Turnkey Residential Structure Demolition

Who takes it: Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), Division of Air Resource Management, through its district offices or a local asbestos program

Form: Notice of Renovation or Demolition, DEP Form 62-257.900(1) PDF

When: At least 10 working days before the start date of the project. FDEP's FAQ says the waiting period is counted from the demolition start date, a working day is Monday through Friday (holidays falling on those days still count), and the waiting period cannot be reduced. Only emergency renovations are exempt from the 10-day wait.

Even if there's no asbestos?: Yes for buildings that meet the NESHAP definition of facility or installation. FDEP's FAQ says all demolitions of buildings meeting the criteria of facility or installation must have notifications submitted.

Single-family houses: Isolated residential buildings with four or fewer dwelling units are excluded from the NESHAP definition of facility, unless the building is part of a larger project with multiple buildings on the same site, was used commercially, or is being demolished to make room for a commercial structure. Mobile homes used as single-family dwellings are not covered unless part of a larger installation.

Inspection: The NESHAP requires a thorough inspection for asbestos before demolition or renovation. Owners and operators are responsible for having buildings tested; FDEP does not test buildings.

Who files: Either the owner of the building or the operator of the demolition can submit the notice. If adequate notice is not given, one or both can be held liable.

Fee: Flat fee of $200 for notices filed on paper or electronically with a Pay Later invoice; $100 for electronic notices paid at submission (Pay Now). Effective March 23, 2025, per FDEP's asbestos page.

How to file: DEP Business Portal: Submit, then Registration/Notification, then Notice of Renovation or Demolition. Paper notices may be mailed or delivered to the district or local program office.

By county:

• Orange: Local program: Orange County Environmental Protection Division (EPD), 407-836-1400. Orange County EPD guidance says notices for projects in Orange County are sent to Orange County EPD.
• Seminole: No local program listed by FDEP; FDEP Central District air compliance office, 407-897-4100.
• Volusia: No local program listed by FDEP. District assignment not verified in this pass.
• Flagler: No local program listed by FDEP. District assignment not verified in this pass.
• Lake: No local program listed by FDEP. District assignment not verified in this pass.
• Polk: No local program listed by FDEP. District assignment not verified in this pass.
• Brevard: No local program listed by FDEP. District assignment not verified in this pass.
• Osceola: No local program listed by FDEP. District assignment not verified in this pass.

Building code tie-in: Florida Building Code s. 105.9 requires demolition and renovation permits to include an asbestos notification statement (cited on the City of Winter Garden demolition page).

Sources: [1], [2], [3], [4], [5]

Statute: s. 489.103(7), F.S. (2026 Florida Statutes)

For demolition: The statute does not mention demolition by name. Local practice varies: Orange County's residential demolition page says an owner-builder may act as contractor under s. 489.103(7)(a) and must verify ownership by video meeting (OwnerVerification@ocfl.net); the City of Orlando issues demolition permits to property owners and requires a $1,000 cash deposit or damage bond when the owner pulls the permit; the City of Longwood allows owner-builders to demolish one or two-family homes.

In person: To qualify, the owner must personally appear and sign the building permit application, and the permitting agency provides a disclosure statement.

Selling within a year: Proof of the sale or lease, or offering for sale or lease, of the structure by the owner-builder within 1 year after completion creates a presumption that the construction was undertaken for sale or lease.

Sources: [1], [2], [3], [4]

Rule: Rule 62-6.011, F.A.C., Abandonment of Systems (FDEP), effective 6/8/2026. The former Department of Health rule 64E-6.011 was transferred to 62-6.011.

Requirements:

• A system must be abandoned within 90 days after its use is discontinued, and further use is prohibited.
• Abandonment must be done under a general permit (Form DEP 4011, valid 18 months) or a system construction permit.
• The tank must be pumped out by a permitted septage disposal company. A written statement is acceptable if the tank is already empty and dry.
• The bottom of the tank must be opened or ruptured, or the whole tank collapsed, so it cannot hold water, then filled with clean sand or other suitable material and completely covered with soil. If it cannot be ruptured or collapsed, flowable fill concrete is required.
• Alternatively the tank may be removed from the site; removed tanks must be scrapped and not reused.
• Under a system construction permit, the abandonment must be inspected by the Department or a private provider inspector. Under the general permit, the contractor submits photos and documentation and the Department inspects only if the submittal is incomplete or suggests noncompliance.

With a demolition: The rule text read does not name demolition as a trigger; it keys on discontinued use. Local demolition checklists (Orange County, Maitland, Winter Park, Oviedo, Longwood) separately require the septic tank to be addressed before demolition.

Sources: [1], [2]

Requirement: Well abandonment (plugging) is permitted by the water management district under Chapter 40C-3, F.A.C. in the St. Johns River Water Management District, using the State of Florida permit application to construct, repair, modify or abandon a well, and is performed by a licensed water well contractor.

Sources: [1], [2]

Statute: s. 713.135(1)(e), F.S. (2026)

Rule: When the direct contract is greater than $5,000, the permitting authority must require a copy of the recorded Notice of Commencement to be filed before the first inspection; inspections may not be performed or approved without it. Contracts under $15,000 to repair or replace an existing heating or air-conditioning system are excepted from that subsection.

Small jobs: s. 713.02(5), F.S.: an improvement with a direct contract price of $2,500 or less is exempt from the construction lien part except s. 713.05.

Sources: [1], [2]

Unpermitted demolition fines: Chapter 2025-87, Laws of Florida (SB 582, 2025), effective July 1, 2025, amended s. 162.09, F.S. A code enforcement board or special magistrate may impose a fine above the normal limits for a knowing and willful, unpermitted demolition of a building individually listed in the National Register of Historic Places or a contributing resource to a National Register-listed district, if the demolition was not the result of a natural disaster. The fine may not exceed 20 percent of the just market value of the property before demolition, as determined by the property appraiser.

National Register listing: National Register listing alone does not trigger local demolition review in the codes read for Orange and Seminole; review is triggered by local designation or a local district. The SB 582 fine is the one state-level consequence tied to National Register status.

State documentation standard: The Florida Division of Historic Resources (Bureau of Historic Preservation) document Documentation Requirements for Buildings Proposed for Demolition and Standards for Architectural Documentation is adopted by reference in local codes (Sanford Schedule S Appendix B; Winter Garden Code s. 98-194(8)). It uses four HABS levels; for most purposes Level III is acceptable: a sketch plan, photographs of exterior and interior views, and a written Architectural History Form that records architect and builder if known, owner, style, plan type, structural system and materials. Sanford's copy defines a sketch plan as a floor plan generally not to exact scale.

Sources: [1], [2], [3], [4]