Virtual Building Permitting Framework for the State of Florida: Data Collection and Analysis

Abstract

As the growing demand for building new housing units hits the record, significant pressure from stockholders investing in the construction industry has been challenging the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) to issue the construction permit in shorter time. As a result, some government entities throughout the state of Florida have adopted an online permit application process to reduce the time and paperwork with little to no success. This paper presents data collected from AHJ plan reviewers, architects, engineers, and general contractors as an essential part of the investigation along with the results of the analysis of the actual plan review process in the state of Florida. Based on these outcomes, a virtual permitting (VP) framework is proposed using building information modeling (BIM) and the 2017 Florida Building Code-Residential (2017 FBC-R) to enhance the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the building permit process.