City of Hialeah Re-Occupancy Certificate: A Seller’s Guide
If you sell a house in Hialeah, the city has to inspect it first. The paper that comes out of that inspection is the re-occupancy certificate, and a sale is not supposed to close without one. This guide covers what it is, what it costs, why houses fail, and what you can do if yours will.
What Is the City of Hialeah Re-Occupancy Certificate?
The certificate says the city inspected the home and found that it matches the residential occupancy rules for its zoning. In plain terms, the inspector is checking that a single-family house is still one home and has not been split into more.
It is not a home inspection. The city’s Application for Re-Occupancy says the inspection is not a structural, electrical, plumbing or mechanical inspection and is no warranty on the condition of the house.
Who Needs a Re-Occupancy Certificate in Hialeah
Under Hialeah Code Sec. 98-415, it is unlawful to buy, sell or transfer title to a single-family home, duplex or townhouse without the certificate. The seller has to tell the buyer in writing that it is required and hand it over before closing. The one exception is a brand-new home that has never been lived in, on its first sale.
How to Apply for a Hialeah Re-Occupancy Certificate
- Fill out the city’s Application for Re-Occupancy. You can apply through the Citizen Self-Service portal linked on the City of Hialeah re-occupancy page, or email the form to reoccupancy@hialeahfl.gov.
- Pay the inspection fee.
- Be at the property between 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. on inspection day. If nobody is there, the inspector is not required to call or go in.
- If the house passes, the city issues the certificate. It is recorded with the deed at closing.
Hialeah Re-Occupancy Certificate Cost and Timeline
| Item | City fee | Timing |
|---|---|---|
| Standard inspection | $100 | Within 30 days |
| Expedited inspection | $300 | Within 10 days |
| Each re-inspection | $75 | After a correction |
| One-time extension | $100 | Six more months |
The certificate is good for six months. File early: the city has up to 30 days on the standard fee, and that can run past a closing date.
Why Houses Fail: Illegal Efficiencies, Converted Garages and Additions
The limit depends on zoning. On a single-family lot, the city will not issue a certificate if there is more than one dwelling. On a duplex lot, the limit is two. These are the things we see come up at re-occupancy:
- A garage converted into a room or apartment
- An efficiency built in the back or carved out of the house
- An extra unit with its own entrance or kitchen
- Square footage added without a permit
- A bathroom added without a permit. It is not a second unit, but a bathroom cannot be added without permits, so it has to be legalized.
When a house fails, the city lists the violations and holds the certificate until they are corrected and the house is re-inspected.
Selling a House With Unpermitted Work in Hialeah
You can fix it first, which means removing the extra unit or getting the work permitted, then paying for a re-inspection. Or the sale can close on a conditional certificate, which the city issues when the fix cannot reasonably be done before closing. The city’s Request for a Conditional Certificate form lists a $500 fee.
We buy houses in Hialeah as-is, including ones with a converted garage, an efficiency or an unpermitted bathroom. Every sale is different. Sometimes we close on a conditional certificate, and sometimes we waive the re-occupancy so the homeowner can sell fast. Either way, you do not have to tear anything out or pull permits to sell to us.
One house we bought in Hialeah was built as a two-bedroom, one-bath. By the time we bought it, it had six rooms and four bathrooms. After closing, we had plans drawn and approved and pulled the permits to legalize the added electrical, mechanical and plumbing work and bring the house up to code. For the county side, see our guide to selling a house with open permits or unpermitted work in Miami.
If the house came to you through a parent’s estate, see the section on selling an inherited house in Hialeah on our city page.
City of Hialeah Building Department Contact
City of Hialeah Building Department, 501 President Donald J. Trump Avenue, Hialeah, FL 33010. Phone 305-883-5800. Re-occupancy questions: reoccupancy@hialeahfl.gov.
Sources: Hialeah Code Sec. 98-415, the City of Hialeah re-occupancy page and the city’s application forms. Checked October 2026. Fees and procedures can change, so confirm with the Building Department before you rely on them.