Florida’s governor has signed House Bill 803 into law, eliminating building permit requirements for construction projects valued at $7,500 or less.
The law takes effect on July 1.
“The local government that issued the building permit shall exempt the owner of a single-family residence or the owner’s contractor from the requirement to obtain a building permit when performing any work on the owner’s property valued at less than $7,500,” the bill states. The exemption does not apply to properties in flood hazard areas.
Sponsors of the changes say the move is intended to help speed up small projects such as fencing and decking. But one long-time roofing contractor said this should worry residential property insurance companies because more construction projects may be completed by unlicensed companies and the work will not be inspected.
The bill also directs the Florida Building Commission to adopt a statewide commercial building code and residential building code by July 2027.
The measure also places a renewed emphasis on the use of private building inspectors and ties the hands of local governments somewhat.
“The local building official may only conduct a building inspection of a building that the private provider determines complies with applicable codes if the local building official is aware that the private provider has not performed the required inspection,” the bill reads.
The final bill also prohibits local governments from adopting zoning rules or other regulations that would treat off-site housing differently from factory-built buildings.
The full text of HB 803 is here.
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