Can one contractor do both demolition and construction in Florida?

Yes. A Florida certified general contractor can contract for any activity that requires a contractor license, including demolition and new construction, and many projects are handled under one contract. Ask whose license is on each permit and whether the demolition is done by the company's own crew or a subcontractor.

Is it cheaper to hire one contractor for demolition and rebuilding?

Often, mainly because it avoids gaps between contractors, duplicated mobilization and disputes over site condition and underground surprises. The bigger savings are usually in time and in fewer change orders, not in the demolition price itself.

Do demolition and construction need separate permits?

Usually, yes. The demolition permit covers the removal, utility disconnects and site clearing, and the building permit covers the new work. Some cities also require design or historic review for demolition, such as Coral Gables and Miami Beach's historic districts.

Does a house need an asbestos survey before demolition?

Homes with four or fewer units are generally excluded from the federal asbestos demolition notice, but counties and cities can still require asbestos paperwork with the demolition permit. Commercial buildings and larger residential buildings generally need a survey and a notice at least 10 working days before demolition.

What should a demolition contract say about the site condition?

It should say whether the slab and footings come out, how utilities are disconnected and capped, what stays on site, how debris is disposed of, how the lot is graded, and how underground surprises are priced.

Demolition and Construction Under One Contractor in South Florida: When It Makes Sense

The short answer

Many South Florida projects start with demolition: a teardown and rebuild, a full gut renovation, or a commercial strip-out before a tenant build-out. You can hire a demolition contractor and a builder separately, or one licensed contractor for both. One contractor usually means one contract, one schedule and one party responsible for the handoff between demolition and construction, where most gaps and surprises happen: utility disconnects, asbestos paperwork, what stays and what goes, and the condition of the site the builder inherits. Separate contractors can still make sense for very large or specialized demolition, as long as the handoff is written down.

Most projects that end with something new start with something coming out. A 1950s house is torn down for a new home. A kitchen, bathrooms and half the walls come out for a whole-home renovation. A retail space is stripped back to the shell before a restaurant goes in. An unpermitted addition is removed so it can be rebuilt properly.

That first phase is demolition, and the question owners in places like Aventura and Coral Gables keep asking is whether to hire one company for both parts or two. Here is how to think about it.

Two ways to hire it

Separate contractors versus one contractor for demolition and construction
	Separate demolition and construction contractors	One contractor for both
Contracts	Two contracts, two sets of terms, two payment schedules	One contract covering both phases
Schedule	The builder starts when the demolition contractor finishes, and gaps between them are common	One schedule; construction planning runs while demolition is under way
The handoff	Each contract has to define exactly what condition the site is left in	The same company decides what to remove and what the build needs
Surprises	Old footings, buried tanks or a septic system can turn into a dispute over who pays	One party is responsible, and changes go through one change order process
Permits	Each contractor pulls its own permits and schedules its own inspections	One contractor coordinates the demolition and building permits
Best fit	Very large or highly specialized demolition, or when the builder is already chosen	Teardown and rebuild, gut renovations, interior strip-outs and most residential and small commercial work

Where projects go wrong: the handoff

Demolition is not just knocking things down. It ends with a site in a specific condition, and the builder's price assumes a specific condition. When those two do not match, someone pays to fix the difference. These are the items worth defining in writing, whoever does the work:

Utilities. Electric, gas and water disconnects, and the sewer cap or septic abandonment, have to be done and documented before demolition. The builder needs to know where the new connections will come from.
Asbestos. Commercial buildings and residential buildings with more than four units generally need an asbestos survey, and a federal notice at least 10 working days before demolition. Homes with four or fewer units are generally excluded from the federal notice, but counties can still require paperwork; Broward, for example, uses an asbestos responsibility statement with demolition permits.
Slab and footings. Does the old slab stay, or does it come out with the footings? On a teardown, leftover footings can get in the way of the new foundation design.
What stays. Trees under protection, seawalls, fences, driveways, a pool, or interior elements you want to keep in a renovation.
Site condition. Debris removed with disposal tickets, holes filled and the lot graded so the surveyor and the foundation crew can start.

Permits for both phases

Demolition and construction are usually permitted separately. The demolition permit covers the removal, utility disconnects and site clearing; the building permit covers the new work. Some cities add design or historic review to demolition itself. In Coral Gables, demolition permits require a tree survey, and properties on the historic register need a Certificate of Appropriateness for demolition; in Miami Beach's historic districts, demolition goes to the Historic Preservation Board. See our guides to Coral Gables and Miami Beach. Planning both permits together keeps the new design moving through review while the old structure comes down.

When separate contractors still make sense

Very large or complex demolition, such as high-rise or industrial work with specialized equipment and engineering.
When you already have a builder you trust who does not do demolition.
When the demolition is urgent, such as an unsafe structure after a fire or storm, and the rebuild has not been designed yet.

In those cases, write the handoff into both contracts: the exact site condition at the end of demolition, who handles utilities and asbestos, and who pays for anything found below ground.

Questions to ask a contractor offering both

Is the company licensed for both demolition and construction, and whose license is on each permit?
Does the company do the demolition with its own crew, or subcontract it?
Is it one contract, or two contracts with the same company?
Who handles utility disconnects, the asbestos survey and notices, and debris disposal tickets?
How are underground surprises priced?
What condition will the site be in when construction starts?

How we do it

Rosemont Ventures Group LLC holds Florida general contractor license CGC1541479 and runs two divisions under that license: construction, here at builderf.com, and demolition at soflodemolition.com. That lets us take a project from teardown or strip-out to final inspection under one contract, with the demolition planned around what the new build needs. Our demolition division's guides cover utility disconnects, asbestos before demolition, what happens after a house is demolished and whether to renovate or tear down.

The bottom line

When demolition and construction are two halves of the same project, one contractor usually means fewer gaps, fewer disputes and a faster start on the new work. Whoever you hire, put the handoff in writing. We handle new homes, whole-home renovations and commercial build-outs that start with demolition across Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach. Tell us about your project.

Quick questions

Can one contractor do both demolition and construction in Florida?: Yes. A Florida certified general contractor can contract for any activity that requires a contractor license, including demolition and new construction, and many projects are handled under one contract. Ask whose license is on each permit and whether the demolition is done by the company's own crew or a subcontractor.
Is it cheaper to hire one contractor for demolition and rebuilding?: Often, mainly because it avoids gaps between contractors, duplicated mobilization and disputes over site condition and underground surprises. The bigger savings are usually in time and in fewer change orders, not in the demolition price itself.
Do demolition and construction need separate permits?: Usually, yes. The demolition permit covers the removal, utility disconnects and site clearing, and the building permit covers the new work. Some cities also require design or historic review for demolition, such as Coral Gables and Miami Beach's historic districts.
Does a house need an asbestos survey before demolition?: Homes with four or fewer units are generally excluded from the federal asbestos demolition notice, but counties and cities can still require asbestos paperwork with the demolition permit. Commercial buildings and larger residential buildings generally need a survey and a notice at least 10 working days before demolition.
What should a demolition contract say about the site condition?: It should say whether the slab and footings come out, how utilities are disconnected and capped, what stays on site, how debris is disposed of, how the lot is graded, and how underground surprises are priced.

Sources

This article is general information, not legal advice. Building departments in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties set their own procedures, so confirm the requirements for your property with your local building department.

Scott Rosenberg

Florida Certified General Contractor, CGC1541479

Scott qualifies Rosemont Ventures Group LLC and has worked in general contracting since 1998. He writes Building Blocks to answer the questions South Florida owners ask before they build. Verify the license.