If you are planning construction, alteration or repair of any structure on property leased from the Canaveral Port Authority, you will need a permit from the Canaveral Port Authority to begin the work.

Starting the Process

1. Send a letter to the Tenant Relations Department outlining your conceptual plans, along with a drawing of your concept.
2. If the work you want to do is complex enough to require submittal of building plans, the first step is approval of the conceptual plan by the Board of Commissioners. (If this approval is not necessary, we can issue your building permit – a written Notice to Proceed – at this point.)
3. When you receive your approval from the Board, have a surveyed plot plan drawn up and certified by a licensed surveyor, with the plot corners staked out. This plan should include property lines, location of the proposed building, water, sewer, other pertinent utilities and grading. Submit the plot plan to the Tenant Development Department.
4. Once your plot plan is approved, send the Tenant Relations Department a letter of transmittal along with 6 complete sets of professionally prepared construction plans and specifications, designed, signed and sealed by a Florida-registered architect or engineer. We can't review incomplete submittals, so please make sure yours is complete.

Submittal Checklist

A complete set of drawings and specifications includes:
  - Transmittal letter listing everything included in the set.
  - List of contractors to be used, with licensing or certificate information and insurance certificates.
  - Your approved plot plan.
  - A site plan including drainage, retention, landscaping and signage.
  - Foundation plan.
  - Structural plans.
  - Floor plan(s) and building elevations.
  - Architectural sections and details.
  - Construction details.
  - Mechanical, electrical and plumbing plans.
  - Specifications of materials and workmanship.
  - General description of industrial process, if any.
  - Fire sprinkler plan (if required).
  - Fire alarm plan (if required).
  - Life safety plan (if required).

Design-build Projects

For design-build projects, please submit a transmittal letter and 6 complete sets of bidding documents for preliminary review before going out to bid. When your contract is finalized and construction drawings prepared, send us a transmittal letter and 6 complete sets of signed and sealed drawings and documents for final review.

Plan Review

The CPA, the Cape Canaveral Volunteer Fire Department and possibly Gee & Jenson, consulting engineers, will review and evaluate your 100% complete submittal. Click here for more about the evaluation criteria. If there are comments, you will be informed and have a chance to respond by making changes to the plans and/or documents.

When you have made any changes necessary and the plans are satisfactory, we will issue a Notice to Proceed – the building permit – to your prime contractor and send a copy to you. At this point, please provide us with the timeline for your project. As the project is implemented, we like to keep up with its progress and any changes through monthly meetings.

For more information on the CPA's role and requirements during and after the building process, see our page for Prospective Tenants.

Other Permits

You also may need additional permits from agencies other than the Port Authority. For example, sewage hook-up requires a permit from the city of Cocoa Beach. You may need one or more permits from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to cover water, wastewater and storm water conditions on your site. Construction in harbor waters, such as piers, requires permits from the Department of Environmental Regulation and the Corps of Engineers.

Be sure that you or your building professional reviews the applicable codes and obtains all the necessary permits.