Alternative Plans Review and Building Inspection

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary and text do not provide specific details on how permit fees are affected beyond reducing them based on cost savings. The exact method of calculating this reduction is left open-ended in the official material.

Alternative Plans Review and Building Inspection

This law removes the ability of local governments to charge an administrative fee when property owners or contractors hire private companies for building inspection and plans review services.

What This Bill Does

• Removes a part of the law that allowed local governments to charge fees when people use private companies for building inspections or plan reviews instead of using government services.

Who It Names or Affects

• Property owners and contractors who use private companies for building inspections or plan reviews.
• Local government agencies responsible for issuing permits and conducting building inspections.

Terms To Know

Administrative fee

A charge by a local government for handling paperwork and other tasks related to building inspections or plans review when private companies are used instead of the local government's services.

Local enforcement agency

The part of the local government that makes sure buildings follow safety rules and regulations.

Limits and Unknowns

• This law only affects fees charged by local governments for administrative tasks related to building inspections or plans review when private companies are used.
• It does not change how much property owners or contractors might pay private providers directly.

Official Summary Text

Alternative Plans Review and Building Inspection; Deleting a provision authorizing a local government to charge an administrative fee when an owner or contractor retains a private provider for purposes of plans review or building inspection services, etc.

Current Bill Text

Florida Senate
-
2026

SB 750

By
Senator DiCeglie

18-00678-26 2026750__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to alternative plans review and
3 building inspection; amending s. 553.791, F.S.;
4 deleting a provision authorizing a local government to
5 charge an administrative fee when an owner or
6 contractor retains a private provider for purposes of
7 plans review or building inspection services;
8 providing an effective date.
9
10 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
11
12 Section 1. Paragraph (b) of subsection (2) of section
13 553.791, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
14 553.791 Alternative plans review and inspection.—
15 (2)
16 (b) If an owner or contractor retains a private provider
17 for purposes of plans review or building inspection services,
18 the local jurisdiction must reduce the permit fee by the amount
19 of cost savings realized by the local enforcement agency for not
20 having to perform such services. Such reduction may be
21 calculated on a flat fee or percentage basis, or any other
22 reasonable means by which a local enforcement agency assesses
23 the cost for its plans review or inspection services. The local
24 jurisdiction may not charge fees for building inspections if the
25 fee owner or contractor hires a private provider to perform such
26 services
; however, the local jurisdiction may charge a

27
reasonable administrative fee, which shall be based on the cost

28
that is actually incurred, including the labor cost of the

29
personnel providing the service, by the local jurisdiction or

30
attributable to the local jurisdiction for the clerical and

31
supervisory assistance required, or both
.
32 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.