Permitting delays are one of the most predictable costs in construction. A drawing set sits in a queue, the clock runs, and nobody can start work. In 2025, Florida did something about it, and in the process became one of the first states to explicitly recognise software-based plan review in statute.
This is a plain-English explainer of what House Bill 683 changes, who it applies to, and where AI compliance tools fit, with links to the primary sources so you can verify every point.
What is Florida HB 683?
HB 683 is a 2025 construction-regulation bill that was signed into law and took effect on 1 July 2025. Among other changes, it amended Florida's alternative plans review statute, section 553.791, Florida Statutes, which governs how private providers can review plans and inspect work as an alternative to the local building department. You can read the full text on the Florida Senate bill page.
What does HB 683 actually allow?
The headline change for technology is in subsection (6) of the statute. For single-trade plans reviews, a private provider may use an automated or software-based plans review system designed to determine compliance with one or more applicable codes, including, but not limited to, the National Electrical Code and the Florida Building Code. Once the system determines the plans comply, the private provider prepares an affidavit certifying that result under oath.
In other words, the review can be performed with software, but it is still attached to a qualified provider who stands behind the outcome.
How fast must the permit be issued?
The statute puts the local building official on a clock. After receiving a permit application and the private provider's affidavit, the official must either issue the permit or give written notice of the specific deficiencies, citing the relevant code chapters and sections, within:
- Five business days for a single-trade plans review on a single-family or two-family dwelling; or
- 20 business days for other applications.
If the official does not provide that written notice in time, the application is deemed approved as a matter of law and the permit must be issued the next business day.
Who can actually use software-based review?
This is the part worth reading carefully. HB 683 does not say that software approves permits on its own. It allows a qualified private provider to use an automated or software-based system as part of their review, and to certify the result by affidavit. The licensed provider remains accountable for the determination.
Where does AI fit in?
This is exactly the workflow tools like UptoCode are built for. UptoCode reads the drawings and BIM models, checks them against the Florida Building Code or any regulation you upload, and returns a report where every finding is cited to the code section and the drawing it came from. That gives a reviewer something they can verify and defend, rather than an unsourced answer.
Software can do the cross-referencing in minutes. The value is that a qualified reviewer can check every cited finding and sign off with confidence.
UptoCode is plan-review software, not a licensed private provider, so it supports the review rather than replacing the person who certifies it.
What this means for Florida projects
For single-trade residential work, the combination of software-based review and a five-business-day clock can compress a slow step into a fast, predictable one. More broadly, Florida putting automated review in statute is a signal: as other states look for ways to clear permitting backlogs, cited, verifiable AI review is likely to become a normal part of the toolkit.
See how UptoCode supports plan review in Florida, or create a free account and run a cited check on your next set.