Permits for rental repairs in Orange County: water heaters, HVAC, roofs and panels

Suppose the water heater in a rented house outside Orlando's city limits gives out on a Monday, and the plumber can swap it that afternoon. The swap needs a permit. Orange County's Do I Need a Permit page answers the question in one line: a water heater change-out takes a plumbing permit and possibly an electrical permit.

Which common rental repairs need a permit in Orange County?

Two details narrow the air conditioning row. The Division of Building Safety's FAQ says a mechanical permit is always required for HVAC equipment replacement or modification, and that an upgrade requiring different size wires or breakers needs both an electrical and a mechanical permit. For any required permit, the County adds, at least a final inspection must be passed.

What repair work can be done without a permit?

Not much. The County's FAQ says work that does not require a permit is limited to minor repairs such as residential painting, plug-in portable heating and cooling appliances, new finished floor covering, cabinets and countertops replaced in the same location without reconfiguring the space, residential landscaping that excludes irrigation, satellite dishes, and short flagpoles. Repairing or servicing existing irrigation equipment, such as sprinkler heads, does not usually require a permit.

Everything else starts from the other direction. The FAQ quotes section 105.1 of the Florida Building Code, under which an owner or agent who intends to "construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish" a building, or to replace an electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing system regulated by the code, must first apply for and obtain the permit. State law sets the same default. Section 553.79(1)(a) of the Florida Statutes makes it unlawful, unless otherwise provided by law, to construct, erect, alter, modify, repair or demolish any building without first obtaining a permit.

Repair is in both lists. Calling a job a repair does not by itself take it out of permitting.

Does the new $7,500 permit exemption cover rental repairs?

Mostly not. Section 553.79(1)(g) requires a local government that issues building permits to exempt an owner of a single-family dwelling, or the owner's contractor, from the permit requirement for any work valued at less than $7,500 on the owner's property. The County's FAQ says the change took effect July 1, 2026. The exemption does not apply to:

• Work on property partly or entirely in a flood hazard area as defined by the Florida Building Code.
• Any electrical, plumbing, structural, mechanical or gas work on property containing a single-family dwelling.

A project may not be divided to evade the limit, and the owner or contractor must submit a written request for exemption with a copy of the contract or other documentation of the work's nature and value.

The four jobs in this post are plumbing, mechanical, electrical and roofing work, so the value of the job never comes into it. The City of Orlando's exemption guide lists roofing, windows and doors as structural work that is not eligible regardless of cost. Orange County's FAQ goes further for landlords: it describes the exemption as for a single-family dwelling only, with "no rental properties or mobile homes."

Who pulls the permit for a rental property?

Usually the contractor. Orange County's Do I Need a Permit page says homeowners may apply for permits only if the property is their primary residence, and that licensed contractors and subcontractors may apply for permits within the scope of their trade or license. The FAQ adds that permit applications for properties owned by a corporation, LLC or trust must be made by a Florida licensed contractor.

The state's owner-builder exemption points the same way. Section 489.103(7)(a) lets owners act as their own contractor on a one-family or two-family residence built or improved for their own occupancy or use and "not offered for sale or lease." A sale or lease within one year after completion creates a presumption that the work was done for sale or lease.

So the plumbing contractor pulls the plumbing permit, the mechanical contractor pulls the mechanical permit, and so on. The County notes that permitting is also how it confirms the people doing the work are licensed to do it. Our guide to vetting a maintenance vendor covers the license search from the manager's side.

Apartment communities follow a different track. Orange County treats condominium units and apartment complexes as commercial structures, and townhouses, while built to the residential code, go through the commercial permitting process.

Is the property in the County's jurisdiction or a city's?

Check the address first. Inside Orlando, permits go through the City's Permitting Services Division, and the City says on its permitting services page that contractors obtaining permits for work in the City of Orlando must be registered with that division.

How do you look up a property's permits?

In the County, the FAQ gives the route. On Fast Track Online Services, choose Property (Address/Parcel) in the sidebar and search by address or parcel ID to see past permits. To check one permit's status, choose "Permits, All Types," then "Building Permits," and enter the permit number, address or parcel ID.

Inside Orlando, the City's Permit Search finds permits by address, parcel number or permit ID, and the City says anyone can use it to search for any permit in the city.

The County's FAQ says a permit expires 180 days after it was issued or 180 days after the last passed inspection, and that expired permits must be replaced with new permits and all remaining inspections performed. For a single-family dwelling, section 553.79(1)(c) sets a longer life, one year after issuance or the effective date of the next edition of the Florida Building Code, whichever is later, so read the dates on the record itself.

When does the inspector need to get into the unit?

Often without a set appointment. The County's FAQ says it does not schedule specific times for in-person inspections. It does offer remote video inspections for some types, among them the air conditioning change-out final and the water heater change-out final, in 30-minute intervals between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., with someone on site holding a device that can make video calls.

In an occupied rental, either kind of inspection means entering the unit. Florida's rules for that visit, including the 24 hours' notice for repairs, are in our guide to entering a rented unit for repairs.

1Stop Service Pro takes repair requests from property managers and dispatches vetted trade vendors; the coverage page lists the counties it serves.