Florida Senate - 2015 CS for SB 1486
By the Committee on Community Affairs; and Senator Brandes
578-03626-15 20151486c1
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to residential master building permit
3 programs; creating s. 553.794, F.S.; requiring local
4 governments to create master building permit programs
5 if requested by a licensed general, building, or
6 residential contractor to assist builders who
7 construct certain dwellings and townhomes on a
8 repetitive basis; defining terms; providing
9 requirements for submitting a master building permit
10 application, a general construction plan, or a site
11 specific building permit application; specifying
12 documents that must be provided with the applications
13 and plan; requiring master building permits to be
14 approved or denied within a time certain; providing
15 duration of validity of approved master building
16 permits; authorizing a builder to use a master
17 building permit for individual dwellings or townhomes
18 under certain conditions; limiting revisions to
19 approved master building permits; authorizing
20 governing bodies of local governments to set specified
21 fees; providing for penalties under certain
22 circumstances; authorizing local governments to adopt
23 procedures to carry out master building permit
24 programs; providing an effective date.
25
26 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
27
28 Section 1. Section 553.794, Florida Statutes, is created to
29 read:
30 553.794 Local government residential master building permit
31 program.—
32 (1) MASTER BUILDING PERMIT PROGRAM CREATION.—If a local
33 building official licensed pursuant to part XII of chapter 468
34 receives a written request from a general, building, or
35 residential contractor licensed pursuant to chapter 489
36 requesting the creation of a master building permit program, the
37 local government that employs the recipient building official
38 shall create a residential master building permit program within
39 6 months after receipt of the written request. A master building
40 permit program is intended for use by builders who expect to
41 construct identical single-family or two-family dwellings or
42 townhomes on a repetitive basis. The master building permit
43 program must be designed to achieve standardization and
44 consistency during the permitting process and to reduce the time
45 spent by local building departments during the site-specific
46 building permit application process.
47 (2) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section, the term:
48 (a) “Building orientation” means the placement of a
49 building with respect to weathering elements such as sun, wind,
50 and rain and environmental factors like topography.
51 (b) “Elevation” means a construction drawing that is drawn
52 to scale and depicts the external face of the dwelling or
53 townhome to be constructed.
54 (3) MASTER BUILDING PERMIT APPLICATION.—To obtain a master
55 building permit, a builder must submit the following information
56 to the local building department:
57 (a) A completed master building permit application.
58 (b) A general construction plan that complies with
59 subsection (4).
60 (c) All general construction plan pages, documents, and
61 drawings, including structural calculations if required by the
62 local building department, signed and sealed by the design
63 professional of record, along with a written acknowledgement
64 from the design professional that the plan pages, documents, and
65 drawings contained within the master building permit application
66 will be used for future site-specific building permit
67 applications. The design professional of record must be a
68 licensed engineer or architect.
69 (d) Truss specifications, signed and sealed by the truss
70 design engineer. The design professional of record must stamp
71 and sign the truss layout sheet as reviewed and approved for
72 each model design.
73 (e) Energy performance calculations for all building
74 orientations. The calculations must consider worst-case
75 scenarios for the relevant climate zone and must include
76 component and cladding product approvals for all windows,
77 pedestrian doors, garage doors, glazed opening impact protection
78 devices, truss anchors, roof underlayments, and roof coverings.
79 The design professional of record must stamp and sign all
80 product approvals as reviewed and approved for use with each
81 model design.
82 (4) GENERAL CONSTRUCTION PLAN.—The general construction
83 plan submitted as part of a master building permit application:
84 (a) May be submitted in electronic or paper format, as
85 required by the local building department. A plan submitted in
86 paper format must be a minimum of 36 inches by 48 inches or must
87 comply with requirements of the local building department.
88 (b) Shall include left-hand and right-hand building
89 orientations, including floor plans.
90 (c) Shall include a model design that may include up to
91 four alternate exterior elevations, each containing the same
92 living space footprint. The model design:
93 1. May not contain more than three alternate garage
94 layouts, with each garage layout limited to accommodating no
95 more than three cars.
96 2. Must include a foundation plan.
97 3. Must contain a truss layout sheet for each exterior
98 elevation that is compatible with the roof plan.
99 (d) Must show typical wall sections from the foundation to
100 the roof.
101 (e) Must contain a complete set of applicable electrical,
102 plumbing, fuel gas, and mechanical plans.
103 (f) Must contain window, door, and glazed opening impact
104 protection device schedules, if applicable.
105 (5) MASTER BUILDING PERMIT APPROVAL PROCESS.—
106 (a) A builder may submit to the local building department a
107 master building permit application that contains the information
108 identified in subsection (3). Once a master building permit
109 application is approved as provided in this subsection, the
110 local building department may only require the builder to submit
111 the documents identified in subsection (7) for each site
112 specific building permit application for a single-family or two
113 family dwelling or townhome.
114 (b) The local building department shall review the general
115 construction plan submitted as part of the master building
116 permit application to determine compliance with existing
117 building code requirements. If the general construction plan is
118 approved and all documents provided pursuant to subsections (3)
119 and (4) are verified, the builder shall receive a master
120 building permit and permit number.
121 (c) The local building department must approve or deny a
122 master building permit application within 120 days after the
123 local building department receives a completed application,
124 unless the applicant agrees to a longer period.
125 (d) A builder may use the master building permit number for
126 each dwelling or townhome as long as the builder uses the model
127 design contained in the master building permit.
128 (e) An approved master building permit will remain valid
129 until the Florida Building Code is updated as provided in s.
130 553.73.
131 (6) REVISIONS TO MASTER BUILDING PERMIT.—Once a master
132 building permit has been approved, a local building department:
133 (a) May not allow structural revisions to the master
134 building.
135 (b) May allow limited nonstructural revisions to the master
136 building so long as any revised floor plan is submitted to and
137 approved by the local building department.
138 (c) May accept limited field revisions, as determined by
139 the local building department.
140 (7) SITE-SPECIFIC BUILDING PERMIT APPLICATIONS.—Once a
141 builder has an approved master building permit, the builder is
142 only required to submit the following information for each site
143 specific building permit application for a single-family or two
144 family dwelling or townhome:
145 (a) A completed site-specific building permit application
146 that includes the master building permit number and identifies
147 the model design to be built, including elevation and garage
148 style.
149 (b) Three signed and sealed copies of the lot or parcel
150 survey or site plan, as applicable. The survey or site plan must
151 indicate the Federal Emergency Management Agency flood zone,
152 base flood elevation, and minimum finished floor elevation. Lot
153 or parcel drainage indicators must be shown along with site
154 elevations.
155 (c) An affidavit by the licensed engineer of record
156 affirming that the master building permit is a true and correct
157 copy of the master building permit on file with the local
158 building department. The affidavit must reference the master
159 building permit number. The licensed engineer of record must
160 affirm that the master building permit will conform to soil
161 conditions on the specific site.
162 (d) Complete mechanical drawings of the model design,
163 including HVAC heating and cooling load calculations and
164 equipment specifications.
165 (e) Specific information that was not included in the
166 master building permit application addressing the HVAC system
167 design, including duct design and heating and cooling load
168 calculations.
169 (8) FEES.—The governing bodies of local governments may set
170 fees pursuant to s. 553.80(7).
171 (9) PENALTIES.—In addition to any other penalty provided by
172 law, a builder or design professional who willfully violates
173 this section shall be fined $10,000 for each dwelling or
174 townhome that is built under the master building permit that
175 does not conform to the master building permit on file with the
176 local building department.
177 (10) PROGRAM GUIDELINES.—Each local government may adopt
178 procedures to provide master building permit program guidelines
179 and requirements for the submission and approval of materials
180 and applications.
181 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2015.