A fire has damaged your Florida home: what do you do before anyone starts cleaning?

The first hours after the fire

1. Report the loss to your insurer and ask for the claim number; it must acknowledge within 7 calendar days.
2. Photograph and video every room before cleanup and keep what you can, as DFS's advocate page asks.
3. Make and document the emergency repairs needed to prevent further damage, with receipts for each.
4. Ask whether the policy has managed repair provisions or optional preferred vendors before you sign a repair contract.
5. Before any tear-out, ask the company about asbestos, since DEP's notice is due 10 working days before work that removes asbestos-containing material above the thresholds.
6. If the house was built before 1978, ask the company for its EPA lead renovation firm certification before paint is disturbed.

How the claim runs

Under s. 627.70131 the insurer has 7 calendar days to acknowledge the claim, 30 days after proof-of-loss statements to carry out any physical inspection, and 60 days after notice to pay or deny. DFS's guide says experts such as engineers may take up to 30 days to submit their reports.

Where the dwelling is insured for replacement cost, s. 627.7011 has the insurer pay at least the actual cash value of the loss, less the deductible, up front and the rest as work is done. Law-and-ordinance cover may be limited to 25 or 50 percent of the dwelling limit. It applies only to repairs of the damaged portion unless the damage exceeds 50 percent of the structure's replacement cost. Without a signed refusal, it's 25 percent.

What fire and smoke restoration costs in Florida (estimates, not quotes)

Our model puts fire and smoke restoration in Florida at $5,450 to $16,600 per job, an estimate and not a quote. It has no Florida company fire or smoke price, and one national guide carries the figure, widened by 15 percent each side.

Estimated range. Built from national published ranges (1 source), adjusted by Florida's hazardous materials removal worker wage ratio to the US (0.80, BLS May 2025). Not a quote. Two Florida restoration companies publish a price we could count on their own websites; where five or more price the same job, the range is the middle half of their prices, and where two to four do, the estimate is widened to take them in. Coupons, specials and figures a page gives as an average are not counted. We have no counted Florida company price for this job, so the range is our national estimate alone. Full method. Prices as of Oct 24, 2026.

Who repairs what

DBPR defines a contractor as someone who, for pay, repairs, alters, remodels or demolishes a building, so the rebuild after cleaning falls under chapter 489 licensing. The $2,500 exemption in s. 489.103(9) covers casual, minor work only, never a larger operation or a person who advertises as a contractor.

DBPR's construction license list has no restoration category, so ask the fire cleaning company what license or registration it holds.

Asbestos and lead behind burned walls

DEP administers the asbestos work practices under chapter 62-257, F.A.C., for renovations and demolitions, excluding buildings that meet the NESHAP residential exemption. Since 23 March 2025 its notice of renovation or demolition costs a flat $200, or $100 for an electronic notice paid at once. DBPR licenses asbestos contractors under chapter 469. The owner exemption belongs to an owner-occupant working within owner-builder limits, not to a hired company.

EPA's renovation program applies wherever EPA hasn't authorized a state, and Florida isn't on its authorized list. The rule covers paid work that disturbs paint in housing built before 1978, except six square feet or less per room inside or 20 square feet or less outside, and window replacement and demolition of painted surfaces are always covered.

Before you sign the work order

The Bill of Rights says to read carefully any contract that charges a fee based on a percentage of the insurance proceeds, and to ask each contractor for proof of insurance. On a policy issued on or after January 1, 2023, signing your claim payment over to the contractor has no effect.

Fire damage that needs action now

Permit fees for a fire rebuild

Port St. Lucie's residential fee schedule pairs 'Structural Damage / Fire Damage' with $250 non-structural and $500 structural, plus sub-permits, as its interleaved PDF columns read. Hialeah charges $0.02 per $1.00 of estimated cost with a $180.00 minimum for a one- or two-family alteration, and Miami charges 0.50% of estimated cost with a $110.00 minimum, each before surcharges.

After a declared disaster, Tampa's guide says storm-related partial or interior demolition permits can be fee-free, though still required. The under-$7,500 exemption in s. 553.79 excludes electrical, plumbing, structural, mechanical and gas work.

Ask which licenses your state requires for the work, and check them with your state's licensing office before anyone starts. A credential from a private body, such as IICRC, isn't a license.

Questions people ask

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Florida licensing, code and permit facts · Report a wrong price or rule