Screen Enclosure and Pool Cage Permits in Florida

Screen enclosures are aluminum structures that have to stand up to Florida's hurricane winds, and many also serve as the safety barrier around a pool. Both reasons are why building departments treat them as permitted structures.

New enclosures need a permit

A new pool cage, screened patio or screened porch needs a building permit. Typical requirements include:

• Engineering. The structure must be engineered for wind loads at your site. Naples, for example, says enclosures must be engineered to meet wind loads, and if engineering for the structure isn't already on file, the contractor must supply drawings signed and sealed by a Florida-registered engineer.
• A site plan. Hillsborough County's checklist calls for a site plan drawn to scale, and a recorded Notice of Commencement before the first inspection.
• Foundation details. How the frame anchors into footings, the pool deck or the slab.
• Pool barrier compliance, if the enclosure surrounds a pool.

Pool barrier rules

Under Florida's Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act, a pool barrier must be at least 4 ft high on the outside and must not have gaps, openings or footholds a young child could use to get under, through or over it. When the screen enclosure is the barrier, its doors need to be self-closing and self-latching, and the plans should show compliance with the Florida Building Code's residential pool barrier provisions. A new pool must have at least one of several safety features listed in state law. See fence and pool barrier permits.

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

Rescreening and repairs

Replacing screen on an existing frame often doesn't need a permit, though some counties set dollar limits. Replacing frame members, beams or a section damaged in a storm usually does, and so does adding new framing, a new door or a new roof panel layout. When in doubt, call the building department with your scope.

How counties compare

Screen enclosures: how Florida counties compare

County	What the published guidance says
Miami-Dade County	The county lists screen enclosures among the structures that need a permit. Expect engineered drawings sized for the county's design wind speeds.
Broward County	Aluminum screen enclosures need a building permit. Expect engineered drawings for the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone.
Palm Beach County	New aluminum screen enclosures need a permit. Ask PZB whether rescreening an existing enclosure needs one.
Hillsborough County	Screen enclosures and glass rooms need a residential miscellaneous permit with a scaled site plan, and a recorded Notice of Commencement before the first inspection.
Orange County	Screen enclosures generally need a permit. Ask the county's permitting office what drawings or engineering it needs for the aluminum structure.
Jacksonville (Duval County)	Screen enclosures are structures that need a permit. Confirm drawing requirements with the Building Inspection Division.
Pinellas County	Screen rooms and pool enclosures are permitted as aluminum structures through the county's online portal.
Lee County	Screen enclosures need their own permit, with plan review and zoning review fees on top of the permit fee.
Brevard County	New, repaired or replaced aluminum structures, such as screen enclosures and carports, have their own residential aluminum structure permit. Confirm the drawings and engineering needed with Planning and Development.
Indian River County	Confirm with the Building Division what a new or rebuilt screen enclosure needs. Expect engineered drawings for the aluminum frame, sized for local design wind speeds.
Volusia County	Expect a new aluminum screen enclosure or screen room to need a permit, as it does in most of Florida. Confirm drawing and engineering requirements with the Permit Center.
Flagler County	Expect a new screen enclosure to need a permit, as it does in most of Florida. Confirm drawing and engineering requirements with Central Permitting.

For Melbourne and Brevard County, including which county permit covers an enclosure, see screened patio costs in Melbourne.

Who can build it

Screen enclosures and pool enclosures fall within the scope of Florida's specialty structure contractor license, as well as general, building and residential contractors. Ask for the license number and check it on the state's license search before you sign; see how to check a contractor before hiring.

Other approvals

Most HOAs control enclosure height, roof style and color; get written approval first (HOA approval guide). Products used must meet Florida's product approval and wind requirements; see hurricane codes and product approval. For prices, see our screen enclosure cost guide.