Coral Gables now offers same-day permits for renovations, repairs. What to know

A lot of people complain about how long the permit approval process takes in stringent Coral Gables.

Read more Palm Beach GOP doesn’t rule out supporting candidate accused of child sex abuse

Now, the city is trying to make home renovation and repairs less of a headache for its residents. It’s launched a same-day permit program for certain types of work to try and make it easier, and faster, for property owners to fix up their homes.

The recently launched pilot program, administered by the city’s Development Services Department, is meant for “smaller residential projects that do not require structural or mechanical review,” the city said in a recent news release.

For single-family residences, qualifying projects can include roofing, doors and windows, exterior painting, asphalt driveways, and certain kitchen and bathroom renovations, according to the city.

The program is meant to help respond to the needs — and permit processing complaints — of residents without adding extra costs, Coral Gables Commissioner Richard Lara, who sponsored the initiative, told the Miami Herald this week.

“Small projects, repairs to your driveway, kitchen, painting — the type of things that are everyday needs should be provided without delay,” Lara said, describing the program as an example of how the city is “responding to the needs of residents.”

The same-day residential permit program, which garnered unanimous support among the City Commission in July and slowly began rolling out in August, is just one of various efforts underway to revamp the city’s grueling and time-consuming permit process.

Here’s how it works:

How to apply for a same-day permit in Coral Gables

The good news is that residents and their contractors don’t need to do any extra paperwork or pay an extra fee to ask for a same-day permit. You just need to submit your application through the city’s existing online permitting portal and pay the initial fees before 8 a.m. for same-day review consideration.

Once your application is submitted, the city will quickly determine if it’s eligible for the same-day permit program. If it is, the city will automatically start the expedited review process on the permit application.

Take note: If you can’t submit your application before 8 a.m., don’t fret. “Applications submitted after 8 a.m. are automatically enrolled for review the following business day, if they have not been reviewed by then,” the city said.

READ MORE: Hiring a contractor for home repair? How to check the license and complaints in Florida

How does the approval process work?

The city says eligible permits will automatically go through an expedited review process. If all goes well, the application will be approved, and you’ll receive an invoice for the remaining permit fees.

“When those fees are paid that day, the permit is automatically issued that evening,” the city said. “Work may begin once the permit has been issued, and the applicant can request the required inspections.”

However, keep in mind your permit might take a little longer to get, even if it qualifies for an expedited review, if the city needs you to fix an error on the application or provide additional information. The city also has the power to remove any application from the expedited review process and send it back to the regular permit approval pathway if a Board of Architects reviewer determines that the permit “cannot be approved administratively.”

Read more Backlash to Trump hasn’t bolstered Florida Democrats’ voter registrations

Since rolling out in August, the program has completed nearly 300 “individual discipline reviews” and has processed 158 eligible applications. Of those applications, 65 were approved, and 52 permits were issued.

“We want to make the permitting process as straightforward and efficient as possible for residents completing routine home improvement projects,” Doug Ramirez, the Gables’ acting director of development services, said in a statement. “By automatically enrolling qualifying applications in the Same Day Review program, we can provide a faster review without requiring residents to complete any additional steps.”

The city, in response to questions from the Herald, said that while roofing, doors and windows are some of the residential projects that may be eligible for same-day review, eligibility will be on a case-by-case basis and will depend on the specific scope of work.

“For example, a roof replacement may qualify, but the specific project would need to be evaluated to determine whether it requires structural or mechanical review or otherwise falls under one of the program’s exclusions,” the city wrote in an email.

READ NEXT: Did Coral Gables just bill you? Someone is impersonating the city, using real info

Coral Gables same-day permits: What won’t qualify for expedited review

The Gables might be trying to speed up its permit approval process to relieve resident stress. But it’s still the City Beautiful, and that means people trying to fix or renovate historic properties, at least for now, should still expect more scrutiny for permit approval.

That’s because work involving historic properties and properties within historic districts don’t qualify for same-day permits, according to the city. Other types of projects that won’t qualify for the expedited permit review include:

• Projects using private providers. That refers to qualified professionals or firms hired by property owners to perform building-code plan reviews and inspection services that would otherwise be performed by the city.
• Projects requiring structural or mechanical review
• Sub-permits filed under a master permit
• Kitchen and bathroom renovations involving HVAC work or range hoods requiring outside air or ventilation
• Projects where a Board of Architects reviewer determines that the permit “cannot be approved administratively”

What about Gables businesses?

The city last year formalized its permitting assistance program, an initiative it launched years ago with the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce, to provide “concierge permitting assistance” and help businesses navigate the confusing and time-consuming permitting process faster.

The city is also in the process of developing “Gables Permitting 2.0,” an initiative meant to “make the permitting process more efficient and user-friendly for those who use the system, including residents and businesses,” according to city spokeswoman Martha Pantin.

“As part of that effort, the project team has met with permit expediters to identify common challenges and has implemented changes based on their feedback,” she said.

Other recent changes include Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson’s 2025 initiative to offer a 20% discount in city permit fees for eligible living seawall or modular retrofit panel installations. In February, the City Commission also unanimously approved Mayor Vince Lago’s ask to make Miami-Dade County’s MeetQ Permit Services, the county’s online appointment scheduling system, available to residents and business owners in the city’s development services lobby.

The goal is to “make it easier for residents to improve their homes and for businesses to invest in Coral Gables while maintaining the standards our community expects,” said Lago.

“We will continue to assess what is working, identify opportunities to reduce unnecessary delays and look for ways to improve the permitting experience for our community,” he added.

Read more Gas prices have plunged by double digits in South Florida. Check your area