What do these permits involve in Okaloosa County?

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County Business Tax Receipt

The Okaloosa County Tax Collector's Business Tax Receipts page states that a receipt is issued to businesses operating in Okaloosa County and that "Anyone providing merchandise or services to the public, including one-person companies and home-based occupations, must obtain a county business tax receipt to operate." The page publishes the fee as "$35 per location, regardless of the nature of the business", and states that new receipts are issued at any time of year for $35 and expire on September 30, and that receipts become eligible for renewal each July. New businesses apply online; renewals are taken online (e-check payments carry no fee, card payments add a user fee), by calling #TAX (#829), by mail or at the drop boxes outside each office, and the page states that in-office renewals are not offered. Before a receipt is issued, the page states, a business must meet the city, county, state and federal conditions that apply to it, and "Certain businesses require an inspection or a state license before a business tax receipt can be issued in Okaloosa County"; it lists restaurants, food concessions, "Mobile Food Units", take-out and catering among the businesses inspected by DBPR's Division of Hotels and Restaurants, which is why this record includes food trucks. A home business in the unincorporated county must agree to Growth Management's requirements before the receipt is issued. The page also states that a business within a city limit needs both a municipal license and this county receipt. Tax Collector: (850) 651-7300.

County Building Permit, Plan Review and Inspections

Okaloosa County Growth Management issues building permits, reviews plans and performs inspections under the 2023 Florida Building Code, 8th Edition, which its Permitting page lists as adopted. Since November 3, 2025, the Permitting page states, applicants for building permits and development-related approvals must apply online through the county's Customer Service Support (CSS) portal, and inspections are requested through the same portal. The fees above are those of Resolution 17-102, which the county's current Department Ordinances page links and its current Inspection & Permitting Fees page reproduces as effective July 6, 2017; the fee page states that the total fee is the building permit fee plus all applicable sub-permit and other fees, with the $70.00 base fee charged on every permit and sub-permit. Growth Management's May 2025 Permit Guides state that it issues permits in the Town of Cinco Bayou, the City of Laurel Hill and the City of Mary Esther after the applicant shows that town's or city's approval letter, and in the Town of Shalimar after the applicant shows a Town of Shalimar permit; each guide lists exceptions for certain sub-permits and minor work. The City of Niceville's Building & Inspections page and the City of Fort Walton Beach's Owner-Builder Permit Info page describe their own building departments, so a site in those cities is permitted by the city. A food truck needs this permit only where it builds a fixed structure, so the record lists the other industries. Building permit questions: gmbuildingpermitting@myokaloosa.com, 850-651-7180.

Development Permit, Commercial Site Plan Review and Change of Use (Unincorporated Okaloosa)

Growth Management's Land Development Code page states that the code, Ordinance 91-1 as amended by Ordinance 20-14, "provides for the Land Developing Regulations in the Unincorporated Sections of Okaloosa County." The fee figures above come from the LDC Chapter 12 schedule (Sec. 12.01.00) as posted on that page; Sec. 12.00.00 states that no action is taken on any application or appeal until all applicable fees, charges and expenses are paid in full, and that the schedule may be altered or amended only by the governing body. A new commercial site, an expansion or a change of use of a building in the unincorporated county goes through development permit, site plan or change-of-use review, with the minor or major tier set by floor area. The same schedule lists Special Exceptions and Variances at $800.00 each and a Temporary Use Permit for special events at $50.00. Since November 3, 2025, development-related approvals are applied for through the county's online CSS portal, per the Permitting page. Sites inside the nine incorporated cities follow that city's own zoning rules. Growth Management: 850-651-7180.

Permit	Issuing agency	Fee	Renews	Last checked
County Business Tax Receipt	Okaloosa County Tax Collector	$35 a year per location, regardless of the nature of the business, as published on the Tax Collector's Business Tax Receipts page; county tax only	annual; receipts expire on September 30, become eligible for renewal each July and are due by September 30, per the Tax Collector's page	2026-10-27
County Building Permit, Plan Review and Inspectionsonly if it applies to you	Okaloosa County Department of Growth Management, Building/Inspections	Per Resolution 17-102, Exhibit A, Sec. I, as shown on Growth Management's current Inspection & Permitting Fees page under "EFFECTIVE July 6, 2017": a base fee of $70.00 for every building permit and each sub-permit, plus the Table 1 building permit fee by total valuation — $1,000 and less, contact the Inspection Division; $1,001 to $15,000, $35.00 for the first $7,000 plus $5.00 per additional thousand or fraction; $15,001 to $50,000, $75.00 for the first $15,000 plus $4.00 per additional thousand; $50,001 to $100,000, $215.00 for the first $50,000 plus $3.00 per additional thousand; $100,001 to $500,000, $365.00 for the first $100,000 plus $2.00 per additional thousand; $500,001 and up, $1,165.00 for the first $500,000 plus $1.25 per additional thousand. New buildings are valued with the June 2016 ICC square foot construction cost table; other work at the cost of construction. Commercial plan review: $25.00 or 25 percent of the total permit cost, whichever is greater, collected at application and deducted at issuance; re-submittals and addendums $75.00. Reinspection: $50.00, $100.00, then $150.00 per trip per trade. Temporary Certificate of Occupancy: $150.00.	per project	2026-10-27
Development Permit, Commercial Site Plan Review and Change of Use (Unincorporated Okaloosa)only if it applies to you	Okaloosa County Department of Growth Management, Planning Division	Per the LDC Chapter 12 schedule (Sec. 12.01.00, Schedule of Fees): Development Permits $30.00; Commercial Site Plan Review, minor project (0 to 9,999 square feet) $500.00, major project (10,000 square feet and above) $500.00 for the first 10,000 square feet plus $40.00 per 1,000 square feet or fraction, revised plan submittal $150.00 each; Minor Change of Use (0 to 9,999 square feet) $250.00, revised plan submittal $125.00; Major Change of Use (10,000 square feet or more) $500.00 for the first 10,000 square feet plus $20.00 per 1,000 square feet or fraction, revised plan submittal $150.00. The schedule notes that cost recovery for outside consultants is billed directly to the applicant.	per application	2026-10-27

Business licenses and permits in Okaloosa County, Florida

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Permits that apply to every type of business in Okaloosa County