Ask Baily about your Miami remodel. One vetted Florida CILB-licensed builder who knows HVHZ, flood, and SB 4-D.

Florida CILB licenses three GC tiers — CGC (Certified General, unlimited), CBC (Certified Building, commercial <3 stories or residential), CRC (Certified Residential, 1-2 family). Verify the license class matches your project scope at myfloridalicense.com. Unlicensed contracting is a third-degree felony in Florida. An unlicensed sub may only perform up to 20% of a licensed GC's scope and only under direct supervision.

Miami-Dade is a High-Velocity Hurricane Zone (HVHZ) under the Florida Building Code 7th Edition (2023). Every exterior opening — windows, doors, garage doors, skylights — must carry a Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance (NOA) demonstrating impact-rated performance (Large Missile Impact + design pressure ratings per ASTM E1886/E1996). Products without a current NOA cannot be permitted in Miami-Dade or Broward. Broward County maintains a parallel Product Approval list.

Permits route through two distinct portals: Miami-Dade uses iBuild (formerly EPIC) at miamidade.gov; Broward County uses ePermits OneStop. City-within-county jurisdictions (Miami, Coral Gables, Miami Beach, Hialeah, Homestead, Aventura, Doral) each run their own building departments layered on top of county rules. Coral Gables Board of Architects review applies to every visible exterior change.

FEMA flood zones AE / VE / AH / AO and the Base Flood Elevation (BFE) govern substantial renovation. Under the 50% rule, if cumulative work over 5 years exceeds 50% of the structure's pre-improvement market value, the entire structure must be brought up to current flood-code (finished floor elevation above BFE, flood vents, breakaway walls in V-zones). This single rule has killed more Miami renovation budgets than any other.

Surfside-post law (Florida SB 4-D, 2022) mandates Milestone Inspections on condo buildings 3+ stories — at 25 years for coastal buildings (within 3 miles of saltwater) or 30 years for inland. Phase 1 visual inspection triggers a Phase 2 detailed structural if concerns emerge. Reserves must be fully funded (no waiver). Buildings that fail milestone inspection cannot be renovated until structural remediation is complete.

Condo associations require architectural review on every visible change — exterior color, impact window models, flooring type (often only in kitchens/baths, no hardwood above-grade except in ground-floor units), balcony finishes. Miami-Dade has 900+ condo associations. Board approval timelines run 4-12 weeks and are a hard prerequisite for county permit issuance.

Title X (Federal Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act) applies to pre-1978 buildings. EPA RRP certification required for any contractor doing dust-generating work. Less common in Miami than Northeast metros (most Miami housing stock is post-1978), but pre-1960 Little Havana, Shenandoah, and Miami Shores bungalows commonly trigger the rule.

Miami Beach prohibits most Accessory Dwelling Units under Land Development Regulations Sec. 142-905 — the city's historic-preservation posture rejects density additions in single-family zones. Coral Gables and Miami Shores impose similar restrictions. Unincorporated Miami-Dade permits ADUs in RU-1 and AU zones under Chapter 33 — confirm jurisdiction before scoping.