For commercial developers, permit fees are one of those line items that quietly add up across a portfolio — and until recently, there wasn't much you could do about them. HB 803 changed that. As of July 1, 2026, using a Florida private provider isn't just faster; on commercial projects it comes with a mandatory 50% cut in permit fees.
Here's exactly how the savings work, what else changed, and why the timing matters for anything you're building this year.
The headline: a 50% commercial permit fee reduction
Under HB 803, when a developer or contractor uses a qualifying private provider for all qualifying plan review and inspection work on a commercial project, the local government must reduce commercial permit fees by at least 50%.
Use a private provider for part of that scope, and you're still entitled to a minimum 25% reduction.
And it goes further: local governments are prohibited from charging plan review or inspection fees for services they did not perform. If your private provider did the plan review, the jurisdiction can't bill you for a plan review it didn't do.
For a developer running multiple commercial projects a year, that is real money — not a rounding error.
A quick example
Say a mid-size commercial project carries $60,000 in combined plan review and inspection permit fees through the traditional municipal process.
- Full private provider scope (plan review + inspections): minimum 50% reduction → roughly $30,000 saved on that one project.
- Partial scope: minimum 25% reduction → roughly $15,000 saved.
Multiply across a development pipeline and the private provider route becomes one of the easiest cost levers you have — before you factor in the time savings. (Actual fees and reductions vary by jurisdiction and project. The percentages above are the statutory minimums under HB 803.)
It's not just fees — it's the timeline
Permit delays cost more than permit fees. Carrying costs, financing, tenant timelines, and crew scheduling all ride on how fast you can get through the building department. HB 803 addresses that too:
- A 10-business-day permit "shot clock" for the building department to review plans or issue the permit when a private provider is used — down from 20 business days. Miss the deadline, and the application is deemed approved.
- Limits on duplicate plan review. Jurisdictions generally can't re-review plans a qualifying private provider already approved.
- No prohibition on virtual inspections. Departments can't force you into a slower, in-person-only process.
For big commercial projects that tend to crawl through the system, that combination — half the fees and half the review window — is exactly the kind of incentive that gets projects moving.
Why the timing matters right now
- The law is new and fully in effect. HB 803 took effect July 1, 2026. Jurisdictions are adjusting, and the developers who understand the rules best are capturing the savings first.
- The state is reinforcing it. A July 2026 Florida Attorney General opinion confirmed that local building departments can't duplicate a private provider's work, can't impose rules stricter than state law, and can't charge for services they didn't perform — with unauthorized fees subject to refund.
What to do before your next commercial permit
- Model the fee savings up front. Ask your private provider to estimate the 25%/50% reduction against your jurisdiction's fee schedule before you submit.
- Assign the full scope where it makes sense. The 50% reduction requires the private provider to handle all qualifying plan review and inspection work — so scope it intentionally.
- Hold the jurisdiction to the shot clock. Ten business days is the standard when a private provider is involved. Track it.
- Review past invoices. If you've paid full permit fees on private provider projects, those charges may be worth a second look.
Build with a private provider that knows commercial
Tew & Taylor has been Florida's private provider since 2008, registered in more than 300 municipalities, with offices in West Palm Beach, St. Petersburg, Jacksonville, and Orlando. We handle commercial plan review and inspections under Section 553.791 — capturing the full HB 803 fee reduction, keeping you inside the 10-day window, and eliminating the duplicate steps that slow commercial projects down.
*Tew & Taylor's role in Florida's private provider market was recently featured in the Jacksonville Business Journal.*
Ready to see what a private provider would save on your next commercial project? Contact our team for a fee-reduction estimate.
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Tew & Taylor provides private inspections, plan review, and permitting support across Florida under F.S. §553.791.
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