---
title: "Owner-Builder Permits: Rules, Risks and the One-Year Sale Rule"
description: "What an owner-builder permit is, who can get one, the Florida and California rules on selling within a year, liability for workers, and what you sign at the counter."
url: https://yespermit.com/guides/owner-builder-permit/
updated: 2026-10-13
language: en-US
---

# Owner-builder permits, explained

An owner-builder permit lets a property owner act as their own contractor on their own property, without a contractor's license, under conditions set by state law. You become the party responsible on the permit: the work, the inspections, the people you hire. Florida and California also restrict selling an owner-built house within a year of completion.

*Updated October 13, 2026. Every regulatory fact below links to its official source.*

## Key facts

- In states with contractor licensing laws, such as Florida and California, construction normally has to be done by a licensed contractor, and a permit applicant must state that they are licensed or exempt.[^1][^2]
- Florida's disclosure statement, written into state law, puts it simply: state law requires construction to be done by a licensed contractor, and the exemption lets the owner act as their own contractor with certain restrictions, even without a license.[^1]
- As Florida's statement says, the owner-builder is the responsible party of record on the permit.[^1]
- As Fairfax County, Virginia, reminds owners, just because a professional was hired doesn't mean a permit has been approved.[^5]
- Hastings asks owner-builders for the same deck site plan, deck plan and elevation as anyone else, plus the waiver.[^3]

**We handle the permit. You build.** All-in, until approved: $399 (Fall 2026 launch price, valid through November 30, 2026; regular price $499), approved or your money back ([conditions](https://yespermit.com/guarantee/)): [order](https://yespermit.com/all-in/). Prefer to file it yourself? [Permit Kit](https://yespermit.com/permit-kit/), $349.

## What is an owner-builder permit?

In states with contractor licensing laws, such as Florida and California, construction normally has to be done by a licensed contractor, and a permit applicant must state that they are licensed or exempt[^1][^2]. The owner-builder exemption is the exception for owners working on their own property. Florida's disclosure statement, written into state law, puts it simply: state law requires construction to be done by a licensed contractor, and the exemption lets the owner act as their own contractor with certain restrictions, even without a license[^1].

California cities describe the same role: an owner-builder owns the property, acts as their own general contractor, and either does the work or has employees or subcontractors do it[^2].

## What you sign at the counter

The exemption is not a box you tick online. Cities make you acknowledge, in writing, what you take on:

| Place | What the owner must do |
| --- | --- |
| Florida (state law) | Personally appear and sign the permit application, and prove a complete understanding of the owner's obligations as set out in the disclosure statement[^1] |
| Pinole, California | Read and initial each provision of the owner-builder declaration, then sign and return it; no permit is issued before that[^2] |
| Hastings, Minnesota | Provide an owner-contractor waiver with a deck permit when the homeowner does the work[^3] |
| Marriott-Slaterville, Utah | Complete an owner/builder certificate, signed and notarized[^4] |

## The responsibilities you take on

As Florida's statement says, the owner-builder is the responsible party of record on the permit[^1]. In practice:

- **Supervision.** In Florida you must provide direct, onsite supervision of the construction, and you may not hire an unlicensed person to act as your contractor[^1].
- **The whole project.** Pinole tells owner-builders that they assume full responsibility for all phases of the project and its integrity, must pull all permits, and the project must pass code and building inspections[^2].
- **Licensed trades.** In Florida, it is your responsibility to ensure that the people you employ have the licenses required by law[^1].
- **You may become an employer.** If you pay unlicensed workers, Florida says they must be your employees, which brings tax withholding, Social Security contributions and workers' compensation[^1]. Pinole lists the same obligations under state and federal law[^2].

## The risk: injuries on your property

This is the warning both forms insist on. Florida's statement has the owner acknowledge that they may be held liable and subjected to serious financial risk for any injuries sustained by an unlicensed person or their employees while working on the property, and that the owner's homeowner's insurance may not provide coverage for those injuries[^1]. Pinole's form warns that if an unlicensed contractor or their employee is injured while working on your property, you may be held liable for damages[^2].

Both forms also warn about a frequent practice of unlicensed contractors: having the owner pull an owner-builder permit that wrongly implies the owner is doing the work[^1][^2]. If a contractor asks you to pull the permit in your name, read these warnings first. As Fairfax County, Virginia, reminds owners, just because a professional was hired doesn't mean a permit has been approved[^5].

## Can you sell what you built?

The exemption is for your own use, not for building to sell.

- **Florida:** the residence must be for your own use or occupancy. If you sell or lease a building you built or substantially improved within 1 year after completion, the law presumes you built it for sale or lease, which violates the exemption[^1].
- **California:** under Business and Professions Code section 7044, as quoted in Pinole's package, if the improvement is sold within one year of completion, the owner-builder has the burden of proving it was not built for the purpose of sale[^2]. Pinole's package also states that the work site must be the owner's principal residence, occupied for 12 months before completion, and that the owner cannot build and then sell more than two structures in any three-year period[^2].

## Owner-builder for a deck, a shed, a fence

For small projects, the owner-builder route is common and sensible: you build it yourself, the city still reviews the plans and inspects. What does not change is the permit itself. Hastings asks owner-builders for the same deck site plan, deck plan and elevation as anyone else, plus the waiver[^3].

## You build. We handle the permit.

Owner-builders are exactly who YesPermit was made for. We prepare what the city asks for: your city's sourced rules, the site plan, the permit drawings, the forms, including the owner-builder declaration your city uses, and where to file. You keep the tools.

**We handle the permit. You build.** All-in, until approved: $399 (Fall 2026 launch price, valid through November 30, 2026; regular price $499), approved or your money back ([conditions](https://yespermit.com/guarantee/)): [order](https://yespermit.com/all-in/). Prefer to file it yourself? [Permit Kit](https://yespermit.com/permit-kit/), $349.

## Common questions

### Can I pull my own building permit as a homeowner?

In many places, yes, under an owner-builder exemption. Florida requires the owner to personally appear and sign the permit application. Hastings, Minnesota, asks homeowners who build their own deck for an owner-contractor waiver, and Marriott-Slaterville, Utah, requires a signed, notarized owner/builder certificate.

### Can I sell a house I built as an owner-builder?

With limits. In Florida, a sale or lease within one year after completion creates a presumption that you built it for sale or lease, which violates the exemption. In California, under Business and Professions Code section 7044 as quoted by cities, if the improvement is sold within one year of completion, the owner-builder has the burden of proving it was not built for sale.

### Am I responsible if someone gets hurt on my project?

You can be. Florida's owner-builder disclosure says the owner may be held liable for injuries to an unlicensed person working on the property and that homeowner's insurance may not cover them. California cities' forms carry the same warning.

### Do I still need drawings and inspections as an owner-builder?

Yes. The exemption concerns who may do the work, not the permit itself. Your project still needs the plans the city asks for and must pass the same inspections.

## Get it done

**We handle the permit. You build.** All-in, until approved: $399 (Fall 2026 launch price, valid through November 30, 2026; regular price $499), approved or your money back ([conditions](https://yespermit.com/guarantee/)): [order](https://yespermit.com/all-in/). Prefer to file it yourself? [Permit Kit](https://yespermit.com/permit-kit/), $349.

## Sources

[^1]: [Florida Statutes §489.103(7), Exemptions, owners of property (owner-builder disclosure statement)](https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0400-0499/0489/Sections/0489.103.html), checked October 13, 2026.
[^2]: [City of Pinole, California, Owner-Builder Package (June 2024), quoting Business and Professions Code §7044 and Health and Safety Code §19825](https://www.pinole.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Owner-Builder-Package-June-2024-Fillable.pdf), checked October 13, 2026.
[^3]: [City of Hastings, Minnesota, Deck permit requirements](https://www.hastingsmn.gov/home-living/building-and-remodeling/residential-permits/deck/), checked October 13, 2026.
[^4]: [City of Marriott-Slaterville, Utah, Residential Building Permit Plan Submittal Requirements](https://www.marriott-slaterville.org/sites/default/files/fileattachments/community_development/page/5721/residential_building_permit_plan_submittal_req.pdf), checked October 13, 2026.
[^5]: [Fairfax County, Virginia, Department of Code Compliance, Unpermitted Construction (September 2024)](https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/code/sites/code/files/Assets/documents/PDF/building-trade-unpermitted-construction.pdf), checked October 13, 2026.

---

Source page: https://yespermit.com/guides/owner-builder-permit/ · YesPermit, sold by LACANGEL GROUP SAS, 1 rue Marguerin, 75014 Paris, France. Prices in US dollars, taxes included. YesPermit prepares permit applications; it is not an architect, engineer or law firm, and the city or county decides on every permit. Site summary for AI assistants: https://yespermit.com/llms.txt