Masonry Contractor in Lake Park, FL - Brick and Block Work for Rainy Summers

You send a written exemption request to the Town of Lake Park's Building Division, along with the contract or other papers showing what the work is and what it's worth. Since July 1, 2026, state law has required Lake Park to exempt some single-family work valued under $7,500, but only when it's one complete project, not a bigger job split up to stay under the line, and not on a property that's partly or fully in a flood hazard area. Lake Park's Community Development Department handles permits, and structural work such as fences and railings needs one no matter the cost, so if your job doesn't fit the exemption we pull the permit and set up the inspections.

A wall that keeps storm surge or floodwater out can be exempt, but only if it meets every condition, and if it misses even one, it needs a permit. It can't carry any load from a building or be living space, it has to sit on a single-family, two-family or townhouse property outside a Special Flood Hazard Area, and it has to meet local zoning, drainage, easement and setback rules. A contractor licensed under Part I of Chapter 489 of the Florida Statutes has to install it, and inside a Special Flood Hazard Area the usual permit rules still apply, so owners there can contact the Building Division for guidance.

A certified license is good anywhere in Florida, while a registered license only covers the cities or counties where the contractor holds a local certificate of competency. Getting a certified license means passing a state certification exam first, so it's worth asking which kind a contractor holds before they work on your Lake Park house. We're licensed and insured, and you're welcome to ask about it when I come out.

Yes, anyone selling services in Palm Beach County needs a county business tax receipt, even a one-person or home-based shop, and businesses located inside Lake Park also need one through the Building Division. Keep in mind the county receipt doesn't regulate a business or vouch for the quality of its work, so it's no stand-in for a state contractor license.

The cost comes down to how big the damage is, what caused it and how much has to come apart to fix that cause, so I don't give a number until I've seen the wall. On older Lake Park houses, matching weathered brick or old mortar color adds work, and so do tight side yards where we carry material in by hand. A loose joint caught early is a much smaller job than a section that's been soaking for years, so call (561) 268-0530 and I'll come take a look.

Usually it's water, summer rain soaking into old joints and drying out again until the mortar goes soft and lets go. Sometimes it's an earlier patch done with mortar harder than the brick, and the old mason who taught me used to say the joint should give before the brick does, because when it won't, the brick cracks instead. Settling under a corner can crack a wall too, so I check what's behind and under a crack before we fix the face of it.