Florida's HB 803 took effect July 1, and most of the coverage stopped at one number: no building permit required for single-family work under $7,500.

That's true. It's also the least useful part of the law.

Electrical, plumbing, mechanical, gas and structural work are excluded regardless of cost, and building departments are defining structural broadly enough to include windows, doors, roofing, siding, soffits, railings, pool barriers and elevated decks. Add the flood hazard exclusion and there isn't much left, especially in Southwest Florida.

The provision worth knowing is the one that got almost no coverage. On an existing single-family home with work valued under $15,000, covering structural, electrical, mechanical, plumbing and roofing, the building department now has five business days to respond. Miss the deadline and the permit is approved by law.

There's also a change that stops HOAs from requiring a building permit before they'll review your project.

In Part 2 I go through what the law actually does, what I think of it, the owner-builder exemption and why it traps people, and where hybrid remodeling projects come apart.

Part 1 covers the money side: which parts of your project you should own, which belong to a licensed trade, and what moving that line is worth.

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SOURCES
Florida HB 803 (2026), effective July 1, 2026
Florida Statutes 553.791 and 553.792
Florida Statute 489.103
Municipal HB 803 implementation guidance

This is general information, not legal advice. Permit requirements vary by jurisdiction. Check with your local building department before starting work.

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