Ordinance 2019-4262 Building Permit Reprieve Program
ORDINANCE NO. 2019-4262
AN ORDINANCE OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY
OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, AMENDING CHAPTER 14 OF THE CODE OF
THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, ENTITLED "BUILDING REGULATIONS," BY
AMENDING ARTICLE II, ENTITLED "CONSTRUCTION STANDARDS," BY
AMENDING DIVISION 4 THEREOF, ENTITLED "2017-2018 BUILDING
PERMIT REPRIEVE PROGRAM," BY AMENDING SECTIONS 14-85 AND
14-87 TO PROVIDE FOR AN ADDITIONAL ONE YEAR EXTENSION OF THE
BUILDING PERMIT REPRIEVE PROGRAM FOR PROPERTY OWNERS
WHO HAVE FAILED TO OBTAIN A BUILDING PERMIT(S), OR HAVE
EXPIRED PERMITS, AND AMENDING THE TITLE OF DIVISION 4
ACCORDINGLY; PROVIDING FOR CODIFICATION, REPEALER,
SEVERABILITY, AND AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
WHEREAS, the City of Miami Beach has determined that there are numerous property
owners in the City who have performed work without a permit; and
WHEREAS, the City desires to ensure that unauthorized work complies with the Florida
Building Code, as failure to comply with the Code can result in a life safety issue to the
inhabitants of the structure; and
WHEREAS, cost is a concern to many persons who either have expired permits, permits
without final inspection(s), or who never applied for a permit in the first place; and
WHEREAS, often title to the property has transferred, and the new owner of the
property, unaware of the unpermitted work, is left to clean up the permitting issues, and faces
double or triple permit fees; and
WHEREAS, on April 26, 2017, in response to the foregoing concerns, the City passed
and adopted Ordinance No. 2017-4088, which created the Building Permit Reprieve Program
and a one-year (May 1, 2017 through April 30, 2018) reprieve period for property owners to
come into compliance with the Florida Building Code; and
WHEREAS, the Mayor and City Commission passed and adopted Ordinance No. 2018-
4192 on May 16, 2018, which extended the one year Building Permit Reprieve Program through
April 30, 2019; and
WHEREAS, the Mayor and City Commission desire to extend the reprieve period by
another year from April 30, 2019 to April 30, 2020; and
WHEREAS, the amendments set forth in this Ordinance are necessary to accomplish all
of the above objectives.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION
OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA.
SECTION 1. That Division 4 of Article II of Chapter 14 of the City Code, entitled "Building
Regulations" is hereby amended as follows:
CHAPTER 14
BUILDING REGULATIONS
ARTICLE II. CONSTRUCTION STANDARDS
DIVISION 4. 2017-2018 2020 BUILDING PERMIT REPRIEVE PROGRAM
Sec. 14-85. Intent of reprieve program.
The City desires to extend the one-year building permit reprieve (amnesty) program from May 1,
2017 through April 30, 2019 April 30, 2020. Reprieve shall be provided to those property
owners, or designees of property owners, who voluntary apply for reprieve. Nothing herein shall
preclude the building official from assessing fees or penalties for work performed without a
permit, or work performed in violation of any provision of the Florida Building Code, Florida Fire
Prevention Code, or the City's land development regulations, if such violation is discovered by
the building official and his staff. Nothing herein shall be construed to excuse an applicant from
compliance with the Florida Building Code, Florida Fire Prevention Code, or the City's land
development regulations.
Sec 14-86. Fees.
A property owner who has applied for reprieve pursuant to this division will be assessed only
those fees (in effect at the time of the permit application) associated with new permits or the re-
issuance of permits. Fees associated with work performed without permits, or without
inspections, as delineated in division I, sections 14-61 through 14-67, and Schedule A of this
Code, will not be assessed to the reprieve applicant. The fee for processing applications and to
conduct any testing pursuant to this division shall be set forth in Schedule A of this Code.
Sec. 14-87. Guidelines and requirements of the amnesty program.
(a) Existing buildings.
(1) An existing building under Chapter 34 of the Florida Building Code includes any building
or structure built with proper permits and completed with all mandatory inspections and
for which a certificate of completion or occupancy has been issued; any building or
structure, including any part thereof as well as any addition or repair, that was
constructed without proper permits in which the work performed commenced prior to
May 1, 2018 May 1, 2019; or any building or structure constructed pursuant to permits
obtained under the Florida Building Code, which expired without certificates of
completion or occupancy having been issued.
(2) A certificate of completion or occupancy for any existing building constructed without
proper permits or permits which expired may be obtained by applying to the building
official and fulfilling the following conditions:
(A) The owner shall furnish a set of as-built plans of the building or structure;
(B) The owner shall furnish an as-built certificate issued by a Florida-registered engineer
or architect, in a form that is satisfactory to the building official, which certificate
attests that, to the best of the knowledge, belief and professional judgment of the
engineer/architect, and based on the engineer/architect's inspection of the structure,
the structure:
(i) is structurally sound; and
(ii) satisfies the requirements of the applicable code in effect at the time the
work was commenced, indicating the date the work on the structure was
commenced from the best available records, and the requirements of the
applicable code in effect on that date; and
(iii) complies with all requirements of the current edition of the applicable
code identified in subsection (a)(2)(C) and (D); and
(iv) complies with the permit application and plans approved by the building
official, if applicable.
(C)The owner shall comply with the following life safety requirements of the current
edition of the Florida Building Code:
(i) Means of egress or escapes;
(ii) Requirement of shutters;
(iii) Residential single station smoke detectors installed in accordance with
NFPA;
(iv) Requirement for ground fault interrupters;
(v) Requirement for full size pressure and temperature relief valved lines on
all water heaters;
(vi) Handicapped access requirements;
(vii) All gas piping systems shall be bonded to the ground;
(viii) Handrails shall be inspected and replaced, if necessary, in full compliance
with requirements of the most recent version of the Building Code.
(D) The owner shall comply with the current edition of the Americans with Disabilities Act
and the Florida Fire Prevention Code.
(3) The as-built certificate specified in subsection (a)(2)(B) shall contain a narrative
description of the methodology utilized to make the determination set forth in the as-built
certificate. In issuing the certificate of completion or occupancy, the building official shall
be entitled to rely on the accuracy of the as-built certificate.
(4) Prior to issuing the certificate of completion or occupancy, the building official shall
conduct an inspection to determine, to the best of his or her ability given the nature of
the construction:
(A) That the plans submitted reflect the present state of the structure;
(B) That the construction complies with the edition of the Florida Building Code in
effect at the time the work was commenced;
(C) That the structure complies with all requirements of the Florida Building Code
identified in subsection (a)(2)(C) and (D); and
(D) That the as-built certificate accurately represents the conditions of the structure.
(5) Authority of the building official to enforce the Florida Building Code. Notwithstanding the
provisions of this section, the building official may at all times continue enforcement of
the applicable code through any authorized means including issuance of a notice of
violation, recording of the same, and/or commencement and prosecution of a case
before the unsafe structures board. This section shall not be construed to conflict with or
supersede, nor shall it serve as a defense to, any enforcement action brought by the
building official based on the current requirements of the applicable code.
(6) The building official shall create a reprieve application form and shall promulgate a
procedure for an applicant to seek reprieve pursuant to this division.
(b) Guidelines for renewal of expired roof permits without a final inspection. Roofing permits
issued prior to May 1, 2018 May 1, 2019, under the jurisdiction of the Florida Building Code,
shall comply with the following guidelines:
(1) A state of Florida duly licensed architect or engineer may provide an as-built
certification letter, signed and sealed, certifying that the roof is in compliance with the
Florida Building Code in effect at the time of the roof installation.
(2) The as-built letter shall state the approximate date of the roof installation.
(3) The as-built letter shall state the product approval number of the approved roofing
system and state that the underlayment and the fasteners were visually inspected by
plugging the roof. In lieu of plugging of the roof an uplift test is acceptable.
(4) An application for the renewal of the roof permit must be submitted by a licensed roof
contractor.
(5) Upon submittal of the required documents the city's roofing inspector will review the as
built letter for compliance with the Florida Building Code in effect at the time of the roof
installation.
(6) Upon submittal of the as-built letter and the as-built plans required by this division, all
documents will be reviewed for compliance with this division and the applicable codes.
Secs. 14-88 through 14-105 Reserved.
SECTION 2. Repealer.
All ordinances or parts of ordinances and all section and parts of sections in conflict
herewith are hereby repealed.
SECTION 3. Codification.
It is the intention of the City Commission, and it is hereby ordained that the provisions of
this ordinance shall become and be made part of the Code of the City of Miami Beach as
amended; that the sections of this ordinance may be renumbered or relettered to accomplish
such intention; and that the word "ordinance" may be changed to "section" or other appropriate
word.
SECTION 4. Severability.
If any section, subsection, clause or provision of this Ordinance is held invalid, the
remainder shall not be affected by such invalidity.
SECTION 5. Effective Date.
This Ordinance shall take effect ten days following adoption.
PASSED and ADOPTED this day of 2- , 2019.
ATTEST:
Dan Gelber, Mayor
r ,
Raf 'I E. Granado, City Clerk APPROVED AS TO
FORM& LANGUAGE
Underline denotes additions
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Strikethrough denotes deletions _ Oa ' 4 ci ( a
City Attorney Dote
(Sponsored by Commissioner Micky Steinberg) "`aviuti�
INCORPORATED: *I
Ordinances - R5 E
MIAMI BEACH
COMMISSION MEMORANDUM
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Commission
FROM: Jimmy L. Morales, City Manager
DATE: May 8, 2019
10:25 a.m. Second Reading Public Hearing
SUBJECT: BUILDING PERMIT REPRIEVE PROGRAM
AN ORDINANCE OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY
OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, AMENDING CHAPTER 14 OF THE CODE OF
THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, ENTITLED "BUILDING REGULATIONS," BY
AMENDING ARTICLE II, ENTITLED "CONSTRUCTION STANDARDS," BY
AMENDING DIVISION 4 THEREOF, ENTITLED "2017-2018 BUILDING
PERMIT REPRIEVE PROGRAM," BYAMENDING SECTIONS 14-85 AND 14-
87 TO PROVIDE FOR AN ADDITIONAL ONE YEAR EXTENSION OF THE
BUILDING PERMIT REPRIEVE PROGRAM FOR PROPERTY OWNERS
WHO HAVE FAILED TO OBTAIN A BUILDING PERMIT(S), OR HAVE
EXPIRED PERMITS, AND AMENDING THE TITLE OF DIVISION 4
ACCORDINGLY; PROVIDING FOR CODIFICATION, REPEALER,
SEVERABILITY,AND AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
RECOMMENDATION
The Administration recommends adoption of the ordinance.
ANALYSIS
Background:
The City of Miami Beach has determined that there are numerous property owners in the City
who have performed work without a building permit. The City desires to ensure that
unauthorized work complies with the Florida Building Code, as failure to comply with the Code
can result in a life safety issue to the inhabitants of the structure. Cost is a concern to many
persons who either have expired permits, permits without final inspection, or never applied for a
permit in the first place. Often title to the property has transferred, and the new owner of the
property, unaware of the unpermitted work, is left to clean up the permitting issues and facing
double or triple permit fees. As a result, the City desires to provide a second one-year(May 1,
2019 through April 30, 2020) reprieve period for property owners and tenants to come into
compliance with the Florida Building Code. The creation of Division 4, sections 14-85 through
14-87, of the Code, is necessary to accomplish all of the above objectives.
Analysis:
Page 409 of 1102
The City desires to extend the one-year building permit reprieve (amnesty) program for an
additional year from May 1, 2019 through April 30, 2020. The program will be valid for one
additional year. Reprieve shall be provided to those property owners, or designees of property
owners, who voluntary apply for reprieve. Nothing shall preclude the building official from
assessing fees or penalties for work performed without a permit, or work performed in violation
of any provision of the Florida Building Code, Florida Fire Prevention Code, or the City's land
development regulations, if such violation is discovered by the building official and her staff.
Nothing in the ordinance shall be construed to excuse an applicant from compliance with the
Florida Building Code, Florida Fire Prevention Code, or the City's land development
regulations.
Pursuant to section 14-86, a property owner who has applied for amnesty pursuant to this
division will be assessed only those fees (in effect at the time of the permit application)
associated with new permits or the re-issuance of permits. Fees associated with work
performed without permits, or without inspections, as delineated in division I, sections 14-61
through 14-67, and Schedule A of this Code, will not be assessed to the amnesty applicant. The
fee for processing applications and to conduct any testing pursuant to this division shall be set
forth in Schedule A of this Code.
Pursuant to proposed Sec. 14-87. - Guidelines and Requirements of the Amnesty Program, (1)
existing buildings, built with proper permits and completed with all mandatory inspections and for
which a certificate of completion or occupancy has been issued; any building or structure,
including any part thereof as well as any addition or repair, that was constructed without proper
permits in which the work performed commenced prior to May 1, 2019; or any building or
structure constructed pursuant to permits obtained under the Florida Building Code, or (2)
buildings built without permits, or a certificate of completion or occupancy, or(3) roofing without
proper permits, or which expired without certificates of completion or occupancy having been
issued can obtain a building permit reprieve if they comply with the following conditions:
(A)The owner shall furnish a set of as-built plans of the building or structure;
(B) The owner shall furnish an as-built certificate issued by a Florida-registered engineer
or architect, in a form that is satisfactory to the building official, which certificate attests
that, to the best of the knowledge, belief and professional judgment of the
engineer/architect, and based on the engineer/architect's inspection of the structure, the
structure:
(i) is structurally sound; and
(ii) satisfies the requirements of the applicable code in effect at the
time the work was commenced, indicating the date the work on the structure
was commenced from the best available records, and the requirements of
the applicable code in effect on that date; and
(iii) complies with all requirements of the current edition of the applicable
code identified in subsection (a)(2)(C)and (D); and
(iv) complies with the permit application and plans approved by the
building official, if applicable.
(C) The owner shall comply with the following life safety requirements of the current
edition of the Florida Building Code:
Page 410 of 1102
(i) Means of egress or escapes;
(ii) Requirement of shutters;
(iii) Residential single station smoke detectors installed in accordance with
NF PA;
(iv) Requirement for ground fault interrupters;
(v) Requirement for full size pressure and temperature relief valved
lines on all water heaters;
(vi) Handicapped access requirements;
(vii) All gas piping systems shall be bonded to the ground;
(viii) Handrails shall be inspected and replaced, if necessary, in full
compliance with requirements of the most recent version of the Building
Code.
(D) The owner shall comply with the current edition of the Americans with Disabilities Act
and the Florida Fire Prevention Code.
The as-built certificate specified in subsection (a)(2)(B) shall contain a narrative description of
the methodology utilized to make the determination set forth in the as-built certificate. In issuing
the certificate of completion or occupancy, the building official shall be entitled to rely on the
accuracy of the as-built certificate.
Prior to issuing the certificate of completion or occupancy, the building official shall conduct an
inspection to determine, to the best of his or her ability given the nature of the construction:
A. That the plans submitted reflect the present state of the structure;
B. That the construction complies with the edition of the Florida Building Code in effect at the .
time the work was commenced;
r (C) That the structure complies with all requirements of the Florida Building
Code identified in subsection (a)(2)(C)and (D); and
(D) That the as-built certificate accurately represents the conditions of the
structure.
Please note, that despite the foregoing, the building official shall be authorized to continue to
enforce the Florida Building Code. As such, the building official may at all times continue
enforcement of the applicable code through any authorized means including issuance of a
notice of violation, recording of the same, and/or commencement and prosecution of a case
before the unsafe structures board. This section shall not be construed to conflict with or
supersede, nor shall it serve as a defense to, any enforcement action brought by the building
official based on the current requirements of the applicable code.
KEY INTENDED OUTCOMES SUPPORTED
Improve Building/Development-Related Processes From Single Family Residences To The Large
Development Projects
FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Double or triple permit fees for work without a permit, for those applying for a building permit
reprieve would not be applicable to the site — if the applicant acts in compliance with the
provisions of the draft ordinance. The reduction in cost would assist the current property owner
in coming into compliance with the code and would ensure that all life safety requirements for
Page 411 of 1102
the building are complied with, and that the building is "safe." The program would not authorize
construction that is contrary to the zoning code or life safety codes of the State. There should
be no net cost to the City's Building Department.
Legislative Tracking
Building
Sponsor
Commissioner Micky Steinberg
ATTACHMENTS:
Description
❑ Ordinance
Page 412 of 1102