PLANTATION, Fla., March 21, 2026 – Inspected, a Florida-based, tech-enabled private provider offering alternative plan review and remote virtual inspections for residential and commercial contractors, celebrates the Florida Legislature’s unanimous passage of amendments to the state’s private provider statute. HB 803 will now reduce bureaucratic barriers that stall or drastically slow renovation and building projects, which have a crippling effect on the state’s building industry.
Homeowners and builders will see immediate benefits, as the amended legislation requires local enforcement agencies to reduce permit fees by 25-50% when private providers are used to review plans or inspect buildings on commercial projects. The bill also establishes strict deadlines for permit approvals, mandates local agencies must accept electronic document submissions, and allows counties, municipalities and school districts to use private providers on public work projects.
Additional changes include banning building departments and local governments from charging additional fees and documentation requirements when using a private provider during building code inspections and calls on the Florida’s Building Commission to create uniform commercial and uniform residential permit applications.
“These statutory improvements represent a major victory for contractors and property owners across Florida,” said Ian Cohen, CEO of Inspected. “We worked closely with legislators and industry partners to create clarity where confusion existed and ensure that contractors maintain their right to choose the inspection services that work best for their projects and the people of Florida.”
The Florida House passed the measure 109-0, while the Senate approved it 37-0, demonstrating broad bipartisan support for inspection reform that will benefit contractors and property owners across the state. With Governor Ron DeSantis’s signature, the changes could take effect as early as July 1, 2026.
Inspected worked with the Florida Home Builders Association to push these amendments forward and remove statutory ambiguity while establishing clear processes between contractors, fee owners, private providers, and building departments. While most Florida building departments operated in compliance with F.S. 553.791, the changes will force persistent non-compliance issues in certain jurisdictions like Miami-Dade that willfully misinterpreted statutes to make immediate changes.
For example, building departments that refused to modernize legacy practices despite state requirements, or created unauthorized processes that obstructed private inspection services and delayed project completion for contractors and property owners will need to change immediately.
“The growth opportunities for virtual and remote inspections just expanded significantly with this legislative victory,” said Marty Hebert, Director of Growth at Inspected. “These changes will help contractors in every corner of Florida access faster, more efficient permit processing and inspection services while maintaining the highest safety standards.”
The amended legislation strengthens existing contractor rights while providing building departments with clearer guidance on working with private providers. Contractors and fee owners throughout Florida can now move forward with greater confidence that their choice to work with qualified private providers will be honored and supported by local building departments without delays or additional barriers.
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