Private Provider Fees Under HB 803: The 25-50% Reduction Explained (Miami 2026)

The Short Answer on Private Provider Fees

For Miami projects that still need a permit, Florida lets you hire a private provider to do the plan review and inspections instead of waiting on Miami-Dade County. What our research shows is that HB 803 is associated with a roughly 25% to 50% reduction in private-provider plan-review fees, which makes this path cheaper than it used to be. Fees change and your building department sets the rest, so confirm the current numbers with them or with the provider before you budget.

HB 803 takes effect July 1, 2026. Most of the talk about it is about the part that lets you skip the permit entirely on small cosmetic jobs. But that exemption only covers cosmetic work under $7,500 on a single-family home. The moment your project crosses $7,500, or touches plumbing, electrical, structural, gas, or mechanical work, you are back in permit territory. That is where the private-provider option matters.

This guide explains what a private provider actually is, when using one makes sense in Miami-Dade, and how it works alongside the new exemption. We will keep it plain and tell you where to double-check the numbers yourself.

What Is a Private Provider

Florida has allowed private providers for years. It is not new, and it is not a loophole. A private provider is a state-approved firm that performs the plan review and field inspections that a county building department would normally do. They are professionals authorized under Florida law to check that your project meets the Florida Building Code.

Here is the part most homeowners do not know. When you use a private provider, the county still issues the permit. The county does not vanish from the process. What changes is who does the technical review and the inspections. Instead of your plans sitting in the county queue behind hundreds of other submittals, your private provider reviews them on their own schedule. Instead of waiting for a county inspector to fit you into their route, the private provider's inspector comes out when you book them.

Think of it like an express lane that runs parallel to the regular county lane. You pay for the review and inspection work through the private provider. The county still gets its permit fee for issuing the actual permit and keeping the record. Two separate things.

For a Miami remodel, that usually means your kitchen remodeling or bathroom project that needs a permit can move on a timeline you control, instead of one the county controls.

How HB 803 Changes the Fee Math

The headline most people know about HB 803 is the $7,500 cosmetic exemption. We cover that in full in our main HB 803 guide. But the law touches more than the exemption.

What our research shows is that HB 803 is associated with a roughly 25% to 50% reduction in private-provider plan-review fees. We want to be straight with you about this number. It is a figure our research points to, not a line we are reading off a fee schedule. We are not going to invent an exact dollar table or quote a statute subsection at you, because fees move and every jurisdiction is a little different.

So treat the 25% to 50% as a ballpark that tells you the direction things are heading: private review is getting cheaper relative to where it sat before. Before you put a number in your budget, call your building department or ask your private provider for their current rate. That is the honest way to plan a real project.

Here is why the direction matters even without an exact figure. Private providers used to carry a reputation for being the fast-but-pricey option. Speed for a premium. If the plan-review cost on that path drops by a quarter to a half, the premium shrinks. The speed stays. For a Miami homeowner who needs a permit and does not want to lose a month waiting, that changes the calculation.

When a Private Provider Makes Sense in Miami-Dade

A private provider is not the right call for every job. It costs money on top of the county permit fee, so it has to buy you something you actually need. In Miami-Dade, it usually buys you two things: speed and scheduling control.

Use a private provider when:

You are on a clock. You sold the house and need the permitted work signed off before closing. You have a tenant moving in. You booked the Kendall remodel around a family event and cannot slip three weeks.
The county queue is backed up. Permit and inspection waits in Miami-Dade typically run 1 to 4 weeks, and that stretches in busy season. After July 1, demand for the remaining permitted jobs is going to climb. A private provider lets you step out of that line.
You need inspections on your schedule. A county inspector comes when the route says. A private provider's inspector comes when you book them, which keeps your trades working instead of standing around waiting for a green tag.
The project is large or technical. A Doral kitchen that moves plumbing and adds a circuit needs real plan review. A private provider who knows that work can move it faster than a general county queue.

Skip the private provider when the job is small, you are not in a rush, and the county timeline works fine for you. There is no point paying for an express lane when the regular lane gets you there on time.

How It Works With the $7,500 Exemption

This is where people get tangled up, so let us untangle it.

HB 803 and the private-provider option solve two different problems. The exemption removes the permit entirely for small cosmetic work. The private provider speeds up the permit for work that still needs one. They do not overlap. One is "no permit at all," the other is "permit, but faster."

Walk through how it plays out on a real job:

Cosmetic only, under $7,500, single-family, not in a flood-hazard zone. No permit. No private provider needed. You are done with paperwork. See our kitchen $7,500 cap breakdown for what counts as cosmetic.
Cosmetic, but over $7,500. Permit required. The private provider can review and inspect it faster than the county. This is a common one for a full kitchen or a gut bathroom.
Under $7,500 but it moves plumbing or adds electrical. That part needs a permit even though the dollar amount is low. The private provider handles the review and inspection for the permitted portion.
Mixed scope. Most real remodels are mixed. Maybe the paint and tile and cabinets are cosmetic and exempt, but you are also relocating a sink, which is not. We coordinate the permitted portions and you can run those through a private provider if speed matters.

The cleanest way to see the before-and-after is our HB 803 timeline guide, which lays out what changes on July 1 and what stays the same.

One thing to watch. The exemption does not apply at all if your property sits in a flood-hazard zone, which is common near canals, the coast, and low-lying parts of Cutler Bay, Palmetto Bay, and South Miami Heights. In those areas, even a small cosmetic job needs a permit, and that is exactly the kind of permitted work a private provider can speed along.

What a Private Provider Does Not Do

Worth being clear about the limits so nobody gets surprised.

A private provider does not let you skip code. They enforce the same Florida Building Code the county does. If your shower pan does not meet code, a private provider's inspector fails it the same way a county inspector would. That is the point. The protection is the same, the timeline is faster.

A private provider does not replace your remodeling team's responsibility for the work. We do the work to code. The provider checks it. Two different roles.

A private provider does not make the county disappear. The county still issues the permit, still holds the record, and still charges its own permit fee on top of what you pay the provider. So you are looking at two costs, not one. The trade you are making is paying a bit more to save weeks. For some homeowners that math is obvious. For others it is not worth it. Both answers are fine.

And a private provider does not get you out of HOA approval. If your association controls the design, you still need their sign-off. HB 803 stops your HOA from requiring a permit as a precondition for that review, but the design approval itself is still theirs.

How Broke & Fixed Handles the Permitted Parts

We are a family-owned, fully insured remodeling company. Most of what we do day to day, paint, tile, cabinets, countertops, flooring, swapping fixtures in their existing spots, is cosmetic work that often falls inside the HB 803 exemption. No permit, no waiting.

When a job does need a permit, because it is over $7,500 or because it moves plumbing, adds electrical, or touches structure, we coordinate the permitted portions for you. That means we help you decide whether the county timeline works or whether a private provider is worth it for your situation. We do not push the express lane on every job. If the regular county route gets your kitchen remodel done on time, we will tell you to save your money.

The goal is simple. You get the work done right, to code, on a timeline that fits your life, without paying for speed you do not need.

FAQ: Private Providers and HB 803 in Miami

What is a private provider in Florida permitting?

A private provider is a state-approved firm that performs the plan review and field inspections a county building department would otherwise do. They are authorized under Florida law to verify your project meets the Florida Building Code. The county still issues the actual permit and keeps the record. The private provider just handles the technical review and the inspections on their own schedule instead of the county queue. For a Miami homeowner, that usually means a permitted remodel moves faster because you are not waiting in the county line.

How much do private provider fees drop under HB 803?

What our research shows is that HB 803 is associated with a roughly 25% to 50% reduction in private-provider plan-review fees. We frame it as a ballpark on purpose. It points to the direction, which is that private review is getting cheaper, but it is not an exact figure off a published schedule. Fees change and every jurisdiction sets its own. Before you budget, call your local building department or ask the private provider directly for their current rate. That is the only way to get a number you can actually plan around.

Does using a private provider mean I can skip the permit?

No. A private provider speeds up the permit, it does not remove it. The only thing that removes the permit is the HB 803 exemption, and that only covers cosmetic work under $7,500 on a single-family home that is not in a flood-hazard zone. If your job needs a permit, it needs a permit either way. The private provider just gets the review and inspections done faster than the county queue. Think of it as an express lane, not an exit.

Is a private provider worth the extra cost for a small Miami remodel?

Usually not, if the job is small and you are not in a hurry. A private provider charges on top of the county permit fee, so you are paying twice. That trade only makes sense when speed buys you something real, like a closing date, a tenant move-in, or staying on a tight schedule. For a small permitted job where the regular Miami-Dade timeline of 1 to 4 weeks works fine, save your money. We will tell you honestly which side of that line your project falls on.

Can I use a private provider for a kitchen remodel that moves plumbing?

Yes. A kitchen that relocates a sink or adds a circuit needs a permit, and that is exactly the kind of work a private provider can review and inspect faster. The plumbing relocation is the part that triggers the permit. The private provider handles the plan review and field inspections for the permitted portion, on a schedule you control. We coordinate the permitted parts so your trades keep moving instead of waiting on a county inspector to show up.

Does a private provider enforce the same building code?

Yes, exactly the same. A private provider enforces the Florida Building Code just like a county inspector. If your work does not meet code, their inspector fails it the same way the county would. That is the whole idea. You are not lowering the standard, you are changing who does the review and how fast. The protection for the homeowner stays the same. The only thing that changes is the timeline and, with HB 803, the fee.

Do I still pay the county if I use a private provider?

Yes. The county still issues the permit and charges its own permit fee, which in Miami-Dade typically runs $200 to $800 depending on the job. The private provider's fee is separate and covers the review and inspection work. So you are looking at two costs. The reason people still choose it is the time saved. For a permitted job in busy season, skipping the county queue can save weeks, and for some homeowners that is worth far more than the extra fee.

How does this fit with the July 1, 2026 effective date?

HB 803 takes effect July 1, 2026. The cosmetic exemption and the changes around private-provider fees both line up with that date. Work that starts before July 1 follows the old rules. Work starting on or after July 1 follows the new ones. If you are planning a permitted project for this summer, that timing matters, because demand for the remaining permitted jobs is expected to climb after July 1, which makes the private-provider speed advantage more useful, not less.

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Ready to Plan Your Permitted Miami Remodel?

Broke & Fixed Home Solutions has done 200+ remodels across Miami-Dade. Family owned. Fully insured. Bilingual EN/ES. When your project needs a permit, we coordinate the permitted portions and help you decide if a private provider is worth the speed. Free in-home estimates, response within 15 minutes.

Or call us directly at (786) 363-7039.