The short answer.
Replacing mesh on a sound frame is usually treated as minor, non-structural repair. Work on the aluminum frame itself is structural, and structural work generally needs a permit. The building office for your address has the final word, so a two-minute call before work starts is always worth it.
Florida’s small-job exemption can also let many smaller single-family jobs skip the permit, as long as the job isn’t structural and you request the exemption first. More on that below.
Find the right building office.
A Daytona Beach mailing address does not always mean the City of Daytona Beach. Ormond Beach and Port Orange run their own city offices, and Volusia County covers unincorporated areas.
| Where the home is | Office | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Inside Daytona Beach city limits | City of Daytona Beach Permits & Licensing | 301 S. Ridgewood Ave., Room 127B, Daytona Beach, FL 32114. 386-671-8178 |
| Inside Port Orange city limits | City of Port Orange Building Division | 1000 City Center Circle, Port Orange, FL 32129. 386-506-5602 |
| Inside Ormond Beach city limits | City of Ormond Beach Building Department | 386-610-0540 |
| Unincorporated Volusia County | Volusia County Building and Code Administration | Permit Center: 386-736-5929 |
Not sure which side of the line you’re on? Any of these offices can tell you from your street address.
Mesh-only work vs. frame work.
| The job | What usually applies | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| A few torn panels, same mesh, sound frame | Often counts as minor, non-structural repair | Mesh-only replacement is often treated as maintenance in Volusia County. Confirm with your city—Daytona Beach’s post-storm guide lists screen enclosure repairs or rebuilds as permitted work when the enclosure itself is being repaired. |
| Full rescreen, frame left as it is | Ask your building office | If the total is under $7,500, the small-job exemption may also apply—ask how to file it. |
| Screen door closer, latch, hinges or sweep | Minor hardware repair | If the cage is your pool barrier, the door has its own safety rules. See the screen door guide. |
| Bent, cracked or corroded aluminum, loose anchors | Structural repair. Expect a permit | Structural work is excluded from the small-job exemption. Ask who pulls the permit and schedules inspections. |
| A new enclosure, or making one bigger | Permit with plan review | The City of Daytona Beach publishes a screened room / pool enclosure checklist that asks for sealed engineered plans, a signed survey and a recorded Notice of Commencement. Port Orange has similar aluminum enclosure checklists. Ask about it on the call. |
When a row doesn’t quite fit your situation, check with the county or your city. They are used to the question.
The small-job exemption.
Florida’s HB 803 small-job rules let many smaller single-family jobs skip a permit when the work is not structural. Ask your building office how to request the exemption before work starts.
- It covers single-family homes, for work valued under $7,500 in total, including labor, materials, overhead and taxes.
- Structural, electrical, plumbing, mechanical and gas work don’t qualify, whatever the cost.
- A job can’t be split into smaller pieces to stay under the limit.
- It isn’t automatic. The owner or contractor submits an exemption request with the written contract.
Frame work and the building code.
Local offices build to the Florida Building Code currently in force (the 8th edition, 2023, is widely posted). Frame repairs are built to the wind loads that code sets for your location. Your building office can tell you which design wind speed applies to your address.
- Daytona Beach’s enclosure checklist calls for construction plans designed by a Florida-registered engineer to meet residential wind-load requirements.
- Owners can apply for their own permits as owner-builders under Florida law. If a contractor is doing the work, ask them to pull it.
HOA and community rules.
Community approval is a separate step from the permit, and it often comes first.
- LPGA and Pelican Bay: the City of Daytona Beach’s enclosure checklist specifically notes architectural approval for these communities.
- Latitude Margaritaville and other planned villages: ask the association whether a same-color rescreen needs a filing, especially if mesh or frame colors change.
- Other deed-restricted neighborhoods: many golf, 55+ and gated communities around Daytona Beach, Ormond Beach and Port Orange have an architectural review step.
A quick note to your association before the contractor’s visit keeps the schedule calm.
Questions to settle on the call.
- Is the frame part of the job, or only mesh, doors and hardware?
- If a permit is needed, will the contractor pull it and schedule inspections?
- What is the written contract total? That decides the small-job exemption and any Notice of Commencement.
- Does the HOA need anything before work starts?
Want the full checklist? See the contractor questions and the repair or rescreen guide.