Building permit fees — Palm Bay, Florida

Most Palm Bay building permit fees are figured from the value of the work: $30 covers jobs up to $1,000, and larger jobs add a set amount for every $1,000 of value under Resolution 2025-32.

The Palm Bay City Council adopted Resolution 2025-32 at its meeting of September 24, 2025, setting the Chapter 96 building fees for fiscal year 2025-2026 with an effective date of October 1, 2025 (Resolution 2025-32, page 1). As of October 12, 2026, the Palm Bay Building Department page still names Resolution 2025-32 as its current fee schedule (City of Palm Bay Building Department). The City of Palm Bay Rates, Charges and Fees page explains that these fees are adopted annually by the City Council (Palm Bay Rates, Charges and Fees).

Each tier picks up where the one below ends. A permit for $50,000 of work in Palm Bay costs $324, a permit for $100,000 costs $574, and a permit for $500,000 costs $2,174, before the per-thousand charge for value above that line (Resolution 2025-32, Exhibit A page A-1). The schedule applies unless a job has its own listed fee, such as the $250 charge for a mobile home or $150 to move a building or structure.

A $20,000 Palm Bay remodel works out to a $144 building permit fee: $30 for the first $1,000 plus $6 for each of the remaining 19 thousands, before review fees and surcharges are added.

The arithmetic uses the second tier of the Palm Bay schedule: $30 plus 19 times $6 ($114) equals $144 (Resolution 2025-32, Exhibit A page A-1). When plans are reviewed, the Plan Review Fee is set at half of the building permit fee, so $72 on that same job, and a $30 Building Permit Administrative Fee is charged as well (Resolution 2025-32, Exhibit A page A-1). On top of the total, Palm Bay collects a City Construction and Demolition Surcharge of 0.25% and the Florida State Surcharge of 2.5% (Resolution 2025-32, Exhibit A page A-3).

Roof work in Palm Bay is priced flat rather than by value. A single family roofing or siding repair is $100, and a new or replacement roof or siding job on a single family home is $150 (Resolution 2025-32, Exhibit A page A-2). Those amounts fall to $50 and $75 when the owner hires a private provider for inspections.

A returned check (NSF or stop payment) on a Palm Bay permit carries a $25 minimum charge, $30 when the face value is more than $50 but not over $300, and $40 or 5%, whichever is greater, when the face value is more than $300 (Resolution 2025-32, Exhibit A page A-3). The Palm Bay Building Department office is listed at 110 Malabar Rd SE, phone (321) 953-8924, open Monday to Friday from 7:30 am to 3:30 pm (City of Palm Bay Building Department).

Palm Bay adds separate charges for each subcontractor trade, plan revisions, failed inspections, extensions and after-hours inspections, all listed in the same Resolution 2025-32 exhibit.

A subcontractor fee of $40 applies per subcontractor type, a change of contractor costs $40 each time, and a Palm Bay permit extension is $50 (Resolution 2025-32, Exhibit A page A-3). Plan revisions cost $50 on residential permits and $75 on commercial permits. After a failed inspection, the first reinspection is $25 and each additional reinspection is $100, on both residential and commercial permits, including fire permits (Resolution 2025-32, Exhibit A page A-2).

Fire permits and fire plan reviews in Palm Bay are each half of the matching building fee, figured without any private provider discount (Resolution 2025-32, Exhibit A page A-3). An after-hours inspection, charged only when an inspector is available, is a minimum of $200 for the first two hours and $100 for each additional hour (Resolution 2025-32, Exhibit A page A-4). Builders using an approved master plan pay $300 per single family model (Exhibit A page A-3) and a $250 site-specific plan review fee (Exhibit A page A-2).

Yes: Palm Bay cuts the building permit fee by 50% (up to $250) for military applicants, by 75% for qualifying business construction, and by 100% for fully affordable housing projects.

The Cesar Ramirez-Villamil Military Discount reduces the building permit fee portion of a Palm Bay permit by fifty percent, up to $250, under Building Department policy (Resolution 2025-32, Exhibit A page A-4). The Commercial and Industrial Building Permit Fee Reduction Program gives for-profit businesses that build, expand a footprint or renovate to accommodate growth a seventy-five percent reduction of the portion retained by the City of Palm Bay. The Affordable Housing Building Permit Fee Reduction Program removes the building permit fee entirely when every unit meets the Section 420.9071, Florida Statutes definition and serves households below 80% of area median income, as approved by the Community and Economic Development Director and the Building Official.

Private providers also lower the bill. Owners who hire a private provider for inspections pay a flat $250 building permit fee in Palm Bay (Exhibit A page A-1), and a private provider plan review carries a $250 plan review fee instead of the half-of-permit formula (Resolution 2025-32, Exhibit A page A-2). Refunds are narrow: if no inspections have occurred, only the original building permit fee portion comes back, and all other Palm Bay fees are non-refundable (Resolution 2025-32, Exhibit A page A-3).

Starting work without a Palm Bay permit can cost up to four times the sum of all fees, and working through a stop work order costs $250 the first time and $500 for each later occurrence.

The four-times penalty for work commenced without permits is set by the Palm Bay Building Official (Resolution 2025-32, Exhibit A page A-3). The same multiplier applies to plans: design documents rejected three or more times for the same noted items draw a fee of four times the plan review fee (Resolution 2025-32, Exhibit A page A-2). A non-compliance fee of $75 applies when a permit holder fails to call for a final inspection, and violating a stop work order is billed at $250 on the first occurrence and $500 on each subsequent occurrence on the same order (Resolution 2025-32, Exhibit A page A-3).

Sheds, fences, tree removal and site clearing in Palm Bay are priced under the Land Development Code fee resolution, Resolution 2025-34, not the building schedule.

Resolution 2025-34 lists a Shed/Fence Permit at $50 in fiscal 2025-2026 (Resolution 2025-34, page 3). A Palm Bay tree removal permit is a flat $25 per parcel, a grubbing permit for underbrush clearing only is also $25, and a site work permit that includes land clearing costs $525 plus $50 per acre (Resolution 2025-34, page 4). Impact fees sit apart from both schedules: the Palm Bay Rates, Charges and Fees page lists park, police and fire impact fees and the transportation facilities impact fee under Chapter 171, and notes that water and wastewater impact fees are established by ordinance under Section 171.50 (Palm Bay Rates, Charges and Fees).

Palm Bay building fees can only pay for enforcing the Florida Building Code; in fiscal 2024/2025 the Palm Bay Building Department reported $4,535,690 in revenue from fees.

Florida Statutes section 553.80 lets local governments set a fee schedule and requires that such fees be used solely for carrying out the local government's responsibilities in enforcing the Florida Building Code (Florida Statutes 553.80). The Palm Bay Building Permit and Inspection Utilization Report for fiscal 2024/2025 lists 41 personnel dedicated to code enforcement, permits and inspections, $3,928,404 in personnel services costs, and $848,777 in balances carried forward under section 553.80(7)(a)(1) (Palm Bay utilization report FY 2024/2025). Last verified: October 12, 2026, on the City of Palm Bay website (Resolution 2025-32 and the utilization report).