Sec. 320.408. - Permits.

(a) A building, electrical, gas, mechanical, plumbing or sign permit shall carry with it the right to construct or install the work, provided the same are shown on the drawings and set for in the specifications filed with the application for the permit. Where these are not shown on the drawings and covered by the specifications submitted with the application, separate permits shall be required. (b) No building, construction, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, sign, miscellaneous or other permit issued by the Building Inspection Division shall be valid until the fees prescribed by Section 320.409 have been paid to the Tax Collector and evidence of the payment is marked on the face of the permit. (c) In all cases where work for which a permit is required is commenced before the permit is obtained, except where specific permission is granted to proceed by the Chief, Building Inspection Division, the permit fee due the City for a permit for the work shall be twice the amount of the regular permit fee specified in Section 320.409 which would have been due had the permit been obtained prior to commencing work. Payment of the increased fee shall not be a defense in a prosecution for doing the work for which a permit is required without having obtained the necessary permit. (d) When extra inspection trips are made for a permit holder due to any of the following reasons, an additional fee to the fee for such permit as found in www.coj.net/fees , shall be charged for each additional inspection: (1) Wrong address given on the call for inspection. (2) Work not ready for inspection at the time specified, including failed inspections. (3) Required corrections not made within the time specified. (4) Failure to request required inspections. (5) Additional work done after the inspection has been made. (e) Where no work has been done under a valid permit for which the Building Inspections Division permit fees and the resource management and landscape fees have been paid and a written request for refund of fees is made by the holder thereof within six months of the date of original issuance, the Building Official may authorize the refund of 80 percent of the Building Inspection Division (BID) permit fee, Resource Management Fee, and Landscape Fee, upon surrender and cancellation of the permit; provided, that no refund shall be made for permits whose total permit fee is less than $30. No refund will be given for the plan review fee once the review has started. (f) The following work on a single-family residence may be performed without plan review or inspection by the Building Inspection Division. After the permit is paid for and Notice of Commencement submitted (when required), the permit will Auto Expire. The Building Inspection Division shall retain the right and option to perform such random inspections as may be deemed necessary to show compliance with the Florida Building Code: (1) Installation of water softeners. (2) Installation of electric water heaters. (3) Roofing repairs or reroofing not exceeding five squares or $2,500 in total cost. (4) All wood/vinyl/aluminum/cementitious siding replacement, or stucco repair, over wood frame construction, where the work involves less than 20 percent of any wall larger than 100 sf (including doors and windows), or the work involves only walls less than 100 sf (including doors and windows). (5) Replacement of light fixtures, switches, ceiling fans and receptacles. (6) Re-piping not exceeding $5,000 in total cost. (7) Installation of electric fireplaces. (8) Replacement of existing HVAC equipment, the installation cost of which does not exceed $5,000, when requested by the homeowner. This subsection does not include liquid propane, natural gas, or oil source equipment. (9) Repairs, renovations and alterations of existing swimming pools and spas except for changing of pump size and/or volume of water. (g) The following work on a single-family residence shall require plan review only by the Building Inspection Division and shall Auto Expire after the permit fee is paid and a Notice of Commencement submitted when required; provided, however, that the Building Inspection Division shall retain the right and option to perform such random inspections as may be deemed necessary to establish compliance with the Florida Building Code: (1) Window and/or door replacement not exceeding $5,000 in total cost. (2) Category I, II, and III sunrooms not exceeding 250 square feet in area and $5,000 in total cost. This does not include new Category I enclosures around swimming pools. (3) Construction or installation of single story accessory structures not exceeding 150 square feet and $5,000 in total cost. (h) The exemptions granted in subsections (f) and (g) shall not relieve the owner or contractor from their duty to comply with all applicable provisions of the Florida Building Code. (Ord. 2001-1160-E, § 1; Ord. No. 2004-711-E, § 3; Ord. 2006-101-E, § 1; Ord. 2008-702-E, § 1; Ord. 2010-216-E, § 4; Ord. 2010-779-E, § 1; Ord. 2017-665-E , § 19; Ord. 2018-347-E , § 2)