FAQS

In Florida, a Private Provider is a private company licensed to perform the same plan review and construction inspections as a building department normally would. Private Providers operate as supplemental, private building departments alongside local municipal building departments.

You’re ready to work with a private provider like Freedom Code Compliance if your construction business meets a few key criteria:

1. You use modern project management tools — You and your team are comfortable with project management tools & software to help run your construction business.

2. You have dedicated administrative staff — Someone in your business is focused on permitting, scheduling inspections, and managing documents full-time.

3. You’re organized — You can quickly locate permits, plans, and inspection records when needed.

4. You have steady project volume — You handle multiple permitted projects per month, making the service cost-effective.

5. You’re ready to move forward — You understand the benefits of faster plan reviews, virtual inspections, and permit expediting, and are prepared to act if it’s a good fit.

If you meet these conditions, a private provider like us can help speed up your timelines, reduce building department delays, and give you a competitive advantage.

When a building department receives a permit from a contractor who has elected to use a Private Provider for either inspections, plan review, or both, that building department legally has only 20 business days to issue the permit or issue a request for corrections on that permit. On day 21, if no notice has been given to the contractor that there is any problem with the permit that needs to be corrected, the building department is legally required to issue the permit in accordance with FL 553.791 (7)(A).

When a Private Provider performs Plan Review prior to submitting the permit, this removes the responsibility of Plan Review from the building department. That means that the permit will skip the plan review line in the permitting process and move straight from Zoning to Final Review.

As a Private Provider, all of our building inspections are scheduled and performed virtually through our website. Some inspections such as framing and MEPs require scheduling a video inspection with a member of our team. However, many inspections can be done by submitting pictures to our online inspection forms. These convenient options allow contractors and project managers to get inspection approvals faster than ever!

When the final inspection is complete and the Private Provider has filed the Inspection Record and Certificate of Compliance under the applicable permit, the building department legally has only 2 days to close the permit and/or issue a Certificate of Occupancy for residential permits and 10 days for commercial permits according to FL 553.791 (13)(A).

Yes, in most cases a Private Provider is faster than the Building Department.

Under Florida Statute 553.791, contractors have the option to use a licensed Private Provider to perform plan reviews and inspections instead of waiting on the local building department. The statute was created specifically to help reduce delays and keep projects on schedule.

• Plan Reviews: Private Providers can often review plans within days, while building departments may take weeks due to backlog.

• Inspections: With a Private Provider, inspections can typically be scheduled for the same day or next day, compared to longer wait times with some jurisdictions.

• Statutory Requirement: According to F.S. 553.791(2), local building departments must accept properly conducted plan reviews and inspections from an authorized Private Provider, and they cannot delay permitting simply because a contractor chooses to use one.

In short: Using a Private Provider allows contractors to move faster because reviews and inspections are completed on your schedule, not the county’s backlog.

📌 Reference: Florida Statutes 553.791 – Alternative plans review and inspection

Contractors typically save between 25-75% on permit fees when working with Freedom Code Compliance for private plan review or building inspection services. The exact savings depend on the policies of your local building department.

Florida Statute 553.791 (2)(b) requires local building departments to reduce permit fees by the amount saved when private providers are used. These reductions can be calculated using flat fees, percentages, or other reasonable methods.

According to the Florida Private Provider Statute 553.791, when a building department receives a permit from a contractor who has elected to use a Private Provider for either inspections, plan review, or both, that building department legally has only 20 business days to issue the permit or issue a request for corrections on that permit. On day 21, if no notice has been given to the contractor that there is any problem with the permit that needs to be corrected, the building department is legally required to issue the permit according to FL 553.791 (7)(A).

When the final inspection is complete and the Private Provider has filed the Inspection Record and Certificate of Compliance under the applicable permit, the building department legally has only 2 days to close the permit and/or issue a Certificate of Occupancy for residential permits and 10 days for commercial permits according to FL 553.791 (13)(A).

In our experience, we find that almost all building departments expedite permits submitted with Private Providers so that they will not be found guilty of violating the law.

No, unfortunately all permits are subject to zoning, fire, and public works reviews and inspections by the building department. However, as a Private Provider, Freedom Code Compliance can expedite the permitting process by performing Rapid Plan Review of building, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing plans before the permit is even submitted. By skipping over the plan review process for building, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing, the Contractor can expect to wait only for zoning reviews before moving to final review and Permit Issue!

In Florida, opting for a Private Provider for inspections, plan review, or both significantly impacts the timeline for your permit application. When a contractor submits a permit application using a Private Provider, the local building department is legally bound to a stricter timeline for processing this application. Specifically, the department has only 20 business days to either issue the permit or request corrections. This is a key aspect under Florida Statute 553.791 (7)(A).

If the 20-business-day period passes without the building department issuing a notice to the contractor about any required corrections, the department is legally obligated to issue the permit on the 21st day. This requirement ensures a more expedited and predictable permit process for contractors using Private Providers.

The use of a Private Provider can thus streamline the permit application process, reducing potential delays often experienced in the traditional permit review conducted by the building department. This can be particularly beneficial for construction projects with tight schedules, allowing for a more efficient start to the construction or renovation work.

When we handle all three services—plan reviews, virtual inspections, and permit expediting—we have full visibility into your project from start to finish. This means:

• We can actively monitor the entire permit process and ensure nothing is holding it up.

• We can help get permits approved in 20 days or less in most cases, as allowed under the Florida Statute 553.791

• We immediately know if there’s an incomplete permit, missing documents, or a hold from the building department and can address it right away.

If we only handle plan reviews and inspections, we cannot see what’s happening in the permitting stage—so bottlenecks may go unnoticed until they cause costly delays.

HB 683 requires local governments to process certain single-trade residential permits (like electrical, roofing, solar, and mechanical) within 5 business days. That means contractors no longer have to wait weeks for approvals on smaller jobs. Faster permits help projects stay on schedule and reduce costly downtime.

Under HB 683, local governments now have 30 days to approve or deny a contractor’s change order request. If they don’t respond in time, the change order is automatically approved. This protects contractors from long delays and gives more control over timelines and budgets.

The 5-day processing rule applies to certain residential single-trade permits, but private providers can be used for both residential and commercial projects. This means contractors working on larger jobs can still benefit from faster plan reviews, same-day inspections, and streamlined permitting.

Yes. HB 683 encourages local governments to adjust permitting fees based on how quickly they process permits—or whether you use a private provider. Since building departments cannot charge for plan reviews and inspections handled by private providers, many contractors will see real cost savings by going this route.