Florida building permit exemptions: HB 803 and the $7,500 rule

Florida now has a limited statewide building-permit exemption for certain work valued at less than $7,500 on a single-family owner’s property. It is not a general rule that every home project below that price can proceed without permits.

The new provision excludes electrical, plumbing, structural, mechanical and gas work. It also excludes work on property located partially or entirely in a flood hazard area. And the owner or contractor must submit a written exemption request with documentation of the work and its value.

Those conditions come directly from the current text of section 553.79(1)(g), Florida Statutes. They matter more than a headline saying “Florida eliminates permits under $7,500.”

What changed on July 1, 2026?

CS/CS/HB 803 became chapter 2026-63, Laws of Florida. The Senate’s bill history identifies an effective date of July 1, 2026. The current 2026 statute includes the new residential-work exemption and a separate exemption for qualifying temporary hurricane and flood barriers.

This guide uses the enacted law and current statute, not an earlier bill draft. It was checked November 9, 2026.

The basic starting point remains that section 553.79 requires a permit for covered construction, alteration, repair and demolition unless the law provides otherwise. A project must fit an actual exemption; a low price alone is not enough.

A quick screening table

Proposed job	Can the new under-$7,500 exemption be assumed?
Interior painting or cosmetic flooring work	Potentially, if all statutory conditions are met; an existing local/code exemption may also apply
Cabinet work with no electrical, plumbing or structural component	Potentially; document the complete scope and check the local process
Water-heater replacement	No automatic exemption under this provision: plumbing, mechanical or gas scope must be evaluated
Air-conditioning change-out	No automatic exemption: mechanical work is excluded
Electrical panel or new wiring	No: electrical work is excluded
Load-bearing wall alteration	No: structural work is excluded
Any work on a parcel partially in a flood hazard area	Not eligible for the new paragraph (g) exemption
Fence or driveway	Check zoning and other approvals; do not infer that all local permits disappear

“Not eligible under this provision” is not identical to “always requires a permit under every other rule.” Some work may have a separate code exemption. The safe question is which specific rule applies to the full job.

Step 1: Identify the right local authority

Find out whether the property is in a city or an unincorporated county area and which building department handles it. A mailing address naming a city is not conclusive.

Use that department’s official website to look for permit exemptions, HB 803 guidance and any exemption-request form. Ask whether separate zoning, historic-preservation, drainage or right-of-way approval applies.

For an example of local implementation, Hillsborough County’s exemption guidance describes submission through HillsGovHub with a contract or other scope-and-value documentation. Treat that as guidance for that jurisdiction—not a statewide portal you can submit through everywhere.

If a web page cites a different subsection number, compare it with the current state statute. The new small-job provision is section 553.79(1)(g); the barrier provision is paragraph (h).

Step 2: Confirm the property and flood conditions

Paragraph (g) applies to an owner of a single-family dwelling or the owner’s contractor. Do not extend it automatically to a condominium unit, commercial building or every multifamily property.

Then check whether any part of the property lies in a flood hazard area as defined by the Florida Building Code. The statutory wording is broader than asking whether the house itself has flooded or whether the owner carries flood insurance.

Ask the building department or floodplain administrator which map and determination it uses for this purpose. Keep the response with the project records. A contractor’s memory of the neighborhood is not a reliable flood determination.

If the parcel is partially in the relevant area, the new paragraph (g) exemption does not apply. You can still ask whether a different specific exemption covers the work; do not simply ignore the flood exclusion.

Step 3: Write the entire project scope

Describe what will be installed, repaired, removed or relocated. Identify any work involving electrical systems, plumbing, structure, mechanical systems or gas.

For example, replacing cabinets without disturbing regulated systems is a different scope from moving a sink, adding receptacles and changing a load-bearing wall as part of the same kitchen project.

The law says a construction project may not be divided into more than one project to evade the paragraph’s requirements. Splitting invoices between a flooring installer and a cabinet installer does not automatically turn one renovation into unrelated exempt projects.

Ask the department how it evaluates mixed scopes. Do not take a five-trade renovation and describe only the paint portion when requesting an exemption.

Step 4: Document a value below—not equal to—$7,500

The statute says less than $7,500. A project valued at exactly $7,500 is not below that threshold.

Provide a copy of the contract or other documentation showing the nature and value of the work. If the owner performs work without a conventional contractor agreement, ask the department what alternative documentation it accepts.

Do not assume the statute lets you count labor only, omit owner-purchased materials or ignore related work. The paragraph does not provide a universal valuation worksheet. Get the department’s written valuation instructions when the calculation could affect eligibility.

If scope or price changes after the request, revisit eligibility before continuing. A project that originally fit the exemption may no longer fit when the work expands.

Step 5: Submit the written request

Section 553.79(1)(g)3 requires the owner or contractor to submit a written request to the local enforcement agency with the contract or other supporting documentation.

A useful request identifies the property, owner, contractor, complete scope, documented value and the statutory exemption being requested. Include any flood-status information the local process requires.

Keep the submission receipt and the agency’s response. Although the statute imposes the exemption when its conditions are met, do not treat an unsubmitted mental conclusion as satisfying its written-request requirement.

If the department asks for a building permit instead, request the reason and the specific excluded scope or unmet condition. A short written explanation can resolve whether the problem is flood status, a trade component, valuation or a separate zoning approval.

Existing exemptions are a separate question

Not every no-permit job depends on the 2026 dollar threshold. Section 553.79(1)(a), for example, expressly exempts installation, replacement, removal or metering of a load-management control device from the permit process and fees otherwise required by that section.

Other common minor-work exemptions arise through the applicable Florida Building Code and local implementation, rather than a broad list in section 553.79. Cosmetic painting, finish work and certain ordinary repairs may fall within those rules, but the exact scope matters.

Do not describe a local exception as statewide law. Hillsborough County’s permit guidance, for instance, separately lists typical cosmetic-work exemptions and ordinary-repair conditions. Another jurisdiction may direct you differently because the work or applicable provisions differ.

Water heaters and air-conditioning swaps are particularly risky shorthand. They involve excluded trade categories under the new $7,500 exemption, even if a separate local/code rule may address a specific replacement. Ask for the exact exemption being used.

The separate temporary-barrier exemption

Section 553.79(1)(h) creates a different route for qualifying temporary residential hurricane and flood protection walls or barriers. Do not merge its conditions with the $7,500 provision.

The current text requires the barrier to be nonhabitable and non-load-bearing, intended to mitigate or prevent storm surge or floodwater entry, installed by a contractor licensed under part I of chapter 489, and compliant with local zoning, drainage, easement and setback requirements.

It describes installation on the residential property of a single-family dwelling, two-family dwelling or townhouse, while the opening language refers to the single-family owner or contractor. If your property is a duplex or townhouse, confirm the department’s application of the provision rather than resolving that wording yourself.

The paragraph excludes property partially or entirely in a flood hazard area and requires a written request with documentation describing the work. The text does not attach the $7,500 price threshold to this separate paragraph.

No building permit does not mean no rules

An exemption from this building-permit requirement does not excuse unsafe construction or remove contractor-licensing obligations. It also does not automatically eliminate zoning, easement, drainage, floodplain, environmental or association requirements.

For fences and driveways, ask specifically about land-development or zoning permits. For association-controlled property, separate the association’s review from the government’s permit decision.

Section 553.79 also states that a local government has no legal duty to the owner, contractor or successors for exempted work under these new paragraphs. Do not present an exemption response as a government warranty of the job.

Keep the contract, scope, written request, response and completion photographs. This is useful if a buyer, insurer or later inspector asks why no building permit appears in the property history.

Frequently asked questions

Can I replace a water heater without a permit if it costs $1,000?

Not because of the new $7,500 rule. Plumbing, mechanical and gas work are excluded. Ask your local department whether a separate, specific exemption applies to the actual replacement.

Is a $7,500 project exempt?

Not under paragraph (g). The statutory threshold is less than $7,500, and all the other conditions must also be satisfied.

Can I split a larger project into smaller contracts?

The statute expressly prohibits dividing a project to evade its requirements. Use the full project scope and value.

Does the exemption apply in a flood hazard area?

No, not under the new paragraphs discussed here. Both exclude property partially or entirely in the relevant flood hazard area.

Do I need to submit anything?

Yes. The new exemptions require a written request and supporting documentation. Follow the correct local department’s process.

Does HB 803 eliminate fence zoning permits?

Do not assume that. Building-permit relief is not a blanket repeal of land-development or zoning approvals.

Related filing checks

Keep the connected records separate. See our permit-fee refund guide, contractor-license business qualification, construction workers’ comp owner exemption and Florida business-license guide. These guides explain different tasks; completing one does not automatically complete the others.

Sources and disclaimer

Primary sources: current section 553.79, HB 803 history and enacted text access, and the local agency examples linked above.

This is general filing information, not legal, engineering or code-compliance advice. FileMyFlorida and FileMaven are independent services, not law firms, and are not affiliated with the State of Florida. Verify the current law and your local requirements before starting work.