don't include pool deck or slab work, removing an old enclosure, gutters, or electrical work for lights and fans.

Basic, standard and premium enclosures

• Basic (low end of the standard row): a single-story screened patio attached to the house on one side, a mansard or gable roof at a typical height, standard fiberglass screen and one door.
• Standard (middle of the standard row): a pool cage at a typical height over an existing deck, with two doors and perhaps pet-resistant screen on the lower panels.
• Premium (the tall, custom or coastal row): a tall, dome or picture-window design, heavier framing for a coastal high-wind site, and fine "no-see-um" or privacy screen.

Outside either row, budget separately for a new slab or footings, gutters where the enclosure meets the house, and wiring for lights or fans. Floor area drives the total, so measure the outside of the space before you ask for prices. Wall height and roof style come next, because taller and more complex enclosures need larger beams and more connections.

Rescreening cost

Rescreening is priced by the area of screen, not the floor. Our calculator approximates it as the floor area (for the roof) plus the walls: three walls if the enclosure is attached to the house, four if it's freestanding. A sloped roof adds a little more screen than that. Pet-resistant screen usually goes only on the lower panels, which keeps the extra cost down.

Local price data: what we found and what we didn't

We looked for Melbourne and Brevard prices for new screen enclosures, pool cages, rescreening and screen rooms in October 2026 and found none we could rely on. The Florida pool cage and screen room figures that came up were on websites that looked like spam or hijacked domains, and they weren't tied to any real business or survey, so we left all of them out.

The one outside figure we kept is national. One national cost-guide website's 2025 page puts pool enclosure repair and rescreening at about $297–$1,584 per job, with an average of about $922. That mixes small repairs with full rescreens and isn't specific to Florida, so treat it as a sense check, not a Melbourne price. If you get written prices from Space Coast installers, compare them line by line with the scope in the examples below.

Example budgets for Melbourne-area projects

These are illustrative estimates built only from the ranges in our tables. They assume a mainland lot unless noted, a standard height, a mansard or gable roof, standard screen and one or two doors, with engineering and the permit included as the table states. They leave out HOA fees, gutters and electrical work. Totals are rounded.

The slab in the second example uses our reinforced concrete patio row, $7–$12 per square foot, which is based on 2022 Melbourne cost-guide figures, so current prices may be higher. If the slab has to hold the enclosure's anchors, the engineering may call for footings that cost more. Considering pavers instead? See paver patio costs in Melbourne and concrete vs. pavers, and tell both contractors an enclosure is coming so the anchors are planned for.

Need a contractor for this project?Request a screen enclosure estimate

Screen rooms with a solid roof

A screen room with solid roof panels gives shade and keeps rain off furniture, but it isn't just a heavier screen enclosure. Our ranges don't price solid or insulated roof panels, and we found no reliable source that does. Here's what changes:

• The engineering. Florida's alternate design method for aluminum screen enclosures, described below, applies only to walls and roofs that are entirely screen, so it doesn't cover a solid roof. We didn't find the design requirements for solid-roof rooms, so ask the installer's engineer how the roof is designed.
• The permit type. Brevard County names screen enclosures under both its residential addition permit and its residential aluminum structure permit. Ask Planning and Development, or your city, which one a solid-roof room falls under and what drawings it needs.
• Water and the house roof. Rain from a solid roof has to go somewhere, so expect gutters. Attaching to the house's fascia or roof edge also affects the roof, so ask who is responsible for flashing and any roof repair.
• Electrical work. Ceiling fans and lights mean wiring, and outdoor lighting and wiring in screen enclosures need an electrical permit. See electrical permits in Florida.
• Going further. Adding windows, glass panels or air conditioning makes the space an addition or a conversion, with a different permit. In a flood zone, that work can count toward the FEMA 50% rule.

To get a usable price, ask each installer to quote the room twice, once with a solid roof and once with a screen roof, and to list the roof panel type and thickness, insulation, gutters, engineering, permit and electrical work separately. If shade matters more than keeping insects out, compare pergola costs too.

Rescreen or replace?

If the frame is straight and tight, the anchors are solid and the aluminum isn't badly corroded, rescreening is the economical choice: an estimated $3,300–$6,600 for the 30 x 40 ft cage above, against $14,500–$30,000 for a new standard cage.

Rescreening won't fix bent or twisted beams, loose or rusted anchors, cracked deck or footing around the anchors, or corroded fasteners, and frame repairs can need a permit. In unincorporated Brevard, the aluminum structure permit covers repaired or replaced enclosures. Indian Harbour Beach's post-storm guide lists structural repairs among work that needs a permit, while cosmetic repairs don't, so ask the city how it treats enclosure frame repairs. Elsewhere, ask the building department before frame work starts. We didn't find a Brevard County or Melbourne page that says whether replacing screen alone needs a permit, so ask with your scope.

If the deck under the cage also needs work, plan the two jobs together so the anchors are handled once; our travertine vs. concrete pavers guide compares pool deck surfaces and covers keeping the pool closed off during the work. After a hurricane, be wary of door-to-door offers to rebuild a damaged cage; see hurricane repair scams.

Wind design on the mainland and the barrier island

Engineering for your address

Every new enclosure has to be engineered for the design wind speed where it stands. Coastal locations, taller walls, picture-window panels and dome or custom roofs need heavier members and more connections, which is why the tall, custom or coastal row in our table runs $20–$38 per square foot. If your home is in Melbourne Beach, Indialantic, Satellite Beach or Indian Harbour Beach, or faces open water on the Indian River, price your project with both rows until an installer's engineering for your address tells you which applies. Ask every installer what design wind speed and exposure the engineering uses, so you know their quotes are for the same structure.

Panels designed to be cut

Florida Building Commission rule 61G20-1.002 sets an alternate design method for aluminum screen enclosures, in which screen panels may be removed, retracted or cut when the frame loads are calculated. It applies only to walls and roofs that are entirely screen, and the frame must still be designed with all the screen in place. Under the rule, screen that the design says must be cut has to be fully cut when winds over 75 mph are forecast. The rule text we found comes from 2012 and 2015 commission documents, so ask the engineer or your building department whether it still reads the same.

That has a cost. If your enclosure's design relies on cutting panels, you'll pay to rescreen them after each storm that calls for it. Ask whether the engineering uses this method, which panels are involved and how they're marked, and whether removable panels are an option. Don't cut screen unless your enclosure's design calls for it.

Salt air and the 2026 code

Near salt water, get three details in writing:

• The frame finish. One architectural aluminum manufacturer lists the AAMA 2605 coating tier for coastal regions.
• Fasteners and anchors. A major connector manufacturer names Type 316 stainless steel as its top choice for marine and seaside use and advises against pairing its 316 connectors with lower stainless grades.
• Contact with treated wood. The American Wood Council says aluminum shouldn't touch wood treated with copper-based preservatives such as ACQ or copper azole, which matters where the frame meets a wood deck, post or fascia.

The 9th Edition (2026) of the Florida Building Code takes effect December 31, 2026, according to the Florida Building Commission, and its summary of changes says the edition adds corrosion-resistance requirements for fasteners and metal connectors within 3,000 ft of a saltwater coastline. We haven't confirmed how that applies to screen enclosures, so if your permit will be filed near the changeover, ask which edition it falls under. Our salt-air corrosion guide covers enclosure frames in more depth.

Permits in Melbourne and Brevard County

Who issues the permit depends on where the home sits. Brevard County Planning and Development covers only unincorporated areas, such as Viera, Suntree and Merritt Island. Melbourne, Palm Bay, West Melbourne, Indian Harbour Beach, Melbourne Beach and the other cities and towns issue their own. Find your office in building permits in Brevard County, and see the Brevard deck, patio and pergola permit guide for questions to ask about outdoor structures.

Unincorporated Brevard

• Permit type. The county's residential aluminum structure permit covers new, repaired or replaced aluminum structures such as carports and screen enclosures. Screen enclosures also appear on its residential addition page, so ask which one your project needs.
• Documents. We didn't find the aluminum structure permit's document list. The addition page asks for a to-scale plot plan showing structures and their distances to the property lines. Confirm the current list, and the engineering the county wants, with Planning and Development.
• Filing. Licensed contractors file online through BASS. Owner-builders have to apply in person.
• Pool setbacks. The county's pool permit page cites County Code Section 62-2123, which requires a minimum 5 ft setback for swimming pools and pool screen enclosures, and advises siting a new pool so a future enclosure can meet it too.

Melbourne, Palm Bay and the beach towns

• Melbourne. The Building Section takes applications through the EnerGov portal and also issues city ordinance permits, separate from building permits, for fences, accessory structures, driveways and flatwork. We didn't find a Melbourne page on screen enclosures, so ask which permits an enclosure needs and what engineering the city wants.
• Palm Bay. The Building Department issues its own permits and asks for a copy of the contractor's state license or registration, proof of workers' compensation (or an exemption) and general liability insurance with each application.
• West Melbourne, Indian Harbour Beach, Melbourne Beach and other towns. Each runs its own permitting, so ask what an enclosure needs before you sign.

Statewide rules that affect the job

• The $7,500 exemption. Since July 1, 2026, the owner or contractor of a single-family home can ask in writing to skip the permit for some work under $7,500, but not for structural, electrical, plumbing, mechanical or gas work, or for property in a flood hazard area. Don't count on it for a new enclosure. See the $7,500 permit exemption.
• Notice of Commencement. When the direct contract is over $5,000, as in most of the new enclosure examples above, a recorded Notice of Commencement has to reach the building department before the first inspection. See Notice of Commencement.
• Pool barrier. Brevard County's pool permit page says pools must be enclosed by a fence or screen enclosure with a secure gate. If the cage is your barrier, its doors must be self-closing and self-latching; see our screen enclosure permit guide.
• Oceanfront lots. From Port Canaveral Inlet south to Sebastian Inlet, construction seaward of the coastal construction control line generally needs Florida Department of Environmental Protection approval, with certain exceptions. See CCCL permits.

HOA approval

If your home is in a planned community, the HOA's architectural committee may have to approve a screen enclosure, and many HOAs control its height, roof style and color. Get written approval before you sign a contract, and ask whether the HOA has rules on solid roofs. Since July 1, 2026, an HOA can't require a building permit before it reviews your application, so you can apply to both at once. See HOA approval in Florida.

Estimate your own enclosure

The calculator uses the same Florida planning ranges. Enter the outside length, width and wall height, then choose a new enclosure or a rescreen.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Assuming the slab will hold the anchors. Ask whether the existing slab or deck works with the engineering or needs new footings, and get that in the price.
• Comparing bids that aren't for the same structure. A cheaper bid may use lighter framing, a lower wall or fewer doors. Compare the engineering, beam sizes, heights, screen type and doors. Our guide to why contractor quotes differ explains what else to check.
• Ignoring setbacks. A new or enlarged pool cage in unincorporated Brevard has to meet the 5 ft setback. Inside a city, ask about its setbacks.
• Treating a cut-panel design as free. If the engineering relies on cutting screen before storms, budget for rescreening those panels afterward.
• Starting without the permit. Melbourne's FAQ warns that starting work without a required permit can lead to higher costs, delays and even removal of the work, and Palm Bay says it can charge up to four times the permit fees.
• Leaving the pool open. If panels or a door come off during the job, agree how the pool barrier will be kept closed until the work is done.

Next steps

1. Decide which kind of screened space you want, and measure the floor, the wall height and what it will sit on.
2. Find out whether the county or your city issues the permit, and ask what it needs for your project.
3. If you're in an HOA, apply for architectural approval.
4. Ask installers for written quotes that list the floor dimensions, wall and peak heights, roof style, engineering and design wind speed, beam sizes, screen type, number of doors, footings or slab work, gutters, electrical work, the frame coating and fastener grade, the permit and who records the Notice of Commencement.
5. Check the license. Screen and pool enclosures fall within Florida's specialty structure contractor license, as well as general, building and residential contractor licenses. Look the contractor up on MyFloridaLicense.com and on Brevard County's Licensed Contractor Search, which lists only contractors with a current license, liability insurance and workers' compensation coverage or an exemption. See hiring a contractor in Melbourne.

For statewide prices and more on what drives them, see our Florida screen enclosure cost guide.