Owner builder permit plans
Building your own home? Start with the permit plans.
Florida lets you act as your own contractor to build a home on your own land for your own use. You still need a building permit, and the permit starts with a complete set of plans. Here is what the law and the code ask for, and how we help.
The owner builder exemption
Who can build as an owner builder.
Florida Statutes section 489.103(7) lets owners act as their own contractor on their own property. The building department gives you a disclosure statement that explains your responsibilities.
- The home is on your property and is for your own use, not for sale or lease
- You personally appear and sign the building permit application
- You directly supervise all work on site that licensed contractors do not do
- Selling or leasing the home within 1 year after it is finished creates a presumption that it was built for sale or lease
Your building permit
What the building department needs to see.
The construction documents have to show that the house will meet the Florida Building Code. For a new home the plan reviewer checks at least these:
Site plan from a survey
Drawn from an accurate boundary survey: where the house sits, the distances to the lot lines, grades and, in a flood zone, the flood information.
The house itself
Floor plan, all exterior elevations, the foundation plan, the floor and roof framing or truss layout, and every window and door with its rough opening and flashing.
Wind and structure
The design wind speed and pressures, and a wall section from foundation to roof with its connectors. Many building departments, including Orange, Hillsborough and Lee counties and the City of Jacksonville, require new home plans signed and sealed by a Florida licensed design professional.
Energy compliance
A Florida energy code compliance form with the insulation, window and air conditioning information, and equipment sized from a Manual J load calculation.
Review time
How long permit review takes.
Florida law sets deadlines for building departments. For a new single family home under 7,500 sq ft, the department has 30 business days after receiving a complete and sufficient application to approve it, approve it with conditions or deny it.
- The department tells you within 5 business days if the application is incomplete
- If it misses its deadline, it reduces the permit fee, unless it sent you written notice of specific problems in time
- You can also hire a private provider, a Florida licensed professional who can review the plans, inspect the work, or both
- Complete plans are what start the clock, so missing sheets cost you time
How we help
Your plan set, ready for your permit application.
We draw the complete set for your lot in Revit, with the Florida energy code calculations and engineering review and seals included, 15 business days after your project starts.
- New custom homes from $5,450, by size
- Detached garages, guest houses and studios from $2,950
- A fixed quote in writing before we start
- PDF set, Revit model and CAD files your subcontractors can use
General information for Florida, checked in October 2026, not legal advice. Your building department and your engineer have the final word for your project. Sources: Florida Statutes 489.103, 553.792, 553.791.
Start your permit with complete plans.
Tell us about your lot and your home. You get a fixed price and a delivery date in writing before we start.