Permits
Seminole County Building Permits: Remodel Guide (2026)
Seminole County building permits for remodels: county vs city jurisdiction, what needs a permit, the $7,500 exemption, permit search and inspections.
By the Prime Construction team Updated October 13, 2026 5 min read
Seminole County building permits for unincorporated areas come from the Seminole County Building Division, which runs applications, plan review, fees, inspections and permit search online. If your home is inside one of the county’s seven cities (Sanford, Lake Mary, Oviedo, Longwood, Casselberry, Altamonte Springs or Winter Springs), that city’s building department issues your permit instead. Any remodel that changes plumbing, electrical, gas, HVAC, walls, windows or doors needs one.
Step 1: Find out who issues your permit
The county gives a reliable test in its online permitting guide: look up your property on the Seminole County Property Appraiser website and read the Tax District.
- If it says County or Agricultural, you apply to the Seminole County Building Division.
- If it shows a city’s name, you are permitted through that city. The county’s own example is a property with Winter Springs as its tax district, which permits through the City of Winter Springs.
Do not go by your mailing address. A mailing address that says Longwood, Sanford or Oviedo does not prove the home is inside that city, and homes near city lines are easy to misjudge. The tax district is the test the county itself uses.
City building departments in Seminole County
We checked each city’s official website. All seven run their own building permitting:
| City | Department | How applications are handled (per the city site) |
|---|---|---|
| Sanford | Building Division | Online portal only; paper applications and plans are no longer accepted. See the Sanford Building Division page |
| Lake Mary | Building Division | Online permit portal; HB 803 exemptions need a written request approved by the Building Official |
| Oviedo | Building Services | Online portal for applications, fees, status and inspections |
| Longwood | Building Division | Online portal, with staff able to scan in hard-copy applications |
| Casselberry | Building Division | Online portal for applications, status, inspections and past permits |
| Altamonte Springs | Building and Fire Safety Division | Licensed contractors can pull some simple permits online; permits needing plan review go in person or by mail |
| Winter Springs | Building Division | Online permit portal and electronic plan review |
Each city sets its own fee schedule and procedures, so the rest of this guide focuses on the county process. The building code is the same statewide, so what needs a permit is broadly similar.
What needs a permit in unincorporated Seminole County
Plan on a permit for remodel work that includes:
- Plumbing: moving or adding fixtures, a new shower valve or drain, water heater replacement, re-piping.
- Electrical: new circuits, moved outlets or lights, panel work, a new appliance circuit.
- Mechanical: HVAC replacement or relocation, new ductwork, exhaust fans vented to the exterior.
- Gas: any gas line or gas appliance location change.
- Structural work: load-bearing walls, beams, new openings, additions, garage conversions.
- Windows, exterior doors and roofing.
The county wants a specific description of work. Its guide notes that “Alteration” is not acceptable, while something like “residential alteration to the kitchen layout and adding sink in the laundry room” is.
What usually does not need a permit
Painting, flooring, countertop replacement on existing cabinets, and like-for-like fixture swaps with no new wiring or piping typically do not. Under the new state exemption, Seminole County also lists several items as non-structural, covered next.
The $7,500 exemption in Seminole County
Since July 1, 2026, Florida law requires building departments to exempt some small single-family jobs from a permit. The county explains it on its new state legislation page.
The basics:
- Applies to owners of single-family homes and their contractors.
- The work must be valued at less than $7,500.
- Not electrical, plumbing, structural, mechanical or gas work.
- Not in a flood hazard area, and not a project split into smaller pieces.
What makes the Seminole page useful is that it names items the county treats as non-structural when under $7,500, including:
- Kitchen and bathroom cabinets
- Non-bearing interior walls
- Fences and gates (except masonry or concrete fences)
- Unattached pergolas and trellises
- Sheds of 200 square feet or less
- Floating docks
To use it, the owner or contractor submits a written request to the Building Division using the county’s Permit Exemption Request Form, with the contract or other documents showing the nature and value of the work.
A caution for remodels: a cabinet replacement may qualify, but if the job also moves the sink, adds an outlet or relocates a light, those parts still need permits. Most real kitchen and bath projects end up needing at least one trade permit.
How to apply for a Seminole County permit
The county’s process runs through Building Permits Online and its electronic plan review system, ePlan.
- Verify jurisdiction with the Tax District, as above.
- Contractor registration. A licensed contractor must be current in the county’s system, with license and insurance certificates on file.
- Request an application number through Building Permits Online by searching the job address or parcel number and choosing the application type.
- Upload the package in ePlan. The applicant’s email becomes the ePlan login. Files are uploaded as individual PDFs.
- Pay fees set by the county fee schedule. A contractor’s estimate normally includes them.
- Record a Notice of Commencement with the county clerk when the job is over $5,000 (Florida Statutes 713.13 and 713.135), and post a copy on site.
Owner-builders
Florida Statutes 489.103(7) lets you act as your own contractor on a home you own and will occupy, if you do or directly supervise the work, and selling or leasing within a year of completion creates a presumption the work was for sale. Seminole County requires owner-builders to personally appear at the Building Division with a valid government-issued photo ID and sign the owner-builder statement and a building code acknowledgement in front of a permit technician. If you are hiring a contractor, the contractor should pull the permit.
Searching Seminole County permits by address
The county’s online permit search lets the public research permit activity for properties in unincorporated Seminole County. You can search by application number, address, parcel number or name. Use it before buying a home, to confirm your contractor pulled the permit, or to find old open permits before you sell. For properties inside a city, search that city’s portal.
Scheduling inspections
Through Building Permits Online you can schedule inspections, see results and check status. The county lists these rules:
- Inspections run between 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.
- Online requests must be in by 11:30 p.m. the day before for the next business day.
- Online cancellations are allowed only before 12 a.m. on the inspection day.
The Building Division’s main line is 407-665-7050.
Planning a remodel in Seminole County?
Because Seminole has eight separate permit offices, the first thing we do on a Seminole project is confirm the tax district. Prime Construction is a licensed general contractor (CGC1535686) and plumbing contractor (CFC1433952), and we pull permits and handle inspections whether the job is in the county, Sanford, Lake Mary or another city. See how our general contracting works, call (407) 404-3944 or request an estimate. For neighboring areas, read our guides to Orange County building permits, City of Orlando permits and Osceola County permits.
