Private Plan Review in Florida: How It Works, and What Changed in 2026

The state tightened deadlines, made fee reductions mandatory, and closed the door on re-reviews. Here’s what that means for commercial projects in Florida.

If you're permitting a commercial project in Florida, you have a choice many owners don’t have: your plans don't necessarily have to sit in the building department's queue.

Florida law allows a qualified private professional to perform plan review in place of the local building department. The option has existed since 2002, but as of July 1, 2026, the state rewrote the private provider statute in what amounts to the biggest change to the law in over a decade.

Here's how private plan review works in Florida, what changed this year, and how to tell whether it makes sense for your project.

What is private plan review?

Normally, when you submit for a building permit, the local building department reviews your plans to confirm they meet code.

But under Florida's private provider statute, an owner or contractor can hire a qualified private professional to perform that same plan review instead. The local building department still issues the permit—what changes is who performs the review, and how long you wait for it.

What changed in July 2026?

For most of the twenty-plus years it’s been available in Florida, private plan review has been an imperfect solution.

The statute prohibited a building official from replicating a review a private provider was performing, but building departments retained wide discretion on timelines and fees.

Florida rewrote the statute effective July 1, 2026, making it much more favorable for those building in the state. Now:

1. The department has 10 business days to act. Once a qualified private provider approves your plans, the building department has 10 business days to issue the permit—down from 20.

2. Miss the deadline, and the permit is approved by law. If the department doesn't act inside its window, the permit is deemed approved and must be issued the next business day.

3. The review can't be reopened. Once a qualifying private provider approves the plans, the department can't re-run the plan review or reopen the code interpretation. Its role narrows to confirming the submitted package is complete.

4. Commercial fee reductions are mandatory. Local governments are now required to reduce commercial permit fees when a private provider handles qualifying work — at least 25% when a private provider performs plan review or inspections, and at least 50% when a private provider performs all qualifying plan review and inspections. A department that fails to provide the required reduction may forfeit its ability to collect permit fees on that commercial project at all. Departments also can't charge plan review or inspection fees for services they aren't performing.

5. Audits require notice. A building department must give at least five business days' notice before auditing a private provider's work.

Now there's a consequence attached to every step, making it possible to get a real date to build against rather than an estimate.

What the building department still reviews

Private plan review covers building code review. It doesn't remove the department from the process entirely. The building department still manages:

• Local ordinances and jurisdiction-specific amendments
• Floodplain requirements
• Site work
• Life-safety items outside the building code

These still route through the department on their normal timeline. On most commercial tenant improvements they're minor or absent. On a ground-up project with significant site work, they can be a constraint.

Do private inspections come with it?

Florida's statute lets an owner elect a private provider for plan review only, inspections only, or both. Some jurisdictions, however, require that if a private provider handles plan review, a private provider must also handle the inspections — so whether a review-only engagement is available depends on where you're building. The scope also determines your fee reduction: at least 25% when a private provider handles plan review or inspections, at least 50% when one handles all qualifying plan review and inspections.

Private plan review with Pulley

Pulley has a fully certified, in-house team of reviewers, allowing us to perform private plan review for commercial tenant improvements and ground-up commercial projects. Here's what you can expect when working with Pulley on private plan review:

The right program for your goals. Pulley's team guides you to what permitting plan makes sense for your project, showing how each option affects timeline, review certainty, and cost.

Certified experts on staff. Local, Florida-certified plans examiners on your Pulley project team, with the discipline certifications your project requires.

A quick path from submittal to issued permit. We review your plans within three business days, then the department has 10 business days to issue or it's approved by law.

Clear, actionable comments. Receive straightforward markups and responses alongside your permit documents, where you can quickly execute them.

Lower AHJ fees and carrying costs. Florida now requires AHJs to cut commercial permit fees when a private provider handles qualifying review, and you spend less time waiting in the department's queue.

One partner, everywhere you build. Pulley acts as one expert permitting partner across your entire pipeline — no separate provider needed for the jurisdictions where private plan review applies.

Not sure if private plan review fits your program?

Tell us about your project and we'll walk you through the timeline, process, and fees to expect.

Frequently asked questions about private plan review in Florida

Is private plan review legal in Florida?

Yes. Florida has permitted it since 2002 under the state's private provider statute. It's an established alternative to building department review, not an exception or a workaround.

Who can act as a private provider?

Under Florida law, a private provider must be a licensed engineer, a licensed architect, or a licensed building code administrator. Certified plans examiners and inspectors can perform plan review and inspections as authorized representatives of a private provider.

Does the building department still issue the permit?

Yes. Private plan review changes who reviews the plans, not who issues the permit. The department issues the permit, and now has 10 business days to do so once a private provider has approved the plans.

Can the department review the plans again after a private provider approves them?

No. Once a qualifying private provider approves the plans, the department can't re-run the plan review or reopen the code interpretation. It confirms the package is complete.

How much are permit fees reduced?

Florida now requires commercial permit fee reductions of at least 25% when a private provider handles plan review or inspections, and at least 50% when a private provider handles all qualifying plan review and inspections. The exact figure depends on the jurisdiction and the scope of what's handled privately.

How long does private plan review take?

That depends on the provider. With Pulley, initial review comes back within three business days and re-reviews within one. The building department then has 10 business days to issue the permit.

What kinds of commercial projects qualify?

Pulley's private plan review is available for commercial tenant improvements and ground-up commercial projects in Florida.