Unincorporated St. Lucie County, St. Lucie County
Demolition in Unincorporated St. Lucie County
Outside Port St. Lucie, Fort Pierce and St. Lucie Village, about 418 square miles of St. Lucie County are unincorporated, and demolition there is permitted by the county's Building and Code Regulations Division. Applications are filed through the county's Tyler EnerGov portal rather than at a city counter.
That territory includes communities with pages of their own: River Park beside Port St. Lucie, Lakewood Park, White City south of Fort Pierce, and the St. Lucie County part of Hutchinson Island South. Each is permitted by the same county office, but each raises different questions on the ground.
North Hutchinson Island has a rule of its own. Under county Ordinance 93-01 and state law, a property must connect to central sewer once notified, and all septic tanks there must be abandoned. A demolition on a lot that is still on a tank has to account for that abandonment, which follows the state onsite sewage rule and is coordinated as licensed work. Where the city and county line falls on that part of the island, we confirm the parcel's jurisdiction first.
Leaving an unsafe building alone has its own outcome. In 2021, the county's Code Enforcement Board referred a Lakewood Park house to the County Commission, which voted to seek demolition bids over the owner's objection. An owner who acts first keeps the choice of contractor and the schedule.
Sources: St. Lucie County: EnerGov online platform · St. Lucie County: North Hutchinson Island sewer connection (Ord. 93-01) · Florida Administrative Code: Rule 62-6.011, abandonment of onsite sewage systems (DEP) · Hometown News: county orders demolition despite owner's pleas · St. Lucie County: building FAQs
Permit office for Unincorporated St. Lucie County
St. Lucie County Building and Code Regulations Division
The county permits the unincorporated area only; Fort Pierce, Port St. Lucie and St. Lucie Village run their own permitting. Filing is online through Tyler EnerGov.
Read the official sourceThis summary is not legal advice. When Romco takes the job, we sign the permit application as the responsible contractor. St. Lucie guide to demolition permits
What we quote in Unincorporated St. Lucie County
More demolition we quote
- Interior demolitionStrip a suite or a house to the studs while the shell and its live systems stay intact.Interior demolition in St. Lucie →
- Selective demolitionTake out an addition, a wing or a bay and keep the building that remains in service.Selective demolition in St. Lucie →
- Commercial demolitionRetail, office and industrial buildings taken down, with approvals run in the right order.Commercial demolition in St. Lucie →
- House demolitionA full teardown of a single-family house, from utility letters to a graded lot.House demolition in St. Lucie →
- Structural demolitionFrames, walls and floors taken down in order, including buildings under unsafe orders.Structural demolition in St. Lucie →
- Concrete removalSlabs, driveways, footings and foundations broken out, hauled and recycled.Concrete removal in St. Lucie →
- Pool removalBreak out the top and backfill, or lift the whole shell, with the drainage handled.Pool removal in St. Lucie →
- Mobile home demolitionSingle and double wides removed with chassis, tie-downs, add-ons and debris cleared.Mobile home demolition in St. Lucie →
- Storm damage demolitionHurricane, tornado and flood damage taken down with the record your insurer needs.Storm damage demolition in St. Lucie →
- Site clearingLots cleared of old structures, slabs and debris, with protected trees left in place.Site clearing in St. Lucie →
- Asbestos coordinationLicensed survey, FDEP notice and licensed abatement scheduled before demolition.Asbestos coordination in St. Lucie →
- Accessory structure demolitionSheds, detached garages, carports and screen enclosures removed under permit.Accessory structure demolition in St. Lucie →
- Something else?If your job is missing from the list, call anyway. We price odd jobs too.Call (772) 310-3298 →
Start to finish
How a St. Lucie job moves
Romco Builders is a licensed Florida general contractor, headquartered in Fort Lauderdale. A backyard shed follows the same order as a commercial building.
Reach out
Call or fill in the form. Mention whether the place has a septic tank; it adds a step before the permit.
We look at the property
We come out and trace the services: the FPL drop, the water line, and the septic tank or sewer tap. Then we look at the truck route in and at what sits next door.
A written scope and quote
Each line of the scope says come down, stay, or leave on a truck. Items waiting on the survey result are flagged so nothing is assumed.
Survey, notice, letters, permit
A licensed asbestos survey, the state demolition notice, the utility letters, then the permit from the city, town or county.
Demolition and hauling
The crew works through the scope in order. C&D debris goes to a permitted site such as the county facility on Glades Cut-Off Road, and every ticket is filed.
Final inspection
Last comes the final inspection from the city, town or county. After that the lot is bare and graded, or the shell you wanted kept is still standing.
Questions
Demolition in Unincorporated St. Lucie County
What can happen to an unsafe house in unincorporated St. Lucie County if the owner does nothing?
Code enforcement can escalate it. In a 2021 Lakewood Park case, the Code Enforcement Board sent a house to the County Commission, which voted to seek demolition bids despite the owner's objection. Unpaid violations can also end in fines and a lien on the property, according to the county's building FAQ.
What will my demolition cost in St. Lucie?
Two houses on the same Port St. Lucie street can quote quite differently, so we post no rates. The price is set after a visit, or from photos and plans that show enough, and it follows the materials, the footprint and height, the asbestos survey, the service disconnects, any septic tank to abandon, how equipment gets in, what sits next door, what stays, and how far the debris travels.
Do I need an asbestos survey if I think there is no asbestos?
The state's position is that every demolition needs a written notice, even when no asbestos is found, and the notice has to be filed at least ten working days before demolition begins. St. Lucie notices go to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's Southeast District. A building permit does not take its place. Fort Pierce also asks for an asbestos report on older homes and commercial buildings. Romco books a licensed survey and brings in a licensed abatement firm for any material found, since we hold no abatement license ourselves.
How long does the whole process take?
We give no estimate until the paperwork picture is clear. The ten-working-day state notice is fixed. Review time at the city, town or county, the utility letters, the survey result, any Fort Pierce historic board review and septic abandonment are not, and size and construction count too. When each is known, you get the steps in order and what each one is waiting for.
Other St. Lucie cities: Port St. Lucie · Tradition · St. Lucie West · Sandpiper Bay · Fort Pierce · Lincoln Park · St. Lucie Village · River Park · Lakewood Park · White City · Hutchinson Island South
Every type and size, all over St. Lucie County
Tell us what has to come down, and we will quote it.
Romco Builders is a licensed Florida general contractor, headquartered in Fort Lauderdale. A kitchen wall in Tradition and a strip center on US 1 are quoted the same way: on paper, line by line.