Do you need a permit to paint your house in Florida? In Hollywood, not for a single-family home.

If you own a single-family house in Hollywood, you do not need a permit to paint it, in any neighborhood of the city. The City of Hollywood's own answer is: "Paint Permits are not required for single family homes, regardless of location." Pembroke Pines, Coral Springs and Parkland also say no permit or application is needed to paint a house, though Coral Springs still enforces a color palette.

The reason the question keeps coming up is that Florida does not have one answer. Each city writes its own appearance rules, and in the cities we checked, the published rules are about the color, not the act of painting. So the real answer depends on three things: what kind of building it is, which city and district it sits in, and whether a homeowners association has its own rules on top.

This guide covers Hollywood and the Broward cities where we do exterior painting, plus Lauderhill, quoting each one's own published rule and linking to it so you can check it yourself. Every source was read on October 4, 2026.

Hollywood: what the city actually says

Hollywood has both a plain-language answer and the code section behind it, so it is the easiest place to start.

Single-family homes: no paint permit, anywhere in the city

The city's Planning FAQ asks the question directly, "Do I need a Paint Permit to paint my house or building?", and answers it: "Paint Permits are only required for painting commercial property located within the CRA or any of the Historic Districts. Paint Permits are not required for single family homes, regardless of location."

"Regardless of location" matters. It means a house in the Hollywood Lakes historic district, or a few blocks from Young Circle, is treated the same as a house anywhere else in the city for paint permit purposes.

Which buildings do need one

The rule behind the FAQ is Section 3.22 of Hollywood's Zoning and Land Development Regulations, "Standards for the Painting and Color of Exterior Surfaces of Buildings and Structures and Art in Public Places Regulations." Its applicability clause is slightly broader than the FAQ's word "commercial":

"These regulations apply to the exterior painting or repainting of all buildings, other than single family homes, duplexes, and triplexes, located in the following areas: 1. Community Redevelopment Areas 2. Local Historic Districts and Sites 3. National Register of Historic Places"

Read as written, that leaves duplexes and triplexes outside the rule along with houses, and brings in any other building in those areas: a storefront, an office, an apartment building or a condominium building. For those, the code is direct: "A building or structure shall not be painted or have applied a natural or manufactured material as an exterior facade without first receiving a paint permit from the Director who shall have the authority to issue paint permits."

Where the CRA and historic districts are

The Hollywood Community Redevelopment Agency describes its two districts this way:

• Downtown District: "approximately 580 acres and extends from 22nd Avenue on the west to generally 17th Avenue on the east, Johnson Street on the north, and Washington Street on the south."
• Beach District: "293 acres from Sherman Street south to the south property line of the Diplomat Resort and Spa, and from the Intracoastal Waterway to the Atlantic Ocean."

The city's Historic Preservation page lists four historic districts: the Historic Hollywood Business District ("centered on Hollywood Boulevard from 21st Avenue to Young Circle"), the Harrison/Tyler Historic Districts, the Beach Historic District, and the Historic Hollywood Lakes Multiple Resource District, which the city describes as "Hollywood's oldest neighborhood," located "east of U.S. 1 between Washington and Johnson Streets." Section 3.22 also reaches individually designated local historic sites and National Register properties, so a building outside those districts can still be covered. If you are not sure whether a specific address is covered, ask the city before you paint.

What the paint permit involves

• A color from the city's chart, or lighter. Section 3.22 says the chip or sample "shall match a color shown on the color chart or is a color which is lighter in intensity than any other color on the color chart." A color that is not on the chart needs approval from the Planning and Development Board or the joint board with Historic Preservation.
• No neon. Colors described as "neon, fluorescent, day-glo, iridescent and similar terms" are not permitted on any building or structure unless the Director or the appropriate board approves them.
• The owner signs off. "The application for a Paint Permit to paint or repaint a building shall include authorization from the owner consenting to such work." That matters if you rent the space rather than own it.
• The fee. The FAQ says the application "costs $75.00 to process." The code itself says the fee is part of the zoning plan review fee set by City Commission resolution, so confirm the current amount with the city when you apply.

Broward cities where the answer changes

"No permit" and "no rules" are not the same thing. These are the cities near us where the published answer is different from Hollywood's, or where the detail matters.

Pembroke Pines

For a house, the city's answer to "Do I need a permit to paint my home (single family / duplex)?" is: "A building permit is not required, however, if you live in an area controlled by a Homeowners Association (HOA), you should contact the association or your property manager for any restrictions they may have." For commercial and multifamily buildings, a building permit is still not required, "however, you must contact the City's Planning and Economic Development Division at 954-392-2100 to discuss proposed colors as public hearings may be required for color changes."

Coral Springs

Coral Springs is the one to read closely. There is no application required for a house, but there is a palette: "While paint applications are not required for painting on single-family residential properties, any color(s) used outside of the approved color palette, as described below, could result in a citation from the Code Compliance Department." The city lists what is not in the palette for the main color: "Blue (all shades or any color with a blue undertone), red, orange, purple, black, certain green shades," and "Colors that are too dark, deep or bright." Front doors, garage doors and trim making up less than 10% of the house can be any color. The city encourages homeowners to check first "by submitting a no cost paint application," and requires an application for commercial and multifamily properties.

Parkland

Parkland's Building Division FAQ is plain: "A permit is not required for interior or exterior painting." That answer is about city permits; if your home is in an HOA, check the association's rules separately.

Davie

Davie's Western Theme Design Manual sets wall and trim colors for the buildings it covers ("Building walls and trim shall be finished with the colors indicated below, with variations allowed only with the approval of Town Council"), but it applies to commercial, office and institutional buildings, "specifically excluding standalone residential buildings." It is not a rule for houses.

Lauderhill

Lauderhill does not have a city page on our site, but it has the most detailed published rule we found for houses, and it shows how far a city can go. For single-family detached homes there is no review if the base color is neutral and there is no more than one non-neutral accent color. A non-neutral base color, or more than one non-neutral trim color, needs a Community Appearance Application with a "$750 Application Processing Fee." The overall scheme "shall not exceed three colors": one base color for the building, walls and fences, and two trim or accent colors. The city also requires that "ALL buildings, structures, and fences (except chain link or pressure treated wood) shall be painted and maintained in good condition."

Miramar, Plantation, Hallandale Beach and Fort Lauderdale

For Miramar, Plantation, Hallandale Beach and Fort Lauderdale, we did not find a city page that states a rule on exterior house painting either way, so we are not going to guess. Call the city's zoning or planning desk before a color change, especially on a commercial, multifamily or historic property.

No permit does not mean no approval: HOAs

For a house in a homeowners association, the association can have its own color rules even where the city has none. Two cities say so on the same pages quoted above. Pembroke Pines tells homeowners in an HOA to "contact the association or your property manager for any restrictions they may have," and Coral Springs puts "Check with your HOA" as a step before its own application, noting that "Approval by your Homeowner Association may be required prior to painting."

Your association's documents, not this article, set what your HOA requires. We are writing a separate guide on Florida HOA repaint rules and approvals; until then, ask the association for its approved colors and approval form before you choose anything.

Before you pick a color: a short checklist

• What kind of building is it? In Hollywood, a house, duplex or triplex is outside Section 3.22. Anything else may not be.
• Which city, and which district? In Hollywood, check whether the property is in the Downtown or Beach CRA district or a historic district. In Coral Springs or Lauderhill, check the palette even for a house.
• Is there an HOA? If so, ask what it requires before you buy paint.
• Is the house due anyway? If you are weighing whether to repaint at all, our guide to how often to repaint a Florida exterior covers timing, and what the stains on your stucco mean covers what has to be fixed before color goes on.

This is general information, not legal advice. City rules change, so confirm with the city before any work on a commercial or historic property.