Florida Senate - 2025 SB 902 By Senator Martin 33-01736-25 2025902__ 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to panelized construction; reordering 3 and amending s. 553.36, F.S.; defining the term 4 panelized construction; amending s. 553.37, F.S.; 5 providing that panelized construction is exempt from 6 state approval but must comply with all local 7 requirements of the governmental agency having 8 jurisdiction at the installation site; amending ss. 9 316.515, 553.415, and 627.702, F.S.; conforming cross 10 references; providing an effective date. 11 12 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 13 14 Section 1.Section 553.36, Florida Statutes, is reordered 15 and amended to read: 16 553.36Definitions.The definitions contained in this 17 section govern the construction of this part unless the context 18 otherwise requires. 19 (1)Approved means conforming to the requirements of the 20 Florida Building Code. 21 (2)Approved inspection agency means an organization 22 determined by the department to be especially qualified by 23 reason of facilities, personnel, experience, and demonstrated 24 reliability to investigate, test, and evaluate manufactured 25 building units or systems or the component parts thereof, 26 together with the plans, specifications, and quality control 27 procedures to ensure that such units, systems, or component 28 parts are in full compliance with the Florida Building Code and 29 to label such units complying with those standards. 30 (3)Closed construction means that condition when any 31 building, component, assembly, subassembly, or system is 32 manufactured in such a manner that all portions cannot be 33 readily inspected at the installation site without disassembly 34 or destruction thereof. 35 (15)(4)Open construction means any building, building 36 component, assembly, or system manufactured in such a manner 37 that all portions can be readily inspected at the building site 38 without disassembly thereof, damage thereto, or destruction 39 thereof. 40 (4)(5)Columbarium means a permanent structure consisting 41 of niches. 42 (5)(6)Component means any assembly, subassembly, or 43 combination of parts for use as a part of a building, which may 44 include structural, electrical, mechanical, and fire protection 45 systems and other systems affecting health and safety. 46 Components that incorporate elements of a building subject to 47 the product approval system adopted under s. 553.842 are subject 48 to approval in accordance with the product approval system upon 49 implementation thereof and are not subject to the rules adopted 50 under this part. Components to which the rules adopted under 51 this part apply are limited to three-dimensional systems for use 52 as part of a building. 53 (6)(7)Department means the Department of Business and 54 Professional Regulation. 55 (7)(8)Factory-built school shelter means any site 56 assembled or factory-built school building that is designed to 57 be portable, relocatable, demountable, or reconstructible and 58 that complies with the provisions for enhanced hurricane 59 protection areas, as required by the applicable code. 60 (8)(9)Insignia means an approved device or seal issued 61 by the department to indicate compliance with the standards and 62 rules established pursuant to this part. 63 (9)(10)Install means the assembly of a manufactured 64 building component or system on site and the process of affixing 65 a manufactured building component or system to land, a 66 foundation, or an existing building, and service connections 67 which are a part thereof. 68 (10)(11)Local government means any municipality, county, 69 district, or combination thereof comprising a governmental unit. 70 (11)(12)Manufacture means the process of making, 71 fabricating, constructing, forming, or assembling a product from 72 raw, unfinished, semifinished, or finished materials. 73 (12)(13)Manufactured building,, modular building, or 74 factory-built building means a closed structure, building 75 assembly, or system of subassemblies, which may include 76 structural, electrical, plumbing, heating, ventilating, or other 77 service systems manufactured in manufacturing facilities for 78 installation or erection as a finished building or as part of a 79 finished building, which includes shall include, but is not be 80 limited to, residential, commercial, institutional, storage, and 81 industrial structures. The term includes buildings not intended 82 for human habitation, such as lawn storage buildings and storage 83 sheds manufactured and assembled offsite by a manufacturer 84 certified in conformance with this part. This part does not 85 apply to mobile homes. 86 (13)(14)Mobile home means any residential unit 87 constructed to standards promulgated by the United States 88 Department of Housing and Urban Development. 89 (14)(15)Module means a separately transported three 90 dimensional component of a manufactured building which contains 91 all or a portion of structural systems, electrical systems, 92 plumbing systems, mechanical systems, fire systems, and thermal 93 systems. 94 (16)Panelized construction means any building with non 95 concealed mechanical, electrical, and plumbing components which 96 is created by the off-site fabrication of structural components 97 or panels, which components or panels are then transported to 98 the construction site for assembly. The term includes walls, 99 floors, and roof sections that are typically made from materials 100 such as wood, metal, or concrete. 101 (17)(16)Private mausoleum means a structure intended for 102 the private use of a family or group of family members. 103 (18)(17)Site is the location on which a manufactured 104 building is installed or is to be installed. 105 (19)(18)System means structural, plumbing, mechanical, 106 heating, electrical, or ventilating elements, materials, or 107 components combined for use in a building. 108 Section 2.Subsection (12) of section 553.37, Florida 109 Statutes, is amended to read: 110 553.37Rules; inspections; and insignia. 111 (12)Panelized construction and custom or one-of-a-kind 112 prototype manufactured buildings are not required to have state 113 approval, but must be in compliance with all local requirements 114 of the governmental agency having jurisdiction at the 115 installation site. 116 Section 3.Subsection (14) of section 316.515, Florida 117 Statutes, is amended to read: 118 316.515Maximum width, height, length. 119 (14)MANUFACTURED BUILDINGS.The Department of 120 Transportation may, in its discretion and upon application and 121 good cause shown therefor that the same is not contrary to the 122 public interest, issue a special permit for truck tractor 123 semitrailer combinations where the total number of overwidth 124 deliveries of manufactured buildings, as defined in s. 553.36 s. 125 553.36(13), may be reduced by permitting the use of multiple 126 sections or single units on an overlength trailer of no more 127 than 80 feet. 128 Section 4.Subsection (9) of section 553.415, Florida 129 Statutes, is amended to read: 130 553.415Factory-built school buildings. 131 (9)The school district or community college district for 132 which any factory-built school building is constructed or 133 altered after July 1, 2001, shall provide for periodic 134 inspection of the proposed factory-built school building during 135 each phase of construction or alteration. The inspector shall 136 act under the direction of the governing board for employment 137 purposes. This subsection does not prevent a school district or 138 community college district from purchasing or otherwise using a 139 factory-built school building that has been inspected during all 140 phases of construction or alteration conducted after July 1, 141 2001, by another school district or community college or by an 142 approved inspection agency certified pursuant to s. 553.36 s. 143 553.36(2). If a factory-built school building is constructed or 144 altered for an entity other than a school district or community 145 college district, such entity may employ at its election a 146 school district, community college district, or such approved 147 inspection agency to conduct such inspections. A school district 148 or community college district so employed may charge such entity 149 for services at reasonable rates comparable to those charged for 150 similar services by approved inspection agencies. 151 Section 5.Paragraph (a) of subsection (1) and subsection 152 (5) of section 627.702, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 153 627.702Valued policy law. 154 (1)(a)In the event of the total loss of any building, 155 structure, mobile home as defined in s. 320.01(2), or 156 manufactured building as defined in s. 553.36 s. 553.36(13), 157 located in this state and insured by any insurer as to a covered 158 peril, in the absence of any change increasing the risk without 159 the insurers consent and in the absence of fraudulent or 160 criminal fault on the part of the insured or one acting in her 161 or his behalf, the insurers liability under the policy for such 162 total loss, if caused by a covered peril, shall be in the amount 163 of money for which such property was so insured as specified in 164 the policy and for which a premium has been charged and paid. 165 (5)This section does not apply as to personal property or 166 any interest therein, except with respect to mobile homes as 167 defined in s. 320.01(2) or manufactured buildings as defined in 168 s. 553.36 s. 553.36(13). Nor does this section apply to coverage 169 of an appurtenant structure or other structure or any coverage 170 or claim in which the dollar amount of coverage available as to 171 the structure involved is not directly stated in the policy as a 172 dollar amount specifically applicable to that particular 173 structure. 174 Section 6.This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.