Miami-Dade: certificates, tax receipts and fertilizer limits

Miami-Dade is a county made up of many municipalities plus unincorporated land, so the first question for any job is which government's rule applies. County code reaches into the cities for contractor licensing and fertilizer rules. County permit rules, noise rules and the county's published permit exemptions apply in unincorporated areas, and each city runs its own building department. This page covers what the county itself says, using the county's code and offices. For Florida's statewide rules, see our Florida startup guide, the Florida contractor licenses guide and the Florida website, phone and email rules.

Who needs a certificate of competency in Miami-Dade

Chapter 10 of the Miami-Dade County Code sets the county's contractor licensing rule. Sec. 10-3 makes it unlawful to act as a contractor or subcontractor in the incorporated or unincorporated areas of the county without a current certificate of competency from one of three sources: the Florida Construction Industry Licensing Board, the Florida Electrical Contractors' Licensing Board, or the county's Construction Trades Qualifying Board. County certificate holders must also register with the state. The same section voids any bid on a county or municipal public works project from a firm that lacks one. Workers who are not certified may work under a certified contractor's supervision, and day laborers may work for an owner-builder in trades that do not require masters or journeymen.

The county's Contractor Licensing section, part of Regulatory and Economic Resources, describes its own license classes:

The county asks for one to four years of proven field experience, depending on the license, with employer letters and W-2s as proof, and an open-book exam with a 70 percent passing grade. The personal license application fee is $315 as listed in October 2026, and a business license application follows with another $315. Proof of liability and workers' compensation insurance is due after Board approval. The office is at the Herbert S. Saffir Permitting and Inspection Center, 11805 SW 26 Street, phone 786-315-2880, weekdays from 7:30 a.m. until 4 p.m.

Where Florida sets the line

Florida, not the county, sets the handyman exemption: casual, minor jobs under $2,500 in labor and materials under Fla. Stat. 489.103(9). Sec. 10-3 of the county code points to that statute and says projects it covers still require county certification unless Chapter 10 exempts them. If you are not sure which side of the line a job falls on, ask Contractor Licensing at 786-315-2880 before you sign.

The local business tax receipt, and why you may need two

The Miami-Dade Tax Collector issues the county's local business tax receipt. The Tax Collector's page says a receipt is required for each place of business and for each separate local business tax classification at the same location, and that a business located in a municipality must obtain both a city receipt and a county receipt. Applications and renewals run through the online BTExpress system. The tax is assessed by business type, by whether you are in a city or unincorporated Miami-Dade, and by employees, seats, units or other characteristics.

• Tax year. Receipts run October 1 to September 30. The new year just started, so a receipt that has not been renewed since last October is already delinquent.
• Late penalties. A receipt not renewed by September 30 carries a 10% penalty in October, 5% more for each later month, up to 25% of the tax. A further penalty of up to $250 can apply under Fla. Stat. 205.053(3) if the tax stays unpaid 150 days after the first notice.
• Cuba attestation. Under Fla. Stat. 205.0532, applicants must attest that they do not do business with Cuba in violation of federal law. The receipt can take up to three business days to become available to print after the attestation.
• Transfers. A receipt may be transferred when ownership, location or trade name changes.
• Lawn care. The receipt page links a Fertilizer Applicant Affidavit, tied to the county's Florida-friendly fertilizer ordinance.

County mail renewal notices are courtesy reminders. The receipt holder is responsible for renewing, according to Sec. 8A-175 of the county code.

Permit exemptions in unincorporated Miami-Dade

Regulatory and Economic Resources publishes a list of Florida Building Code permit exemptions for unincorporated Miami-Dade. The list on the county site is dated December 26, 2018, so confirm it with the county before you rely on it. It says the exemptions apply to Building Code permits only, and other state and county agencies may require approvals.

A separate county form covers "minor repairs": restoring an existing building to sound condition, capped at $5,000 in material and labor and excluding structural repair, additions and renovations. A scope-of-work list can replace plans, but electrical, plumbing, mechanical, roofing and window work still need their own permits. If an inspector decides the scope exceeds minor repair, the permit can be revised to require plans.

Fertilizer: a county ban every lawn crew should have on the calendar

Chapter 18C of the county code, adopted by Ord. 21-26, bars applicators from applying fertilizer that contains nitrogen or phosphorus to turf or landscape plants from May 15 through October 31. Outside that period, it also bars application during a National Weather Service flood, tropical storm or hurricane watch or warning, when 2 inches or more of rain is forecast in 24 hours, before seeding or sodding and for 60 days after. Sec. 18C-4 also bars it within 20 feet of the top of the bank of a pond, stream, lake, canal or stormwater drain, any wetland, a seawall or Biscayne Bay, and the 10-foot zone in the code is only a voluntary low-maintenance zone. Nitrogen is capped at 4 pounds per 1,000 square feet a year and 1 pound per application of solid fertilizer, and the ordinance does not allow phosphorus without a soil test showing a deficiency. Rotary spreaders need deflector shields so granules go away from hard surfaces and water, and fertilizer spilled on an impervious surface must be cleaned up. County code states that penalties apply in both incorporated and unincorporated areas, and the chapter requires commercial applicators to complete the six-hour Florida-friendly landscaping best management practices training and to carry their Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services commercial applicator certification (Rule 5E-14). In incorporated areas the municipalities enforce it.

Noise: 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. at a home's property line

Sec. 21-28(m) of the county code prohibits noise-producing tools and machinery used in construction, repair, alteration or demolition work that are plainly audible at the exterior property line of a residence between 8:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. Emergency work to protect public health, work that would qualify for an emergency building permit, bona fide agricultural work and public utility work are exempt. The Mayor or the Mayor's designee can issue a temporary permit for earlier or later hours in unincorporated areas and in incorporated areas where the county exercises zoning jurisdiction, for a $130 fee as listed in the code. The applicant must show that neighbors on adjoining properties were notified at least 72 hours before work starts, and there must be no open construction noise violations on the property.

Calling 811 in Florida

Florida's Underground Facility Damage Prevention and Safety Act requires an excavator to notify the one-call system not less than two full business days before beginning excavation or demolition. The notice is valid for 30 calendar days (Fla. Stat. 556.105). Sunshine 811 calls itself a free service and takes calls at 811.

The rainy season runs the work calendar

The National Weather Service office in Miami studied the summer season in Miami International Airport records from 1956 to 1997. It found a median start of May 21 and a median end of October 17, with 69% of annual precipitation falling in that season. That window sits almost on top of the county's fertilizer ban, which starts May 15 and ends October 31, so lawn crews should plan their fertilizer schedule around the calendar rather than the weather.

What this means for your online presence

If you list a Miami-Dade service area on your website or Google Business Profile, name the cities you actually serve. A county line can mean two receipts and a different building department. Keep your certificate or license number where Florida requires it, and see the national contractor licensing guide for the general process.

This page gives general information only and is no substitute for legal or tax advice. County code and permit exemptions change, and municipalities add their own rules. Confirm with the county and your city before you quote a job.

Frequently asked questions