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Martin County moves to adopt fee schedule as HB 803 changes building permits, reserves and exemptions
Summary
Facing July 1 changes under House Bill 803, county building staff asked the commission to adopt a new fee schedule based on actual inspection costs, transfer building capital-reserve funds to finish an ongoing project, and implement the law’s $7,500 exemption process.
Jeff Doughty, director of Martin County’s Building Department, briefed commissioners on implementation of House Bill 803, effective July 1, 2026. The law requires jurisdictions to change building-fee practices and constrains how building departments may hold and use reserves.
Doughty said local departments can no longer base inspection fees on a percentage of valuation; instead, fees must reflect anticipated actual inspection costs. The bill also narrows what building departments may reserve for capital projects, effectively prohibiting continued maintenance of capital reserves within the building fund. Doughty told the board that the county must transfer remaining building capital-reserve funds to complete the Larry Massing project and asked the board to adopt a resolution establishing the new fee schedule and approve the transfer.
Other notable HB 803 changes explained at the meeting include expanded permit durations for single-family construction (permits valid for longer of one year or a code cycle), a limited $7,500 exemption for some minor single-family work with plumbing/electrical/structural/flood work specifically excluded, and a statewide building-permit application form to be set by the Building Commission. The law also creates a registration and partial role for private providers and constrains the county’s ability to re-review work done by private providers.
Commissioners discussed records-retention implications, potential effects on older plan availability, mobile-home replacement rules and possible impacts on inspection staffing. The board voted unanimously to adopt the requested resolution and transfer funds so the county can comply with the law when it takes effect July 1.
