County Guide
Miami-Dade County Building Permits: Who Issues Them
Miami-Dade County's RER department permits unincorporated areas, while cities like Miami and Hialeah run their own building departments.
Miami-Dade County has 34 municipalities plus a large unincorporated area, so the office that issues your building permit depends entirely on where the property sits. The county's Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources covers unincorporated Miami-Dade, while cities like Miami, Hialeah, and Miami Beach run their own building departments. Here is how it breaks down and how to look up a permit.
Who Issues Building Permits in Miami-Dade County?
For unincorporated Miami-Dade County, building permits are issued by the Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources, usually shortened to RER. It handles permit applications, plan review, and inspections, and it is the authority having jurisdiction for construction outside the cities. For background, see what the AHJ is.
The county has moved most permitting online. Applications and plans go through its electronic plan submission portal, contractors can pull subtrade permits through the county's e-permitting tools, and the county's permit search lets you look up records by address or folio. The main Permitting and Inspection Center is in the Westchester area of Miami.
What the County Covers vs. the Cities Inside It
RER issues permits for unincorporated Miami-Dade County only. That still covers a large population, but it is not the whole county.
Miami-Dade has 34 municipalities, and many run their own building departments. The City of Miami issues permits through its own office and a portal it calls iBuild, and Hialeah, Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Doral, and Homestead each run their own departments as well. A permit for one of these cities will not appear in county records, so confirm the municipality of the address before you search.
How to Look Up Permits in Miami-Dade County
For an unincorporated address, use the county's permit search by address or folio to find the official record. For a city property, use that city's system, such as the City of Miami's iBuild portal. Permit records are public, which we cover in are building permits public record.
For a quick county-wide read on residential activity, use Permit Ledger's live Miami-Dade County permit tracker, which pulls permits from the official feed every week and summarizes the trend.
Permit Activity in Miami-Dade County
Permit Ledger tracked roughly 1,900 residential permits in Miami-Dade County in the trailing 30 days as of mid-July 2026, up from about 1,300 in the prior 30-day period. That count covers renovation, remodel, addition, solar, and pool work, not new commercial construction.
That is a clear increase from one month to the next in the areas the county covers. For contractors and suppliers, it reads as demand strengthening into the summer.
Who Uses This Data
Contractors and suppliers track county permit volume to find active submarkets, investors watch it for signals about where work is picking up, and direct mail marketers reach owners who just pulled a permit. Because the records are public, anyone can use them. To research a single property, see how to look up permit history by address.
Frequently asked questions
Who issues building permits in Miami-Dade County?
For unincorporated Miami-Dade County, permits are issued by the Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources (RER), which handles applications, plan review, and inspections, mostly through online tools.
Does the City of Miami issue its own permits?
Yes. The City of Miami runs its own building department and an online portal it calls iBuild. Permits for property inside city limits do not appear in the county's unincorporated records.
Which Miami-Dade cities run their own building departments?
Many of the county's 34 municipalities do, including Miami, Hialeah, Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Doral, and Homestead. Unincorporated areas are permitted by the county's RER department.
How do I search Miami-Dade County permits?
Use the county's permit search by address or folio for unincorporated properties. For a city property use that city's system, and for a county-wide view use Permit Ledger's live Miami-Dade County permit tracker.
Are Miami-Dade County building permits public record?
Yes. Building permit records in Miami-Dade County are public. You can search unincorporated records through the county's permit search or review county-wide activity on Permit Ledger's Miami-Dade County tracker.
See Live Miami-Dade County Permit Data →More Florida county permit guides
Related guides
- What Is the AHJ (Authority Having Jurisdiction)?
- What Is a Parcel Number? Definition and How to Find It
- Unpermitted Work: What Happens If You're Caught
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