Proposed Statute Would Allow Out of State Inspectors and Plans Examiners to be Licensed in Florida During a State of Emergency
HB 803 (2026) has passed both houses of the Florida Legislature, and if signed into law by the Governor, will make changes to a lot of statutes related to building permits and inspections. As part of that, the bill creates 468.634, Florida Statutes, which allows for certification (licensure) by endorsement of certain types of inspectors and plans examiners. The full text of the proposed law is set forth below, but essentially a person who has held an appropriate license in any state for the 5 years preceding the state of emergency, or has entered into a contract with the state, or is qualified under a mutual aid agreement, can serve in one of the following positions for a period of 1 year from the date of declaration of a state of emergency:
Building code inspector.
Building inspector.
Coastal construction inspector.
Commercial electrical inspector.
Electrical inspector.
Mechanical inspector.
Plumbing inspector.
Residential electrical inspector.
Residential inspector.
Plans examiner.
Building plans examiner.
Plumbing plans examiner.
Mechanical plans examiner.
Electrical plans examiner.
Full text of the proposed new statute is as follows:
468.634 Certification by endorsement during a state of emergency.—
Notwithstanding any other law, a person may act in any of the following positions under the direction of the local building official for a period of 1 year from the date of a declaration of a state of emergency issued by the Governor for a natural emergency, a manmade emergency, or a technological emergency as those terms are defined in s. 252.34, if such person has entered into a state term contract pursuant to s. 287.056, is qualified for such work in any state that has a mutual aid agreement pursuant to s. 252.40(2), or has held a valid license for such work in any state for 5 years immediately before the date of the declaration:
(1) Building code inspector.
(2) Building inspector.
(3) Coastal construction inspector.
(4) Commercial electrical inspector.
(5) Electrical inspector.
(6) Mechanical inspector.
(7) Plumbing inspector.
(8) Residential electrical inspector.
(9) Residential inspector.
(10) Plans examiner.
(11) Building plans examiner.
(12) Plumbing plans examiner.
(13) Mechanical plans examiner.
(14) Electrical plans examiner.
If signed by the Governor, these changes would take effect July 1, 2026.
About the Author
Jason Lambert is a Florida Board Certified Construction Attorney and Partner in the Construction Industry Practice Group at Hill Ward Henderson, in Tampa, Florida. He is also the founder and chief contributor to the Hammer & Gavel construction law blog. Jason focuses his practice on representing contractors, subcontractors, and materials suppliers throughout the state of Florida. Before law school, Jason spent a decade working in the construction industry, primarily as a project manager and operations director for both new construction and remodeling. He can be reached at jason.lambert@hwhlaw.com or 813-227-8495.
