How To Pay for Building Permit Fees
The Town processes building permits online with MyGovernmentOnline (MGO) and the payment of fees for permits, inspections, revisions, etc. can go through the MGO Portal. Payments will also still be accepted at Town Hall by cash or check. A processing fee will apply to all online payments. For payments made online with credit cards, debit cards, and online payment systems that fee is based on a percentage.
For bank payments (ACH), the fee is a flat fee. This means that there is a threshold from which a bank payment’s processing fee will be less than the fee for using another online payment option. Check to see what makes sense for your payment! If you do choose to pay online, the transaction will reference Civitek on your bank statement, as this is the company the Town uses for online payment processing.
In-person payments can only be made with cash or check, but no processing fees will apply.
Following submittal and acceptance of your digital building permit application, you’ll receive a notification when fees have been added to your project for payment. This does not mean the building permit has been issued yet.
Fee Schedule
Starting July 1, 2026, the Town’s new building permit fee schedule will be effective, as adopted by the Town Council via resolution on June 10. The new schedule is response to HB 803 (2026) and differs from prior fee schedules in that inspection costs have been extrapolated in order to be charged on a per-inspection basis. Application and plan review, permit management, and document retention will continue to be charged as usual, at a lower percentage of project value. These fees shall be used solely for carrying out the Town’s responsibilities in enforcing the Florida Building Code. See the Building Permit and Inspection Utilization Report for more information regarding the finances of the Town’s Building Department.
The portion of the permit fee that is based on the value of the work, must include materials and labor. All sub-contractor work must be included in the main contractor’s permit application’s value of work, except for sub-contractor work related to gas and swimming pools, for which a separate permit must be pulled independently of other work. If, in the opinion of the Building Official, the claimed valuation of the work is underestimated, the Building Official is authorized by state law to estimate the appropriate value of work. The contractor may voluntarily submit evidence to support the valuation of work. The minimum building permit fee for plan review and permit administration, and excluding inspections, shall be $56, while the maximum shall be $5,600.
The portion of the permit fee that regards inspections is based on the Plans Examiner’s expectation of the number of standard inspections that will need to be conducted for the project. If more inspections are necessary than anticipated at the outset of the project, additional inspection fees will apply. Contractors may submit a written request for a refund if the number of standard inspections included in the building permit fee was greater than the actual number of inspections that were completed, except if the deficit was due to changes made to the project by the contractor (or property owner). Refunds shall be for the Town’s fee only and shall not include third party fees.
In addition to building permit fees, the Town is required to collect 2 types of surcharge fees on behalf of the State, which are currently calculated as 1.5% of the permit fee ($2 minimum) and 1% of the permit fee ($2 minimum). These are remitted to the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation on a quarterly basis. The Town is authorized to retain 10% of the surcharge fees.
Additionally, the Town accepts impact fees associated with new construction on behalf of Indian River County. These are passed along to the County on a monthly basis.
Building permit fees are due prior to issuance of the permit. If the application is canceled in writing prior to the first review by the Building Official or his or her designee, then no fee shall be due. After the first review by the Building Official or his or her designee, the portion of the building permit fee for plan review and permit administration must be paid, even if the project is canceled prior to the start of the work. If the project is canceled after the work is started, the total fee shall be forfeited.
Building Permit Fee Schedule
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Building Permit | 0.56% of value of work for plan review and Building permit permit administration plus $40 per standard inspection based on work type |
| Revision to an issued permit | $75 plus 0.56% of added value of work, in excess of $10,000 total value inclusive of current and prior revisions, not to exceed the abovementioned maximum for plan review and permit administration, plus $40 per additional inspection necessitated by the revision |
| Reissuance of expired permit less than 180 days after expiration, if Florida Building Code unchanged | Half the normal fee applicable to plan review and permit administration plus $40 for any standard inspections not yet completed |
| Renewal of expired permit more than 180 days after expiration, or if Florida Building Code has changed | 0.56% of value of work for plan review and permit administration plus $40 per standard inspection based on work type |
| Additional inspections (except re-inspections) | $40 |
| In-person special inspection convenience fee | $190 |
| Virtual special inspection convenience fee | $95 |
| Review of permit exemption application (whether approved or denied) | $25 |
| Change of Principal Contractor (same permit) | $95 |
| Change of subcontractor | $25 |
| Review of Milestone Inspection Report – Phase 1 | $100 |
| Review of Milestone Inspection Report – Phase 2 | $200 |
| Failure to schedule inspection | $65 |
| Re-inspections | $55 |
| Work started prior to the issuance of a building permit | Double Permit Fee |
| Request for extension (whether approved or denied) | $25 |
Pursuant to Florida Statute 553.80, the Town has provided a “building permit and inspection utilization report” below. It is divided into 3 separate tables each with its own header. The Town’s fiscal year begins on October 1 annually and ends on September 30. The below data regards fiscal year 2024 through 2025.
Under authority of the State of Florida, a local municipality may provide a schedule of fees for the enforcement of the provisions of the Florida Building Code. Such fees (and penalties) may only be used for the direct costs and reasonable indirect costs associated with review of building plans, building inspections, reinspections, and building permit processing, building code enforcement, and fire inspections associated with new construction, as well as training costs associated with the enforcement of the Florida Building Code and enforcement action pertaining to unlicensed contractor activity to the extent not funded by other user fees.
Direct & Indirect Costs Incurred by the Town To Enforce the Florida Building Code
| Cost Categories | Cost Categories |
|---|---|
| Personnel Service Cost | $51,686.22 |
| Operating Expenditures | $69,870.22 |
Permit & Inspection Utilization Information
| Categories | Figure |
|---|---|
| Building permit applications submitted | 209 |
| Building permit applications issued or approved | 203 |
| Building inspections and reinspections requested | 747 |
| Building inspections and reinspections conducted | 740 |
| Building inspections conducted by a private provider | 32 |
| Audits by the Town of private provider building inspections | 0 |
| Personnel dedicated by the Town to enforce the Florida Building Code, issue building permits and conduct inspections* | 1 |
| Other permissible activities for enforcing the Florida Building Code | N/A |
Town of Orchid also utilizes contracted services in support of these activities, as well as in-house personnel responsible for managing building permits.
Revenue From Fees for the Enforcement of the Florida Building Code
| Categories | Dollar Value |
|---|---|
| Revenue from fees | $107,409.13 |
| Revenue from fines | $2,124.04 |
| Investment earnings from fee and fine revenue | $0 |
| Balance carried forward by Town at the beginning of the Fiscal Year | $0 |
| Balance carried forward by Town at the end of the Fiscal Year | $0 |
| Balance refunded by Town | N/A |
| Revenue derived from other sources, including general revenue | $12,023.27 |