How to Check Sarasota County Permit Status

Sarasota County uses the Accela permit portal, which lets you look up a permit and see each reviewing department — zoning, flood, environmental, building official, utilities — its current status, the assigned reviewer's name, and any comments annotated directly on the plans. It's one of the better county portals in the region.

What the portal won't tell you is when a status is stuck for a reason no software tracks — a utilities check mailed on a Friday that never got matched to the file, or a reviewer waiting on a clarification that no one flagged. The status just sits there.

We monitor Accela daily through permit tracking, flag comments the moment they post, and make the call that unsticks a stalled department. It's the tail end of permit management and where local relationships matter most. Building on the islands? The same applies on Siesta Key.