Do You Need a Permit to Remodel a Kitchen in Florida?

You need a permit for a Florida kitchen remodel when the work goes past finishes: new electrical circuits, moved plumbing, gas lines, a new ducted range hood, a new window or door, or removing a load-bearing wall. Replacing cabinets, countertops, flooring and electric appliances in the same places usually doesn't need one. In Brevard County, which office issues the permit depends on your address: a city or town building department inside its limits, or the county for unincorporated areas such as Viera, Suntree and Merritt Island.

Kitchen work, line by line

Building departments look at what changes behind the cabinets, not at how much the kitchen costs. A high-end kitchen that keeps its layout can need fewer permits than a modest one that moves the sink.

Miami-Dade County's home renovation guidance makes the same point from the other side: new plumbing, electrical and mechanical work needs permits. The two places a "cosmetic" kitchen most often crosses the line are the island and the range. An island with a sink, a cooktop or outlets is plumbing and electrical work, and a new range can need a new circuit. Decide on both before you sign a contract, so the permit covers them from the start.

The $7,500 exemption rarely helps in a kitchen

Since July 1, 2026, Florida law lets single-family homeowners ask in writing to skip the building permit for some work valued under $7,500. It never covers electrical, plumbing, mechanical, gas or structural work, homes in a designated flood hazard area, or a bigger job split into pieces to get under the limit. In a kitchen, the work that needs a permit is almost always one of those excluded trades, and cabinet or countertop work that stays in place usually doesn't need a permit anyway. See the $7,500 permit exemption.

Who does what

A general, building or residential contractor can run the whole remodel but must subcontract plumbing, electrical and other licensed trades unless they hold those licenses, under section 489.113 of the Florida Statutes. Cabinet installers, tile setters, flooring installers and painters generally don't need a state contractor's license for that work alone, and since HB 735 (2021), local governments generally can't require a license for job scopes such as cabinetry, flooring, interior remodeling, tile and painting. Check their insurance and references, and make sure their work stops where the wiring, plumbing and gas lines start.

Doing the licensed work yourself is possible as an owner-builder, which makes you answerable for the work and its inspections the way a contractor would be. Florida also has a separate owner exemption for electrical work; see electrical permits in Florida.

Opening up the kitchen

Some interior walls in Florida homes carry roof loads, even in one-story homes, and some are concrete block. Removing a load-bearing wall requires a permit and usually an engineer's design for a beam or header. Even a wall that carries no load can hide circuits, plumbing vents and air conditioning ducts, each with its own licensed trade. Read removing a wall in Florida and how to tell if a wall is load-bearing before you plan an open layout.

Inspections and paperwork

Expect an inspection at each stage of permitted kitchen work: underground plumbing before a cut slab is patched, framing if a wall changed, rough electrical, plumbing and mechanical before the walls are closed, and a final. Don't let drywall, cabinets or backsplash tile go up over work that hasn't passed. See building inspections in Florida.

If the direct contract is over $5,000, Florida requires a recorded Notice of Commencement to be filed with the building department before the first inspection. Most permitted kitchen remodels cross that line; even the refresh tier in our Florida kitchen remodel cost guide starts above it.

In Melbourne and Brevard County

County or city: who issues your kitchen permit

Brevard County Planning and Development issues building permits only in the unincorporated parts of the county, such as Viera, Suntree and Merritt Island. Inside city or town limits, the city or town generally handles the permit; Melbourne, Palm Bay, West Melbourne, Rockledge, Titusville, Cocoa Beach, Indian Harbour Beach and Melbourne Beach are among those with their own permitting.

Postal names don't always match city limits, so a Melbourne mailing address doesn't tell you which office to use. Confirm with the county or your city hall before you apply. Our Brevard County permit guide lists each office and how it takes applications.

Unincorporated Brevard: the Residential Renovation permit

The county's permit type for a kitchen remodel is the Residential Renovation permit. It covers "minor repairs, renovations, or alterations (no additional square footage and not affecting the building footprint or new additional living space)," and the county gives an interior remodel as an example. A kitchen that grows into new square footage, such as a bump-out, falls outside that description, so ask whether it needs the county's Residential Addition permit instead.

What to expect (the county describes its permit pages as a general guide, and some projects need more documents):

• Plans and subcontractor authorizations. The renovation page asks for plans and an authorization for each subcontractor. On a kitchen, that usually means the plumber and the electrician.
• Separate trade permits. The county also has residential plumbing, electrical, HVAC/mechanical and demolition permit types. We couldn't confirm whether a kitchen's plumbing and electrical work goes on the renovation permit through subcontractor authorizations or needs its own trade permits, so ask the county with your scope in hand.
• Windows and doors. The county permits exterior window and door replacements with a separate doors, windows and shutters permit, which asks for Florida product approval, the manufacturer's installation instructions and a floor plan showing each opening. If the remodel adds or enlarges a kitchen window or patio door, ask whether it goes on the renovation permit or its own.
• Condos and other multi-family buildings. Remodeling a kitchen in a single unit goes through the county's separate Multi-Family Renovation permit.
• How to apply. Licensed contractors file online in the county's BASS system, for work within their license type. Owner-builders file in person with the county's Owner Builder Application for Contractor Exemption; the Brevard County permit guide and our bathroom permit guide cover the rest of that process.

City of Melbourne

Inside Melbourne city limits, permits go through the Building Section of the city's Code Compliance Division, which takes applications in its EnerGov online portal. We didn't find a Melbourne page specific to kitchen remodels, so when you ask which permits apply, describe what moves, what's new and whether any wall changes. The city's fee schedule took effect August 7, 2026, and owner-builders should start with its owner-builder guide.

Melbourne also takes $7,500 exemption requests in EnerGov, for single-family homes outside a designated flood hazard area, and work shouldn't start until the Building Department approves the request in writing. Our Brevard County permit guide lists what the request needs. As explained above, few kitchens qualify.

Other Space Coast cities

• Palm Bay asks for the contractor's state license or registration, general liability insurance and workers' compensation proof (or an exemption) with each application. Because the city can charge up to four times the permit fees for work started without a permit, don't let demolition get ahead of it.
• Rockledge asks for a written, detailed narrative of the scope of work with each residential permit application, and a Notice of Commencement recorded with the Brevard County Clerk of Courts for projects of $5,000 or more.
• Indian Harbour Beach has separate electrical, plumbing and HVAC permit checklists, so read the ones that match your kitchen's trades. Owner-builders apply in person with an affidavit and proof of ownership.
• Melbourne Beach. The town's permit application says contractor licensing and insurance information must be current with Brevard County.
• West Melbourne, Titusville and Cocoa Beach run their own building departments. We didn't find kitchen-specific rules for them, so ask. Satellite Beach's Community Development Department handles permits; ask it about the process. In Indialantic and the smaller towns, ask city or town hall who reviews permits.

Need a contractor for this project?Request a kitchen remodel estimate

Flood zones on the barrier island and along the lagoon

In a FEMA flood zone, a large kitchen remodel can trigger the substantial improvement rule. If the cost of the work equals or exceeds 50% of the building's market value before construction starts, the whole home generally has to meet current flood rules. For market value, Brevard County's flood-zone guidance allows an estimate based on the building's tax-assessed value (land and accessory structures excluded) plus about 15–20%, and an owner who disputes the figure can hire a state-licensed appraiser. For a substantially improved building, the county's guidance calls for an elevation certificate prepared by a licensed surveyor.

If you live on the barrier island, in Satellite Beach, Indian Harbour Beach, Indialantic or Melbourne Beach, or near the Indian River Lagoon, check your flood zone before you design. Count everything in the same project, not just the kitchen. The county's Floodplain Administration page has a flood zone map. Inside a city, ask the city's building department how it applies the rule. See the FEMA 50% rule.

Beachfront homes seaward of the state's coastal construction control line can face one more review: the Florida Department of Environmental Protection requires its approval for alteration or construction there, with certain exceptions. Ask DEP whether your kitchen work falls under one. See CCCL permits.

HOAs and condos

In a planned community, the HOA may need to approve exterior changes, such as a range hood vent through an outside wall or a new window. Since July 1, 2026, an HOA can't require a building permit before it reviews your application, so you can apply to both at the same time. Condo associations usually have their own rules on plumbing, contractors and working hours. See HOA approval in Florida.

Checking licenses in Brevard

A kitchen job often has a remodeler or general contractor, a cabinet installer, a plumber and an electrician on it. Brevard County has no handyman license, and it says electrical, mechanical and plumbing work, including remodeling and repairs, must be done by a licensed contractor. Local trade licensing has been changing since HB 735, so if you're unsure whether a particular installer's work is regulated, ask the county's contractor licensing office.

Look up each licensed company on MyFloridaLicense.com and on the county's Licensed Contractor Search, linked from its licensed trades page. Our guide to hiring a contractor in Melbourne explains what that search confirms and covers contracts, deposits and references.

Common mistakes

• Letting the scope grow past the permit. Deciding mid-job to move the sink, add island outlets or take out a wall adds permit work. Raise it with your contractor before the work happens so the permit and inspections cover it.
• Closing walls too soon. Rough plumbing and electrical have to pass inspection before drywall, cabinets and backsplash go in.
• Counting on the $7,500 exemption. It excludes the trades a kitchen usually needs, and it takes a written request.
• Hiring a handyman for wiring or plumbing. In Brevard, a handyman can do only unregulated work.
• Applying to the wrong office. Confirm whether the county or a city has jurisdiction before you or your contractor apply.
• Pulling an owner-builder permit for a contractor's work. If the contractor will do the work, the contractor should pull the permit.
• Skipping the flood check on a big remodel. On the barrier island or near the lagoon, a kitchen plus other work can reach the 50% rule.
• Paying in full before the final inspection. Keep the last payment until the permit is closed.

Next steps

1. List what's changing: anything that moves (sink, range, dishwasher, walls) and anything new (circuits, a gas line, a vented hood, a window or door).
2. Confirm whether your home is in unincorporated Brevard or inside a city or town, and look up that office's permit pages.
3. For a large project on the barrier island or near the lagoon, check your flood zone and compare the project cost with the building's value.
4. Get HOA or condo approval if your community requires it.
5. Hire a licensed contractor and get in writing who pulls which permits. Record the Notice of Commencement if the contract is over $5,000.
6. Keep the permit and final inspection records with your home documents.

For budgets, see kitchen remodel costs in Brevard County, the Florida kitchen remodel cost guide and kitchen cabinet replacement costs in Melbourne. If the bathroom is next, read bathroom remodel permits.