Zoning certificate of use required; annual reinspection of buildings and premises; fees for inspections and issuance of certificates.
Miami City Code § 2-207
in effectSec. 2-207. - Zoning certificate of use required; annual reinspection of buildings and premises; fees for inspections and issuance of certificates.
(a) Inspection and service fees for certificate of use. All persons applying for a certificate of use shall pay a $50.00 application fee, which shall be credited towards any final fees upon completion of the certificate of use application process, as well as the following inspection and service fees:
(1) Residential, other than single-family residence or two-family housing, as defined by Miami 21.
a. Three to 12 units: $313.00
b. Each additional unit: $25.00
(2) Lodging as defined by Miami 21.
a. First 12 units or less: $313.00
b. Each additional unit: $25.00
(3) Office as defined by Miami 21.
a. First 2,000 square feet or less: $313.00
b. Each additional 1,000 square foot or part thereof in excess 2,000 square feet: $63.00
(4) Commercial as defined by Miami 21.
a. First 2,000 square feet or less: $313.00
b. Each additional 1,000 square foot or part thereof in excess of 2,000 square feet: $63.00
(5) Civic as defined by Miami 21.
a. First 1,000 square feet or less: $63.00
b. Each additional 1,000 square foot or part thereof in excess 2,000 square feet: $31.00
(6) Civil support as defined by Miami 21.
a. First 2,000 square feet or less: $313.00
b. Each additional 1,000 square foot or part thereof in excess 2,000 square feet: $63.00
(7) Educational as defined by Miami 21.
a. First 1,000 square feet or less: $125.00
b. Each additional 1,000 square foot or part thereof in excess 2,000 square feet: $31.00
(8) Industrial as defined by Miami 21.
a. First 2,000 square feet or less: $313.00
b. Each additional 1,000 square foot or part thereof in excess 2,000 square feet: $63.00
(9) Miscellaneous. All uses not previously covered by this section shall be assessed a fee as provided for in "Commercial," subsection (a)(4).
(10) Sharing by a sublessee office space approved under an existing certificate of use (excluding sharing a coworking or virtual office): $125.00
(11) Amendment to an existing CU not requiring inspections: $125.00
(12) If a certificate of use is revoked, the building, unit or space in which the revocation occurs is subject to a fee of $500.00 prior to approval of a new certificate of use.
(13) Certificates of use shall include the following information: the specific address, business name, corporate name, and the type(s) of business for which it was issued.
In the event of a new certificate of use, which requires city field inspections, the full fees outlined in City Code, section 2-207 shall apply. These fees are applicable in the following circumstances:
a. Changes in the business name, ownership, use, address, folio number, or Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN).
b. Expansion or reduction of the square footage occupied by the business.
c. Inclusion of additional uses or the exclusion of previously approved uses, regardless of any approved use that still remains.
d. Any changes to the structure that have been approved by a final building inspection.
(14) Issuance of a temporary certificate of use shall be subject to a fee of $250.00. Renewal of a temporary certificate of use shall be subject to a fee of $50.00 per renewal.
(b) Certificates of use for new buildings and premises and for change of use.
(1) No new buildings or premises or part thereof and no existing building or premises when there has been a change of use in said building or premises, except one- and two-family residences, shall be occupied until a zoning certificate of use shall have been issued by the zoning office. Certificates of use shall not be issued until the premises have been inspected and found to comply with all code requirements of the zoning office, fire-rescue department and such other agencies as may have jurisdiction. All applications for certificates of use shall expire 90 working days from the date of application if approval is not received for issuance of a certificate, unless the space is under construction with a valid building permit and approvals cannot be made until work is completed.
a. Buildings designed or proposed to be used as office buildings shall require one zoning certificate of use for each separate office tenant and one for each commercial use activity contained therein, provided that for coworking or virtual offices, only one certificate of use is required. Each separate office tenant in existing office buildings not having an individual certificate of use on the effective date of this section must obtain one prior to the renewal of its city local business tax receipt.
b. Apartment buildings, hotels, and other multiple-residential occupancies containing three or more units and occupied only by residential tenants shall require one zoning certificate of use per building.
c. Apartment buildings, hotels, and other residential occupancies containing commercial tenants shall require additional zoning certificates of use for each commercial use activity contained therein.
d. Industrial buildings containing one tenant shall require a single zoning certificate of use.
e. Industrial and commercial buildings containing more than one tenant shall require a zoning certificate of use for each tenant.
f. Buildings with common areas including, but not limited to, hallways, elevators, and lobbies, shall have a separate shell certificate of use.
(2) Upon the issuance of a zoning certificate of use for a building or premises, an annual inspection schedule will be established and annual inspections will be conducted thereafter.
(3) Annual inspections will be conducted to determine that each building or premises complies with the regulations established in the city zoning ordinance, building code, fire code, health regulations, and such other regulations that may apply to the particular building or premises.
(c) Annual reinspection of buildings and premises.
(1) Annual reinspection certificates will be issued, and each existing use or premises shall be inspected annually to determine that it complies with the provisions of applicable ordinances and regulations.
(2) The owner will be notified of any deficiencies noted, and appropriate reinspections may be made to determine that the deficiencies have been corrected.
(3) With the exception of life-safety facilities (which may be from time to time required to be upgraded by the provisions of the Florida Building Code or the Florida Fire Prevention Code), only those regulations which were in effect at the time a particular occupancy or use was established will be applicable.
(4) The invoice for the issuance of the annual reinspection certificate will be billed during the fiscal year and said fees are herein fixed as follows:
a. Residential, other than single-family residence and two-family housing, as defined by Miami 21:
1. Three to 12 units: $63.00
2. 13 to 50 units: $88.00
3. Each additional unit: $3.00
b. Lodging as defined by Miami 21:
1. First 12 units or less: $63.00
2. 13 to 50 units: $88.00
3. Each additional unit: $3.00
c. Office as defined by Miami 21:
1. Less than 500 square feet: $50.00
2. 500 square feet or more but less than 2,500 square feet: $63.00
3. 2,500 square feet or more but less than 5,000 square feet: $75.00
4. 5,000 square feet or more but less than 15,000 square feet: $88.00
5. 15,000 square feet or more but less than 25,000 square feet: $100.00
6. 25,000 square feet or more but less than 50,000 square feet: $113.00
7. 50,000 square feet or more: $125.00
d. Commercial as defined by Miami 21:
1. Less than 500 square feet: $50.00
2. 500 square feet or more but less than 2,500 square feet: $63.00
3. 2,500 square feet or more but less than 5,000 square feet: $75.00
4. 5,000 square feet or more but less than 15,000 square feet: $88.00
5. 15,000 square feet or more but less than 25,000 square feet: $100.00
6. 25,000 square feet or more but less than 50,000 square feet: $113.00
7. 50,000 square feet or more: $125.00
e. Civic as defined by Miami 21: $94.00
f. Civil support, other than hospitals, as defined by Miami 21:
1. Less than 20,000 square feet: $63.00
2. 20,000 square feet or more but less than 50,000 square feet: $75.00
3. 50,000 square feet or more: $125.00
g. Hospitals:
1. 100 beds or less: $156.00
2. Each bed over 100: $2.10
h. Educational as defined by Miami 21:
1. Less than 10,000 square feet: $94.00
2. 10,000 square feet or more but less than 50,000 square feet: $125.00
3. 50,000 square feet or more: $156.00
i. Industrial as defined by Miami 21:
1. Less than 500 square feet: $50.00
2. 500 square feet or more but less than 2,500 square feet: $63.00
3. 2,500 square feet or more but less than 5,000 square feet: $75.00
4. 5,000 square feet or more but less than 15,000 square feet: $88.00
5. 15,000 square feet or more but less than 25,000 square feet: $100.00
6. 25,000 square feet or more but less than 50,000 square feet: $113.00
7. 50,000 square feet or more: $125.00
j. Miscellaneous. All uses not previously covered by this section shall be assessed a fee as provided for under "Commercial," subsection (c)(4)d.
(5) When a reinspection is required due to continued life safety violations after the second inspection by the department of fire-rescue, there shall be charged a fee of $63.00.
(6) Any renewal fee specified in subsection (c)(4) above, which is not paid by the due date specified, will be considered delinquent and assessed a penalty of ten percent of the current renewal fee plus an additional five-percent penalty for each month of delinquency thereafter, until paid. However, the total delinquency penalty shall not exceed 25 percent of the certificate of use fee for any annual period.
(d) Fees for accessory use certificates.
(1) All persons desiring to have a home office as defined in Miami 21 shall apply to the zoning office for an accessory use certificate, which shall be granted upon payment of an annual fee of $94.00 to the city and when issued shall be valid through the following September 30. In instances where a person 65 years of age or over is engaged in the conduct of home occupation, there shall be no required payment of an accessory fee in conjunction with the issuance of an accessory use certificate or the subsequent renewal of such certificate. All renewals of accessory use certificates shall be made on the subsequent renewal of such certificate or before October 1 of each calendar year.
(2) Those owners of private pleasure craft and housebarges on the Miami River shall apply to the zoning office for a housebarge/private pleasure craft accessory use certificate, which subject to inspection and compliance with applicable regulations, shall be granted upon the payment of an annual fee of $313.00; all required renewals shall be made on or before October 1 of each year hereafter.
(e) Zoning inspection.
(1) The city will provide, upon request of the owner or owner's agent, an on-site inspection of properties within the city by the code compliance department to ascertain whether zoning violations openly exist on the real property.
(2) The following fee shall be paid prior to each such inspection for each folio number: zoning inspection fee, $100.00.
(3) A report on the results of each such inspection will be issued to the owner or owner's agent and shall only constitute prima facie evidence of compliance/noncompliance with the city's zoning ordinance and shall not be conclusive proof of compliance/noncompliance with said zoning ordinance.
(4) Should a zoning violation be observed by a city zoning inspector during the course of an on-site inspection, the property owner will be required to appear before the code enforcement board of the city in regard to such violation no sooner than 30 days after said inspection, except as provided in subsection 2-814(c).
(f) There is hereby established a schedule of fees for reviewing plans on new construction and inspecting new construction performed by the department of fire-rescue, except for single-family and duplex residents:
(1) Minimum fee: $63.00
(2) New building or additions:
Each 100 square feet or fractional part of floor area: $1.80
(3) New construction other than as specified herein (water towers, pylons, bulk storage-tank foundations, seawalls, bulkheads, unusual limited-use buildings, freestanding rigid canopies, marquees and similar construction):
Each $1,000.00 of estimated cost or fractional part: $1.80
(4) Alterations and repairs to buildings and other structures:
Up to $1,000.00 of estimated cost or fractional part: $6.00
Each additional $1,000.00 of estimated cost or fractional part: $1.80
(5) Expedited plan review service:
Reviews conducted by external entity: Actual cost plus 20 percent.
Reviews conducted internally: Per every four hours of review or fraction thereof: $313.00
(Code 1967, § 2-24.1; Ord. No. 8686, § 1, 9-8-77; Ord. No. 8985, § 1, 9-27-79; Ord. No. 9161, § 1, 9-15-80; Ord. No. 9345, § 1, 11-12-81; Ord. No. 10089, § 5, 3-27-86; Ord. No. 10158, § 1, 10-7-86; Ord. No. 10225, § 1, 2-26-87; Ord. No. 10397, § 1, 3-10-88; Ord. No. 10453, § 1, 7-14-88; Ord. No. 10596, § 1, 6-7-89; Ord. No. 10607, § 1, 7-13-89; Ord. No. 10737, § 1, 5-24-90; Ord. No. 10766, § 1, 7-26-90; Ord. No. 10890, § 1, 6-20-91; Ord. No. 10931, § 1, 10-24-91; Ord. No. 11077, § 2, 7-22-93; Ord. No. 11085, § 1, 9-7-93; Code 1980, § 2-75; Ord. No. 11353, § 2, 4-25-96; Ord. No. 11721, § 2, 11-17-98; Ord. No. 12803, § 2, 5-11-06; Ord. No. 12885, § 1, 2-8-07; Ord. No. 13108, § 2, 10-8-09; Ord. No. 13347, § 2, 10-25-12; Ord. No. 13711, § 2, 11-16-17; Ord. No. 14216, § 2, 10-12-23; Ord. No. 14280, § 2, 5-9-24; Ord. No. 14431, § 2, 1-8-26)
Source: City of Miami, Florida, City Code, City Charter, Special Acts and Related General Laws (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/fl/miami/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIITHCO_CH2AD_ARTIVDE_DIV2PLBUZODE_S2-207ZOCEUSREANREBUPRFEINISCEFetched: 11/1/2026