Building and Permitting in Florida

What Needs One, Owner-Builder Rules, and Inspections

Florida has a single statewide building code, which many states don’t. But a uniform code doesn’t mean a uniform process. Every county and city still runs its own building department, with its own forms, fees, and way of handling the gray areas. That’s where most of the real complexity lives.

Short version: The Florida Building Code applies everywhere, but permits are issued and inspected locally. Most construction, alteration, and repair work needs a permit under Florida Statute 553.79. There’s a newer state exemption for small jobs on single-family homes valued under $7,500, but it doesn’t cover electrical, plumbing, structural, mechanical, or gas work, or homes in flood hazard areas, and you have to request it in writing. Projects over $2,500 generally need a recorded Notice of Commencement under the construction lien law. Homeowners can act as their own contractor, and even do their own trade work, on their own home under the owner-builder exemptions. That comes with a signed disclosure, personal supervision, a ban on hiring unlicensed help, and a one-year presumption if you sell or lease. A new edition of the code, the 9th Edition (2026), takes effect December 31, 2026.

One code, enforced locally

The Florida Building Commission, housed within the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, develops and updates the Florida Building Code, which applies statewide. Local building departments review plans, issue permits, and inspect. Local governments can adopt limited technical amendments that are stricter than the state code, under conditions set in Section 553.73, but can’t weaken it. So the rules for what you can build are largely the same everywhere, but getting a permit in Orange County can feel different from Osceola or Seminole.

The code is updated every three years. The current edition is the 8th Edition (2023). The 9th Edition (2026) takes effect December 31, 2026, and permit applications submitted on or after that date must follow it. If you’re planning a project that straddles the changeover, ask your building department which edition will apply.

Owners and contractors can also hire a licensed private provider for plan review and inspections under Section 553.791, instead of waiting on the local department. You still pay the local permit fees, and the building department keeps oversight.

What needs a permit

Section 553.79(1)(a) requires a permit to build, alter, modify, repair, or demolish a building, with specific exceptions. As a rule of thumb, anything involving structure, electrical, plumbing, mechanical systems, gas, or roofing needs one.

• The $7,500 exemption: under Section 553.79(1)(g), local governments must exempt work valued under $7,500 on a single-family home, done by the owner or the owner’s contractor. It doesn’t apply to electrical, plumbing, structural, mechanical, or gas work, or to property partly or fully in a flood hazard area. You must submit a written request with documentation of the work and its value, and you can’t split a project to stay under the limit. The local government has no legal duty regarding exempted work, so you’re on your own for quality.
• Sheds and accessory buildings: permit thresholds are set locally and vary by county and city. A shed with electrical, plumbing, or a permanent foundation almost always needs a permit, and in Florida even small structures usually have to be anchored for wind.
• Decks: raised decks are structural, so they need a permit. Many simple decks can be designed from the residential code’s prescriptive tables. Larger or unusual decks may need drawings from a licensed engineer or architect. Your building department will tell you which documents it wants.
• Fences: height limits and permit rules are local and often depend on zoning and setbacks. Check your city or county code, and your HOA rules, before you build.

Zoning is a separate layer from the building code. Setbacks, lot coverage, and what you can build where are covered in Florida zoning explained.

The Notice of Commencement

The Notice of Commencement comes from Florida’s construction lien law (Chapter 713), not the building code. It’s a recorded document that names the owner, contractor, property, and project. It protects you by setting the rules for liens from subcontractors and suppliers.

• When it applies: the lien law covers improvements with a direct contract price over $2,500. Below that, most of Chapter 713 doesn’t apply (713.02(5)), and under Section 713.13 the owner records the notice before work starts.
• What the building department needs: under Section 713.135, if the direct contract is over $5,000, you must file a certified copy of the recorded notice, or proof it was recorded, before the first inspection. Inspections past that point won’t be approved until you do. This doesn’t apply to a contract under $15,000 to repair or replace an existing heating or air conditioning system.
• Not a permit condition: the building department can’t require you to record the notice before issuing the permit. The deadline is the first inspection.

Why wind runs through almost everything

This is what surprises people moving from other states. The Florida Building Code’s wind design requirements, based on the ASCE 7 standard, reach structures that wouldn’t get much engineering attention elsewhere. Sheds, carports, screen enclosures, and solar panel installations all have to be designed and anchored for the wind speeds mapped for your area. That’s a big part of why a small backyard project here often needs specific product approvals or anchoring details. For the wind zone map and what it means, see Florida hurricane code and wind zones.

The owner-builder path

Florida Statute 489.103(7) lets a property owner act as their own contractor on a one- or two-family home, or a farm outbuilding, for their own use and occupancy, not for sale or lease. Commercial buildings qualify only if the construction cost is $75,000 or less. Electrical work has its own matching owner exemption in Section 489.503(6), covering single-family homes and duplexes for the owner’s own use.

Under these exemptions, you can do the work yourself, including electrical, plumbing, and mechanical work on your own home, as long as you get the permits and pass inspections. What you can’t do is hire someone unlicensed to do that work or supervise it for you. Anyone you hire for trade work must hold the right license. Structural work still needs whatever engineered or architectural drawings the building department requires.

The conditions are strict:

• Personal signature: you must personally appear and sign the permit application. Some building departments also require you to show you understand your obligations.
• Disclosure statement: you sign a statutory disclosure before the permit is issued. It warns that you’re responsible for the work, that you must provide direct, on-site supervision of all work not done by licensed contractors, and that you may have employer obligations, including for injuries, toward anyone working for you.
• No unlicensed contractors: you can’t hire an unlicensed person to act as your contractor or supervise others. The rule exists to stop people from using an owner’s exemption as cover for unlicensed contracting.
• The one-year rule: if you sell or lease the building, or offer to, within one year after completion, the law presumes you built it for sale or lease. That can undo the exemption and expose you to unlicensed contracting liability.

For budgeting a bigger owner-built project, see the cost to build a house in Central Florida and the hidden costs of building.

Inspections and closing out the permit

Once a permit is issued, the process is the same for owner-builders and licensed contractors. Inspections happen at required stages. For a typical home project, those include foundation or footing, framing, rough-in electrical and plumbing, and final. Each has to pass before work continues. The project isn’t legally complete until the final inspection passes and the department issues a certificate of occupancy or completion, or otherwise closes the permit. Skipping an inspection means the work isn’t recognized as done, which can cause trouble later with a sale or an insurance claim.

Open and expired permits are common in older Florida homes. Section 553.79(16) lets the current owner close an old permit by keeping the original contractor, hiring a licensed contractor, or acting as owner-builder. An expired permit whose work was substantially completed may be closed without a new permit. A local agency may close a permit 6 years after issuance if it finds no apparent safety hazards. Under Section 553.79(17), a building department can’t deny you a permit, cite you, or penalize you just because a previous owner left a permit open, though it can still pursue the original owner and contractor.

Why this matters even if you’re not building anything

If you’re buying a home, unpermitted work by a previous owner can become your problem after closing. Bringing it up to code may mean opening walls, getting after-the-fact permits, or even removing the work. Unpermitted additions, sunrooms, and converted garages also raise insurance and appraisal questions. Before you’re under contract, or at least during your inspection period, look up the property’s permit history with the county or city building department and compare it to what you see. See the home inspection checklist, buying a fixer-upper in Florida, and closing costs for how this fits into a purchase, and Florida homeowners insurance for coverage questions.

Sources

• Florida Statutes, Section 553.79: Permits; applications; issuance; inspections
• Florida Statutes, Section 553.73: Florida Building Code
• Florida Statutes, Section 553.791: Alternative plans review and inspection (private providers)
• Florida Statutes, Section 489.103: Exemptions (owner-builder)
• Florida Statutes, Section 489.503: Exemptions (electrical owner-builder)
• Florida Statutes, Section 713.02: Types of lienors and amounts of liens
• Florida Statutes, Section 713.13: Notice of commencement
• Florida Statutes, Section 713.135: Notice of commencement and applicability of lien
• Miami-Dade County: 9th Edition (2026) Florida Building Code effective date notice

This article is for general informational purposes only and isn’t financial, legal, insurance, or tax advice – for guidance specific to your situation, talk to a licensed professional.