Florida Senate - 2015 SB 1486
By Senator Brandes
22-01127-15 20151486__
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 to assist builders who construct certain dwellings and
6 townhomes on a repetitive basis; defining terms;
7 providing requirements for submitting a master
8 building permit application, a general construction
9 plan, or a site-specific building permit application;
10 specifying documents that must be provided with the
11 applications and plan; requiring master building
12 permits to be approved or denied within a time
13 certain; providing duration of validity of approved
14 master building permits; authorizing a builder to use
15 a master building permit for individual dwellings or
16 townhomes under certain conditions; limiting revisions
17 to approved master building permits; limiting the
18 amount a local government may charge for master
19 building permit or site-specific building permit
20 applications; providing for penalties under certain
21 circumstances; authorizing local governments to adopt
22 procedures to carry out master building permit
23 programs; providing an effective date.
24
25 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
26
27 Section 1. Section 553.794, Florida Statutes, is created to
28 read:
29 553.794 Local government residential master building permit
30 program.—
31 (1) MASTER BUILDING PERMIT PROGRAM CREATION.—Each local
32 government shall create a residential master building permit
33 program for use by builders who expect to construct identical
34 single-family or two-family dwellings or townhomes on a
35 repetitive basis. The master building permit program must be
36 designed to achieve standardization and consistency during the
37 permitting process and to reduce the time spent by local
38 building departments during the site-specific building permit
39 application process.
40 (2) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section, the term:
41 (a) “Building orientation” means the placement of a
42 building with respect to weathering elements such as sun, wind,
43 and rain and environmental factors like topography.
44 (b) “Elevation” means a construction drawing that is drawn
45 to scale and depicts the external face of the dwelling or
46 townhome to be constructed.
47 (3) MASTER BUILDING PERMIT APPLICATION.—To obtain a master
48 building permit, a builder must submit the following information
49 to the local building department:
50 (a) A completed master building permit application.
51 (b) A general construction plan that complies with
52 subsection (4).
53 (c) All general construction plan pages, documents, and
54 drawings, including structural calculations if required by the
55 local building department, signed and sealed by the design
56 professional of record, along with a written acknowledgement
57 from the design professional that the plan pages, documents, and
58 drawings contained within the master building permit application
59 will be used for future site-specific building permit
60 applications. The design professional of record must be a
61 licensed engineer or architect.
62 (d) Truss specifications, signed and sealed by the truss
63 design engineer. The design professional of record must stamp
64 and sign the truss layout sheet as reviewed and approved for
65 each model design.
66 (e) Energy performance calculations for all building
67 orientations. The calculations must consider worst-case
68 scenarios for the relevant climate zone and must include
69 component and cladding product approvals for all windows,
70 pedestrian doors, garage doors, glazed opening impact protection
71 devices, truss anchors, roof underlayments, and roof coverings.
72 The design professional of record must stamp and sign all
73 product approvals as reviewed and approved for use with each
74 model design.
75 (4) GENERAL CONSTRUCTION PLAN.—The general construction
76 plan submitted as part of a master building permit application:
77 (a) May be submitted in electronic or paper format, as
78 required by the local building department. A plan submitted in
79 paper format must be a minimum of 36 inches by 48 inches or must
80 comply with requirements of the local building department.
81 (b) Shall include left-hand and right-hand building
82 orientations, including floor plans.
83 (c) Shall include a model design that may include up to
84 four alternate exterior elevations, each containing the same
85 living space footprint. The model design:
86 1. May not contain more than three alternate garage
87 layouts, with each garage layout limited to accommodating no
88 more than three cars.
89 2. Must include a foundation plan.
90 3. Must contain a truss layout sheet for each exterior
91 elevation that is compatible with the roof plan.
92 (d) Must show typical wall sections from the foundation to
93 the roof.
94 (e) Must contain a complete set of applicable electrical,
95 plumbing, fuel gas, and mechanical plans.
96 (f) Must contain window, door, and glazed opening impact
97 protection device schedules, if applicable.
98 (5) MASTER BUILDING PERMIT APPROVAL PROCESS.—
99 (a) A builder may submit to the local building department a
100 master building permit application that contains the information
101 identified in subsection (3). Once a master building permit
102 application is approved as provided in this subsection, the
103 local building department may only require the builder to submit
104 the documents identified in subsection (7) for each site
105 specific building permit application for a single-family or two
106 family dwelling or townhome.
107 (b) The local building department shall review the general
108 construction plan submitted as part of the master building
109 permit application to determine compliance with existing
110 building code requirements. If the general construction plan is
111 approved and all documents provided pursuant to subsections (3)
112 and (4) are verified, the builder shall receive a master
113 building permit and permit number.
114 (c) The local building department must approve or deny a
115 master building permit application within 120 days after the
116 local building department receives a completed application,
117 unless the applicant agrees to a longer period.
118 (d) A builder may use the master building permit number for
119 each dwelling or townhome as long as the builder uses the model
120 design contained in the master building permit.
121 (e) An approved master building permit will remain valid
122 until the Florida Building Code is updated as provided in s.
123 553.73.
124 (6) REVISIONS TO MASTER BUILDING PERMIT.—Once a master
125 building permit has been approved, a local building department:
126 (a) May not allow structural revisions to the master
127 building.
128 (b) May allow limited nonstructural revisions to the master
129 building so long as any revised floor plan is submitted to and
130 approved by the local building department.
131 (c) May accept limited field revisions, as determined by
132 the local building department.
133 (7) SITE-SPECIFIC BUILDING PERMIT APPLICATIONS.—Once a
134 builder has an approved master building permit, the builder is
135 only required to submit the following information for each site
136 specific building permit application for a single-family or two
137 family dwelling or townhome:
138 (a) A completed site-specific building permit application
139 that includes the master building permit number and identifies
140 the model design to be built, including elevation and garage
141 style.
142 (b) Three signed and sealed copies of the lot or parcel
143 survey or site plan, as applicable. The survey or site plan must
144 indicate the Federal Emergency Management Agency flood zone,
145 base flood elevation, and minimum finished floor elevation. Lot
146 or parcel drainage indicators must be shown along with site
147 elevations.
148 (c) An affidavit by the licensed engineer of record
149 affirming that the master building permit is a true and correct
150 copy of the master building permit on file with the local
151 building department. The affidavit must reference the master
152 building permit number. The licensed engineer of record must
153 affirm that the master building permit will conform to soil
154 conditions on the specific site.
155 (d) Complete mechanical drawings of the model design,
156 including HVAC heating and cooling load calculations and
157 equipment specifications.
158 (e) Specific information that was not included in the
159 master building permit application addressing the HVAC system
160 design, including duct design and heating and cooling load
161 calculations.
162 (8) FEES.—Fees charged by the local government for a master
163 building permit application or a site-specific building permit
164 application are limited to the administrative and inspection
165 portions of the applicable local government’s fee schedule.
166 (9) PENALTIES.—In addition to any other penalty provided by
167 law, a builder or design professional who willfully violates
168 this section shall be fined $10,000 for each dwelling or
169 townhome that is built under the master building permit that
170 does not conform to the master building permit on file with the
171 local building department.
172 (10) PROGRAM GUIDELINES.—Each local government may adopt
173 procedures to provide master building permit program guidelines
174 and requirements for the submission and approval of materials
175 and applications.
176 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2015.