Do I need a permit and HOA approval to renovate a home in Boca Raton?

Who issues the permit?

Florida Statutes section 553.79 requires a permit from the appropriate enforcing agency before anyone constructs, erects, alters, modifies, repairs or demolishes a building. Which agency that is depends on whether the property is inside city limits.

Inside the City of Boca Raton, you apply, pay fees and schedule inspections through Boca eHub, and upload plans through Boca ePlans (ProjectDox). In unincorporated Palm Beach County, the county Permit Center processes building permit applications through its ePZB portal.[1][2][4]

What does a City of Boca Raton permit involve?

Per the City's FAQ (as of 2026), building permit fees are 1.6% of the total job cost, with an initial deposit of 1% of the contract amount or a $100 minimum at submittal. Other fees, such as impact fees or Community Appearance Board fees, may apply. Pools, docks, decks, screen enclosures, fences and generators each need their own permit application.

Work generally cannot start before the permit is issued; the City allows pre-permit construction agreements only for commercial tenant and multifamily interior build-outs. Homeowners can pull an owner/builder permit only for a single-family home they own personally (not through a business) and currently live in, with the application signed and notarized by the owner.

• The City's post-storm guide lists some work that does not need a permit, such as leak repairs and toilet replacements with no valve or pipe changes.
• For emergency repairs that would normally need a permit, the guide says to apply by the next business day.[2][3][6]

Does my HOA have to approve it too?

A building permit does not replace HOA approval. Under section 720.3035, an HOA or its architectural committee may review plans only to the extent the declaration of covenants or its authorized published guidelines give it that power, and it must apply those standards reasonably and equally to all owners.

The statute also says an HOA may not regulate interior work that is not visible from the frontage, an adjacent parcel, a common area or a community golf course; must state in writing the specific rule behind any denial; and may not deny hurricane protection that meets the specifications its board has adopted. This statute covers homeowners' associations, so condo owners should check their own association's documents, and a Florida real-estate attorney can advise on a dispute.[5]