CS/CS/HB 803, enacted as chapter 2026-63, Laws of Florida, took effect July 1, 2026. It renumbered nearly every subsection of s. 553.791 and changed several of the deadlines that govern how fast a permit moves. Here is the before and after.
The short version: the jurisdiction now has half as long to review a private provider permit application, and may only check it for completeness. Commercial permit fees carry a statutory minimum discount with real teeth. And a local agency may no longer prohibit or limit a private provider's use of virtual inspections.
The old text gave the building official 20 business days to identify "specific plan features that do not comply." The current text gives 10 business days, or 5 for a single-trade plans review on a one or two family dwelling, and limits the review to completeness of forms and documents only. New subsection (8)(a) bars re-reviewing plans a private provider found compliant, except for local ordinances, floodplain management, site review, and administrative or life safety matters unrelated to code compliance. Silence past the deadline still means the permit is deemed approved as a matter of law.
This is the change with the most practical consequence for anyone running a remote inspection program. Section 553.79(6) has long made virtual inspection discretionary for a state or local enforcement agency performing inspections itself. New s. 553.791(19)(c) provides that a local enforcement agency may not prohibit or limit private providers from using virtual inspections where a virtual inspection is not prohibited by any applicable code. What was permissive for the government became mandatory toward the private provider.
Two moves. New (2)(d) sets commercial minimums of at least 25 percent of the plan review or inspection portion, at least 50 percent where the private provider performs all required services, and provides that an agency failing to apply them forfeits the ability to collect any fees for the project. And (2)(b) lost its "reasonable administrative fee" authorization and gained a bar on plan review fees, inspection fees, and punitive administrative fees.
The notice form under (5) is now adopted by the Florida Building Commission and the local agency may not alter it. The requirement to submit qualification statements or resumes was deleted. Registration under (4) became mandatory, electronic, and free of administrative fees. Under (2)(a) an agency may not demand the provider contract as a condition of permit issuance. Under (2)(e) it may not require forms beyond registration plus the (5) notice. Under (23) it may not prohibit or discourage the use of a private provider at all. Audits under (22) now require 5 business days advance notice. And new (24) lets counties, municipalities, school districts and independent special districts use private providers on their own projects.
If you learned this statute before July 2026, these are the cites that moved.
| Provision | Old cite | Current cite |
|---|---|---|
| Registration system | (3) | (4) |
| Notice to building official | (4) | (5) |
| Mid-construction election | (5) | (6) |
| Plan review affidavit | (6) | (7) |
| Permit application review | (7)(a) | (8)(b) |
| Inspections | (8) | (9) |
| Sealed affidavit track | (10) | (12) |
| Inspection records | (12) | (14) |
| Certificate of compliance | (13) | (15) |
| Certificate of occupancy | (14) | (16) |
| Denial and stop-work | (15) | (17) |
| Local standards | (17) | (19) |
| Audits | (20) | (22) |
| Immunity | (21) | (23) |
Chapter 2024-191 (CS/HB 267), effective January 1, 2025 added the private provider firm definition, changed the audit cap from four per month to four per year, and created the sealed affidavit 10 business day deemed-approval track now at subsection (12).
Chapter 2025-140 (CS/CS/CS/HB 683), effective July 1, 2025 added the single-trade inspection and single-trade plans review definitions with their enumerated list covering window and door replacement, reroofing without structural alteration, HVAC changeouts, water heaters, repiping, solar and energy storage. It added the "may be performed in person or virtually" language to the inspection subsection, created the 5 business day expedited track for single-trade plan review on one and two family dwellings, and authorized automated or software-based plan review systems for single-trade reviews.
CS/CS/HB 803, enacted as chapter 2026-63, Laws of Florida and effective July 1, 2026, renumbered s. 553.791 from 22 to 24 subsections and made several substantive changes. The building official's plan review window fell from 20 business days to 10 and was narrowed to reviewing forms and documents for completeness only. The inspection record deadline moved from 2 business days to 4. A new subsection (2)(d) requires minimum permit fee reductions of 25 percent and 50 percent on commercial projects, with fee forfeiture as the penalty for non-compliance. A new subsection (19)(c) bars local agencies from prohibiting or limiting private provider virtual inspections.
CS/CS/HB 803 was approved by the Governor on May 6, 2026 and took effect July 1, 2026. It appears in the session laws as chapter 2026-63, Laws of Florida, with the private provider amendments at section 9.
Yes, extensively. The notice provision moved from (4) to (5). Plan review moved from (7)(a) to (8)(b). The inspection record deadline moved from (12) to (14). The certificate of occupancy provision moved from (14) to (16). Audits moved from (20) to (22). Most summaries published before July 2026 cite the superseded numbering.
No. The prior text of s. 553.791(2)(b) expressly permitted a local agency to charge a reasonable administrative fee. Chapter 2026-63 deleted that authorization and added language barring the jurisdiction from charging fees for plan review or building inspections performed by a private provider, and from charging punitive administrative fees.
This page summarizes Florida Statutes s. 553.791 as it reads following chapter 2026-63, Laws of Florida, effective July 1, 2026. Provided for general information by Inspektr, a Florida private provider. Not legal advice. The authoritative text is published by the Florida Legislature at leg.state.fl.us. Last reviewed September 2026.