How to demolish a house in Winter Park, FL
In Winter Park, residential demolition permits are issued by the Winter Park Building & Permitting Services (application: Demolition Application and Affidavit). If the house is a designated landmark or sits in a local historic district, review by the Historic Preservation Board (HPB) (code also calls it the Historic Preservation Commission Board) comes first.
Demolition permit steps in Winter Park
Step 1
Pick up the demolition notice yard sign at the Building Department on the day of application and post it on site, visible to the public.
Step 2
Keep the sign posted at least 30 days before permit issuance for a residential demolition, or 60 days if the property is designated historic.
Step 3
Retain a state-certified pest control company and include the rodent-free certification with the application.
Step 4
Contact Winter Park Utility Billing (407-599-3220) to cap sewer and water at the property line and pay disconnect fees.
Step 5
Put dust control (watering) and tree protection barriers in place before the permit; obtain any tree removal permit in advance.
Step 6
Clean out the septic tank and remove it or flag its location before demolition.
Step 7
Have an EPA-certified technician evacuate refrigerants; empty any underground tanks, fuel oil or propane; disconnect gas.
Step 8
Install erosion and sediment controls.
Step 9
Engineering inspections are arranged before and after demolition.
Step 10
Finish work within 30 days of issuance; the permit expires 30 days after issuance unless extended.
Documents Winter Park asks for
| Document | What it is |
|---|---|
| Demolition Application and Affidavit | Notarized for owner and contractor; asks whether the property is historic. [1] |
| Rodent control certification | From a state-certified pest control company. [1] |
| Notice of Asbestos Removal form | For commercial or multifamily demolition, or dwellings on redeveloping commercial property, mailed to Orange County before permit issuance with a copy attached; applies to any dwelling when asbestos is present. [1] |
If the house is historic in Winter Park
Who reviews it: Historic Preservation Board (HPB) (code also calls it the Historic Preservation Commission Board).
When it applies
- Individually designated on the Winter Park Register of Historic Places (s. 58-481(3)).
- Contributing or noncontributing building in a designated local historic district (College Quarter, Virginia Heights East) (s. 58-468, s. 58-481(3)).
- Not designated, but identified in the city historic survey as a potential National Register candidate (s. 58-481(1)) or listed in the Florida Master Site File (s. 58-481(2)): 90-day consideration period, no HPB approval power.
How the review works
- Designated or in-district: HPB must approve demolition or partial demolition by certificate of review at an advertised public hearing (s. 58-468, s. 58-481(3), s. 58-481(5)); appeal to City Commission.
- Notice: newspaper at least 13 days ahead, mailed notice to owners within 500 feet, and property posted at least 15 days ahead (s. 58-473(c)).
- HPB may approve demolition of a contributing structure only if it is contributing mainly by age and not landmark-quality, could be replaced by a new structure meeting design guidelines, and is not critical to the district's integrity (s. 58-481(5)).
- HPB may issue the certificate with a deferred effective date of up to 12 months for demolition or moving of a significant building (s. 58-474(5)).
- Survey-listed or Florida Master Site File properties: the city has 90 days after a complete demolition permit application to issue the permit; staff (and for survey properties, the HPB) may propose alternatives; extendable 60 days by agreement (s. 58-481(1), (2), (4)).
- Noncontributing structures in a district need not show economic hardship, but the replacement must meet district design guidelines (s. 58-481(9)).
What the board can ask for
- Certificate of review application with photographs, elevations, site plans, floor plans and material samples as the HPB deems appropriate (s. 58-473(a)).
- For demolition, details of the proposed disposition of the site; the HPB may require architectural drawings, financial plans or other information on new construction (s. 58-473(b)).
- For partial demolition, a due diligence assessment of architectural integrity and structural condition, with demolition areas marked on plans (s. 58-473(g)).
- Definite reuse plans for an authentic re-creation of the district's prevalent architectural style (s. 58-479(6)).
Demolition delay: 90-day consideration period (plus up to 60 days by agreement) for survey and Master Site File properties; for designated and contributing properties, HPB approval is required and the HPB may defer the certificate's effective date up to 12 months (ss. 58-474(5), 58-481). Residential demolition yard sign: 30 days before issuance, 60 days if designated historic (demolition affidavit).
Relocation, salvage and donation: During the 90-day consideration period the following alternatives should be considered: moving or relocating the structure; purchase privately or with public funds; preserving historic elements by photographic documentation, removal and relocation of historic elements, or otherwise archiving the structure. If the owner agrees to preservation of elements, demolition may proceed when that is done or at the end of the period, and the preserving party gives the owner a liability waiver (s. 58-481(4)).
Utilities, asbestos, septic and trees in Winter Park
The office that issues it
State rules apply on top of the local ones
The asbestos notice, septic and well abandonment, owner-builder limits and the Notice of Commencement come from state law. See the Florida rules that apply to every demolition.
Straight answers
Do I need a permit to demolish a house in Winter Park?
Yes. Residential demolition in Winter Park is permitted through the Winter Park Building & Permitting Services.
Who can pull a demolition permit in Winter Park?
Owner and contractor both sign; signatures notarized under s. 713.135(7), F.S. The form asks for the contractor's state registration or certificate number.
What if my house is historic in Winter Park?
If the house is a local landmark or in a local historic district, Historic Preservation Board (HPB) (code also calls it the Historic Preservation Commission Board) reviews the demolition before a permit can issue. 90-day consideration period (plus up to 60 days by agreement) for survey and Master Site File properties; for designated and contributing properties, HPB approval is required and the HPB may defer the certificate's effective date up to 12 months (ss. 58-474(5), 58-481). Residential demolition yard sign: 30 days before issuance, 60 days if designated historic (demolition affidavit).
Do I need an asbestos survey to demolish a house in Winter Park?
Winter Park's affidavit requires the Notice of Asbestos Removal form mailed to Orange County for commercial, multifamily, and redeveloping-commercial dwellings, and for any dwelling when asbestos is present. Orange County is one of eight FDEP local asbestos programs. County EPD guidance: essentially all buildings are subject to the asbestos NESHAP except some single-family residences; single-family homes that will be burned, were used as a business, or are part of a larger project with other houses or businesses on the same site are subject. Call EPD at 407-836-1400 before relying on the residential building exemption. Subject buildings must be thoroughly inspected (generally a survey by a Florida licensed asbestos consultant), a Notice of Demolition or Asbestos Renovation is required even if no asbestos is found, RACM must be abated by a licensed asbestos contractor before demolition, and notices are due at least 10 working days before work starts. see the Florida rules on our residential demolition page for the state rule.
Can Brightview handle the demolition in Winter Park?
Yes. Brightview Homes (CRC1334100) pulls the permit under its Florida contractor license and runs the asbestos survey and notice, utility disconnects, historic documentation when it applies, tear-down, haul-off and final inspection. Demolition is quoted per job, typically $12,000 to $24,000.
Where this comes from
Every fact on this page comes from the official sources below, read on the date shown. Rules change; the building department has the final word.
- Demolition Application and Affidavit, Winter Park Building & Permitting Services
https://cityofwinterpark.org/docs/departments/building-permitting-services/permit-application-forms-resources/permit-application-forms/demolition-application-affadivit.pdf - Winter Park Code Ch. 58 Art. VIII Historic Preservation (ss. 58-433 to 58-499)
https://library.municode.com/fl/winter_park/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIICOOR_CH58LADECO_ARTVIIIHIPR - Historic Preservation, City of Winter Park
https://cityofwinterpark.org/departments/planning-transportation/historic-preservation - Winter Park Register of Historic Places
https://cityofwinterpark.org/docs/departments/planning-zoning/historic-preservation/winter-park-register-of-historic-places.pdf - https://cityofwinterpark.org/docs/departments/planning-zoning/historic-preservation/local-register-certificate-of-review-application.pdf
https://cityofwinterpark.org/docs/departments/planning-zoning/historic-preservation/local-register-certificate-of-review-application.pdf
What we could not confirm in published sources
Ask the building department about these before you plan around them.
- Demolition permit fee and review time.
- Code internal inconsistency: s. 58-481(5) refers to the 60-day consideration period outlined in subsection (4), while subsections (1) to (4) set a 90-day period with a 60-day extension.
- Whether a demolition permit portal exists; not identified.
- Electric utility disconnect process (Winter Park operates its own electric utility, not verified on a primary page in this pass).
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- Residential Demolition