Miami-Dade County has more than thirty cities, and each one issues its own permits. Unincorporated areas such as Kendall go to the county. So the first step is always to find out which office covers your address. We have named offices and laws below where we could confirm them, and we say so where a rule has to be checked for your lot.
Do I need a permit for a concrete driveway or patio in Miami?
In most cases, plan on yes. Building departments in Miami-Dade commonly ask for a permit for driveways, slabs and other paving, and work that touches the street side of your lot needs a separate right of way approval. We could not confirm one rule that covers every city, so we do not state one. Before we start, we check whether you need a permit with the office for your address. In the City of Miami that is the Building Department.
Do I need a permit to widen my driveway?
Expect to. When you widen a driveway you change where cars cross the swale or sidewalk and how much of the front yard is paved, and cities regulate both. There may be a maximum width at the street and a minimum amount of green space that must remain. The zoning office for your address sets those figures.
Who owns the driveway apron, me or the city?
The apron, the piece of driveway between your property line and the street, sits on public right of way. You do not own that ground. The owner of the home is still normally the one who pays to build and keep up the driveway that crosses it. The City of Miami states that the owner is responsible for repairs where a sidewalk is connected to, or is part of, a driveway. Work there needs approval from the public works office for that road.
Who is responsible for the sidewalk in front of my house?
In the City of Miami, the city says it maintains public sidewalks, with one exception: where the sidewalk is connected to or part of a driveway, the property owner is responsible for the repair. Some sidewalks inside the city belong to the Florida Department of Transportation or to Miami-Dade County, because they run along a state or county road. Other cities in the county have their own rules. So the answer for the sidewalk in front of my house or yours starts with whose road it is.
The city sent me a notice to fix the sidewalk. What now?
Read the notice for three things: which panels, what deadline, and which code section it cites. If the city sent it because the damaged part is your driveway crossing, the repair is likely yours. If it is plain sidewalk away from the driveway, call the number on the notice and ask why it is not city work. Photograph the area on the day the notice arrives.
Do I have to use the city's contractor, or can I hire my own?
You can usually hire my own contractor, as owners put it, provided the work is permitted and built to the city's standard details. Work on the right of way often requires the contractor to show a licence and insurance to the public works office. Ask the office on the notice what it requires before you sign with anyone.
How close to the property line can I pour concrete?
That is set by your city's zoning code, and it varies. Some places allow paving right up to a side line, and others want a planted strip so rain can soak in and does not run next door. Whatever the distance, you may not send water onto a neighbor's lot. Ask zoning for the setback for paving on your lot type.
Do I need a survey?
Often, yes. Permit offices in Miami-Dade commonly ask for a survey with the application, and they may want a recent one. Even where it is not required, a survey is the only reliable way to know where the line, the easements and the right of way are. Fences and hedges here are frequently off the true line.
Do I need HOA approval?
If your home is in an association, yes, and get it before the permit. HOA rules in places like Doral, Miami Lakes and west Kendall often control driveway material, color and width. An HOA can refuse a design that the city would allow. Ask for the approval in writing.
How much of my lot can I cover with concrete?
Each city limits how much of a lot can be hard surface. The rule may be written as a maximum impervious area, a maximum lot coverage or a minimum green space, and the City of Miami sets its figures by zone under the Miami 21 code. We do not quote numbers here because they differ by city and by zone. This limit matters most for owners who want to pave a whole front yard for parking. Where you are close to the limit, pavers or strips with planted gaps may be counted differently, so ask.
When does a retaining wall need an engineer or a permit?
The building department decides, and in Miami-Dade you should expect any wall that holds back soil to need a permit, with drawings by a Florida engineer once it is more than a low garden edge. The county is in the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone of the Florida Building Code, and structural work is reviewed closely. We could not confirm a single height trigger for every city, so we give none.
How do I find underground utility lines before digging?
Contact Sunshine 811, Florida's one-call centre, by dialing 811 or going online. Florida law requires notice at least two full business days before digging, not counting weekends and holidays. Member utilities then mark their utility lines with paint or flags. The marks are good for 30 calendar days. Dig with care within 24 inches of a mark. Private lines such as sprinklers, pool pipes, landscape lighting and gas lines to a grill are not marked, so tell us where yours run. The person doing the digging requests the ticket.
I need a wheelchair ramp and a wider walkway. What are the rules?
For a private home, a ramp is built to suit the person using it, and the common guide is a gentle slope of about 1 inch of rise for each 12 inches of length, with level landings and a surface that grips when wet. A ramp attached to the house may need a permit. A business has to follow the Florida accessibility code and the ADA. We have no published price for ramps, so they are priced after a visit.
My house is in a historic district. Can I change the driveway or old decorative concrete?
Ask the historic preservation office before you touch anything visible from the street. In the City of Miami, areas such as Morningside carry historic designation, and Miami Beach and Coral Gables have their own review. Old scored, tinted or coral rock paving may be part of what is protected. Matching the original pattern in new concrete is often possible, and approval comes before the permit.
Rules change. Treat this page as a starting point and confirm with the office for your address. For a price on your own property, ask for a free on-site estimate with a written quote. Call (786) 705-4727, or text a photo of the concrete to the same number.