Which Home Projects Need a Permit in Broward County

Permitting exists to keep your home insurable and sellable. Unpermitted work turns up during a sale, an insurance inspection or a claim, and the cost of resolving it then is always higher than doing it correctly now.

Work that virtually always requires a permit: roof replacement and most roof repairs, window and door replacement, electrical panel changes and new circuits, water heater replacement, structural changes, fences, sheds, pool equipment and screen enclosures.

Work that generally does not: painting, flooring over an existing subfloor, cabinet refacing, landscaping, and like-for-like plumbing fixture swaps.

The contractor pulls the permit. If a professional asks you to pull an owner-builder permit for work they are performing, treat it as a warning sign — it shifts liability from their license to you personally.

Also confirm your HOA's architectural review requirements. In many Weston communities, approval is required for anything visible from the street, including roof color, driveway pavers and fencing style. The permit and the HOA approval are two separate processes with two separate timelines.