Complete
an Application
When
you arrive in our offices, you will be asked what
type of project you are doing. With that information,
our staff will provide you with one or more applications
to complete while you are waiting for service. Although
we have tried to make the forms as easy to complete
as possible, if you have a question about a term you
see or are unsure about an answer, feel free to ask
any of our staff for help completing the form.
Receive
a Land Use Certificate
Before
you are seated with one of our staff, the first thing
that you will do is confirm that your project conforms
with County codes. With your property reference number
in hand (if you don't have it available, we have easy
access to the information), one of the representatives
from Planning and Zoning here at our offices will
first review the zoning maps to determine whether
the project is allowed in your zoning district. After
this review, their representative will identify the
future land use category for the parcel, establish
required construction setbacks for your parcel, identify
the drainage basin it is located in, identify its
flood zone, and if it is not in a subdivision, whether
the parcel has been appropriately subdivided. If your
parcel is not in a subdivision, you will also look
at the soil map to determine whether there may be
wetlands that require an additional survey.
Data
Entry
With
this review complete, one of our Permitting Clerks
will then go about the task of entering all of this
information into our computer system. All of the information
you have provided on the proposed construction, as
well as the information obtained during the land use
review, is entered into the system. In that way we
build a profile of your project that allows us to
establish the types of inspections required as well
as the permit fees that must be charged.
During
this process, we will also review all of the plans
and applications you are submitting to ensure they
are complete. * Please review Other Building
Permit Issues (see below). Note:
If you will be installing, modifying, or repairing
a septic system, you will also need to submit an application
with Health Department personnel, whose offices are
located at 1300 W. Gregory Street.
Fee
Collection/Permit Issuance
You
will next be asked to go to our cashier to pay your
permitting fees. These fees are based on the information
provided during the application process and are established
by County ordinance. Once your plans have been approved
and you have paid all fees, the cashier will also
print your permit, ask you to sign it, and provide
instruction for its display on the job site.
Construction
and Inspection
As
you proceed with construction, our inspectors will
need to review your progress several times for code
compliance. When you are ready for these inspections,
please call our offices to schedule the inspection.
(Before you request a rough framing inspection, you
must have passed your electrical, plumbing, gas, and
mechanical inspections.) When the inspector visits
the construction site, he/she will either pass or
reject the work that has been done. In either case,
he/she will place a sticker on the inspected system.
If the work was rejected, the inspector will also
leave a list of violations at the site. If you have
additional questions after reviewing the inspector's
comments, feel free to phone them at our offices for
clarification of the discrepancies.
Project
Completion
After
appropriate inspections have been completed, our staff
will automatically notify Gulf Power and Energy Services
of Pensacola when your project is ready for power
and natural gas, respectively. When the entire project
is complete, we will review the inspections completed,
assess any additional fees, and print a Certificate
of Occupancy.
Other
Building Permit Issues
There
are also other items that you must be prepared for
when applying for a building permit, based on the
details of your project:
Santa
Rosa Island Athority Approval
- If your project is on Santa Rosa Island , the Island
Authority must review and approve the plans before
submission to the County. Your permit will not
be issued without this approval.
Submit
2 sets of Construction Drawings
- You will need to submit 2 sets of construction drawings
for your project. These drawings will be reviewed
by our plan reviewers and chief inspectors for compliance
with applicable building codes. When complete, one
set of these drawings will be maintained on file,
and the other set will be returned to you. Your set
must be maintained on the job site for review and
comparison by our inspectors.
Include
Florida Product Approval Numbers - Structural
components such as windows, exterior doors, garage
doors, roofing shingles, etc. are required to have
a Florida Product Approval Code. This information
is available from the manufacturer or from the Product
Approval page at www.FloridaBuilding.org.
Submit
2 sets of Windload Calculations
- Florida Statutes require structures built within
the State to be capable of withstanding hurricane-force
winds. This wind speed requirement varies from 140
- 120 miles per hour depending on the location.. The
requirement to submit these calculations applies only
to those structures with an area of 400 square feet
or more. Your home designer or architect should prepare
these calculations as part of the building design.
Prepare
a Site Plan
- The site plan should show an outline of the property;
the location of the proposed construction; all existing
structures on the property; any driveways, sidewalks,
and walkways; the names of any adjacent roadways;
the type of drainage (curb and gutter, ditch, etc.)
and the direction stormwater flows off the property.
Be sure to include the external diminsions of each
structure, the distance measured between structures,
and to the property line, and the diminsions of the
property. This drawing should be to scale if at all
possible. If you are installing a septic system, an
additional copy (total of 3) must be submitted, and
it must be drawn to scale. If sanitary sewer
is accessible from your construction site, you will
need to make arrangements with Escambia County Utilities
Authority to connect it. You will be required to provide
evidence of these arrangements before a permit will
be issued.
Submit
2 Sets of Energy Sheets
- These sheets are prepared by Gulf Power as a free
service for residential structures. Through an energy
audit process, they provide an evaluation of the energy
efficiency of the proposed construction. These sheets
can be obtained at several Gulf Power offices throughout
the County.
Submit
2 Sets of Engineered Truss Layouts - These
can be obtained from a truss manufacturing company
upon request.
Apply
For a Roofing Permit
- All new construction, repairs to existing buildings
and re-roofs, and those additions in excess of 5 squares
of shingles (approximately 500 square feet), require
a roofing permit.
You
will probably need a building permit if you are:
- Building
a new building
- Adding
to an existing building
- Renovating
an existing building
- Demolishing
an existing building
- Constructing
a prefabricated structure
- Moving
or installing a mobile home
- Installing/Modifying
other miscellaneous structures including fences,
pools, decks, fireplaces, etc.
You
probably also need a permit if you are working on
your structure's:
- Electrical
System
- Plumbing
System
- Heating
or Air Conditioning
- Ventilation
Systems
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