What slab leveling is, and what Florida's statute calls a structural component
Slab leveling raises or re-supports a concrete slab that has dropped, using material placed beneath it. Section 489.105(15) defines a structural component as any vertical or horizontal load-bearing member that supports dead or live loads in addition to its own weight, and lists a foundation, a column, a floor and a roof structure among its examples.
That definition turns on load: a member that carries more than its own weight. Tell the building office which slab dropped and what sits on it. Hialeah's repair-permit page shows how one city handles repairs: two sketches if required, a repair list, and a report from an architect or engineer, if applicable, when there was fire or structural damage.
Slab leveling in Florida: our estimate and the wages behind it
Slab work is modeled at $370 to $1,300 per job, built from national published ranges (1 counted) and the Florida cement mason wage ratio (0.87). It's an estimate and never a quote, and it carries no permit fee.
| Item | Figure | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated range, not a quote | $370 to $1,300 per job | Built from one national published range, adjusted by the Florida cement mason wage ratio (0.87). One Florida foundation company publishes a price we could count on their own websites; where five or more price the same job, the range is the middle half of their prices, and where two to four do, the estimate is widened to take them in. Coupons, specials and figures a page gives as an average are not counted. Basis: no state company sample (no counted Florida company price for this job), national estimate only. |
| Estimated range per square foot, not a quote | $3 to $9 per square foot, lifted | Built from one national published range, adjusted by the Florida cement mason wage ratio (0.87). One Florida foundation company publishes a price we could count on their own websites; where five or more price the same job, the range is the middle half of their prices, and where two to four do, the estimate is widened to take them in. Coupons, specials and figures a page gives as an average are not counted. Basis: no state company sample (no counted Florida company price for this job), national estimate only. |
| Concrete finisher pay, Florida mean | $25.26 an hour | BLS May 2025 mean hourly wage in Florida for the occupation nearest to slab crews; pay, not a price. |
| Concrete finisher pay, US mean | $28.87 an hour | Nationwide mean in the same BLS release; the ratio is Florida over this number. |
Estimated range. Built from national published ranges (1 source), adjusted by Florida's cement mason wage ratio to the US (0.87, BLS May 2025). Not a quote. One Florida foundation company publishes a price we could count on their own websites; where five or more price the same job, the range is the middle half of their prices, and where two to four do, the estimate is widened to take them in. Coupons, specials and figures a page gives as an average are not counted. We have no counted Florida company price for this job, so the range is our national estimate alone. Full method. Prices as of Oct 24, 2026.
Who may lift a slab
Under section 489.113(2), anyone in the business of contracting in Florida must be certified or registered. A subcontractor holding neither may work under a licensed contractor's supervision only if the job is within that contractor's license scope. DBPR's class list has no category named for slab work.
Look the company up at myfloridalicense.com, and ask why the class it holds covers slab lifting.
When a sunken slab shouldn't wait
- A garage, patio or entry slab has dropped enough to tilt toward the house wall.
- A slab has settled across a doorway and the step is a trip hazard that grows.
- Water runs under a sunken slab toward the house after rain.
- A walkway slab with a lip you can mark and measure, unchanged since last season.
Before a crew lifts anything
- Measure the drop at its widest point and note which edge sits lowest.
- Check the company's license class on the DBPR record.
- Ask the building office whether the job needs a permit at your address.
Permits for slab leveling in Florida
Hialeah's fee schedule, effective March 20, 2026, lists an up-front fee of $350.00 for residential additions, alterations and repairs, a general row that isn't specific to slabs. Section 553.79 requires a permit to repair a building and its exemption excludes structural work, so ask your building office how it files slab lifting.
DBPR has no foundation repair license category, so ask which state contractor license the company holds, look the number up on myfloridalicense.com and get its certificate of insurance before you sign anything.
Questions people ask
Does slab leveling need a permit in Florida?
Section 553.79 requires a permit to repair a building, and how your office files slab lifting is its call. The $7,500 exemption doesn't reach structural work or flood hazard areas, and chapter 489 lists a floor as a structural component, so describe the slab to the office for your address.
What license does a slab leveling company need in Florida?
DBPR prints no slab category, so read the class on the company's record. Section 489.113(2) requires certification or registration to contract in Florida. With no slab category on the class list, ask why the company's class fits the job.
What does lifting a sunken slab cost in Florida?
Our model puts a slab job at $370 to $1,300 per job, an estimate, not a quote. Its basis is national published ranges multiplied by Florida's wage ratio.
- Florida Statutes s. 489.105 Definitions Read Oct 24, 2026.
- City of Hialeah: General Permit Requirements Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Florida Statutes s. 489.113 Read Oct 24, 2026.
- DBPR: Construction Industry (CILB) license types Read Oct 24, 2026.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025: Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers (SOC 47-2051), Florida, mean hourly wage Read Oct 24, 2026.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025: Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers (SOC 47-2051), United States, mean hourly wage Read Oct 23, 2026.
- FoundationMatch: how we estimate costs, Florida (editorial policy) Read Oct 24, 2026.
- City of Hialeah: Building Department Fee Schedule (March 20, 2026) Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Florida Statutes s. 553.79 Permits; applications; issuance; inspections Read Oct 24, 2026.