The 35 Steps to Building a House in South Florida

If you learn the steps to building a house in South Florida before you break ground, you avoid most of the expensive surprises. The whole process usually takes 12 to 24 months and pulls in several county agencies along the way. Florida also adds requirements that trip up out-of-state builders and first-timers every year: hurricane straps, impact-rated windows, and impact fees that can run $15,000 to $30,000 before anyone digs. What follows is the full ordered checklist, all 35 steps, written for Palm Beach, Broward, and St. Lucie counties.

Steps 1 through 9: planning, land, and permits

The first nine steps happen on paper, and this is where most Florida builds go wrong. Get them right and you protect your budget, your timeline, and your shot at a Certificate of Occupancy at the end.

• Step 1, define your budget. Account for land cost, hard construction costs ($200 to $350 per square foot is realistic in South Florida in 2026), soft costs like permits, architect, and engineering, and your impact fees. Palm Beach County impact fees for a single-family home commonly run $15,000 to $30,000 depending on size and location, and they are due before permits are issued.
• Step 2, choose your land. In South Florida, the first thing to check on any parcel is its FEMA flood zone. Zones AE and VE carry mandatory flood insurance and elevated foundation requirements, and coastal VE zones require pile-supported construction. Pull up the FEMA Flood Map Service Center before you write an offer. Our Palm Beach County area guide and Broward County guide can help you compare submarkets.
• Step 3, verify zoning and deed restrictions. County zoning sets what you can build and how tall. Inside an HOA community, deed restrictions can also dictate setbacks, materials, and architectural style. Find a violation late and you may be tearing something down.
• Step 4, line up financing. New construction in Florida runs on a construction-to-permanent loan, sometimes called a C2P or one-time-close loan. During the build the bank releases funds in stages tied to inspection milestones, and at CO the loan converts to a standard mortgage on its own. Run your numbers with our mortgage calculators so you know the permanent payment going in.
• Step 5, hire a Florida-licensed general contractor. Florida requires every general contractor to hold a state license. Look up anyone you are considering at DBPR.MyFloridaLicense.com before you sign. South Florida contractors also carry workers compensation and general liability insurance, so ask for certificates of insurance that name you as additional insured.
• Step 6, hire an architect or buy plans. A custom home needs a Florida-licensed architect or engineer to sign and seal the drawings. Stock plans bought online have to be adapted by a Florida PE or architect to meet local wind-load requirements before you can submit them.
• Step 7, run a soil test and geotechnical report. South Florida's sandy, organic soils do not always behave the way you expect. A geotechnical engineer drills test borings and specifies the right foundation system. Near the coast, buried rock or fill can move your foundation cost substantially.
• Step 8, submit the county permit application. South Florida counties want structural drawings stamped by a Florida-licensed engineer that prove compliance with the Florida Building Code. Design wind speeds run from 140 mph in western Palm Beach County up to 185 mph in coastal Broward and Miami-Dade. Your engineer calculates the design wind speed for the exact spot where you are building, and that number drives the framing, the fastening, and how openings get protected. Plan on permit review taking 4 to 12 weeks in the busy South Florida counties.
• Step 9, clear HOA architectural review. If the lot sits in a deed-restricted community, your plans go to the HOA architectural review committee before or during permitting. Counties often will not release permits until the HOA signs off, and that review cycle can add 30 to 90 days.

Steps 10 through 16: site work, foundation, and shell

Once the permits are in hand, the build starts. This phase puts the permanent structure in place and carries Florida's most code-specific requirements.

• Step 10, site clearing and prep. Any trees marked for preservation get fenced off before clearing starts. Florida environmental permits from the SFWMD or the county can apply where wetlands are involved, so confirm that at permitting.
• Step 11, foundation. Two systems dominate down here. A monolithic slab pours the slab and thickened footings in one shot and is common outside flood zones. A stem-wall slab uses a perimeter stem wall with interior fill and shows up where minimum finished floor elevations apply. In an AE flood zone, the bottom of the lowest floor has to sit at or above the Base Flood Elevation, plus any local freeboard.
• Step 12, underground plumbing rough-in. Sewer lines, water supply, and any in-slab conduits go in before the slab is poured. This is your one clean shot to get them placed without breaking concrete later.
• Step 13, framing. South Florida framing leans on engineered lumber, hurricane ties, and heavier fastening schedules than you would see up north. Framing gets inspected at more than one stage, and none of it can be covered until an inspector signs off.
• Step 14, roof framing and sheathing. In the high-velocity hurricane zones of coastal Broward and Miami-Dade (the HVHZ), roof sheathing has to follow specific nailing patterns. The roof deck is often a home's first line of defense in a storm, and failures here drive most of the storm damage claims.
• Step 15, hurricane straps. The Florida Building Code makes hurricane straps, also called tie-downs or clips, mandatory at every rafter-to-wall-plate and truss-to-top-plate connection. The inspector checks the strap type, the count, and the installation. It is one of the items most often flagged on a framing inspection.
• Step 16, windows and exterior doors. Across most coastal South Florida zones, code requires impact-resistant glass on every opening. Impact windows and doors cost a good deal more than standard units, but they take storm shutters off the table and earn real discounts on your insurance premium. Check with your carrier before you decide between impact glass and an approved shutter system.

Steps 17 through 22: mechanical, electrical, and plumbing rough-in

After the shell is closed in, the three big systems go in rough. They run through the walls and ceilings, get inspected, and are signed off before anything is covered.

• Step 17, rough plumbing. Supply and drain lines are run through the framing. Florida requires licensed plumbing contractors, so confirm any subcontractor at DBPR before they touch the job.
• Step 18, electrical rough-in. This sets the panel location, the wire runs, the box locations, and the service entrance. More South Florida homes now spec 200-amp or 400-amp panels to handle EV chargers and whole-house generators.
• Step 19, HVAC rough-in. Sizing the HVAC correctly matters a great deal in this climate. An undersized system runs nonstop and never pulls the humidity down, while an oversized one short-cycles and also leaves you damp. The Manual J load calculation, which Florida code requires, has to account for solar heat gain, window area, and insulation levels. Duct systems get sealed and tested for leakage, with Manual D and a duct blaster test due at final.
• Step 20, insulation. Closed-cell spray polyurethane foam is increasingly the choice for new construction here. Sprayed against the underside of the roof deck, it creates a conditioned attic, cuts duct losses sharply, and adds meaningful wind uplift resistance. Traditional batt insulation is still code-compliant and cheaper, so weigh the trade-offs with your builder against long-term energy costs and insurance credits.
• Step 21, drywall. Drywall goes up after the MEP inspections pass. In Florida, bathrooms, kitchens, and utility areas typically get moisture-resistant drywall. A drywall inspection, sometimes called a frame-cover inspection, happens before taping and finishing.
• Step 22, exterior finishes. Stucco over concrete block, known as CBS construction, is the dominant exterior system in South Florida because it stands up to hurricanes and moisture. Some builders use EIFS, a synthetic stucco, or fiber cement siding instead. Confirm your homeowners insurance will cover whatever you choose and that it meets local wind codes.

Looking for land to build on in South Florida? Pure Equity Realty helps buyers find buildable parcels in the right flood zones, with workable zoning, at a fair price. Contact our team to talk through land options in Palm Beach, Broward, or St. Lucie counties, or get a free valuation on a lot you already own.

Steps 23 through 34: interior finishes, systems completion, and inspections

The finish phase is where the house starts to feel like a home, and where Florida's multi-stage inspection process makes sure every system meets code before anyone can move in.

• Step 23, interior painting. Primer and finish coats go on the drywall and trim. In this humidity, a good primer is worth it because it keeps mold off your paint in that first year.
• Step 24, cabinet installation. Kitchen and bath cabinets are set and secured. Make sure they are plumb and level before anyone templates the countertops.
• Step 25, countertops. Stone countertops are templated once the cabinets are in, then usually fabricated and installed a week or two later. Build that gap into your schedule.
• Step 26, flooring. Tile, hardwood, luxury vinyl plank, and carpet go down after the countertops. Porcelain tile is still the most popular floor in South Florida because it holds up to wear and moisture.
• Step 27, interior doors. Pre-hung door units are installed, trimmed, and prepped for hardware.
• Step 28, trim and millwork. Baseboards, door casings, window stools, and any specialty millwork are installed and caulked. Luxury builds here are increasingly speccing tall baseboard and crown to get away from a builder-grade look.
• Step 29, plumbing fixtures. Toilets, sinks, faucets, shower valves and trims, and the water heater connections are finished. Florida requires low-flow fixtures in new construction, capped at 1.28 gallons per flush for toilets and 2.0 gallons per minute for showerheads.
• Step 30, electrical fixtures and switches. Lighting, outlets, switches, panel trim, and the final connections all get made. The Florida Building Code requires GFCI and AFCI protection in kitchens, bathrooms, exterior locations, and bedrooms.
• Step 31, HVAC completion and testing. The equipment is set, charged, and tested. Florida energy code requires duct leakage testing with a duct blaster, and your contractor has to hand over a Manual J and a commissioning report before the final inspection.
• Step 32, final inspections. Florida does not run a single final. Expect several at a minimum: a framing and wind mitigation inspection that checks the hurricane straps and opening protection, a mechanical-electrical-plumbing inspection, an energy code inspection, and the building final. In Palm Beach and Broward these are scheduled separately and can mean multiple visits. Your contractor handles the scheduling through the county portal.
• Step 33, Certificate of Occupancy. Once every inspection passes, the county issues the CO. You cannot legally occupy the home without it, and your lender will not convert the construction loan until it is in hand. Your contractor should give you a copy and keep the original on file.
• Step 34, punch list walkthrough. Before you close on the permanent mortgage, walk the whole home with your contractor and write down every incomplete or deficient item, with a completion date for each one. Florida contractors typically give a one-year workmanship warranty, and major structural and mechanical systems carry longer statutory warranties under Florida law.

Step 35: converting your construction loan to a permanent mortgage

The last step in building a house in South Florida is the financial close. With the CO in hand, your lender converts the construction loan into the permanent mortgage you qualified for back at the start. Under a one-time-close loan, this happens automatically, with no new credit pull and no fresh appraisal. You simply start making payments on the schedule you agreed to at closing. Under a two-time-close structure, you apply for a new purchase mortgage and pay a second round of closing costs. That setup is less common, but it is sometimes the only option when construction runs past the lender's rate lock.

Have your homeowners insurance, your flood insurance if it is required, and your wind mitigation inspection report all in place before the lender schedules the conversion. A licensed Florida inspector completes the wind mitigation report after CO, documenting the hurricane-resistant features of the home, and it can cut your wind insurance premium by 20% to 45%. In South Florida's insurance market, that is real money every single year.

Homeowners insurance in South Florida's coastal zones averages $5,000 to $8,000 a year. A wind mitigation report that documents a hip roof, hurricane straps, and impact glass usually delivers the single largest premium reduction a new-construction buyer can get.

Once the mortgage converts and the insurance is bound, you own the home. Hold on to copies of every permit, your as-built drawings, the inspection reports, and the wind mitigation report. You will want all of it when you sell, refinance, or file an insurance claim. When you are ready for the next chapter, our seller resources and financial calculators are there to help.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to build a house in South Florida?

From permit application to Certificate of Occupancy, most custom homes in Palm Beach, Broward, and St. Lucie counties take 12 to 24 months. Permitting alone can eat up 2 to 4 months in busy markets. Supply chain delays on impact windows, garage doors, and HVAC equipment, all of it specialized for South Florida wind requirements, have stretched timelines in recent years.

What are impact fees in South Florida, and when do I pay them?

Impact fees are one-time charges the county and municipality levy to pay for the roads, schools, parks, and utilities that new development needs. In Palm Beach County they usually fall between $15,000 and $30,000 for a single-family home, depending on square footage and location. They are collected when the permit is issued, before construction starts, and they are separate from your permit fees.

Do I need impact windows if I am building inland?

It depends on where the lot is. The Florida Building Code splits the state into wind speed regions, and impact-rated openings are required across most of the South Florida coastal counties no matter how far inland you sit. Your structural engineer determines the design wind speed for the exact site and specifies the opening protection. Even where shutters are allowed as an alternative, many South Florida builders default to impact glass for the insurance savings and the convenience.

Can I build in a flood zone in South Florida?

Yes, with extra requirements. In FEMA Zone AE, your finished floor elevation has to meet or exceed the Base Flood Elevation shown on the Flood Insurance Rate Map, plus any local freeboard, which is typically 1 to 2 feet above the BFE. In Zone VE, the coastal high-hazard zone, pile-supported construction is usually required. Flood insurance is mandatory on any federally backed mortgage in a Special Flood Hazard Area. Build the premiums into your long-term budget, because $2,000 to $6,000 a year is common in South Florida flood zones.

Based on the Florida Building Code (8th Edition), FEMA Flood Map Service Center data, Palm Beach County permit fee schedules, and South Florida real estate market data. Published 2026.