Critical deadline: Florida HB 683: Critical changes are here for building departments

5 min readJul 9, 2025

Florida’s recently enacted House Bill 683 (effective July 1, 2025) brings significant changes to building permit processes, plan review requirements, and inspection procedures that will directly impact local building departments across the state. Building officials need to understand these requirements now to ensure compliance and avoid potential legal and financial consequences.

Key Deadlines and Implementation Requirements

Immediate Action Required: With the July 1, 2025 effective date, building departments have limited time to implement necessary changes to their permitting systems and processes.

Critical Permit Processing Timelines

The most significant change affects permit processing for alternative plans review applications:

Single-Trade Plans Review for Single/Two-Family Dwellings:

New requirement: Issue permits within 5 business days (reduced from 20 days)
Scope: Applies to electrical, plumbing, mechanical, and other single-trade work including:
Door/window replacements
HVAC replacements and ductwork
Electrical wiring, lighting, and service panels
Water heater changeouts
Reroofing (no structural alteration)
Solar energy installations
Fencing over 6 feet high

All Other Alternative Plans Review Applications:

Maintained at: 20 business days maximum
Automatic approval: If no written deficiency notice is provided within the timeframe, permits are deemed approved by law

Software and Technology Requirements

Building departments must be prepared to handle:

Automated Plans Review Systems:

Private providers may now use automated or software-based plans review systems for single-trade reviews
These systems must determine compliance with applicable codes (National Electrical Code, Florida Building Code)
Building departments must accept affidavits from private providers using these automated systems

Virtual Inspections:

The law now explicitly authorizes inspections to be performed “in person or virtually”
Departments should establish protocols for accepting virtual inspection reports

Compliance and Code Enforcement Changes

Documentation Requirements — What You Cannot Require

Prohibited Documentation Requests: Building departments can no longer require for permit issuance or application submission:

Contracts between builders and owners
Copies of construction contracts
Associated documents including:
Letters of intent
Material cost lists
Labor costs
Overhead or profit statements

Exception: Documents required to verify that fee owners have secured other government approvals remain permissible.

Alternative Plans Review Process Updates

Enhanced Private Provider Authority:

Private providers can now use automated software for single-trade plans reviews
Affidavits from private providers using automated systems must be accepted
Electronic signatures and electronic submission of affidavits are explicitly authorized

Streamlined Review Process:

First deficiency notice must specify exact plan features, code chapters, and sections
Subsequent reviews limited only to previously cited deficiencies
Revised timelines for resubmittals (5 business days for corrections)

Financial and Legal Implications

Deemed Approval Consequences

If your department fails to provide written deficiency notices within prescribed timeframes:

Permits are automatically approved by law
Must issue permits the next business day
No discretionary authority to delay or deny

This represents significant legal and financial exposure for departments that cannot meet the new deadlines.

Change Order Processing (For Construction Contracts)

New Section 218.755 requires local governmental entities to:

Approve or deny contractor change order quotes within 35 days
Provide specific deficiency information in denial notices
Automatic approval and payment required if no timely response is provided

Implementation Checklist for Building Departments

Immediate Actions (Before July 1, 2025)

Software and System Updates:

Review current permitting software capabilities for expedited single-trade reviews
Ensure systems can track and flag 5-day vs. 20-day review deadlines
Verify electronic affidavit submission and processing capabilities
Establish protocols for accepting automated plans review documentation

Process and Procedure Updates:

Revise internal workflows for single-trade permit reviews
Train staff on new timeline requirements and automatic approval consequences
Update permit application forms to remove prohibited documentation requests
Establish virtual inspection protocols and acceptance procedures

Legal and Administrative Preparation:

Review and update local ordinances that may conflict with new requirements
Ensure legal counsel understands deemed approval implications
Update fee schedules if necessary to accommodate expedited review timelines

Ongoing Compliance Requirements

Quality Control Measures:

Implement robust tracking systems for permit review timelines
Establish backup procedures for meeting deadlines during peak periods
Create standardized deficiency notice templates with specific code citations
Develop staff training programs on new automated system acceptance requirements

Documentation and Record Keeping:

Maintain detailed records of review timelines for legal protection
Document all communications regarding deficiency notices
Preserve electronic submission records for auditing purposes

Strategic Considerations

Staffing and Resource Planning

The accelerated timeline for single-trade reviews will require departments to:

Assess current staffing levels for residential permit reviews
Consider peak demand periods and seasonal variations
Evaluate whether additional resources are needed to meet 5-day requirements
Plan for potential overtime costs during high-volume periods

Technology Investment

Departments should evaluate:

Automated compliance software that integrates seamlessly with any existing permitting workflow, such as Symbium
Integration with private provider automated systems
Electronic document processing efficiency
Backup systems for critical deadline periods

Risk Management

The automatic approval provisions create significant exposure. Departments must:

Establish fail-safe procedures for meeting deadlines
Create escalation protocols for potential delays
Consider legal and insurance implications of deemed approvals
Develop contingency plans for system failures or staff shortages

For departments needing assistance with software solutions or process optimization to meet these new requirements, Symbium offers specialized building department technology solutions designed and configured to be directly responsive to an individual jurisdiction’s regulatory and procedural requirements, ideal for adoption in Florida where diverse local building codes, varying permit volumes, and now accelerated timeline mandates require flexible, customizable software that can adapt to each department’s unique operational needs while ensuring statewide statutory compliance.

This article provides general guidance on HB 683 requirements. Building departments should consult with legal counsel for specific compliance questions and implementation strategies.

About Symbium

Symbium is the leader in automated compliance checks for instant or accelerated permit issuance across a range of project types in the housing and energy saving space. The company partners with local building departments — at no cost to them — to enable instant permitting, which is used by high volume and independent installers everywhere. Symbium is currently a resident at Autodesk and has achieved significant recognition and growth as a proud portfolio company of climate impact leaders such as Elemental Impact and RMI’s Third Derivative. The company continues to receive numerous awards for its breakthrough tech and success with instant permitting from the Association for Corporate Growth, GovTech 100, the ALP Alain Colmerauer Heritage Prize, the Ivory Prize, BuiltWorlds Maverick, and the Hive 50.

Learn more about automating compliance checks with Symbium for local building departments.