Building Permits (Unincorporated Brevard) — Brevard County, Florida

Brevard County Planning and Development issues building permits only for unincorporated Brevard, such as Micco, Barefoot Bay and other addresses outside city limits; Palm Bay, Melbourne and Malabar each permit construction on their own land.

The county's Brevard County Building Permits page says building permits are issued for new construction, alterations, additions and changes to properties within unincorporated areas of Brevard County. The legal basis is local: Brevard County Code Sec. 22-46 adopts the Florida Building Code as the county's building code to apply to the unincorporated areas.

To confirm jurisdiction for a parcel near Palm Bay, Malabar or Micco, the county's building permit FAQ says to look the parcel up on the Brevard Property Appraiser site and read the Taxing District shown on the record, which names the jurisdiction. The Brevard County Sheriff's precinct list, built on unincorporated areas, covers unincorporated areas plus Cape Canaveral and Palm Shores, and it publishes a separate Barefoot Bay and Micco non-emergency line on the South Precinct.

Palm Bay runs a fully separate system. Its Building Department requirements sheet gives the office as 110 Malabar Road SE, Palm Bay, with permits filed through the city's IMS portal, and the demolition submittal sheet says approvals of other City of Palm Bay departments must be obtained before a permit is issued. The Town of Malabar lists its own Building Department, with building fees effective 10/01/2026. City and town numbers for Melbourne and Grant-Valkaria come from the Tax Collector's list of taxing authorities.

Licensed contractors apply for Brevard County permits online through Brevard's Advanced Service Site, known as BASS, while owners acting as their own contractor must file in person at the Viera permit office.

The county permit page says online permitting is only available to licensed contractors and tells contractors to confirm their status in the Brevard County Licensed Contractor Search before applying; anyone whose search turns up nothing is asked to call (321) 633-2187. Owner/Builders must appear in person to file and should call the same number to ask about forms and schedule an in-office appointment at 2725 Judge Fran Jamieson Way.

BASS covers most of the paperwork for registered contractors. The manufactured home permit page says registered contractors can apply online, upload documents, monitor progress, schedule inspections and pay fees 24 hours a day, seven days a week through BASS, with email notice of any status change, and that walk-in documents may be accepted on a flash drive at the Viera counter. The Brevard County Building Permits page adds that payments can be made by logging in to BASS or by calling the Central Cashier at (321) 633-2068, and it warns that county staff will never ask for payment by wire transfer.

Contractors themselves must be licensed for unincorporated work. Brevard County Code Sec. 22-521 requires anyone in business as a contractor, or working as a master or journeyman in the unincorporated areas of the county, to hold a certificate of competency from the Brevard County board or the state construction industry licensing board, and Sec. 22-528 makes county certificates valid from September 1 through August 31 each year. Under Sec. 22-50, no permit is issued until the applicant shows the work will not violate land development regulations, and a property survey may be required.

Owners in unincorporated Brevard County can act as their own contractor under Florida's owner-builder exemption for a home they will occupy, but they must apply in person in Viera and supervise all work themselves.

The exemption Brevard County Planning and Development applies comes from Florida Statutes 489.103. It covers owners acting as their own contractor and providing direct, onsite supervision of all work not performed by licensed contractors, when building or improving one-family or two-family residences for their own occupancy or use and not offered for sale or lease, or commercial buildings for their own use at a cost not to exceed $75,000. A sale or offer to sell within 1 year after completion creates a legal presumption that the work was done for sale.

Brevard County applies that statute at the counter. The county's residential reroof page and its manufactured home page both say property owners acting as their own contractor must personally appear to submit the application in accordance with Florida Statute Section 489.103, and both list an Owner Builder Application for Contractor Exemption form that is required only for owner/builders. Both pages also require a Subcontractor Authorization form for each subcontractor named on a Planning and Development permit.

Brevard County Planning and Development fees depend on the permit type; the reroof and manufactured home schedules start with a $25.00 application processing fee and a $10.00 unlicensed contractor enforcement fee, then add building code review and state surcharges.

Two of the Brevard County Planning and Development residential permit pages publish full fee tables, shown below. The county says the figures help estimate total permit fees and that individual projects may vary. The reroof page adds that fees on applications entered incorrectly or in error, including duplicate entries, will not be refunded.

Impact fees are separate and due before the final inspection on a new Brevard County manufactured home installation, according to the manufactured home page. Commercial work carries one more change: the county permit page says that, effective October 1, 2025, applicable commercial building and development permits are subject to an increase in Fire Prevention Review fees. Fees for other permit types appear on each type's page in the Planning and Development list.

Setting a new or replacement mobile or manufactured home on an unincorporated Brevard County lot needs a Residential Mobile Home installation permit reviewed by county staff, but reroofing a mobile home needs no county permit at all.

The Brevard County Planning and Development installation permit page says the permit covers installation or set-up of a new or replacement manufactured home, including connection of all utilities, for homes such as park trailers and mobile homes as defined in Florida Statutes Chapter 320.01. It does not include site-built structures such as carports and sheds. Required documents include the building permit application, a Florida Department of Environmental Health septic permit or approval if the lot is on septic, an Affidavit of Safe Occupancy when a used mobile home is installed, a floor and foundation plan showing pier spacing and anchors, and a dimensioned plot plan.

A Notice of Commencement is required when the job value exceeds $5,000.00, and Brevard County says it must be recorded with the Clerk of Courts, uploaded, and approved by Planning and Development before inspections are scheduled. Florida Statutes 713.135 explains why: every permit card must warn that failure to record a notice of commencement may result in paying twice for improvements, and that the notice must be recorded and posted on the site before the first inspection. Palm Bay's own demolition submittal sheet sets the same $5,000 trigger for a recorded notice inside the city.

Roof work is the exception. The Brevard County Residential Reroof page states that no permit is required for work on mobile homes or tiny houses on wheels; for site-built houses in Micco or elsewhere outside city limits, a reroof permit is required and a general contractor must name a roofing subcontractor.

After a declared emergency, Brevard County Planning and Development expedites simple repair permits such as reroofing, electrical repairs and single window or door replacements, and it expects to process them within 3 business days.

Florida Statutes 553.7922 requires local governments hit by a declared natural emergency to approve special processing procedures for permits that do not require technical review, including roof repairs, reroofing, electrical repairs, service changes, or the replacement of one window or one door, and it lets them waive application and inspection fees. The Brevard County Building Permits page states the county's expectation of that 3 business day turnaround in unincorporated Brevard and adds Board of County Commissioners Policy BCC-50, under which the County Manager may waive fees for storm repair permits when a financial hardship exists and insurance or other assistance is not available. The page also links a Storm Recovery Permitting Guide.

Affordable housing gets its own track. Under Chapter 62, Article XVII of the Brevard County Code, developments in which 30 percent or more of the project is affordable can receive help from the county's affordable/workforce housing team, drawn from Planning and Development, Natural Resources, Housing and Human Services and Public Works, with priority for projects that keep units affordable longer. Last verified: October 11, 2026, on the Brevard County Planning and Development website.