Building

The building department, in coordination with the planning department, is responsible for administering building permit applications and coordinating with persons wishing to build, renovate or develop property within the City of Apalachicola. The City of Apalachicola is now administering permitting through the City's building department.

Please direct ALL building questions, permitting correspondence, scheduling of inspections, etc. to the below email address!
buildingdept@cityofapalachicola.com

PERMITTING

Contact the Building Department Permitting Clerk, Ron Nippe, for requests or questions regarding building permits and/or inspections. The Building Department Clerk is available Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. and can be reached at 850-653-7592 or rnippe@cityofapalachicola.com or buildingdept@cityofapalachicola.com.
Please note:

The Building Department Permitting Clerk schedules all inspections.
Inspections and reviews are scheduled for Monday, Wednesday or Friday mornings with our Interim Building Official, Garry Millender.
Permit payment must be made either by check made out to City of Apalachicola Building Department or by card using the credit card authorization form (there is a 3% surcharge for a credit card payment)
We will process permitting requests as quickly as possible, but you may generally expect that a permitting request will take 3 to 5 business days.
Please allow time in your planning to allow for this time frame. Permits are processed Monday - Friday. The Building Clerk is not available in the afternoon past 1 p.m. - if special circumstances require an afternoon meeting, please make a request for an afternoon meeting in advance.

Note: A separate permit must be secured for electrical work, plumbing, signs, roofing, pools, furnaces, boilers, heaters, tanks, air conditioners, tree removal, etc.

Building permit where the cost of construction is $2500.00 or more:
For improvements to real property with a construction cost of $2500.00 or more, a certified copy of the Notice of Commencement is required to be submitted to the Building Department when application is made for a permit, or the applicant may submit a copy of the Notice of Commencement along with an affidavit attesting to its recording. A certified copy of the Notice of Commencement must be provided to the Building Department before the second or any subsequent inspection can be performed. Filing of the documents that have been certified may be done by mail, facsimile or hand delivery.

When you do NOT need a Building Permit

Section 105 of the Florida Building Code requires permits for most construction-related work. Various improvements of real property may not require a building permit. The work exempted must be performed in accordance with minimum code standards. The following list should help clarify the Building Department’s current permit requirements.

ITEMS NOT REQUIRING A PERMIT (RESIDENTIAL ONLY)

A/C – Replace window unit, electrical outlet existing
Awnings – 9 sf or less*
Ceiling Fan – Replacement using existing out box and wiring
Ceramic Tile – Replace on floor and wall (non-fire rated)
Dishwasher – Replacement within a dwelling unit
Door – Replace any interior residential door within the individual unit
Drywall Walls (non-fire related)
Faucet or Water Closet – Replace
Fence – Repair or replace**
Gutters and Leaders
Kitchen Cabinet – Replacement only, with no change in configuration of electrical or plumbing
Light Fixture, Switch, Outlet – Replace “like for like” in existing box
Low Voltage Wiring – for residential
Painting
Roof – repair existing roof covering less than 100 square feet
Sheds under 100 sf *
Screening – front entrance, up to 100 square feet on screen
Siding – repair under 20 square feet
Sink – replace only[1]
Soffit or Fascia – repair under $1,000, not including structural members
Stucco – repair stucco finish
Window Repair – not replacement
Wood Deck – Repair of decking, not including structural members*Water Heater – change out if same type and same location.

Anything not on this list or any Commercial building requires a permit. Any work that adds to IMPERMEABLE LOT coverage (e.g. awnings, decks, sheds, etc.) MUST be approved by P&Z.

** Alteration, replacement, or repair of more than 50% of an existing fence requires P&Z Approval.

For Building Permit questions, contact Ron Nippe, Building Permitting Clerk, 850-653-7592 rnippe@cityofapalachicola.com.
For Planning & Zoning questions, contact Bree Robinson, City Planner, 850-323-0985 brobinson@cityofapalachicola.com.

Ordinances

Comprehensive Plan

Forms

Building Permit Application
Mechanical-Electrical-Plumbing Permit Application
Contractor Registration Application
Planning & Zoning Application
Flood Plain Management Permit Application
Variance Application
Special Exception Application
Credit Card Authorization Form
Roof Permit
Fill Permit
Fence Permit - New or Materially - Altered (greater than 50%)
Sign Permit
Re-Zoning or Land Use Change Application
911 Address Form
(This form must be returned to the Franklin County Planning Department - not the City of Apalachicola Planning Department. A Verified 911 Address is required before any P&Z applications or building permits can be processed.)

Documents

Stormwater Pollution Prevention Program

The City of Apalachicola is dedicated to improving the quality of area surface waters by reducing the amount of pollution carried to our river and bay due to stormwater runoff.

Stormwater is water that originates from rain and enters the City’s stormwater system. Precipitation which is not absorbed into the ground due to an impervious surface, like concrete or asphalt, is considered stormwater runoff.

The City’s stormwater system is designed to collect stormwater runoff in catch basins and storm drains and channel that water to our waterways using a network of underground pipes that make up our stormwater system. A variety of toxic pollutants are washed from the streets and parking lots into storm drains, creeks, rivers, and ultimately to Apalachicola Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. These pollutants include leaking oil, antifreeze, and gasoline from motor vehicles; copper dust, which is released from motor vehicle brake pad linings; rubber tire dust; soaps and chemicals used to wash motor vehicles; waste motor oil from vehicles, lawn mowers, and small equipment; and fertilizers, pesticides and insecticides. This type of pollution is called non-point source pollution due to the fact that it comes from many unidentifiable sources making it hard to regulate and prevent.

How you can help
The best way to reduce stormwater pollution is to stop it at its source. Keep your storm drains clean and free of debris. Remember that pollutants flushed down storm drains directly affects the quality of our rivers and could possibly make them unsafe for boating, fishing, swimming and other water related activities.

Here are some tips to help keep our waterways clean:

Don’t work on your car in a place where oil and grease could be washed into street gutters. Used motor oil should be contained and taken to a collection center. Most automotive shops provide this service.
Grass clippings should be bagged and disposed of with yard waste. Dumping grass clippings down a storm drain can slow storm water flow and clog the drains.
Do not wash dirty paint brushes under an outdoor faucet. Chances are the dirty rinse water will flow into a storm drain and into our rivers. Water-based paints can be washed in the sink and oil based paint should be cleaned with a paint thinner, filtered out, wrapped in newspaper and discarded with the trash.
Pet droppings should not be discarded into storm drains or left in the yard. Clean up pet droppings and dispose of them in the garden, trash bins, or in the toilet.
When washing your vehicle, park on grass or some other area that can absorb the runoff water. Washing your car on the street sends all the chemicals used to clean your car into a catch basin and directly into our water.
Use pesticides sparingly and don’t fertilize right before it rains.
Try to keep trash and other debris out of gutters and away from catch basins.

Report Illegal Dumping
Dumping waste down storm drains is not only bad for the environment but is illegal. If you have questions or a complaint please call the Apalachicola City Hall at (850) 653-8222.

What the City of Apalachicola is Doing
The City is currently working with engineers to repair and replace much of the City’s aging stormwater utility pipes and conveyances.

The City is also creating a public outreach/information program to inform the public on ways to reduce stormwater pollution. Current projects include updating stormwater management regulations, creating stormwater education brochures, maintaining a stormwater page on the City website with pertinent educational links and holding a series of public workshops on stormwater related environmental and planning topics.

Storm Drain Markers
The City storm water system was designed to collect storm water runoff in curb inlets/storm drains and channel that water to the local waterways using a network of underground pipes. A variety of toxic pollutants are washed from the roadways and parking lots into storm system which ultimately pour into the rivers and ocean. These pollutants include oil, antifreeze, and gasoline from motor vehicles; copper dust, which is released from motor vehicle brake pad linings; rubber tire dust; soaps and chemicals used to wash motor vehicles; waste motor oil from vehicles, lawn mowers, and small equipment; fertilizers, pesticides and insecticides. This type of pollution is called non-point source pollution due to the fact that it comes from many unidentifiable sources making it hard to regulate and prevent.

The City has placed storm drain markers to mark street storm drains. The markers remind people that only rain goes down a drain. They have the warning “No Dumping in Drains” printed on them. Look for the markers on city streets.

For more information on stormwater pollution prevention, link to the sites below:

For information about City stormwater regulations, click on the link below.
City Stormwater regulations

For information about how you can help contain stormwater on your property, click on the link below.
Stormwater Control

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