What Is County-Wide and What Is Not
Two things follow the county line rather than the city line. The documentary stamp tax rate and its surtax apply across all of Miami-Dade, which is why a property here is taxed differently from an identical one in Broward. And the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone covers the whole county, so every rebuild is built to that standard regardless of which municipality issues the permit.
Everything else is municipal. Each incorporated city runs its own building department under its own adopted amendments, sets its own fees, and applies its own overlays. Unincorporated territory is permitted by the county itself.
The Areas Compared
| Area | Permits | Dominant stock | What complicates a fire file |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of Miami | The city | Very mixed, pre-war to new | Density and property type |
| Unincorporated Dade | The county | Post-war single-family | No city hall to call |
| Hialeah | The city | Dense, much multi-family | Surtax on most transfers |
| Miami Beach | The city | Historic and mid-century | Design review and flood elevation |
| Coral Gables | The city | Older, architecturally controlled | Strict design regulation |
| North Miami | The city | Post-war mixed | Own department, older stock |
| Homestead | The city | Post-1992 rebuild stock | Newer construction, own rules |
Areas We Cover
- Miami-Dade CountyDeed tax and surtax, hurricane zone rebuild standard, claim deadlines
- Unincorporated DadeCounty permitting, no municipal department at all
- HialeahIts own department, dense stock, surtax applies to most transfers
- Miami BeachBarrier island, design review and flood elevation on top of permitting
- Coral GablesUnusually strict design control over anything rebuilt
- North MiamiOwn department, older post-war stock on the northern edge
- HomesteadLargely rebuilt after 1992, newer construction, own department
If Your Area Is Not Listed
We buy across Miami-Dade, including in municipalities without a page here. These are the areas where we hold enough verified local detail to publish something worth reading; a page that swapped one city name into the same sentences would waste your time.
Send the address and we will identify the authority. The statewide layer is set out once on our page covering Florida claim deadlines and disclosure rules.