Paver Plan Check

Miami Paver Co. is a guide run by Terragroupe, LLC. We do not install anything and we are not booking jobs yet.

The Paver Plan Check lists the paver rules we could confirm for your city, each with its source and the date of that source. It starts with county review and the permit path, not the price. Use it to plan your call to the building department, then use the Paver Plan Check to see what else applies.

As of October 18, 2026

Last reviewed October 18, 2026 against the cited sources. A guide, not legal, tax or engineering advice.

Updated October 18, 2026. Sources

Choose your city

Each line is a rule or note we read, with its source and the source's date. Lines about drainage come from the county's Board record for its impervious surface rule, adopted in 2024 ¹. Other county pages speak for unincorporated areas and may differ in a city. This check gives no score, no price and no permit decision.

Miami: what to check

The City of Miami stormwater fee for a single-family home is a flat 1 ERU per dwelling, $7.00 per month under Ord. 14432 (adopted 8 Jan 2026), rising $0.50 a year. The page describes no credit for pervious surface or permeable pavement on a developed residential lot.7 USD per month[2]Source date: January 8, 2026
Miami-Dade Public Works requires a construction covenant, recorded with the Clerk of the Court and Comptroller, for driveways other than asphalt or plain concrete; the page gives brick pavers, stamped concrete and concrete design as examplesrecorded covenant required for paver driveways[3]Source date: October 18, 2026
Miami-Dade Public Works driveway rules on its permits page: interior width 10 to 20 ft, interior edge at least 5 ft from the property line, no more than two driveways or approaches, flare-outs up to 10 ft on each side10-20 ft width; 5 ft setback; 2 driveways max; 10 ft flares[3]Source date: October 18, 2026
The county's 'Save Our Swales' brochure says swales are public property that owners must maintain, and shows a fully paved swale with a parked car as a 'poorly maintained' example.do not pave the swale guidance[4]Source date: 2017-07 (form 403_01-176 7/17)
Under the impervious surface ordinance Miami-Dade adopted on 4 Sep 2024 (file 241793, ref. 24-92), from 31 Mar 2025, installing, replacing or expanding 'non-structural impervious surface improvements', including pavers, needs County (RER-DERM) review for single-family and duplex lots in the unincorporated area. A municipality may run its own review if the Director finds it at least as stringent.from 2025-03-31 effective date[1]Source date: September 4, 2024
The City of Miami page on the HB 803 permit exemption says other departments, such as Zoning or Public Works, may need to approve work like driveways even when no building permit is requiredother-department approval may apply[5]Source date: October 18, 2026
Miami-Dade's permit-exemption page lists open patios, walkways and pavers as not needing a building permit in single-family, duplex, townhouse and condo work, if the total cost of all exempt work in any 12 months stays at or under $5,000.5,000 USD per 12 months (aggregate cap)[6]Source date: undated (retrieved October 18, 2026)
Under s. 24-42.8 of the adopted ordinance, pavers count as impervious unless all of these hold: low-traffic area with sandy soil; slope under 5 degrees; at least 24 inches between water table and paver base; manufacturer certifies the paver as pervious; soil permeability at least 0.8 in/hr, or an underdrain.0.8 in/hr and 24 in to water table thresholds[1]Source date: September 4, 2024
For single-family and duplex lots, s. 24-42.8(4)(b) of the adopted ordinance requires retaining the 25-year/10-minute storm with zero off-site discharge. A listed equivalent for lots of 5,500 sq ft or less is a 5-ft pervious setback on 3 sides, a 6-inch swale around the perimeter and 20% pervious lot area. For lots over 5,500 sq ft it is the same with 25% pervious.20% pervious (lots <=5,500 sq ft); 25% (lots >5,500 sq ft) minimum pervious lot area[1]Source date: September 4, 2024
City of Miami page: from 1 July 2026 a single-family project valued under $7,500 can be exempt from a building permit by written request, but not electrical, plumbing, structural, mechanical or gas work, and not property in a flood hazard area; a project may not be split to stay under the limit7,500 USD[5]Source date: October 18, 2026
Miami-Dade permit-exemption page lists open patios, walkways and pavers as exempt up to $5,000 in aggregate in 12 months, but its concrete slab exemption excludes pool slabs; pool decks are not namedpool slabs excluded from slab exemption[6]Source date: October 18, 2026

Miami-Dade: rules that apply everywhere

Pinecrest's HB 803 page says projects on property fully or partly in a designated flood hazard area still need permits regardless of cost.flood hazard area excluded from $7,500 exemption[7]

Before you start

Ask which office reviews your lot's drainage. Since March 31, 2025, Miami-Dade has asked for county review of new, replaced or expanded pavers on single-family and duplex lots ¹. A city may run its own review. It can do so only if the county finds its rules at least as strict ¹. In the City of Miami, ask both the city and the county.
Know your lot size. The county's storm standard lists one way to comply: keep part of the lot pervious. That share is 20% on a lot of 5,500 sq ft or less ¹. It is 25% on a larger lot ¹.
Find out if your address is in a city or in unincorporated Miami-Dade. The county permit pages we cite cover unincorporated areas. A city can differ.
Call the building department for your address. Ask if pavers need a building permit, a zoning review or a public works permit. In the City of Miami, start with the City of Miami Building Department.
If you have an HOA or condo association, ask for its paver rules in writing before you buy.
Under section 489.117 of the Florida Statutes, there is no state license category for driveway or paver installation⁸. Ask your building department what it needs before it issues a permit.
For a price range, read the cost guide. Its ranges are national, not Miami quotes.
Read the permit path guide for the questions to ask each office.

How to read each line

Each line is one rule or note. It names the office or page it came from. It shows the date of that page.

Some lines are long because a rule has many parts. Read one part at a time.

Then call your building department. Ask if the rule applies to your lot. Write down who you spoke to. Keep the date of the call.

Words used in these lines

Impervious. Water cannot soak through it. Hard paving is impervious.
Pervious. Water can soak through it. Grass and some pavers are pervious.
Covenant. It is a signed paper. It is recorded with the Clerk of the Court and Comptroller.
Swale. It is the shallow strip beside the road. It carries rain away.
Approach. It is where your driveway meets the road.
Setback. It is the gap between your paving and the lot line.
Flare-out. It is the wide mouth of a driveway at the road.
Water table. It is the level where the ground is full of water.
Underdrain. It is a buried pipe. It carries water away.
Exempt. It means a rule does not apply. You may still need other approvals.
Aggregate cap. It is a limit on the cost of all exempt jobs added together.
Flood hazard area. It is land that flood maps show at higher risk. Exemptions often leave it out.
Zoning. These rules say what you may build, and where.
Public Works. This office looks after roads and the land beside them.
RER-DERM. This is the county office that reviews drainage.
ERU. The city uses this unit to set the stormwater fee. It stands for equivalent residential unit.

What this list covers

The list covers the City of Miami page on this site. For other Miami-Dade cities, start with the paver permit path guide. We add a city only when we have enough sourced facts to say something useful.

Many lines come from Miami-Dade County pages for unincorporated areas. Each line names the office or page it came from. The City of Miami may differ, so confirm with the City of Miami Building Department.

What to do next

Take the lines that fit your project to your building department call. Ask which office reviews your lot and what papers it wants, and write down the answers.

Once the rules look workable, the Paver Cost Estimator shows a national price guide range for your area, next to the same impervious-surface rule.

Sources

Miami-Dade legislative file 241793 (final version), Board action 4 Sep 2024, reference 24-92, September 4, 2024
Stormwater Assessment (Fees) - Miami, January 8, 2026
Other Permits (Miami-Dade County), October 18, 2026
Save Our Swales (Miami-Dade Public Works brochure), 2017-07 (form 403_01-176 7/17)
Building Permit Exemption Approval Process for Residential Properties - Miami, October 18, 2026
Miami-Dade County Permit - Permit Exemptions, undated (retrieved October 18, 2026)
$7,500 Exemption | Village of Pinecrest, 2026-07-01 (HB 803 effective date; page itself undated)
Online Sunshine, Florida Statutes: s. 489.117, 2026 (2026 Florida Statutes online edition)