Panama City issues building permits and development orders online through Cloudpermit. Building Services: 850-872-3025. Planning and Zoning: 850-691-4595.

Last checked Oct. 9, 2026. Facts on this page come from the City of Panama City’s Building Services, Permits, Inspections and Certificates, Planning and Zoning and Planning Board pages and its frequently asked questions.

Two divisions of the city’s Development Services Department at City Hall handle building in Panama City. Building Services enforces the Florida Building Code: it reviews plans, issues permits, inspects work and grants certificates of occupancy. Planning and Zoning decides whether a project fits the zoning and issues development orders. Both work through one online portal, Cloudpermit, and the city no longer takes applications by email.

Who to call

  • Building permits and inspections: Building Services, 850-872-3025, building@panamacity.gov
  • Zoning, development orders, Planning Board: Planning and Zoning, 850-691-4595, planning@panamacity.gov
  • Code complaints: Code Compliance, 850-691-4593, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays
  • Where: City Hall, 501 Harrison Ave., 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays
  • Apply online: Cloudpermit portal

Scam warning. Planning and Zoning says fraudulent emails that look like they come from city staff are asking applicants for extra fees. The city collects all planning and zoning fees once, when you apply, and does not send last-minute invoices or payment links. If in doubt, call 850-691-4595.

Do I need a permit?

The city says a permit must be issued before work begins whenever you build, enlarge, alter, repair, move or demolish a building, or change how it is used. Its FAQ lists work that needs one:

  • Windows, doors, re-roofs, siding and structural work, such as moving walls
  • Foundation work
  • Porches, decks, awnings, carports and pole barns
  • Sheds over 100 square feet, including delivered sheds
  • Water heaters, and electrical, plumbing and HVAC work

No permit is needed for painting, new flooring that is not structural, replacing appliances other than a water heater, or fixing a broken fence rail. Roofs: replacing a few shingles needs no permit, but a repair of 100 square feet or more likely does. If a storm or a fallen limb damages your roof, make emergency repairs and apply for the permit the next business day.

Fences need no building permit, and the city does not issue development orders for fences on single-family lots. It does advise a survey first, so the fence stays out of the city’s right-of-way and off your neighbor’s land.

When in doubt, call Building Services at 850-872-3025 before you start.

Development orders

A development order is the city’s zoning approval of your plans. Most site work needs one, according to the city’s FAQ: new construction, additions, accessory structures such as sheds, pools and accessory dwelling units, lot clearing, signs and tree removal. A change of use, such as turning a shop into an office, can need one even with no construction.

Submit the application with site plans, surveys and other drawings through Cloudpermit. Incomplete packages are not accepted. Staff have a 30-day review period once the application is complete.

Fees, inspections and certificates

  • Fees: the city charges a permit fee for each project. Its 2026 permit fee schedule and valuation guide and Development Services fee schedule list them. Fees are paid by credit card in Cloudpermit.
  • Keep the permit on site, ideally posted facing the street, until the job is done.
  • Permits expire if work does not start within six months of issue, or stops for six months. Extensions must be requested in writing, with a fee.
  • Inspections are scheduled in Cloudpermit. Work must stay exposed until it passes.
  • You cannot move in until the city issues a certificate of occupancy. Re-roofs and system changes get a certificate of completion instead.

Other agencies, such as the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, may require their own permits, the city notes.

Zoning and flood maps

The city is also updating its Comprehensive Plan, which guides land use for the next 10 to 20 years.

Planning Board and City Commission

The Planning Board meets at 4 p.m. on the second Monday of each month in Room 010 on the lower level of City Hall. The next one is Monday, Oct. 12. The board makes final decisions on variances, major development orders, appeals of staff decisions and communication towers. For rezonings, annexations, planned unit developments and plan amendments, it holds the hearing and recommends; the City Commission decides.

The commission meets at the Bay County Government Center, 840 W. 11th St.: at 8 a.m. on the second Tuesday and 4:30 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of each month. Agendas are posted in the city’s Agenda Center, and legal notices of hearings appear on the Bay County public notices site.

What this means for you

  • Call Building Services before you build if you are unsure whether a permit is needed.
  • Sheds, pools and additions usually need both a development order and a building permit.
  • Pay fees only in Cloudpermit; the city does not email invoices.

Related: property taxes, public notices and who to call at City Hall.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get a building permit in Panama City?

Apply online through the city’s Cloudpermit portal, where you upload plans, pay fees by card and schedule inspections. Building Services at City Hall answers questions at 850-872-3025.

Do I need a permit for a fence in Panama City?

The city does not require a building permit for a fence, and it does not issue development orders for fences on single-family lots. It does advise a survey first so the fence stays off city right-of-way and neighboring land.

Do I need a permit to replace my roof in Panama City?

A re-roof needs a permit. Small repairs such as replacing a few shingles do not, but the city says repairs of 100 square feet or more likely do. Emergency repairs can be made first, with a permit applied for the next business day.

When does the Panama City Planning Board meet?

At 4 p.m. on the second Monday of each month in Room 010 on the lower level of City Hall, 501 Harrison Ave., unless rescheduled for a holiday.

How do I find my zoning in Panama City?

Look up your property on the city’s online Future Land Use and Zoning Map. The city’s Future Land Use and Zoning Guide explains each district, and the rules are in the Unified Land Development Code.