House demolition · Miami-Dade County
House demolition in Miami-Dade
Before a house in Miami-Dade comes down, the first question is who issues the permit. A folio that starts with "30" is county jurisdiction through RER. Anything else belongs to one of the 34 cities, and each runs its own building department.
The county treats a detached home as a Category 15 demolition and an attached one as Category 02. Miami-Dade also requires an asbestos survey for all demolition projects, which is stricter than the state form for some homes. We arrange that survey with a licensed consultant before anything else.
City rules add their own steps. Coral Gables needs a Historic Preservation Officer's approval for every demolition permit on a non-designated building. Miami Beach sends total demolition in historic districts to its Historic Preservation Board. Doral, Pinecrest and Miami Gardens ask for utility-disconnect letters or septic abandonment paperwork.
The county's median home was built in 1980, and roughly half of its housing went up before then. Older homes mean older septic tanks, older wiring and materials that need the survey. Septic systems are pumped and abandoned under the state abandonment rule, Rule 62-6.011, by licensed firms.
Romco Builders is a licensed Florida general contractor. We quote house demolition at any size and leave a lot that is ready for whatever is built next.
Sequence
- Check the folio and confirm the permit office.
- Arrange the licensed asbestos survey and check for historic or tree reviews.
- Coordinate utility disconnects and septic or sewer capping.
- File for the demolition permit with the required category and paperwork.
- Fence the lot and protect trees and neighboring property.
- Demolish, sort and haul debris, and remove the slab and footings as scoped.
- Grade the lot and close the permit.
Known risks
Where this work slips, and what we do about it
The permit goes to the wrong office
Filing with the county for a city lot, or the reverse, wastes the first weeks. We check the folio first and build the checklist for the office that actually has jurisdiction.
A historic review appears late
Several cities review demolition of older homes. We check for designation and review requirements before quoting, so the owner knows about the hearing before paying for drawings.
Trees die from root damage
Machines and trenches near roots can kill a protected tree, and the county treats that like removal. We mark tree protection zones and keep equipment out of them.
The septic tank is forgotten
An abandoned tank left in place is a problem for the next builder. We confirm the tank location and have it pumped and abandoned by a licensed firm under the state septic rule.
What sits outside our scope
Asbestos surveys and abatement, utility disconnects, septic abandonment, tree work and historic filings are other parties' licensed work or approvals that we coordinate. We do not assume a historic review will pass.
Questions
About house demolition
How do I know whether the county or my city issues the permit?
Look at the folio number on the property record. If it starts with "30", the county issues it through RER. Otherwise the city does.
Does a house need an asbestos survey before demolition in Miami-Dade?
The county permits page requires an asbestos survey for all demolition projects. Confirm the current rule with your building department.
How much will my demolition cost?
We quote each job after seeing it, in person or through photos and plans when they show enough. The figure moves with the construction type, the floor area and height, the asbestos survey result, the utilities to be cut off, how machines reach the work, what stands next door, what must be kept, and how far the loads travel. A 1950s concrete block house and a 1990s frame addition can sit on the same street and quote very differently, which is why we publish no rates.
Is there a minimum or maximum job size?
No. A single partition wall, a shed, a pool deck or a full apartment building can all be quoted, and so can partial work where most of the structure remains. Describe what is there and what needs to survive, and the quote follows that scope.
Is Romco a licensed contractor?
Yes. Romco Builders is a licensed Florida general contractor based in Fort Lauderdale. Trades that need their own license, such as asbestos abatement, electrical and plumbing disconnects, mold remediation or tree removal, are done by firms holding that license, and we run them on one schedule.
From first call to final
The order a Miami-Dade job follows
Call or send the request
Give us the address, photos or plans if you have them, and a plain account of what goes and what remains.
Site visit
We check how the building is framed, where the services enter, how trucks and machines get in, and what stands on either side.
Scope and quote in writing
You get a written scope listing removals, protections and haul-off, with any item that hangs on the asbestos survey called out.
Survey, notice and permit
A licensed asbestos survey, the DERM notice where it applies, the utility disconnects, then the permit from the city or the county.
Take-down and hauling
Work runs in the agreed sequence. Loads go to permitted facilities, and we keep the tickets.
Final and closeout
The inspector signs off the permit. You are left with a clean lot, or the shell you asked us to keep.
House demolition throughout Miami-Dade, including Miami, Miami Beach, Hialeah, Coral Gables, Doral, Homestead, Miami Gardens, North Miami, North Miami Beach, Aventura, and every other Miami-Dade city.
More demolition
Other work we quote
- Interior demolitionCondo units, offices and retail space taken back to the shell, in the right order.Interior demolition in Miami-Dade →
- Selective demolitionRemove one part of a building and keep the rest standing and in service.Selective demolition in Miami-Dade →
- Commercial demolitionWhole commercial buildings down to grade, with DERM and the permit file in order.Commercial demolition in Miami-Dade →
- Structural demolitionUnsafe or failed structures taken down under an engineer's plan and the county's order.Structural demolition in Miami-Dade →
- Concrete removalSlabs, driveways, footings and hardscape broken out, hauled and graded.Concrete removal in Miami-Dade →
- Pool removalIn-ground pools filled in or removed, with groundwater and backfill planned.Pool removal in Miami-Dade →
- Mobile home demolitionManufactured and mobile homes taken down and hauled, additions and pads included.Mobile home demolition in Miami-Dade →
- Storm damage demolitionHurricane- and flood-damaged structures taken down or opened up for repair.Storm damage demolition in Miami-Dade →
- Site clearingLots cleared of structures, slabs, debris and brush, with tree permits in order.Site clearing in Miami-Dade →
- Asbestos coordinationLicensed asbestos survey, abatement and the DERM notice, arranged in order.Asbestos coordination in Miami-Dade →
- Accessory structure demolitionDetached garages, sheds, carports, screen rooms and guest houses removed.Accessory structure demolition in Miami-Dade →
- Something else?Your job is not listed? We still quote it. Call and walk us through it.Call (305) 760-9827 →
Every type, every size, all of Miami-Dade
Tell us what is coming down. We will put a quote on it.
Romco Builders is a licensed Florida general contractor, headquartered in Fort Lauderdale. A single interior partition or a complete building gets the same thing: a written scope and a quote.