Longwood & unincorporated Seminole County City permit & inspection handled on every changeout
Longwood, Florida
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Permits and jurisdiction

HVAC permits and inspections in Florida, from a Longwood address

An air conditioning changeout always needs a building permit in Florida. HB 803's new $7,500 single-family exemption does not reach it: the exemption expressly excludes mechanical work. What HB 803 did change is the clock on plans review. Inside Longwood the City's fee is $246.61.

The 2026 statute, stated as a negative

HB 803 does not exempt an AC changeout

Florida's CS/CS/HB 803 (2026), effective 1 July 2026, requires local governments to exempt single-family work valued under $7,500 from permitting. It does not help here. The exemption expressly excludes “any electrical, plumbing, structural, mechanical, or gas work performed on property containing a single-family dwelling,” and it does not apply in a flood hazard area either. An air conditioning changeout is mechanical work, so it stays permitted at any dollar value, in Longwood and everywhere else in Florida.

Separately — and this is a different statute, not part of HB 803 — an HVAC replacement is a “single-trade inspection” under §553.791(1)(r), the private-provider law, which predates HB 803. That is an inspection category, not a permit category: it lets an owner or contractor elect a private provider instead of the municipal inspector, by 2 p.m. two business days before the next scheduled inspection. What HB 803 did add is a permit-decision clock: §553.792(1)(a)1. puts single-trade plans review for a one- or two-family dwelling on a 5-business-day deadline rather than the usual 20, provided the application is complete when it is filed.

Two building departments, one mailing address

Who inspects your changeout

Inside the city limits, Longwood's own adopted Chapter 1 amendments govern. Section 105.2 lists exactly eight permit-exempt mechanical items and equipment replacement is not among them. Section 107.3 waives plans examination for “replacing existing equipment such as mechanical units, water heaters, etc.” — so a Longwood changeout is permitted and inspected, but never sits in plan review. Section 105.2.1 allows emergency equipment replacement to proceed with the application submitted within the next working business day.

Outside the city limits — everything west of I-4 with a Longwood mailing address, and all of ZIP 32779 — Seminole County's Building Division governs instead, on its own fee schedule and its own portal. Which one is you.

City residential change-out
$246.61
City commercial change-out
$229.69
Adopted by
Resolution 26-1724, effective 1 July 2026
Plans examination
Waived for equipment replacement
Inspection requests
407-260-3471, by 3:30 p.m. the business day before
Outside the city
Seminole County Building Division, Sanford, 407-665-7050

Paperwork and money

Notice of Commencement, and the county's rising fees

There is a second reason the total matters. Longwood requires a Notice of Commencement recorded with Seminole County, with a certified copy delivered to the City at application or before the first inspection, and states that if no NOC is on file when an inspection is scheduled “the inspection will not be completed and all work must remain open.” A mechanical permit to repair or replace an existing heating or air conditioning system valued under $7,500 is excepted, per §713.135(d), Florida Statutes. Read those two numbers together: the typical Orlando-metro changeout of $7,500–$10,500 straddles the $7,500 line, so on a mid-size Longwood job whether you have to record a document at the county courthouse can come down to whether the duct work is in the contract.

Seminole County has stated that fees for common permit types including air conditioning changeouts will rise as it moves to actual-inspection-cost fees under HB 803, effective 1 July 2026, and HB 399, effective 1 January 2027. If your address files with the county rather than the City, budget on that basis.

How inspections actually fail here

Attic access, and the 3:30 p.m. cutoff

Two Longwood-specific ways an inspection fails that have nothing to do with the equipment. First, attic access: the City's mechanical permit application asks whether a change-out unit is in the attic and notes that if it is, “access must be provided.” On 1970s stock the air handler usually is. Second, scheduling: inspection requests go to 407-260-3471 and must be in by 3:30 p.m. the business day before, so a Friday afternoon changeout cannot be inspected on Monday unless someone called by Friday 3:30.

One more, on the application itself: signing a Longwood permit application binds the applicant to a Cost Recovery Agreement under Longwood City Code Chapter 59, under which the City may assess back its direct review, processing and inspection costs. It is unusual among small Seminole County cities and worth reading before signing on commercial or Historic District work.

Questions people actually type

Related questions

Do I need a permit?

For an air conditioning changeout inside the City of Longwood, yes. The City's adopted Chapter 1 amendments (Ordinance No. 21-2196) exempt only eight mechanical items and equipment replacement is not one of them. Statewide, HB 803's new $7,500 single-family exemption expressly excludes mechanical work, so it never reaches a changeout. What Longwood does waive is plans examination for replacing existing equipment — the permit is pulled and the job is inspected, but it does not sit in plan review.

Sources

  1. Florida CS/CS/HB 803 (2026), enrolled text. https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026/803
  2. Florida Statutes §553.79 — §553.79(1)(a) baseline permit requirement; §553.79(1)(g) the $7,500 single-family exemption and its carve-outs (created by s. 8, ch. 2026-63). https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2026/553.79
  3. Florida Statutes §553.791 — private provider statute; §553.791(1)(r) defines “single-trade inspection” and names HVAC replacements; §553.791(2)(a) the owner's election. https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2026/553.791
  4. Florida Statutes §553.792(1)(a)1. — permit decision deadlines, including the 5-business-day tier (created by s. 10, ch. 2026-63). https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2026/553.792
  5. City of Longwood, 2020 FBC Chapter 1 Administrative Amendments (Exhibit A to Ordinance No. 21-2196), Sections 105.2, 105.2.1 and 107.3. https://www.longwoodfl.org/DocumentCenter/View/4736/2020-FBC-Londwood-Administrative-Amendments-PDF-
  6. City of Longwood Mechanical Permit application. https://www.longwoodfl.org/DocumentCenter/View/4604/Mechanical-Permit-application-PDF-
  7. City of Longwood Fee Schedule (Resolution 26-1724, effective 1 July 2026). https://www.longwoodfl.org/702/Fee-Schedule
  8. City of Longwood, Permitting and Inspections. https://www.longwoodfl.org/169/Permitting-and-Inspections
  9. City of Longwood FAQ: “Is my address/parcel located within the City of Longwood City limits?”. https://www.longwoodfl.org/Faq.aspx?QID=159
  10. City of Longwood Building Division FAQ: “Do I need a permit?”. https://www.longwoodfl.org/FAQ.aspx?QID=173
  11. Florida Statutes §713.135 — Notice of Commencement, including the §713.135(d) exception for HVAC repair or replacement under $7,500. https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2026/713.135
  12. Seminole County, New State Legislation Affecting Permits. https://www.seminolecountyfl.gov/departments-services/development-services/building/new-state-legislation-affecting-permits
  13. Seminole County Building Division. https://www.seminolecountyfl.gov/departments-services/development-services/building

Figures are dated. Permit fees, rebate amounts and code cycles change — re-check the primary source before you rely on a number here.

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