Tallahassee, Florida Building Permit Cost Calculator

One- and two-family building permit fees combine a flat application fee with either a per-square-foot rate for new construction and additions - the rate falls when house plans are engineer sealed or follow a previously approved master plan - or a tiered valuation rate for remodels, repairs and alterations based on overall construction value. New construction and additions also carry a per-square-foot charge for sediment and erosion control inspections. Commercial and multifamily work uses a higher application fee and its own rates. A $2.50 training surcharge is added to each building permit issued, and commercial plan review is charged at half the permit fee. Adopted by City Commission Resolution No. 22-R-42, effective October 1, 2025; Ordinance 22-O-24 raises fees each October 1 by the positive percentage CPI increase published the preceding April.

Resolution No. 22-R-42 contains no deck-specific line item. The city requires a permit for residential (1 and 2 family) decks greater than 30 inches in height, and for commercial and multi-family decks at any height. The fee therefore resolves through the resolution's general 1 & 2 family structure categories - priced per square foot if handled as an addition, or on overall construction value if handled as a remodel, repair or alteration - plus the $2.50 training surcharge added to each building permit. The figures below are those general categories exactly as the resolution names them; the city does not publish a deck fee. Effective October 1, 2025, with an annual October 1 CPI adjustment under Ordinance 22-O-24.

Electrical permit fees combine an application fee with a per-square-foot rate for new construction and additions, or with per-item charges for alterations and miscellaneous work. RE-VERIFIED 2026-09-28 (lane B, pipeline run 98). gmfeesched.pdf (10 pages) re-read in full; still Resolution 22-R-42, "EFFECTIVE ON October 1, 2025", and every stored figure re-reads verbatim. SCHEDULED SUPERSESSION, NOW THREE DAYS AWAY AND STILL A CERTAINTY RATHER THAN A PROBABILITY: the document itself states that "Ordinance 22-O-24 provides an annual adjustment to fees each October 1st by the positive percentage increase in CPI (published in April) each year." On 2026-10-01 every Tallahassee figure on this row is superseded by a CPI uplift. RE-CHECK TALLAHASSEE IMMEDIATELY AFTER 2026-10-01; do not wait for the rotation to reach it.

A permit is required for any masonry fence with a footer taller than 2 feet, and for any other type of fence taller than 10 feet. However, the adopted fee schedule - City Commission Resolution No. 22-R-42, effective October 1, 2025, read in full - publishes no fence permit fee and no general category that the city identifies as covering fences, so no fee figure can be confirmed from an official source. A $2.50 training surcharge is added to each building permit issued, and fees rise each October 1 by the positive CPI increase under Ordinance 22-O-24. Confirmed absence: permit required, fee not published.

Re-roof fees combine a per-permit application fee with a flat fee that varies by dwelling type for residential work, and a per-square-foot fee with a maximum for commercial work; roof repairs less than $300 in cost are exempt from the residential roof permit fee, and a $2.50 training surcharge is added to each roofing permit. | 2026-09-25 (lane B run 1754) RE-VERIFIED VERBATIM, SCHEDULED SUPERSESSION IN SIX DAYS. The cited gmfeesched.pdf is Resolution No. 22-R-42, "Schedule of Permit and Review Fees, Effective October 1, 2025", and all four stored figures verify on it ($18.02 + $168.52; $18.02 + $50.87; $67.83 + $0.0170/sq ft max $337.03; $67.83 + $0.026/sq ft max $337.03), as do the basis notes that roof repairs under $300 are exempt and that a $2.50 training surcharge is added to each roofing permit. THE DOCUMENT ITSELF STATES THAT EVERY FIGURE RISES AUTOMATICALLY: "Ordinance 22-O-24 provides an annual adjustment to fees each October 1st by the positive percentage increase in CPI (published in April) each year." So on 2026-10-01, in six days, all Tallahassee figures are superseded by a CPI uplift. RE-CHECK AFTER 2026-10-01 - this is a certainty, not a probability.

Retaining walls are charged a flat application fee plus a fee per wall, with an added per-linear-foot charge for length beyond 100 feet. The city requires a retaining wall permit when the elevation change is greater than 2 feet. A $2.50 training surcharge is added to each building permit issued. Adopted by City Commission Resolution No. 22-R-42, effective October 1, 2025; Ordinance 22-O-24 raises fees each October 1 by the positive percentage CPI increase published the preceding April.

Resolution No. 22-R-42 has no shed-specific line item. A shed built on site requires a building permit regardless of size, and a portable shed of the kind sold at commercial retailers requires a permit if it is greater than 100 square feet. The city's residential building permit checklist groups sheds and utility buildings together with new construction and additions, so the fee is computed from the resolution's 1 & 2 family additions and new construction categories - a flat application fee plus a per-square-foot rate and a per-square-foot sediment and erosion control inspection charge - plus the $2.50 training surcharge. Effective October 1, 2025, with an annual October 1 CPI adjustment under Ordinance 22-O-24. | 2026-09-12 (lane B run 897): cited schedule verifies verbatim but is stamped EFFECTIVE ON October 1, 2025, i.e. FY2026. Tallahassee's fiscal year turns over on 2026-10-01, so a successor is due in under three weeks. Re-check after that date.

The adopted fee schedule prices water heater work through the trade permits: an electrical alterations permit for a one- or two-family residence carries an application fee plus a per-appliance charge covering a range, water heater, or smoke detector; plumbing fees cover stand-alone solar water heating systems; and gas connection fees are charged per appliance connected. RE-VERIFIED 2026-09-28 (lane B, pipeline run 98). gmfeesched.pdf (10 pages) re-read in full; still Resolution 22-R-42, "EFFECTIVE ON October 1, 2025", and every stored figure re-reads verbatim. SCHEDULED SUPERSESSION, NOW THREE DAYS AWAY AND STILL A CERTAINTY RATHER THAN A PROBABILITY: the document itself states that "Ordinance 22-O-24 provides an annual adjustment to fees each October 1st by the positive percentage increase in CPI (published in April) each year." On 2026-10-01 every Tallahassee figure on this row is superseded by a CPI uplift. RE-CHECK TALLAHASSEE IMMEDIATELY AFTER 2026-10-01; do not wait for the rotation to reach it.