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Altamonte Springs owner given until July to obtain permit for backyard addition without permit
Summary
Owner Andre Lancaster was ordered to obtain the required permit for an unpermitted addition at 115 Larkspur Drive by July 9; magistrate accepted a Sun State Plans LLC letter and set a daily fine if the permit and inspections are not complete.
Ruth Goldstein of the Seminole County Building Division presented case 25-1CESM regarding an addition to the back of a house at 115 Larkspur Drive in Altamonte Springs that county staff say was installed without a required permit. The county’s inspection record shows an initial inspection on Feb. 1, 2024, several follow-up reinspections and multiple resubmittals to address plan-review corrections. Permit application 25-552 (rebuild/storage) was in plan check and had outstanding corrections as of April 16, 2025.
Owner Andre Lancaster and contractor representatives (Sun State Plans LLC) were in the hearing. Lancaster’s representative told the magistrate the application was in review, that Sun State Plans had been working with the building department and that the file awaited final sign-off from a reviewer (Jim Potter). The magistrate accepted the applicant’s letter from the contractor into the record and said the county would treat that as evidence of an active effort to secure approval.
The magistrate ordered the respondent to obtain the required permit and achieve compliance by July 9, 2025, and scheduled a compliance hearing for July 10. The magistrate warned that failure to obtain the permit and complete required inspections by the compliance date would result in a daily fine; the order specified a fine of $150 per day if the respondent did not comply by July 9.
Why this matters: The case is an example of the typical permit workflow at the plan-review stage — staff find outstanding corrections, the applicant must address those corrections and the permit cannot issue until reviewers are satisfied. The magistrate generally continued matters where staff accepted evidence that applicants were actively resubmitting corrections; where the county does not see progress, magistrate orders typically impose fines and may convert administrative costs into a lien.
Next steps: The respondent must obtain the permit, complete required inspections, and contact the inspector to verify compliance before the July 10 return hearing.
