Building a house in Florida, step by step.

The steps

1. Step 1

   Know your lot

   Get a current boundary survey. The site plan in your permit set is drawn from it, so it should show the lot lines, what already sits on the lot and its grades, with spot elevations if your site needs them.

   Then check what the lot allows: your city or county zoning sets the setbacks, lot coverage and height, the flood map tells you whether the lot is in a flood zone, and your HOA may have its own rules. Find out how water, sewer or septic and power reach the lot.

2. Step 2

   Design the house and get the plans

   Start from a layout you like and fit it to the lot. The permit set then adds the structure designed for your wind speed, the flood data if it applies, the energy code calculations and the mechanical, electrical and plumbing information your county asks for. Many building departments require the plans signed and sealed by a Florida licensed design professional.

   This is where Dashline comes in: complete plans with engineering included, 15 business days after your project starts.

   What a permit plan set includes

3. Step 3

   Decide who builds it

   Hire a licensed contractor, or build it yourself as an owner builder. Florida lets owners act as their own contractor for a home on their own property, for their own use, signing the permit application in person and supervising the work directly.

   Owner builder permit plans

4. Step 4

   Apply for the building permit

   Each building department posts on its website the documents it needs for each permit type. Once you apply, it has 5 business days to tell you if the application is incomplete.

   For a new single family home under 7,500 sq ft, Florida law gives the department 30 business days after a complete and sufficient application to approve it, approve it with conditions or deny it. You can also hire a private provider to review the plans and inspect the work.

5. Step 5

   Build, with inspections

   The work is inspected as it goes up. The truss drawings, sealed by the truss engineer, are approved by the building official before the trusses are installed. In a flood zone, an elevation certificate is due when the lowest floor is placed, before building any higher.

6. Step 6

   Finish and move in

   Final inspections close the permit. In a flood zone the lowest floor elevation is certified again at final inspection, and on the energy code's performance path an as built report follows before the certificate of occupancy, unless nothing changed.

   Keep the permit active while you build: a single family permit expires 1 year after it is issued or when the next edition of the code takes effect, whichever is later.

General information for Florida, checked in October 2026, not legal advice. Your building department has the final word for your project. Sources: Florida Statutes 553.79, 553.792, 489.103, Florida Building Commission.