After the Fact Permits — What We Handle

An after the fact permit — also called a retroactive permit or retrospective permit — is a building permit obtained for work that was already completed without a permit being pulled first. Florida law requires a building permit before any significant construction, roofing, plumbing, or structural work begins. When that work is done without a permit, the property owner must retroactively legalize it by going through the permitting process after the fact.

The after the fact permit process involves submitting permit applications and supporting documentation to the local building department, passing a building inspection of the completed work, and correcting anything that does not meet current Florida Building Code. Once the permit is officially closed, the work is legally recognized and any associated violation is cleared.

In the vast majority of cases — no. Demolition is rarely required for after the fact permits in Florida. The goal of the after the fact permit process is to bring the completed work into legal compliance, not to tear it down. AGK Construction & Roofing assesses the unpermitted work during your free inspection and identifies exactly what — if anything — needs to be corrected to meet current Florida Building Code before the inspection.

The exception is when the unpermitted work is so fundamentally flawed — such as a structural addition built without any engineering that poses a safety risk — that it cannot be brought into compliance without removal. This is rare, and AGK will identify it upfront during the free inspection so you know exactly what you are dealing with before committing to anything.

Timeline varies by jurisdiction and by the complexity of the work being permitted. For straightforward cases — such as a roof replacement or window installation that was done correctly but without a permit — the after the fact permit can often be obtained in 2 to 4 weeks from the date of permit application submission. More complex cases involving structural work, additions, or multiple trades typically take 4 to 8 weeks.

The biggest factor in timeline is how complete and accurate the permit application is when it is submitted. Incomplete applications are rejected and sent back for revision — adding weeks to the process. AGK prepares complete permit packages upfront, including all required drawings, engineer letters, and product approval documentation, to avoid revision cycles and move as fast as the building department's schedule allows.

After the fact permit costs vary significantly based on the type of work, the jurisdiction, and whether corrections are needed. Building department permit fees for after the fact permits are typically higher than standard permit fees — many jurisdictions charge a penalty multiplier for work done without a permit. In addition to the permit fee, costs include contractor fees for preparing documentation, performing any required corrections, and managing the inspection process.

In our experience across Miami-Dade and Broward County, total after the fact permit costs including contractor management fees and any required corrections range widely depending on the scope. AGK provides a clear written estimate after the free inspection so you know the total cost before committing. For pricing, call (954) 807-3455 — we do not publish ranges that might not apply to your specific situation.

An open permit is one that was pulled before work began but was never closed with a final inspection. An after the fact permit is for work that was done with no permit filed at all — nothing was ever submitted to the building department. The resolution process differs: an open permit may only need a final inspection to close, while an after the fact permit requires a full new permit application, documentation, and inspection from scratch.

Both appear in title searches and both block real estate closings until resolved. AGK handles both — and on properties with multiple issues, we identify which items are open permits versus fully unpermitted work during the free inspection, then resolve each correctly under one contract.

Yes. Code violations, open permits, and unpermitted work attach to the property — not the previous owner. When you purchased the property, you became responsible for resolving all unpermitted work, regardless of who did it or when. This is one of the most common situations AGK encounters across South Florida — buyers who purchased homes only to discover during a title search, insurance inspection, or building department audit that significant work was done without permits.

AGK Construction & Roofing handles the entire after the fact permit process under one contract. We conduct the inspection, identify all unpermitted items, prepare and submit the permit applications, perform any required corrections, manage the inspections, and deliver the closure documentation — so you can move forward with a clean, permitted property.

Technically a property can be listed with unpermitted work disclosed, but in practice it is extremely difficult to close on a sale when unpermitted work is present. The buyer's lender — especially for FHA, VA, and conventional loans — will typically require all open permits and code violations to be resolved before funding the loan. Title insurance cannot be issued on properties with open code violations. And buyers' attorneys routinely flag unpermitted work during title searches.

The practical answer for most sellers is: resolve the unpermitted work before listing, or be prepared for the buyer to make it a condition of closing — which then creates a deadline that makes the after the fact permit process much more stressful. AGK works with sellers and their real estate agents proactively to obtain after the fact permits before listing, protecting the sale price and closing timeline.

Yes — and this is one of the most important things to understand about after the fact permits in South Florida. Both Miami-Dade and Broward County have dozens of incorporated municipalities, each with its own building department and its own permit submission process. Additionally, properties in unincorporated areas go through the county building department — not a city department.

The key differences include: Miami-Dade County is entirely within the High Velocity Hurricane Zone (HVHZ), meaning all roofing and window corrections must use HVHZ-rated products. Broward County properties may or may not be in the HVHZ depending on their exact location. Each city also has its own portal, documentation requirements, and inspection timelines. AGK knows every jurisdiction across both counties and files with the correct department every time — eliminating the rejected applications and wasted weeks that happen when contractors file with the wrong department.

Yes — and this is one of AGK's most important advantages for South Florida property owners. Most contractors can only pull permits in their specific licensed trade. A roofing contractor can only permit roofing. A plumbing contractor can only permit plumbing. If your property has unpermitted work across multiple trades — which is extremely common on older South Florida properties — you would normally need to hire separate contractors for each trade and coordinate multiple permit applications and inspections.

AGK Construction & Roofing holds four active Florida contractor licenses: Roofing (CCC-1335099), General Contractor (CGC-1534839), Plumbing (CFC-1434412), and Glass & Glazing (SCC-131153361). We can legally perform, permit, and pass inspection for every trade under one contract — one coordinated permit submission, one set of inspections, one closure document.