Buyer Found Unpermitted Work in Florida? Who to Hire (2026)

Key Takeaways

• Start by pulling permit history from the local building department to confirm exactly what was unpermitted, expired, or open before hiring anyone.

• A permitting consultant should be your first call when records are unclear, since they research permits and map the jurisdiction's after-the-fact process.

• Hire a Florida-licensed trade contractor to correct the work, but only after you know what the building department expects.

• Bring in a Florida-licensed engineer or architect for concealed, structural, or safety-critical work that cannot be judged by eye.

• Involve a real-estate attorney early if the dispute involves seller disclosure knowledge, cost responsibility, or an active code enforcement case.

• Before closing, use permit cost and scope estimates to negotiate repairs, credits, or price reductions, since you have more leverage then.

You finally found the house, the inspection is done, and then it happens. Someone flags a bathroom that was never permitted, a screened lanai with no paperwork, or an electrical panel that does not match anything on file. Your stomach drops. Take a breath. This is more common in Florida than you might think, and it is very fixable when you hire the right people in the right order.

The big question is who should I hire when a buyer finds unpermitted work in Florida. The honest answer is that it depends on the problem. A permitting consultant can chase records and coordinate applications. A licensed contractor can assess and correct the work. An engineer or architect can evaluate hidden or structural items. A real-estate attorney steps in when the dispute is about who pays or who knew.

In this friendly guide, we will walk through each professional, when you need them, what they cannot do, and how to build a simple game plan. Whether you are a homebuyer, a realtor, an investor, or a contractor helping a client, you will leave knowing your next move.

Start With the Facts: What Was Actually Unpermitted?

Before you hire anyone, find out what you are dealing with. Hiring a roofer to solve a plumbing problem wastes everyone's time. Your first stop is the local building department, because permit history lives there.

Florida Statutes §553.79 generally requires a permit before covered construction, alteration, repair, or demolition. Cosmetic work like painting or new flooring is often exempt. Electrical, plumbing, structural, mechanical, and gas work commonly is not. Rules and after-the-fact procedures vary by city and county, so always confirm with the authority having jurisdiction.

Here is a quick way to gather your facts:

1. Pull the permit history. Search the property address with the city or county building department. Our open permit search tool and building department lookup can point you to the right office.
2. Look for open or expired permits. Sometimes work was permitted but never finished or closed. That is a different fix than work that was never permitted at all.
3. Check for code enforcement notices. Any open case changes your urgency.
4. Document what you can see. Take photos and note the location, size, and type of work.
5. Confirm which jurisdiction controls the address. Near city lines, it is not always obvious. Read more in our guide on which Florida jurisdiction reviews your project.

Once you know whether the issue is missing permits, expired permits, or unsafe construction, the right hire becomes much clearer.

The Quick Answer: Who to Hire for Each Situation

Here is a cheat sheet. Most real situations involve two or three of these professionals working together.

Think of it like a team sport. Nobody plays every position, and the best results come when each person does the job they are credentialed for.

The Permitting Consultant or Expediter

If there is one professional who ties everything together, it is the permitting consultant. They are the project manager for the paperwork side of a messy situation.

A Florida permitting consultant or expediter can research permit records, coordinate with the local building department, organize applications and plans, and track inspections through closeout. For a buyer who has already closed, or one racing toward a closing date, this is often the first call that makes sense because they can tell you what the jurisdiction will actually require.

It is important to know what they do not do. A consultant does not replace a licensed contractor, engineer, or architect when those credentials are required. Think of them as the navigator, not the person pouring concrete.

Here is what a good permitting partner typically handles:

• Researching permit history and open permit status
• Identifying the correct after-the-fact pathway for your jurisdiction
• Coordinating plans, drafting, and engineer letters
• Filing applications and tracking review comments
• Working revisions and resubmittals
• Scheduling and tracking inspections through closeout

At 1 Contractor Solutions, this is exactly the role we play. We act as Florida's outsourced permitting department, and our drafting and engineering are handled in house, so when a reviewer flags something, we can fix it without waiting on an outside consultant. Learn more about our after-the-fact and expired permit services and our permit facilitation and filing.

The Florida-Licensed Contractor

When the work itself needs to be assessed, finished, or corrected, you need a properly licensed contractor in the relevant trade. An electrician for wiring, a plumber for pipes, a roofing contractor for a roof, and so on.

A good contractor can evaluate construction deficiencies, make corrections, and in appropriate cases apply for permits and arrange inspections. Florida Statutes §553.79 also allows a current owner to hire a different appropriately licensed contractor to complete work and close a permit. That replacement contractor is responsible for the work they perform, not for defects in the original contractor's work. Confirm the current statutory text and your local implementation before relying on this route.

Before you hire, run through this checklist:

• Verify the license and insurance. Check the contractor's license status through the state licensing board.
• Define responsibility in writing. Who is responsible for concealed or prior work? Get it on paper.
• Confirm with the building department. Make sure this contractor can handle the specific after-the-fact permit in your jurisdiction.
• Ask about experience with legalization. Fixing someone else's work is a different skill than building new.

Be cautious with anyone who offers to "just pull a permit" without looking at the work. Your goal is compliance, not a piece of paper. If you are a contractor reading this, our guide on who can pull a permit in Florida is a helpful refresher.

The Engineer or Architect

Some problems cannot be judged by eye. If work is concealed behind walls, involves load paths, or touches electrical, plumbing, or other safety systems, an independent Florida-licensed engineer or architect may be exactly who you need.

The building official may require plans, calculations, exposure of concealed work, corrections, and inspections before approving anything. An engineer can evaluate the existing construction, prepare sealed documents, and write letters that explain how the work meets code or what must change to get there.

You will often hear about these documents:

If you need these, look into as-built drawings, engineer letters, and structural engineering. Having in-house sealed drawings, as we do, keeps the process moving instead of bouncing between vendors.

The Real-Estate Attorney

Sometimes the problem is not construction at all. It is about contracts, disclosures, and money. That is when a real-estate attorney earns their fee.

Bring one in when the issue involves any of these:

• Seller disclosure questions, such as whether the seller knew about the unpermitted work
• Contract remedies before closing, including credits, repairs, or walking away
• A dispute over who is responsible for the cost of fixing it
• An active code-enforcement case
• Significant financial exposure

An attorney does not draw plans or pull permits, and a permitting consultant does not give legal advice, so the two work well side by side. The consultant can supply a clear scope and cost picture, and the attorney uses that information to negotiate or protect your rights. For disclosure details, see our article on what disclosures are required for unpermitted work in Florida.

What About the Home Inspector?

Your home inspector is a valuable first alert system, but they are not the final answer. An inspector can document visible conditions and point out things that look off. They do not certify code compliance, and they do not replace permit research or specialist evaluation.

Use the inspection report as a map of what to investigate, then bring in the professionals above to confirm and resolve each item. If the inspector found something suspicious, ask them to note it clearly in writing so your permitting partner and attorney can reference it.

Buying Before Closing vs. After Closing

Timing changes your strategy a lot. Let us look at both scenarios.

If You Have Not Closed Yet

You have leverage. You can negotiate repairs, credits, or a price reduction, or ask the seller to resolve the permit before closing. Get a permitting consultant involved quickly to estimate scope, timeline, and cost so you negotiate with real numbers instead of guesses. A closing can sometimes be held up by permit issues, as we cover in can a permit hold delay a Florida real estate closing.

Realtors, you can lean on realtor closing support to keep deals on schedule when a permit surprise pops up.

If You Have Already Closed

You are now the owner, and the good news is that Florida law offers some protection. An arms-length purchaser for value generally may not be denied a permit or penalized solely because a prior owner failed to close a permit. That is not a blanket waiver of code compliance, though. The local agency keeps its rights against the prior owner and listed contractor, and you may still need to resolve unsafe or noncompliant work. Verify the current statute and how your county applies it.

If you are in this spot, start with permit research, then decide whether you need a contractor, engineer, or both. Our walkthrough on what to do if a prior owner skipped permits is a friendly next read.

A Simple Hiring Roadmap You Can Follow

When everything feels like a tangle, a clear order of operations helps. Here is a practical sequence that works for most buyers.

1. Research permit records. Confirm what was permitted, what is open, and whether any enforcement case exists.
2. Identify the scope. List each unpermitted item by type: electrical, plumbing, structural, mechanical, or other.
3. Call a permitting consultant. Ask what your jurisdiction requires for after-the-fact approval.
4. Add technical help where needed. Bring in an engineer, architect, or drafter for plans, as-builts, or sealed letters.
5. Hire a licensed contractor for corrections. Do this only after you know what the building department expects.
6. Loop in an attorney if there is a dispute. Do this early if disclosure or cost responsibility is in question.
7. Schedule inspections and close out. Make sure every permit is finaled, not just filed.

Notice that the contractor comes after you understand the requirements. Many buyers do it the other way around and end up paying twice.

Will It Be Approved? Setting Honest Expectations

Here is a gentle reality check. An after-the-fact permit does not automatically make unsafe or noncompliant work acceptable. Reviewers may require exposure of concealed work, corrections, added inspections, or in rare cases removal of work that cannot be brought into compliance.

Still, most issues can be resolved with the right documentation and the right team. Our guide to legalizing unpermitted work in Florida explains the typical path, and our article on whether you will really have to demolish unpermitted work may ease some worries.

Cost and Timing: What to Expect

Costs vary widely by scope, jurisdiction, and whether engineering is needed. Permit fees, plan preparation, engineering, inspections, and any corrective construction all add up. Some jurisdictions also charge penalty or double fees for work done without a permit, so always ask.

To get a realistic picture early, ask each professional for a written scope and estimate. Our guides on after-the-fact permit costs in Florida and permit expediter costs can help you budget. For scale, Collier County alone reported 48,327 building permit applications and 203,064 inspections and re-inspections requested in its FY2025 permit utilization report, so reviewers are busy, and a prepared package moves faster than a messy one.

Why a Single Team Often Wins

Juggling a consultant, a drafter, an engineer, and a contractor who do not talk to each other is how deadlines slip. When one team handles filing, drawings, engineering, review comments, and closeout, fewer things fall through the cracks.

That is the idea behind 1 Contractor Solutions. We are not a construction contractor. We are the team contractors, realtors, and homeowners call when the permit is the thing standing in the way. We serve all 67 Florida counties, respond within 30 minutes day or night, and our own engineer signs and seals the work. Curious about us? Follow us on LinkedIn, follow us on Facebook, or see what our customers say: Visit us on Google — 1 Contractor Solutions.

Ready to Move Forward?

Finding unpermitted work is stressful, but it does not have to derail your purchase or your plans. Start with the records, match each problem to the right professional, and keep your attorney in the loop if money or disclosure is in dispute.

If you want a partner to untangle the paperwork, prepare the drawings, and carry the permit through closeout, we would love to help. Get a free quote today, or explore our urgent permit rescue service if a closing date is breathing down your neck.