In this email:
  • Updated Permitting and Inspections Statistics
  • Orange County Government’s Division of Building Safety Launches Economic Incentive to Reduce Permit Costs
In case you missed it:
  • New Training Video: How to Assign a Contractor and Verify a Permit
Permitting and Inspections Activity Update
Construction activity was strong the week after Fourth of July

Construction activity in Orange County had a strong week last week, with more than 1,800 permits issued, 5,700 inspections and 2,900 phone calls received. As of today, Monday July 13, permit fees will be offset by the Division of Building Safety and we expect permitting activity to continue to rise over the coming weeks. For more details about the Economic Incentive Program, please view the story and guidelines below.

Notice: Due to the recent uptick in coronavirus cases in our area, Orange County Administration building is still closed to visitors to reduce the potential for spread. All services are still being provided through Fast Track and/or email.

Modified service info, training tools and partner information are all available on the “ Development Services ” tab of Orange County’s COVID-19 webpage at  www.ocfl.net/coronavirus .

Additional Frequently asked questions have been posted on the Division of Building Safety Homepage at  www.ocfl.net/building .
Orange County Government’s Division of Building Safety Launches Economic Incentive to Reduce Permit Costs
In order to spur new construction activity and support efforts to assist our community with economic recovery from the  COVID-19 pandemic ,  Orange County Government’s Division of Building Safety  has launched a plan to supplement permit fees up to $10 million during a six-month period.

This will allow all applicants to obtain their permits at no cost, while ensuring all construction activity meets required approvals and inspections. This plan incentivizes new residential and commercial construction, alterations and repairs to move forward with reduced costs for all involved. Permit applicants will not need to apply for this assistance, it will be applied to the fees associated with a new permit application automatically beginning today, July 13.

In addition to the Economic Incentive Program, The Orange County Building Official is has authorized an extension to the expiration date of all unexpired building permits issued as of March 13, 2020, for an additional six months.

Orange County also understands the affordable housing crisis is still affecting our residents. Now more than ever, this incentive will assist with reducing the costs for home building, to help create a community that works for everyone .

Here are the guidelines for the Economic Incentive Program as adopted by the Orange County Board of County Commissioners:

During the Incentive Program, building permit fees will be offset to the applicant, and paid from the Division of Building Safety’s reserve funding, as follows:

  1. The amount of the offset shall be no more than $100,000 per project, regardless of the total construction value of the project.
  2. For purposes of this Resolution and the Incentive Program, a project is defined as the construction of one or more structure(s) that require a building permit on one, or multiple contiguous, parcel(s) of land by one or more entities, as determined by the Building Official.
  3. The offsets shall be granted beginning on July 13, 2020, and will continue until a total of $10 million dollars has been awarded and applied toward building permit fees, or January 15, 2021, whichever occurs earlier.
  4. Any request for an extension to an unexpired building permit issued under this Incentive Program must be in writing, directed to the Building Official, and, if granted, will require payment of the applicable total building permit fee that was originally offset.
  5. If a building permit issued under this Incentive Program expires without completion of final inspections and issuance of a certificate of occupancy or completion, temporary or permanent, as applicable, any replacement permit shall be subject to payment of the total applicable building permit fee.
New Fast Track Training Video:
How to Assign a Contractor and How to Verify a Permit
The Division of Building Safety recognizes the value in providing robust training to our valued customers. We have been working diligently to increase the quality and availability of online training materials. We are pleased to announce the availability of a new Fast Track training video that explains the relatively new feature of assigning a contractor and contractor verification of assigned permits.

You can find it in the online library on Fast Track, accessible from the sidebar. Training videos are also displayed on the process page related to to their topics.
Orange County Government, Florida
Division of Building Safety
201 S. Rosalind Ave.
Orlando, FL 32801