Do you need a permit to remodel a kitchen or bathroom in Nassau County or Jacksonville?

The short version: if you are replacing something with something like it, or changing finishes, you do not need a permit. If you are moving plumbing, adding electrical, or changing structure, you do, and the person doing that part must hold a Florida licence.

Work that does not need a permit

• Cabinets, countertops and backsplash
• Flooring of any kind, including tile
• Interior paint, drywall repair and texture
• Interior doors, trim, baseboard, crown
• Like-for-like fixture swaps: a faucet, a toilet, a vanity light on an existing box, a ceiling fan on an existing fan box
• Tub-to-shower conversions where the drain and supply stay in place (check with the jurisdiction; most treat it as non-permitted, Fernandina Beach asks you to call)

Florida law (HB 735, effective 2023) also bars counties and cities from requiring a local licence for painting, flooring, cabinetry, tile, drywall, trim carpentry and non-structural interior remodeling. That is the work we do directly.

Work that always needs a permit and a licensed trade

• Moving or adding plumbing drains and supply lines; water heaters
• New electrical circuits, panel work, wiring inside walls
• Removing or altering load-bearing walls; additions; anything structural
• Roofing, HVAC, gas
• Windows and exterior doors in most jurisdictions

The licensed plumber, electrician or general contractor doing that portion pulls the permit. On our jobs we identify those items in the written scope before work starts.

Who issues the permit

• City of Fernandina Beach: Building Department, 204 Ash Street, for addresses inside the city. Exterior changes in the historic district also go to the Historic District Council.
• Nassau County: Building Department, 96161 Nassau Place, Yulee, for Yulee, Callahan, the unincorporated island and most of Hilliard.
• City of Jacksonville: the JaxEPICS online portal, for all of Duval County except the beach cities.
• Jacksonville Beach, Atlantic Beach and Neptune Beach: each city has its own building department.
• St. Johns County: Building Services, for Ponte Vedra and Nocatee.

Condos and HOAs

A permit is not an approval. Condo associations on Amelia Island and at the Beaches typically require notice, a certificate of insurance and a work-hours agreement, and plumbing changes in a stacked building often need the association's engineer. Gated communities in Yulee, Nocatee and Ponte Vedra require architectural review for anything visible from outside. Ask before ordering.

Why this matters when you hire

Florida makes it an offence to advertise as a contractor without a licence, and contracts signed by an unlicensed contractor for licensed work are unenforceable. Ask who is pulling the permit and for which trade. A company that tells you plainly which parts of your job are permitted, and who will do them, is the one to hire.