Yes. If a Broward city or the county declares your building unsafe and you don’t repair it or demolish it with a permit by the deadline, the local government can demolish it, bill you for the cost, and record a lien against the property. At the same time, daily code fines keep adding up. Owners who act quickly keep control of the timeline, price, and outcome.
What Is an Unsafe Structure Order?
An unsafe structure order is a formal notice from a building official that a building is dangerous and must be made safe or taken down. In Broward County, these cases fall under the unsafe structures section of the Broward County Amendments to the Florida Building Code, which applies in every city in the county.
The most common triggers in Broward are storm or fire damage, failing roofs and walls, advanced concrete and rebar deterioration, fire hazards, and vacant buildings left open to trespassers.
Older commercial and multi-story buildings also reach this stage when a required building safety inspection finds structural or electrical problems that are not corrected in time.
Who Hears My Case?
The local building official makes the unsafe determination, and the notice names the body that will hear your case and your deadline.
In Fort Lauderdale, these cases go before the city’s Special Magistrate for building matters, who can set compliance deadlines, impose fines, and authorize demolition if the owner does not act.
Recent Fort Lauderdale orders have given owners roughly 30 to 60 days to pull repair permits or apply for a demolition permit, after which the city can demolish at the owner’s expense. Broward County’s Unsafe Structures Board hears appeals of building official decisions on unsafe structures.
Should I Repair or Demolish?
Repair works when the building can be made safe at a reasonable cost, and you can pull permits and start work before the deadline. When the damage is severe, demolition is usually faster and cheaper, and sometimes required.
Broward’s unsafe structure rules have long used a value test: when repairing an unsafe building would cost more than 50 percent of its value, demolition is generally required rather than repair.
Do not confuse it with Florida’s flood-zone 50% rule, which measures storm and flood damage against current elevation standards. Ask the building official which standard applies to your property.
Timing is the other test. If you cannot realistically hire contractors, pull repair permits, and pass inspections before the deadline, demolishing on your own terms costs far less than a city demolition plus months of fines.
What Happens If I Miss the Deadline?
Daily Fines
Florida’s code enforcement law allows fines of up to $250 per day for a first violation and $500 per day for a repeat violation, and cities with more than 50,000 residents can adopt higher limits of up to $1,000 per day for a first violation. Fort Lauderdale states that fines of up to $500 a day may apply until violations are corrected.
City Demolition at Your Expense
Once the deadline passes, the local government can demolish the building with its own contractor and charge you for the cost. You no longer choose the timing, the price, or the crew.
Liens on the Property
A recorded fine order becomes a lien on the property, and you can recover demolition costs the same way. The lien stays on the title until it is paid, which blocks a sale, refinance, or new construction.
Florida law does not allow these code enforcement liens to be foreclosed on a homestead, but they remain on the title.
Can I Get More Time?
Often, yes, if you can show real progress. Magistrates are more likely to extend a deadline for an owner who arrives with a filed permit, a signed contractor, or a pending sale than for one who arrives with a promise.
If you believe the building is not actually unsafe, you can challenge the determination through the appeal process in your notice, usually with support from a report by a Florida-licensed engineer.
How to Demolish Before the Deadline
Speed comes from running the steps at the same time instead of one after another.
Hire a licensed demolition contractor right away so they can file the permit application, since demolition permit review in Broward County can take weeks, depending on the city and the project. Request electric, water, and gas disconnections the same week, because each provider runs on its own schedule.
Older buildings usually need an asbestos survey before a demolition permit is issued, and commercial buildings may also need a federal notice before work begins.
If asbestos is found before demolition, licensed abatement has to happen first, so order the survey on day one. As soon as you file the permit, send proof to the city or the magistrate. A filed permit is often what earns an extension.
Whether it is a commercial building or a storm-damaged home that needs a full house demolition, the sequence is the same: survey, permit, utilities, demolition and debris removal, followed by permit close-out so the violation can be closed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does an unsafe structure order replace the demolition permit?
No. You still need a demolition permit, utility disconnections, and, for most older buildings, an asbestos survey. The order sets the deadline; it does not skip the permit process.
Can I sell a property with an unsafe structure order?
Usually, but buyers will price in demolition costs, fines, and liens. Many owners demolish first and sell the cleared lot once the violation is closed.
Can Fort Lauderdale reduce my code enforcement lien?
Sometimes. Fort Lauderdale periodically runs a lien amnesty program that reduces eligible code enforcement liens for a limited time. Check with the city for current eligibility.
Got an Unsafe Structure Notice? Call Before the Deadline
Florida Demolition Experts is a licensed Broward demolition contractor. We file the permit, coordinate utilities and asbestos surveys, and tear down on your schedule, not the city’s.
Contact us to get a free estimate.
