HB 803: the $7,500 permit exemption, read correctly.
The headline says single-family work under $7,500 no longer needs a permit. The statute is far narrower than the headline — and getting it wrong means unpermitted work on a home. Here is exactly what it does, and what it does not.
On July 1, 2026, a new exemption took effect: a Florida local government must let the owner of a single-family dwelling, or their contractor, do work valued at less than $7,500 without pulling a building permit. It was created by HB 803 at Florida Statute 553.79(1)(g). That is real — but the exemption is a narrow screening test, not a blanket waiver, and most of the projects people assume it covers are exactly the ones it excludes.
The exemption applies when all of the following are true:
- The property is a single-family dwelling.
- The total value of the work is under $7,500.
- None of the work is electrical, plumbing, mechanical, gas, or structural.
- The property is not in a flood hazard area.
Even then, it is not automatic. The owner or contractor must submit a written request for exemption to the local building department, with documentation of the nature and value of the work. The department screens it. And the work still has to meet the Florida Building Code — the exemption removes the permit, not the code.
1. The five excluded trades. Electrical, plumbing, mechanical, gas, and structural work still need a permit regardless of value. If any part of the job touches one of these, the whole job is back in the permit system.
2. Florida Building Code envelope work. Anything the Code regulates on the building envelope — roofs, windows, doors, siding — still needs a permit. This is the one contractors get wrong most: a $4,000 window swap is not exempt.
3. Flood hazard areas. If the property is partially or entirely in a designated flood hazard area, the exemption does not apply. In much of coastal South Florida that alone rules it out.
4. No project-splitting. You cannot divide one project into smaller pieces to slip under $7,500. The statute judges the whole scope of work.
It does not mean a re-roof is permit-free. Roofing is Code-regulated envelope work — still permitted, at any price.
It does not waive the Building Code. Exempt work must still be built to Code; the difference is nobody from the department inspects it, so the liability sits with whoever did the work.
It does not touch zoning, setbacks, or HOA rules. Those are separate approvals and still apply.
It does not apply to condos or multi-family. The exemption is single-family dwellings only.
It is not automatic. No written exemption request, no exemption — doing the work first and asking later is unpermitted work.
The $7,500 line got the headlines, but the bigger change for contractors is speed. HB 803 expanded Florida's private-provider framework (FS 553.791) — letting a licensed engineer handle plan review and inspections in place of the local department — removed prior timing restrictions on electing a private provider, and tightened the statutory review windows local departments have to meet.
For a project where schedule drives cost, the private-provider route is now a more reliable way to keep work moving when a department is backed up.
Not sure whether your job needs a permit? If it touches structure, the envelope, or one of the five trades, it does — and we can tell you fast.
This is general information, not legal advice. HB 803 is new and building departments are still issuing their own guidance; confirm how your local enforcement agency is applying the exemption before you rely on it. Sources: HB 803 (2026), FS 553.79(1)(g), FS 553.791.