Pasco County to enforce building permit regulations months after hurricanes. Here's what to know

Pasco to begin enforcing permit regulations

Starting Monday, Pasco County officials will re-inspect hurricane-impacted areas and enforce building permit regulations. FOX 13’s Kailey Tracy reports.

NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. - It has been more than six months since the one-two punch of Hurricanes Helene and Milton. The rebuilding process is far from over, though.

In Pasco County, officials will be re-inspecting impacted areas starting Monday, and enforcing building permit regulations.

Dig deeper:

Federal, state and local regulations require building permits for hurricane damage in floodplains.

People who don’t comply with the regulations could face citations and fines of up to $500 per day. A final notice for Pasco property owners in special flood hazard areas who sustained damage from Hurricanes Helene or Milton and haven’t applied for permits was mailed out in March.

Many Pasco County homes suffered damage caused by the 2024 hurricanes.

The official notice includes steps people have to take to meet permitting requirements and avoid potential enforcement action. They include completing and uploading a substantial improvement package to the county’s website. That has to have a floor plan of the structure, with the rooms labeled and identified, photographs of the interior rooms like the kitchen and living room, and detailed estimates of the repairs.

You also have to apply for a RESALT Permit on Pasco Gateway, complete an owner builder affidavit form if you’re applying as a homeowner and complete a notice of commencement and have it recorded by the Pasco County Clerk’s Office. If structural work will be performed, make sure you consult a design professional for signed and sealed drawings.

What you can do:

All the forms, instructions and more are on the county’s website.

Pasco County also has a dedicated team to help people navigate the permitting process. They’re located at the Substantial Damage Center at the West Pasco Government Center at 8731 Citizens Drive, Suite 360 in New Port Richey, and are open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon.

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The Source: Information for this story was gathered by FOX 13's Kailey Tracy.

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