Key West, Monroe County
Demolition in Key West
In Key West, the question for an old building is often not how to take it down but whether the city will let you. Old Town sits under a historic commission, and a demolition there is judged against a test that a worn-out house does not automatically pass.
Old Town is described as the largest predominantly wooden historic district in the country, with close to three thousand structures. Bahama Village, near Petronia Street, still has the narrow single-story cigarmakers' cottages known as shotgun houses. A building in the historic district needs a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Historic Architectural Review Commission, and for a contributing building the commission asks whether its condition is irrevocably compromised by extreme deterioration.
Outside Old Town the lots change character. Gated and association areas such as Truman Annex and the Key West Golf Course appear on the city's own checklist as places where HOA approval is part of the file. The city asks for a plumbing permit to cap the water, an electric disconnect before the structure comes down, and, for jobs valued at 5,000 dollars or more, a recorded Notice of Commencement before the first inspection.
What usually goes wrong is the sequence. The historic approval comes first, then the permit, then the utilities, and a missing step stalls the rest. Everything we haul leaves a very small island by truck, over a road with no alternative. We plan the loads before the first one is full.
Sources: City of Key West: Historic Architectural Design Guidelines · City of Key West: Demolition Appendix · Trolley Tours: Old Town architecture and culture
Getting the permit in Key West
City of Key West Building Department, with the Historic Architectural Review Commission for historic-district properties
The city publishes a one-page checklist for a full building demolition permit. It also says that since March 10, 2025 a Certificate of Appropriateness is obtained separately from the building permit, and a city page says the two are being combined, so ask which applies before you file.
Read the sourceThis is general information and not legal advice. If you hire us, we file the permit ourselves as the contractor on record. Monroe permit guide
What we quote in Key West
Kinds of demolition we quote here
- Interior demolitionCondo, hotel and shop interiors and stilt-house living floors cleared out, salt damage and all.Interior demolition in Monroe →
- Selective demolitionRemove one wing, a deck or a floor of a Keys building and protect what stays.Selective demolition in Monroe →
- Commercial demolitionShops, motels, marinas and multifamily buildings, planned around US 1 access.Commercial demolition in Monroe →
- House demolitionBlock ranches, wood cottages and stilt houses, taken down after the permit work is done.House demolition in Monroe →
- Structural demolitionConcrete frames, elevated slabs, piles and unsafe structures, taken down in engineered order.Structural demolition in Monroe →
- Concrete removalSlabs, driveways, decks and caps broken out, sorted and hauled off the island chain.Concrete removal in Monroe →
- Pool removalFill in or fully remove a pool, with the groundwater and the fill planned first.Pool removal in Monroe →
- Mobile home demolitionMobile homes, trailers and RVs removed from park lots and private lots, with utilities handled.Mobile home demolition in Monroe →
- Storm damage demolitionHurricane-damaged homes and buildings, made safe and removed, with the paperwork in order.Storm damage demolition in Monroe →
- Site clearingClear a lot of old structures, slabs and debris, where the habitat and tree rules allow it.Site clearing in Monroe →
- Asbestos coordinationSurvey, notice and licensed abatement lined up so the demolition can proceed.Asbestos coordination in Monroe →
- Accessory structure demolitionSheds, carports, garages, screen rooms and dock houses removed cleanly.Accessory structure demolition in Monroe →
- Something else?Do not see your job above? Phone us and describe it. We quote every type and size.Call (239) 510-4206 →
From first call to final
Six stages, always in this order
Romco Builders is a licensed Florida general contractor, headquartered in Fort Lauderdale. A shed and a full building go through these same stages.
Send the address and the scope
Phone us or fill in the quote form. Say which key it is on, what must come down and what must stay.
A visit to the lot
Someone from Romco goes to the property. The building, the flood zone, the utility connections, the way equipment and trucks get in, and the neighboring lots all get a look.
The written quote
You get a document listing what comes out, what is kept safe, and what is trucked north off the island chain. Anything that hangs on survey results is marked as such.
Paperwork before machines
If asbestos testing applies, it happens here. So do the utility shutoffs and the filing of your demolition permit with whichever office covers the parcel.
Demolition and haul-off
The crew works through the agreed order. Debris is trucked to permitted facilities, and we keep the load records.
Final inspection
The permit office signs off after its last inspection. You are left with a cleared lot, or the shell you specified.
Questions
Demolition in Key West
Can I demolish a house in Key West's historic district?
Only with approval from the Historic Architectural Review Commission, which issues a Certificate of Appropriateness. For a contributing building the standard is high. Ask the city's historic preservation staff before you commit to a plan, because the building permit does not come first.
What does a demolition cost in the Keys?
A quote follows a visit to the property, or a review of photos and drawings when those show enough. The figure moves with the building's materials and height, the asbestos survey, the utility disconnects, how equipment reaches the lot, and the haul, because everything leaves the island chain by truck. We do not publish prices, since two lots that look alike seldom cost alike.
How is asbestos handled before a demolition?
An independent licensed consultant surveys the building first, because the federal asbestos rule calls for a thorough inspection before a regulated demolition and the state notice depends on it. Should the survey turn up asbestos that the job would disturb, a separately licensed abatement firm takes it out. Romco books and sequences both visits, but abatement is not work we perform.
How long before a Keys demolition can start?
No one can name a date until the facts are known. The start depends on how fast your permit office reviews the file, when the utility letters arrive, the asbestos survey and the notice that follows it, any flood-zone or habitat review, the weather, and the building itself. When those are settled we send you the order of work and what each step waits on.
Other Monroe cities: Stock Island · Marathon · Islamorada · Key Largo · Ocean Reef · Tavernier · Duck Key · Key Colony Beach · Big Pine Key · Cudjoe Key · Summerland Key · Ramrod Key · Big Coppitt Key
Any type, any size, anywhere in the Keys
Tell us where it is and what has to come down. We will price it.
Romco Builders is a licensed Florida general contractor, headquartered in Fort Lauderdale. From a single wall to a full building, you receive a written scope and a quote.