Do I need condo or HOA approval before remodeling the inside of my Miami unit?

Florida's Condominium Act does not give one standard approval form for interior unit remodels: your declaration, bylaws and board rules decide what you must submit. What the statute does say is that a unit owner may not do anything within a unit that would adversely affect the safety or soundness of the common elements (s. 718.113(3)), and Miami-Dade's own permit form states that a permit does not relieve the owner of getting association approval, where required, before work begins.

What Florida law says, and what it leaves to your documents

Chapter 718 of the Florida Statutes (the Condominium Act) does not prescribe a single association approval process for remodeling the inside of a unit. The process and what you must submit come from your declaration of condominium, bylaws and board rules, so read those first.

Two statutory limits sit on top of them. Section 718.113(3) says a unit owner shall not do anything within his or her unit or on the common elements which would adversely affect the safety or soundness of the common elements or any property the association maintains. And under s. 718.113(2)(a), there can be no material alteration or substantial addition to the common elements except as the declaration provides; if the declaration is silent, 75 percent of the total voting interests must approve before the work starts. Whether a given balcony, exterior wall or shared pipe is a common element is a question for your declaration.

A county permit is not association approval

Miami-Dade County's building permit application carries this statement: the issuance of the permit does not relieve the property owner from obtaining homeowner's association approval (if required) prior to beginning any work, and does not authorize work that violates any association rule or regulation. So the two approvals run in parallel: the county checks the work against the Florida Building Code, and the association checks it against your community's rules.

On the permit side, the county's application guidance says interior renovations such as removing a wall, or altering or repairing the electrical or plumbing system, require a permit. Its exemptions page, written for unincorporated Miami-Dade, lists replacing kitchen cabinets or vanities inside residential units in the same configuration as not regulated by the Florida Building Code, while any plumbing, ventilation or electrical work that is relocated, reconfigured or altered still needs one. The same page notes other regulating agencies may require a permit or approval, and a city inside the county may run its own building department, so confirm which office issues your permit.

The exception: hurricane protection

Section 718.113(5)(c) limits what a board can refuse. If the condominium's documents require approval, a board may not refuse to approve the installation or replacement of hurricane protection by a unit owner which conforms to the specifications adopted by the board, although it may require adherence to an existing unified building scheme for the building's external appearance. Each residential condominium board must adopt hurricane protection specifications for each building (s. 718.113(5)). See our impact windows guide.

Before you hire a contractor

Ask your management office or board for the written alteration procedure and any required forms, get the approval in writing, and give your contractor a copy together with the board's rules on work hours, elevator use and insurance. For a planning range on the work itself, see our kitchen and bathroom cost guides, or get a free estimate in about 60 seconds.

This page explains a public program or building code and is not legal advice. It is not a binding quote — a licensed local contractor or your building's engineer gives the firm number for your specific project.

Sources

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Common questions

Does a Miami-Dade building permit mean my condo board has approved the work?

No. The county's permit form says issuing the permit does not relieve the property owner from obtaining homeowner's association approval, where required, before beginning work.

Who decides what I must submit to my association?

Your declaration of condominium, bylaws and board rules. Florida Statutes chapter 718 does not set one standard form for interior remodels, but s. 718.113(3) bars any work in a unit that would adversely affect the safety or soundness of the common elements.

Can my board refuse to approve hurricane shutters or impact windows?

Not if the product conforms to the board's adopted specifications. Under s. 718.113(5)(c), where the documents require approval, a board may not refuse a unit owner's conforming hurricane protection, though it may require adherence to an existing unified building scheme for external appearance.

Does swapping kitchen cabinets need a county permit?

The county's exemptions page lists replacing cabinets or vanities inside residential units in the same configuration as not regulated by the Florida Building Code (for unincorporated Miami-Dade); relocated or altered plumbing, ventilation or electrical work still needs a permit. Your association may still require approval.