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Lake County

Lake County Office of Building Services

In short

Lake County Office of Building Services issues 5 permits we publish for Lake County, last verified 2026-10-15. Each carries the fee as the agency publishes it, with a link to the schedule it was read from.

What this agency issues

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Local Contractor License and Local Registration of a State-Registered Licenseonly if it applies to youLake County Office of Building ServicesPer the Contractor Licenses section of the county's adopted FY2026 Building Services fee schedule, with the same amounts in the proposed FY2027 schedule: Contractors License – Initial (including contractors that have been dormant) $150.00; Contractors License – Renewal $100.00 per missed and current cycle; Contractors License – Inactive $50.00 per 5 years; Contractors Exam $54.00; pro-rate up to 6 months before the expiration date $15.00 per month; letter of reciprocity/verification of examination and letter of good standing $30.00; renewal late fee (between September 30 and December 31) $30.00. Form BF08 states the application fee as $150.00 for two years.2 years (Code Sec. 6-86(a)); electrical, plumbing and air conditioning licenses renew in odd-numbered years and all others in even-numbered years; renewal is due before September 30, renewals through December 31 pay the late fee, and a license not renewed by December 31 becomes void2026-10-15
Commercial Building, Trade and Sign Permits (Unincorporated Lake County)only if it applies to youLake County Office of Building ServicesPer the county's adopted FY2026 Building Services fee schedule, with the same amounts in the proposed FY2027 schedule: commercial building permit (includes building, inspections and administration) $0.40 per square foot under roof; commercial alterations/renovations and shell-only permits (not including trades) $0.20 per square foot; commercial trades (electric, plumbing, mechanical, gas) $0.03 per square foot, $150.00 minimum; sign permit (includes electrical) $150.00 minimum per permit plus $75.00 for each additional sign on the same permit and property; commercial temporary/conditional certificate of occupancy $132.00; commercial pre-power authorization $73.00; reinspection (rejections, partials, late cancellations) $66.00; work begun before the permit is obtained: double the permit fee. For commercial projects one-half of the permit fee is due at application; it is non-refundable and is credited to the permit fee if the permit is obtained before the application expires.per permit; a permit becomes invalid if work is not commenced within 180 days of issuance or is suspended or abandoned for 180 days, and the Building Official may grant written extensions of up to 90 days each2026-10-15
Change of Building Use/Occupancy and Change of Tenant Inspection (Unincorporated Lake County)only if it applies to youLake County Office of Building ServicesPer the county's adopted FY2026 Building Services fee schedule, with the same amounts in the proposed FY2027 schedule: change of building use/occupancy (inspection required; excludes repairs, renovations, corrections and alterations, and excludes fire plan review and fire inspection) $181.00; change of building use/occupancy under Fire Permitting (fire inspection required) $181.00; Change of Tenant Permit/Inspection or Routine Inspection $65.00.one-time, each time the use or occupancy of the space changes or a new tenant moves in2026-10-15
Fire Plan Review, Fire System Permits and New-Construction Fire Inspections (Unincorporated Lake County)only if it applies to youLake County Office of Building ServicesPer the Fire Permitting section of the county's adopted FY2026 Building Services fee schedule, with the same amounts in the proposed FY2027 schedule: fire plan review $0.03 per square foot (minimum $75.00); fire alarm or fire sprinkler systems, each, $0.01 per square foot or $169.00, whichever is greater (plan review not included); hood systems, each (fire inspector's test included, mechanical permit not included) $181.00; inspections requested for licensure and/or recertification $132.00 for the first building and $65.00 for each additional building, paid before the inspection is scheduled; L/P and natural gas inspection $181.00; hazardous chemical storage inspection $181.00; fuel storage inspection $181.00; paint booth inspection $181.00; paint booth suppression inspection $181.00; tents exceeding 900 square feet $121.00; all site plans for commercial development (fire review) $181.00.per project, system or inspection2026-10-15
State-Certified Contractor Documents on File Before Permittingonly if it applies to youLake County Office of Building ServicesForm BF47 lists the documents to file and states no fee; contact the Office of Building Services, Contractor Licensing, for any amount that applies.on file before the first permit; keep the state license, insurance certificates and contact details current2026-10-15

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

About each permit

Local Contractor License and Local Registration of a State-Registered License

Lake County Code Sec. 6-82 covers anyone obtaining a local license, or locally registering a state license where the county offers it, and the county's Contractor Licensing page labels Form BF08 the "State Registered and Local Licenses Application". Under Sec. 6-83(b) the applicant supplies proof of a passing grade of 75 percent or better on an exam approved by the Building Official, the fee set by the Board of County Commissioners, a commercial general liability certificate of at least $300,000 per occurrence naming the Lake County Board of County Commissioners as holder, a workers' compensation certificate or state exemption, a $5,000 bond payable to the Florida Homeowners Construction Recovery Fund, a scope affidavit, and, for initial registration, a statewide criminal history check through the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The Contractor Licenses section of the county's Building Services fee schedule headed "ADOPTED FY 2026" sets the initial license at $150.00, renewal at $100.00 per missed and current cycle, an inactive license at $50.00 per 5 years, the exam at $54.00, a pro-rated $15.00 per month up to 6 months before expiration, a reciprocity or good-standing letter at $30.00 and the late renewal fee at $30.00. The county's adopted FY2026 fee schedule (in effect 1 October 2025 to 30 September 2026) and the proposed FY2027 fee schedule (Exhibit B to the fee resolution on the Board of County Commissioners' 22 September 2026 agenda, stated to take effect 1 October 2026) list the same amount for every figure given here. Form BF08 also states $150.00 for two years. Sec. 6-86 makes local licenses good for two years, with electricians, plumbers and air conditioning contractors renewing in odd-numbered years and everyone else in even-numbered years. Renewals are due before September 30 and require continuing education, an updated bond, insurance and, for state-registered contractors, a copy of the state license. A license renewed after September 30 but by December 31 pays the late fee, and one not renewed by December 31 becomes void.

Commercial Building, Trade and Sign Permits (Unincorporated Lake County)

Lake County Code Sec. 6-3 (Ord. No. 2023-44) requires an owner or agent who intends to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish or change the occupancy of a building, or to do electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing work, to apply for and obtain a building permit from the Building Official first. The figures come from the county's Building Services fee schedule headed "ADOPTED FY 2026", as linked from the county's Fee Schedules page. The county's adopted FY2026 fee schedule (in effect 1 October 2025 to 30 September 2026) and the proposed FY2027 fee schedule (Exhibit B to the fee resolution on the Board of County Commissioners' 22 September 2026 agenda, stated to take effect 1 October 2026) list the same amount for every figure given here. A new commercial building is $0.40 per square foot under roof, which covers building, inspections and administration; alterations, renovations and shell-only permits are $0.20 per square foot; each commercial trade permit is $0.03 per square foot with a $150.00 minimum; and a sign permit is $150.00 minimum plus $75.00 for each additional sign on the same permit and property. A temporary or conditional certificate of occupancy is $132.00, pre-power authorization $73.00 and a reinspection $66.00, and starting work before the permit is obtained doubles the permit fee. For commercial projects half of the permit fee is paid with the application. Under both schedules a permit becomes invalid if work does not start within 180 days or stops for 180 days, and the Building Official may extend it in writing by up to 90 days at a time. The Building Services page states that the department "serves unincorporated areas within Lake County"; for a property whose record lists a city, it directs the owner to that city's building department. Office of Building Services, 320 W. Main St., Tavares (352-343-9653).

Change of Building Use/Occupancy and Change of Tenant Inspection (Unincorporated Lake County)

Lake County Code Sec. 6-3 requires a building permit before anyone changes the occupancy of a building. The county's Building Services fee schedule headed "ADOPTED FY 2026" lists a change of building use/occupancy permit at $181.00; it requires an inspection and does not include repairs, renovations, corrections or alterations, or fire plan review and fire inspection. The schedule's Fire Permitting section lists a separate change of building use/occupancy item, with a fire inspection required, also at $181.00, and a Change of Tenant Permit/Inspection or Routine Inspection at $65.00. The county's adopted FY2026 fee schedule (in effect 1 October 2025 to 30 September 2026) and the proposed FY2027 fee schedule (Exhibit B to the fee resolution on the Board of County Commissioners' 22 September 2026 agenda, stated to take effect 1 October 2026) list the same amount for every figure given here. A restaurant, shop, salon, studio, clinic or child care centre moving into an existing space in unincorporated Lake County should expect the building-side change of use item and, where a fire inspection is required, the fire-side item; any remodelling is permitted separately under the commercial building permit record. The Building Services page states that it serves unincorporated areas within Lake County and sends owners whose property record lists a city to that city's building department.

Fire Plan Review, Fire System Permits and New-Construction Fire Inspections (Unincorporated Lake County)

Lake County Fire Rescue's Fire Inspections page states: "For new construction fire plan review and inspections, contact Lake County Building Services." The Fire Permitting section of the county's Building Services fee schedule headed "ADOPTED FY 2026" sets those fees. The county's adopted FY2026 fee schedule (in effect 1 October 2025 to 30 September 2026) and the proposed FY2027 fee schedule (Exhibit B to the fee resolution on the Board of County Commissioners' 22 September 2026 agenda, stated to take effect 1 October 2026) list the same amount for every figure given here. Fire plan review is $0.03 per square foot with a $75.00 minimum. Each fire alarm or sprinkler system is $0.01 per square foot or $169.00, whichever is greater. A commercial kitchen hood system is $181.00 each, including the fire inspector's test but not the mechanical permit, which matters to restaurants and coffee shops. Inspections requested for licensure or recertification, such as those a child care centre needs for its state license, are $132.00 for the first building and $65.00 for each additional building, paid before the inspection is booked. Auto repair shops may meet the $181.00 inspections for paint booths, paint booth suppression, fuel storage and hazardous chemical storage, and any business with an L/P or natural gas installation the $181.00 gas inspection. Tents over 900 square feet are $121.00 and fire review of a commercial site plan is $181.00. Building Services serves unincorporated areas within Lake County, per its own page.

State-Certified Contractor Documents on File Before Permitting

Form BF47, "Requirements for State Certified Contractors" (updated 2.9.2024), as linked from the county's Contractor Licensing page, lists the items a state-certified contractor needs before applying for a permit in Lake County: a copy of the license holder's current State of Florida contractor's license; a certificate of general liability insurance of at least $300,000 per occurrence showing the Lake County Board of County Commissioners as certificate holder; and a workers' compensation policy naming the Board as certificate holder, or a valid exemption certificate. Where the insurance certificate has an out-of-state producer, the form asks for a declarations page showing Florida coverage. Later changes to the qualifier's contact information go on the county's Qualifier Update Form (Form BF58). Lake County Code Sec. 6-70 requires state-certified contractors to comply with the Florida Building Code, Chapter 489, Florida Statutes, and other state and local laws. Form BF47 does not state a fee, so none is given here; the $150.00 two-year amount on Form BF08 is for local licenses and state-registered contractors. Documents go to Mylicense@lakecountyfl.gov or the Office of Building Services in Tavares (352-343-9653).

Contact

Jurisdiction
Lake County
Phone
352-343-9653

Contact details are taken from the agency’s own site or its published fee schedule. Where we have not verified a phone number we leave it blank rather than guess.

Sources

Every fee and term above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.

  1. Board of County Commissioners agenda packet, 22 September 2026 — proposed Resolution Adopting Fee Schedules for Fiscal Year 2027 and its fee exhibitsLake County Board of County Commissioners · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-15
  2. Building ServicesLake County, Florida · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-15
  3. Contractor LicensingLake County, Florida · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-15
  4. Fee SchedulesLake County, Florida · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-15
  5. Fire Inspections — Community Risk ReductionLake County Fire Rescue · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-15
  6. Fiscal Year 2026 Fee Schedule, Exhibit B — Office of Building Services (headed "ADOPTED FY 2026")Lake County, Florida · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-15
  7. Form BF08, Application for Registration (State Registered and Local Licenses Application), updated May 22, 2024Lake County Office of Building Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-15
  8. Form BF47, Requirements for State Certified Contractors, updated 2.9.2024Lake County Office of Building Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-15
  9. Lake County Code, Chapter 6 — Buildings and Construction (Sec. 6-3, Permits; Sec. 6-70)Municode / Lake County, Florida · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-15
  10. Lake County Code, Chapter 6, Article VI — Locally Registered and Locally Licensed Contractors (Secs. 6-82, 6-83, 6-86)Municode / Lake County, Florida · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-15

Other offices serving Lake County

The full permit list for this jurisdiction

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