Expired Permits Hillsborough County | FL House Bill 447 and Expired Permits in Hillsborough County 

Expired Permits Hillsborough County | On June 7, 2019, Florida Governor Ronald D. DeSantis signed into law HB 447 Relating to Building Permits and Construction. This bill was enacted by the Florida legislature without a single dissenting vote and affects various administrative aspects of how local municipalities may handle building and construction permits. It took effect on July 1, 2019. Of specific interest is how the new law allows for the handling of expired permits in Hillsborough County. 

Provisions of the Code

The new Florida legislation establishes a number of processes and creates related procedures for property owners and local municipalities to close open and expired building permits. The following information is quoted directly from the provisions of the bill, as found in its summary on the official Florida State Government website: 

  • Allows local governments to provide written notice to a property owner and contractor no less than 30 days before a building permit is set to expire;
  • Creates a procedure for property owners to close open or expired building permits by retaining the original contractor or a different contractor to perform the work necessary and obtain the inspections required to close the permit;
  • Clarifies that a subsequent contractor is only liable for the work she or he performs when working to close a permit;
  • Allows the owner of a residential property to close a permit by assuming the role of an owner-builder upon approval from the local government;
  • Provides a local government may close a building permit after 6 years, if the agency determines that no apparent safety hazards exist;
  • Prohibits a local government from penalizing or denying issuance of a building permit to a subsequent arms-length purchaser solely because a previous owner applied for a permit which was not closed;
  • Prohibits a local government from denying issuance of a building permit to a contractor solely because the contractor is listed on other building permits that are not closed; and
  • Limits a local government to only charge one search fee for identifying building permits for a particular tax parcel.

Help with Expired Permits in Hillsborough County, Florida

If you need help with expired permits in Hillsborough County, Florida, Beryl Project Engineering can help. We can perform the required inspection on property where all work has been completed and provide an Engineering Affidavit. All of our clients receive an electronically transmitted Engineering Affidavit and two copies of this permit letter by mail. One of these copies can then be hand-delivered to the Hillsborough County Permitting Department to close out your expired permit. Call us today for more information.