Private Provider Plan Review & Inspections in Florida
2-day plan review and same-day inspections under Florida Statute 553.791
✓ _ Our Guarantee: 30-day savings guarantee or your next project is free*
Speed
48-hour plan review. Same-day or next-day inspections.
Cost
15 - 75% reduction in permit fees when you use a private provider.
Control
Scheduling on your calendar. No more waiting on the building department.
What is a private provider in Florida?
A private provider in Florida is a licensed engineer or architect authorized under
Florida Statute 553.791 to perform building plan review and inspections in place of your local building department. Any general contractor, builder, or developer can elect to use one on a qualifying permit.
The benefit: faster review and inspection timelines, permit fee reductions on both residential and commercial work (codified at 25 to 50 percent on commercial under HB 803), and inspections scheduled when your crew is ready rather than when the county clears its queue.
Serving Builders
Across Florida
If you do not see your municipality listed, contact us so that we can begin the registration process.
Built for General Contractors, Builders, and Developers
General Contractors
Idle subs, missed handoffs, slipping schedules. Every day of county inspection delay multiplies across the trades waiting behind it. Same-day inspection windows in writing keep your crews moving and your schedule intact.
Builders
Construction loan interest accrues every day your permit sits in the county queue. The 10-business-day permit clock under §553.791(10) cuts wait time from weeks to a defined window, so your carry costs stop running and your closings can actually hit.
Developers
Multifamily and commercial projects burn five to six figures per week in construction loan interest during permit delays. Our plan review and inspections run on the §553.791 statutory timeline, so your project carry stays where the proforma put it.
Third-party inspections in Florida and where private providers fit
Florida contractors sometimes call private provider services "third-party inspections" because the inspector is a party outside the county building department. Both terms describe the same mechanism authorized under FS 553.791. The deliverables (Plan Compliance Affidavit, inspection record) and the statute are identical regardless of which name your team uses internally.
Professional Liability Coverage
We carry professional liability (Errors & Omissions) insurance through Berkshire Hathaway's biBERK subsidiary, with coverage specifically for engineering and code‑compliance work.
How a private provider works under Florida Statute 553.791
1
Add us to your permit application
You apply for your building permit the same way you always do. Along with the application, you submit a one-page notice telling the building department you've elected to use us (§553.791(4)). We provide the form pre-filled.
2
Plan review and affidavit
We review your documents against the same Florida Building Code your county would apply. When everything checks out, we sign an affidavit certifying compliance (§553.791(6)) and it goes in with your permit application.
3
The 10 Day Rule
Once the building department has your application and our affidavit, they have 10 business days to either issue the permit or send back specific code citations (§553.791(10). If they miss that window, the permit is approved by law and they have to issue it the next business day.
4
Virtual Inspections
We virtually inspect all Building, Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing related components, and file the inspection record with the building department within 2 business days of each inspection (§553.791(8)).
5
Certificate of compliance and CO
When the job is done, we issue a certificate of compliance that you submit to the building department. They then have 2 business days (on residential projects) to issue your certificate of occupancy or send a specific list of reasons they can't (§553.791(13a)).
6
What stays outside our scope
Plan Review & Inspections for Zoning, Public Works, and Fire still go through their normal agencies. The local building official still issues the actual permit and certificate of occupancy documents, and keeps the right to audit our work up to four times per year (§553.791(20)).
Permit fee reductions under HB 803, effective July 1, 2026
HB 803 codifies fee reductions on commercial projects: 25 percent when a private provider handles part of the work, 50 percent when we handle all of it. Most Florida counties already discount residential permit fees when a private provider runs the file, with percentages set by local ordinance.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a private provider in Florida?
A private provider in Florida is a licensed engineer or architect authorized under Florida Statute 553.791 to perform building plan review and inspections in place of your local building department. Any general contractor, builder, or developer can elect to use one on a qualifying permit.
The benefit: faster review and inspection timelines, permit fee reductions on both residential and commercial work (codified at 25 to 50 percent on commercial under HB 803), and inspections scheduled when your crew is ready rather than when the county clears its queue.
Is a private provider faster than city inspections?
Yes. Private providers complete plan reviews in 2 business days, compared to 30–45 days for municipal reviews. Inspections are completed same-day, unlike municipal inspections which can take days for an inspector to show up while you're forced to wait for an indefinite period of time.
Can a city reject a private provider?
No. Florida Statute 553.791 requires building departments to accept properly submitted private provider plans and inspection reports. They cannot reject them based on preference.
Does Guardian work on commercial projects?
Yes. Guardian is licensed to perform plan review and inspections for residential and commercial projects across the state of florida.
What happens if we fail an inspection?
A benefit of using a private provider is that there is a 48 hour window for an inspection to be passed once we notify the building department that we will be conducting an inspection.
Meaning that if that if a correction must be made, there is a window of time for this to occur vs an inspection immediately failing when a city inspector shows up.
If the correction is not made within a 48 hour window, the building department is notified of the failed inspection, and a $55 re-inspection fee will be applied.
Do I still need to submit a permit to the building department?
Yes. We like to say that our plan review and inspection services wrap around permitting, but it does not replace your permit going through the building department.
We recommend contacting reputable permit expediters such as Construction Care Consulting if you are looking for additional permitting services.
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Built For Builders Who Can't Afford To Wait
Guardian Engineering was created for one type of client: the contractor who loses time, money, and reputation every time an inspection is missed or a permit sits untouched.