Yes. In Florida, you can act as your own contractor for a one-family or two-family home for your own use and occupancy1. You must directly supervise work not performed by licensed contractors, and you cannot offer the home for sale or lease1. You still need a building permit for covered construction2. No Florida county is listed as exempt from residential building permits on unincorporated land3.
Who qualifies for Florida’s owner-builder exemption?
You can build your own Florida home without a contractor’s license if you meet the owner-builder conditions.
You can build your own Florida home without a contractor’s license if you meet the owner-builder conditions1. Florida’s residential exemption covers construction, improvements, maintenance, repairs, alterations and additions to a one-family or two-family residence1. You must use and occupy the residence yourself and cannot offer it for sale or lease1.
You must appear in person and sign the building permit application1. Your local building office can also require you to show that you understand your legal obligations1. Ask that office for its owner-builder application requirements before you commit to the project1.
Can you hire workers under a Florida owner-builder permit?
You can hire workers, but you must directly supervise onsite work that licensed contractors do not perform.
You can hire workers, but you must directly supervise onsite work that licensed contractors do not perform1. Florida does not let you hand that responsibility to an unlicensed person acting as your contractor1. Anyone you delegate supervision to must be registered or certified for that work within their license scope1.
Unlicensed workers must be your employees under your direct supervision1. You must meet the applicable FICA withholding and workers’ compensation obligations1. Florida’s owner-builder exemption does not cover someone you hire who acts as a contractor1. Ask your local building office how your plans for hiring and supervision meet the owner-builder requirements before you hire workers1.
Can you sell or rent a Florida owner-built home?
Florida’s residential owner-builder exemption requires your own use and occupancy and excludes construction offered for sale or lease.
Florida’s residential owner-builder exemption requires your own use and occupancy and excludes construction offered for sale or lease1. A sale, lease or offer within 1 year after completion creates a legal presumption that you built for sale or lease1. That presumption concerns why you built the home and does not give you permission to build a rental under Florida’s exemption1.
You still must meet Florida’s own-use condition after the anniversary1. Ask your local building office how plans to market the home or rent it out affect your eligibility1. Discuss how you intend to use the home before you sign the owner-builder application1.
What does a Florida owner-builder building permit cost and require?
Your enforcing agency sets Florida building permit fees through its adopted charges, so ask that office for a fee schedule for your project.
Your enforcing agency sets Florida building permit fees through its adopted charges, so ask that office for a fee schedule for your project2. Ask for the owner-builder paperwork and the documents you need to complete your building permit application1,4.
For listed Florida permit types with local-government plans review, structures below 7,500 square feet generally have a 30-business-day review period4. Your application must be complete and sufficient, and written waivers or other statutory conditions can affect the timing4. Local ordinances can set shorter review periods4. Ask your building office which review category covers your home before you set a construction start date4.
Does Florida’s small-work exemption let you build without a permit?
You cannot use Florida’s small-work building permit exemption to build a new house without a permit.
You cannot use Florida’s small-work building permit exemption to build a new house without a permit2. Florida’s exemption covers work below $7,500 on a single-family dwelling owner’s property2. It excludes electrical, plumbing, structural, mechanical and gas work on property containing a single-family dwelling2.
Your property cannot be partly or entirely in a flood hazard area2. You must submit a written exemption request with a contract or other documents showing what the work involves and its value2. You cannot divide a project to get around the rule2. To build a home, start with the building permit application and owner-builder conditions in the Florida owner-builder overview1,2.
Watch-outs
- Your Florida owner-builder permit does not authorize an unlicensed contractor to run your project1.
- Offering your home for sale or lease within 1 year after completion creates a presumption that you built for sale or lease1.
- You still must meet building-code, zoning and inspection obligations under Florida’s licensing exemption1.
- Florida’s small-work building permit exemption excludes structural work and property partly or entirely in a flood hazard area2.
Sources
4 official pages, each quoted and re-checked · written November 4, 2026
- Florida: 2026 Florida Statutes § 489.103, Exemptions
- Florida: Florida Statutes § 553.79—Permits; applications; issuance; inspections
- Bolthole Index county rulebook, 67 Florida counties, as of November 13, 2026: Florida counties that do not require a residential building permit in unincorporated areas
- Florida: F.S. 553.792 — Building permit application to local government
Written November 4, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.