Florida Senate - 2025 SB 902
By Senator Martin
33-01736-25 2025902__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to panelized construction; reordering
3 and amending s. 553.36, F.S.; defining the term
4 “panelized construction”; amending s. 553.37, F.S.;
5 providing that panelized construction is exempt from
6 state approval but must comply with all local
7 requirements of the governmental agency having
8 jurisdiction at the installation site; amending ss.
9 316.515, 553.415, and 627.702, F.S.; conforming cross
10 references; providing an effective date.
11
12 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
13
14 Section 1. Section 553.36, Florida Statutes, is reordered
15 and amended to read:
16 553.36 Definitions.—The definitions contained in this
17 section govern the construction of this part unless the context
18 otherwise requires.
19 (1) “Approved” means conforming to the requirements of the
20 Florida Building Code.
21 (2) “Approved inspection agency” means an organization
22 determined by the department to be especially qualified by
23 reason of facilities, personnel, experience, and demonstrated
24 reliability to investigate, test, and evaluate manufactured
25 building units or systems or the component parts thereof,
26 together with the plans, specifications, and quality control
27 procedures to ensure that such units, systems, or component
28 parts are in full compliance with the Florida Building Code and
29 to label such units complying with those standards.
30 (3) “Closed construction” means that condition when any
31 building, component, assembly, subassembly, or system is
32 manufactured in such a manner that all portions cannot be
33 readily inspected at the installation site without disassembly
34 or destruction thereof.
35 (15)(4) “Open construction” means any building, building
36 component, assembly, or system manufactured in such a manner
37 that all portions can be readily inspected at the building site
38 without disassembly thereof, damage thereto, or destruction
39 thereof.
40 (4)(5) “Columbarium” means a permanent structure consisting
41 of niches.
42 (5)(6) “Component” means any assembly, subassembly, or
43 combination of parts for use as a part of a building, which may
44 include structural, electrical, mechanical, and fire protection
45 systems and other systems affecting health and safety.
46 Components that incorporate elements of a building subject to
47 the product approval system adopted under s. 553.842 are subject
48 to approval in accordance with the product approval system upon
49 implementation thereof and are not subject to the rules adopted
50 under this part. Components to which the rules adopted under
51 this part apply are limited to three-dimensional systems for use
52 as part of a building.
53 (6)(7) “Department” means the Department of Business and
54 Professional Regulation.
55 (7)(8) “Factory-built school shelter” means any site
56 assembled or factory-built school building that is designed to
57 be portable, relocatable, demountable, or reconstructible and
58 that complies with the provisions for enhanced hurricane
59 protection areas, as required by the applicable code.
60 (8)(9) “Insignia” means an approved device or seal issued
61 by the department to indicate compliance with the standards and
62 rules established pursuant to this part.
63 (9)(10) “Install” means the assembly of a manufactured
64 building component or system on site and the process of affixing
65 a manufactured building component or system to land, a
66 foundation, or an existing building, and service connections
67 which are a part thereof.
68 (10)(11) “Local government” means any municipality, county,
69 district, or combination thereof comprising a governmental unit.
70 (11)(12) “Manufacture” means the process of making,
71 fabricating, constructing, forming, or assembling a product from
72 raw, unfinished, semifinished, or finished materials.
73 (12)(13) “Manufactured building,”, “modular building,” or
74 “factory-built building” means a closed structure, building
75 assembly, or system of subassemblies, which may include
76 structural, electrical, plumbing, heating, ventilating, or other
77 service systems manufactured in manufacturing facilities for
78 installation or erection as a finished building or as part of a
79 finished building, which includes shall include, but is not be
80 limited to, residential, commercial, institutional, storage, and
81 industrial structures. The term includes buildings not intended
82 for human habitation, such as lawn storage buildings and storage
83 sheds manufactured and assembled offsite by a manufacturer
84 certified in conformance with this part. This part does not
85 apply to mobile homes.
86 (13)(14) “Mobile home” means any residential unit
87 constructed to standards promulgated by the United States
88 Department of Housing and Urban Development.
89 (14)(15) “Module” means a separately transported three
90 dimensional component of a manufactured building which contains
91 all or a portion of structural systems, electrical systems,
92 plumbing systems, mechanical systems, fire systems, and thermal
93 systems.
94 (16) “Panelized construction” means any building with non
95 concealed mechanical, electrical, and plumbing components which
96 is created by the off-site fabrication of structural components
97 or panels, which components or panels are then transported to
98 the construction site for assembly. The term includes walls,
99 floors, and roof sections that are typically made from materials
100 such as wood, metal, or concrete.
101 (17)(16) “Private mausoleum” means a structure intended for
102 the private use of a family or group of family members.
103 (18)(17) “Site” is the location on which a manufactured
104 building is installed or is to be installed.
105 (19)(18) “System” means structural, plumbing, mechanical,
106 heating, electrical, or ventilating elements, materials, or
107 components combined for use in a building.
108 Section 2. Subsection (12) of section 553.37, Florida
109 Statutes, is amended to read:
110 553.37 Rules; inspections; and insignia.—
111 (12) Panelized construction and custom or one-of-a-kind
112 prototype manufactured buildings are not required to have state
113 approval, but must be in compliance with all local requirements
114 of the governmental agency having jurisdiction at the
115 installation site.
116 Section 3. Subsection (14) of section 316.515, Florida
117 Statutes, is amended to read:
118 316.515 Maximum width, height, length.—
119 (14) MANUFACTURED BUILDINGS.—The Department of
120 Transportation may, in its discretion and upon application and
121 good cause shown therefor that the same is not contrary to the
122 public interest, issue a special permit for truck tractor
123 semitrailer combinations where the total number of overwidth
124 deliveries of manufactured buildings, as defined in s. 553.36 s.
125 553.36(13), may be reduced by permitting the use of multiple
126 sections or single units on an overlength trailer of no more
127 than 80 feet.
128 Section 4. Subsection (9) of section 553.415, Florida
129 Statutes, is amended to read:
130 553.415 Factory-built school buildings.—
131 (9) The school district or community college district for
132 which any factory-built school building is constructed or
133 altered after July 1, 2001, shall provide for periodic
134 inspection of the proposed factory-built school building during
135 each phase of construction or alteration. The inspector shall
136 act under the direction of the governing board for employment
137 purposes. This subsection does not prevent a school district or
138 community college district from purchasing or otherwise using a
139 factory-built school building that has been inspected during all
140 phases of construction or alteration conducted after July 1,
141 2001, by another school district or community college or by an
142 approved inspection agency certified pursuant to s. 553.36 s.
143 553.36(2). If a factory-built school building is constructed or
144 altered for an entity other than a school district or community
145 college district, such entity may employ at its election a
146 school district, community college district, or such approved
147 inspection agency to conduct such inspections. A school district
148 or community college district so employed may charge such entity
149 for services at reasonable rates comparable to those charged for
150 similar services by approved inspection agencies.
151 Section 5. Paragraph (a) of subsection (1) and subsection
152 (5) of section 627.702, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
153 627.702 Valued policy law.—
154 (1)(a) In the event of the total loss of any building,
155 structure, mobile home as defined in s. 320.01(2), or
156 manufactured building as defined in s. 553.36 s. 553.36(13),
157 located in this state and insured by any insurer as to a covered
158 peril, in the absence of any change increasing the risk without
159 the insurer’s consent and in the absence of fraudulent or
160 criminal fault on the part of the insured or one acting in her
161 or his behalf, the insurer’s liability under the policy for such
162 total loss, if caused by a covered peril, shall be in the amount
163 of money for which such property was so insured as specified in
164 the policy and for which a premium has been charged and paid.
165 (5) This section does not apply as to personal property or
166 any interest therein, except with respect to mobile homes as
167 defined in s. 320.01(2) or manufactured buildings as defined in
168 s. 553.36 s. 553.36(13). Nor does this section apply to coverage
169 of an appurtenant structure or other structure or any coverage
170 or claim in which the dollar amount of coverage available as to
171 the structure involved is not directly stated in the policy as a
172 dollar amount specifically applicable to that particular
173 structure.
174 Section 6. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.