Do You Need a Demolition Permit in Tampa or Hillsborough County?

Yes, you need one. Florida law makes it unlawful to demolish a building without first getting a permit. Your address decides who issues it: the City of Tampa inside city limits, Hillsborough County in unincorporated areas.

Who issues the demolition permit for your address?

Start by checking whether the lot sits inside Tampa city limits. Inside them, the city’s Construction Services Division issues the permit. In unincorporated Hillsborough County, meaning outside any city, the county issues it.

In Tampa, you apply online through Accela, the city’s permit system. The city says a demolition permit is issued on the same day. Once the site is ready, an inspection has to be called in before the teardown starts.

Hillsborough County Development Services takes requests online through HillsGovHub. The county posts its own checklist for tearing down a whole home.

In St. Petersburg, the city’s Building Department handles demolition permits. In unincorporated Pasco County, Building Construction Services issues them, and you apply in PascoGateway.

Once the permit is issued, our house demolition service takes the house down. Debris goes straight into our own dump trucks.

What goes into a demolition permit application?

Start with the site plan. Hillsborough County asks for a digital key site plan drawn to scale. It shows the whole parcel and every building on it, with the one coming down clearly marked. Pasco wants an X through each structure coming down, and every document sent in electronic form.

Mark any garage or shed that comes down with the house. Driveways and slabs can come out at the same time, and our concrete removal service covers them.

Next come the utility sign offs. Hillsborough County wants four: its Public Utilities Department, Tampa Electric, the gas provider, and the phone and data provider. The Tampa Electric letter must show the demolition request was approved.

Tampa’s demolition sign off form still requires electric and gas sign offs. The form lists Tampa Electric and TECO Peoples Gas for those two. Water and wastewater sign offs are no longer needed on the form. That step now runs inside your Accela permit record.

St. Petersburg wants signed proof before it issues the permit. Its form has lines for power, gas, city water and any land line phone. It also asks for the Sunshine 811 number and the date you called.

Then comes the Notice of Commencement. Under Florida Statute 713.13, the owner must sign it. No one else may sign in the owner’s place. It must be recorded and posted on the site before the first inspection.

Hillsborough County asks for a recorded certified copy. In Pasco, a notice is needed once the project passes a set dollar amount. It must be notarized and recorded with the Clerk of Courts.

How does asbestos fit into a demolition permit?

Florida Building Code section 105.9 puts an asbestos notice on every demolition permit. It says the owner must follow the state asbestos law, section 469.003. It also says to notify the Department of Environmental Protection before removing asbestos, when that applies.

That law sets who may do the work. Only a licensed asbestos consultant may conduct an asbestos survey. Only a licensed asbestos contractor may do the removal, and it is finished before the teardown starts.

The federal asbestos rule leaves out isolated residential buildings with four or fewer dwelling units. So one house on its own usually falls outside it.

Local agencies take notice on the jobs the rule does cover. In Hillsborough County, that is the Environmental Protection Commission, or EPC. It covers commercial buildings and jobs with more than one single family home. Notice goes in at least 10 working days before the start date, with a copy of the survey.

Pinellas County Air Quality asks for the same 10 working days before a teardown begins. That is two calendar weeks. It also wants the survey report on site during the teardown. Pinellas says a single family home may be exempt, but not when it is part of a larger project.

How do trees on the lot affect a teardown permit?

Inside Tampa, protected trees include oaks, pines and elms over 5 inches in diameter. The city measures them 4.5 feet above the ground. No protected tree may be removed or damaged without a city permit.

Tampa’s Tree Removal and Site Clearing Statement lists demolition as a project type. On it, the applicant certifies that no protected trees stand within 20 feet of the work. The applicant also certifies that no wetlands sit within 30 feet.

The form says every project stays subject to site inspections. If an inspection finds a tree code violation, a notice of violation or a stop work order follows.

Hillsborough County requires barriers to protect trees that stay during land alteration and construction. The barrier sits at the canopy dripline and stands at least 3 feet tall. The ground inside it stays untouched. A Grand Oak must be preserved unless the county approves its removal.

Taking a tree out follows separate rules. Tree permits for addresses in Tampa, Plant City or Temple Terrace come from that city. Our guide to tree removal permits covers sizes and steps.

What changes when a storm damaged house comes down?

Hurricanes Helene and Milton damaged homes across Tampa Bay in September and October 2024. For homes in a FEMA flood zone, a county rule shapes the choice between repair and teardown.

Hillsborough County applies FEMA’s 50 percent rule to buildings in flood zones. A building is substantially damaged when repair costs reach 50 percent of its market value before the damage. Any repair must then bring the building up to the Florida Building Code and the county’s flood rules.

The county checks this with a worksheet the owner and contractor complete for the repair permit. The 50 percent rule is one reason some storm damaged homes come down instead of being repaired. The teardown still needs its own demolition permit.

What happens if a house comes down without a permit?

Florida Statute 553.79 makes it unlawful to demolish any building without first getting a permit. The building office can also revoke a permit when the work breaks the Florida Building Code. Skipping the permit also skips the checks built into it. Those include the utility sign offs and the asbestos notice.

Code cases do not skip the step either. Pasco’s residential demolition package covers work under a government order and work to resolve a building violation.

What are the steps to get a demolition permit?

Here is the usual order for a house in Tampa or unincorporated Hillsborough County. Pasco and St. Petersburg use their own forms, covered above.

• Confirm whether the lot is inside Tampa city limits.
• Line up any asbestos survey with a licensed asbestos consultant.
• Collect the utility sign offs your office lists, starting with electric and gas.
• Draw the site plan to scale and mark every structure coming down.
• Apply online: Accela for Tampa, HillsGovHub for the county.
• Record the Notice of Commencement and post it on the site before the first inspection.
• Call Sunshine 811 at least 2 full business days before the teardown begins.
• In Tampa, call in the inspection once the site is ready.

The 811 rule is state law. It covers demolition as well as digging, so the teardown itself needs the call.

Tampa’s current fee schedule, updated in 2020, puts the permit for a one or two family home at $197. A Florida building permit surcharge is added on top. The permit fee is one line in the budget. For the rest, see what a Tampa teardown costs.