Do you need HOA or condo approval to remodel a kitchen in Florida?

Do you need HOA approval to remodel a kitchen in Florida?

Often not for an interior-only remodel, but it depends on what the plan changes and who can see it. Rules on the interior itself are barred, but rules on contractors, work hours, gate access or insurance may still apply, so read your documents. Under s. 720.3035(1)(b), an HOA or its architectural committee may not enforce or adopt a rule that limits or places requirements on the interior of a structure that is not visible from the parcel’s frontage, an adjacent parcel, an adjacent common area or a community golf course. This came with HB 1203 (ch. 2024-221), effective July 1, 2024.

Beyond that, an HOA may review plans only as far as its declaration or published guidelines state or reasonably imply, and it must apply its standards reasonably and equitably (s. 720.3035(1)(a)). A window, exterior door or vent that shows from the street or a neighbor’s lot can still need approval where your documents say so. Section 720.3035 does not define “visible,” and the sources we reviewed do not say how it treats contractor gate access, parking or work hours. Read your rules, and ask a Florida community-association attorney if the HOA disagrees.

Can an HOA make you get a building permit first?

Not since July 1, 2026. Section 720.3035(1)(c) now bars an association or its architectural committee from requiring a government-issued building permit as a prerequisite for its review. The change came in HB 803 (ch. 2026-63, Building Permits and Inspections). A Florida community-association law firm’s post on the 2026 amendment (July 2026) adds that an HOA may still approve conditionally, subject to any permit the local government requires.

So go to the association first and the permit second, so that any change the association asks for lands in the permit drawings. Neither approval replaces the other. For the permit side, see kitchen remodel permits in Tampa and Hillsborough County.

Do you need condo approval to remodel a kitchen in Florida?

The statute sets no blanket approval step for work inside your unit, but your declaration, bylaws and rules may, so read them before you design. Section 718.113(2)(a) bars material alterations or substantial additions to the common elements except as the declaration provides; if it is silent, 75 percent of the total voting interests must approve first. Subsection (3) bars an owner from doing anything in the unit that would adversely affect the safety or soundness of the common elements or other property the association maintains.

Under s. 718.108, common elements include easements through units for ducts, plumbing and wiring that serve other units, installations that serve more than one unit, and an easement of support in every part of a unit that helps hold up the building. Moving a shared drain or duct, or cutting a structural wall or slab, deserves a question to the association first. The declaration can designate more common elements and says where your unit’s boundaries lie.

Declarations vary: some require approval for work on walls, structural elements, plumbing, electrical or the unit’s exterior appearance and treat lighter work differently. Ask the management office which items need approval; your documents control.

What can an association ask for?

An association may ask for a written application, contractor details, proof of insurance and rules on work hours, but the statutes we read set none of these. Requirements vary by association and building, so treat the examples below as patterns, not rules.

Ask the management office for the current contractor requirements in writing; they differ by building.

In what order should you do things?

Read your documents, ask in writing, wait for a written decision, then apply for the permit.

1. 01

   Read the documents

   Declaration, bylaws, rules and, for an HOA, published architectural guidelines. Find the sections on alterations, contractors and unit boundaries.

2. 02

   Define the scope

   List what changes: cabinets, counters, flooring, plumbing or electrical moves, walls, windows, venting. Ask first about anything touching walls, plumbing, structure or the exterior.

3. 03

   Apply in writing

   Use the association’s form. Attach the scope, drawings if asked, contractor details and an insurance certificate, and keep copies.

4. 04

   Wait for a written decision

   Do not start on a verbal OK. An HOA denial must state the rule and the part of the plan that does not conform (s. 720.3035(4)(a)). The statute sets no response deadline; some governing documents do, and some deem a request approved if the association misses it (law-firm post, 2023).

5. 05

   Permit, then schedule

   Apply for the permit with the approved plans, and book the elevator and work windows the building assigns. Approvals add time; see our kitchen remodel timeline and turnkey kitchen remodeling.

Is association approval the same as a building permit?

No. The association’s approval is private and set by your documents; the permit is public and set by your city or county. The City of Tampa’s condominium guide puts an interior unit remodel under a commercial building alterations permit, asks for an architect’s or engineer’s letter if a wall is removed, and says residential contractors are not licensed to sign plans and perform work on condominium projects. It lists no association letter among its minimum filing items; other offices may differ. A contractor’s license class limits what it may do in a multi-story building (s. 489.105(3)(b)), so ask any contractor which license class covers a multi-story building, and get the class and the scope it covers in writing; see how to check a Florida contractor license. In a mapped flood zone, FEMA’s definition, enforced through local floodplain rules, treats work costing 50 percent or more of a structure’s market value as a substantial improvement; ask the floodplain office how it applies to a condominium building. Our area pages cover how local offices apply it.

What happens if you skip approval?

Fines, an order to undo the work and attorney fees are possible consequences, and both statutes let the association or an owner sue. Both statutes limit fines and set notice and hearing steps (ss. 718.303 and 720.305), and the prevailing party in a suit may recover reasonable attorney fees. The risk runs both ways: an HOA that unreasonably, knowingly and willfully infringes your rights may owe you damages and fees (s. 720.3035(4)(b)). Ask a Florida community-association attorney before you rely on this; it depends on your documents and your facts.

Keep reading

Do you need a permit to remodel a kitchen in Tampa and Hillsborough County?Usually yes, if the work touches plumbing, wiring, gas, ventilation or walls. Finish-only work usually does not. Here is what the City of Tampa and…Read moreService Areas: Venice to TampaDarvin Kitchen, based in Bradenton, remodels kitchens along Florida's Gulf Coast, from Venice to Tampa.Read moreHow long does a kitchen remodel take? Phases and what controls the scheduleA kitchen remodel runs on several clocks at once: decisions, permits, manufacturing and site work. Here is the order of the phases and what really…Read more