Stop work order— What We Handle

Stop all construction activity immediately — completely and without exception. Do not allow any contractors, workers, or subcontractors to continue any work on the property until the stop work order is officially lifted. Continuing to work after a stop work order is a separate violation that carries additional fines on top of the original order, and building department inspectors do return to verify compliance.

After stopping all work, call a licensed contractor immediately to begin the resolution process. AGK Construction & Roofing can typically be on-site within 24 hours for a free assessment of what is needed to get the order lifted. Call (954) 807-3455 now — every day the stop work order remains open, fines accumulate.

Timeline depends on why the stop work order was issued and how quickly the underlying permit and correction issues can be resolved. For straightforward cases — such as work that was started without a permit but was otherwise being done correctly — the permit can sometimes be obtained and inspected within 2 to 4 weeks. More complex cases involving structural work, multiple trades, or significant code corrections typically take 4 to 8 weeks.

The most important factor in timeline is how fast a complete permit application can be submitted to the building department. AGK prepares complete permit packages immediately — including all required drawings, engineer letters, and product approval documentation — to begin the official review clock as fast as possible and avoid the revision cycles that add weeks to the process.

Technically yes — Florida law provides an appeals process for building department orders. However, in the vast majority of stop work order cases, the fastest and least expensive path is to resolve the underlying violation rather than contest the order. Appeals take time, require documentation and legal arguments, and typically do not stop fines from accumulating while the appeal is pending.

AGK Construction & Roofing focuses on resolving stop work orders — not appealing them — because resolution is almost always faster and cheaper than the appeals process. If you have a genuine belief that the stop work order was issued in error, we can advise you on that during the free assessment, but our recommendation in most cases is to move directly to resolution.

Yes — as the property owner you are ultimately responsible for all construction activity on your property, including work done by contractors you hire. A stop work order issued against work being done on your property attaches to the property itself — not just to the contractor. If your contractor was working without permits or in violation of the building code, the stop work order and associated fines are your problem to resolve as the property owner.

In this situation you may have a separate legal claim against the contractor who caused the stop work order, but that does not remove your immediate obligation to resolve the order with the building department. AGK Construction & Roofing resolves stop work orders caused by other contractors regularly — we come in, assess the situation, obtain the correct permits, complete or correct the work, and pass inspection to get the order lifted.

Not necessarily — and in many cases, no. Whether existing work needs to be removed depends entirely on whether it meets current Florida Building Code standards. If the work was done correctly — just without a permit — it can often be permitted after the fact and inspected as-is with only minor corrections. If the work was done incorrectly or with non-compliant materials, corrections will be required before inspection.

AGK Construction & Roofing assesses all existing work during the free on-site visit and gives you a clear picture of what — if anything — needs to be corrected or replaced before the permit can be closed and the stop work order lifted. We identify this upfront so you know exactly what you are dealing with before committing to any work.

Yes — stop work order fines become recorded liens against your property through the Special Magistrate process. Initial fines for construction without a permit range from $500 to $1,000 or more depending on the jurisdiction. After a Special Magistrate hearing, daily fines of up to $1,000 per day are imposed until the stop work order is resolved. Those accumulated daily fines are then recorded as a lien against your property.

Liens must be fully paid and satisfied before any sale or refinancing can close. Total costs — including the permit fees, contractor fees for resolution, and accumulated fines — can reach $8,000 and above depending on how long the order was open and the complexity of the resolution. Starting the resolution process immediately after the order is issued is the single most effective way to minimize your total cost.

Yes. 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 file permits, perform corrections, and pass inspections across all four trades under one contract.

For stop work orders on projects that involve multiple trades — which is common on larger renovations and additions — this means one contractor managing the entire resolution, one coordinated permit submission to the building department, and one set of inspections. This is significantly faster and less complicated than hiring separate contractors for each trade involved in the stop work order.