A bathroom remodel in Jacksonville touches three sets of rules: the building department’s permits, the state’s contractor licenses, and Florida’s construction lien law. None of them is complicated on its own. Knowing how they fit together is what keeps a remodel from turning into a second bill.

What needs a permit

The City of Jacksonville’s Building Inspection Division requires a permit to construct, alter, repair or demolish a building, and separately for electrical, gas, mechanical and plumbing work. In a bathroom that means:

Plumbing permit: a new or moved drain, supply line, valve or fixture. Replacing a shower valve, converting a tub to a shower, or moving the toilet all count.
Electrical permit: a new circuit, new fan or light wiring, new receptacles.
Building permit: moving or removing a wall, widening a door, adding or resizing a window.

The city’s own list of plumbing work that does not need a permit is short: replacing a faucet past the stop valve, repairing a leak, and clearing a clog without changing any valve, pipe or fixture.

The city also says plainly that plumbing, electrical and heating and air conditioning work must be done only by contractors and craftsmen certified in those trades, and that each needs its own permit. Permits are filed through JaxEPICS.

What the 2026 exemption covers

Since July 1, 2026, state law requires local governments to exempt work on single-family homes valued at $7,500 or less that includes no electrical, plumbing, structural, mechanical or gas work. It does not apply in flood hazard areas.

For a bathroom, that means new tile, paint, a vanity or a mirror on the existing connections can fall under the exemption. Anything that changes a valve, a drain, a circuit or a wall cannot, no matter the price.

Owner-builder permits

Jacksonville lets an owner pull a permit for work on their own primary residence, in person at 214 North Hogan Street, with an owner’s affidavit. The house cannot be built or improved for sale or rent. Hiring a contractor and having them pull the permit under their license is the more common path, and it keeps the licensed trades responsible for their work.

Which license does what

Florida licenses contractors by what they may build:

Certified General Contractor (CGC): any building.
Certified Building Contractor (CBC): buildings up to three stories, and remodeling that does not affect structural members.
Certified Residential Contractor (CRC): one- to three-family homes up to two habitable stories.

A general, building or residential contractor has to subcontract the plumbing, electrical and mechanical parts of a job unless the company also holds that trade’s license. So a bathroom remodel with a new valve and a new fan circuit involves a plumbing contractor (CFC) and an electrical contractor (EC or ER), either as subcontractors or as licenses the same company holds.

Any license can be checked on the state’s DBPR site, myfloridalicense.com, by the company’s or the qualifier’s name or by license number. St. Johns County also requires contractors to be registered with the county.

The handyman limit

Florida’s handyman exemption covers work of $2,500 or less in labor and materials combined. It does not apply if the job is part of a larger project, if the work is split up to stay under the limit, or if the person advertises as a contractor. Plumbing and electrical still need a licensed contractor and a permit at any size.

The Notice of Commencement

When a permitted improvement is over $5,000, a Notice of Commencement is recorded before the first inspection and a copy is posted at the job. In Jacksonville it is recorded with the Clerk on West Adams Street or at the Building Inspection Division. It names the owner, the contractor and the property, and it tells everyone who works on the job where to send notices. Unless it says otherwise, it expires one year after recording, and paying after it expires can mean paying twice.

Lien law, in short

Under Florida’s construction lien law, a subcontractor or supplier who is not paid by the contractor can put a lien on the house, even if the owner paid the contractor in full. That is why:

Any direct contract over $2,500 on a one- to four-family home must include the state’s lien-law disclosure.
Subcontractors and suppliers often send the owner a Notice to Owner. Keep them.
Before each payment, ask the contractor for a written release of lien from everyone who sent one.

Contracts over $2,500 must also tell the owner about the Florida Homeowners’ Construction Recovery Fund, which can cover certain losses caused by a licensed contractor. It does not cover unlicensed work.

Inspections

Each trade permit carries its own inspections. For a bathroom they typically include a rough plumbing inspection, which is when the shower pan is flood-tested, a rough electrical inspection, a framing inspection if walls moved, and a final for each permit. Tile goes on after the rough inspections pass.

If the house is in a flood zone

Jacksonville’s design flood elevation is two feet above the base flood elevation. In a flood hazard area the small-job exemption does not apply, and a large remodel can trigger the substantial-improvement rules. The building official decides what the work must meet, so it is worth asking before the design is final.

Bathroom Remodel Permits and Contractor Licenses in Duval County