Permit Shot Clock Laws: 2026 State-by-State Guide

Permit shot clock laws are state statutes that give a local government a fixed number of days to act on a permit application or finish plan review, and attach a consequence when that deadline passes. Depending on the state, a missed deadline can mean refunded fees, an applicant's right to hire a third-party plan reviewer, or a permit that is deemed approved. They are separate from the FCC's wireless siting shot clocks, which are federal deadlines for local decisions on cell tower and small wireless facility applications.

This guide is for building officials, plan review managers, and city and county managers, with notes for expediters and developers. It compares laws in eight states, then sets out a playbook for meeting them.

This is general information, not legal advice. It is based on statute and bill text reviewed in October 2026. Laws change, and effective dates, exemptions, and local facts matter. Confirm your obligations with your city or county attorney and the current statute text before changing procedures.

Last updated: October 30, 2026

How a permit shot clock works

Every law in this guide has four parts:

• Scope. Some reach only one- and two-family homes; others cover land use or land disturbance permits, not building permits.
• Start event. Most clocks start at a complete application, not first submittal.
• Counting. California, Florida, Indiana, Utah, and North Carolina's residential rule count business days. Georgia, Texas, and North Carolina's commercial rule state days, and Washington counts calendar days with listed pauses.
• Consequence. Fee refunds, private or third-party review, deemed approval, or a court remedy.

Permit shot clock laws by state: comparison tables

The first table lists laws that set building permit review deadlines; the second, laws often grouped with them that do not. Effective dates are in each state's section.

Laws that set building permit review deadlines

Related laws that do not set a building plan review deadline

California: AB 253 third-party plan check and postentitlement deadlines

Government Code section 65913.3 (AB 2234, 2022) covers postentitlement permits, including building permits, for housing projects; agency checklists were due online by January 1, 2024. A miss violates the Housing Accountability Act. The limits do not apply if the agency makes timely written findings, based on substantial evidence, of a specific, adverse impact on public health or safety, and an agency may not require an extension as a condition of accepting the application (Gov. Code 65913.3).

AB 253 (Chapter 487, Statutes of 2025), effective October 10, 2025 until January 1, 2036, also covers additions or remodels that add units to qualifying buildings. If the agency's estimate or actual review exceeds 30 business days, the applicant may hire a certified private professional provider, with notice within 5 business days. If the agency neither issues the permit nor explains the noncompliance within 10 business days of a compliant report, the permit is deemed approved, and the agency is deemed compliant with 65913.3 for that permit (AB 253 text).

Florida: s. 553.792 deadlines and HB 803 private provider plan review

Section 553.792 (created in 2005, last amended by HB 803) also requires a completeness notice within 5 business days, after which an application is deemed complete. The fee reduction does not apply if the parties agreed in writing to an extension, the applicant caused the delay, force majeure applies, or a timely written deficiency notice went out (s. 553.792).

HB 803 (chapter 2026-63, effective July 1, 2026) added a 5-business-day tier for certain permits under $15,000 on existing single-family homes. For private provider permits, the building official may now review plans only for local ordinances, floodplain, site, and other non-building-code items, and checks the provider's forms for completeness only. Prior law gave 20 business days to issue the permit or cite code deficiencies. Section 553.791(12) still requires, when a licensed engineer or architect seals the affidavit, a permit or specific code deficiencies within 10 business days, or the permit is deemed approved; ask counsel how it fits with the completeness-only review (HB 803).

Georgia: SB 447 covers land disturbance permits, not building permits

SB 447 (Act 513, effective July 1, 2026) amends the Erosion and Sedimentation Act (O.C.G.A. 12-7-9 and 12-7-11). Its deadlines apply to land disturbance permits and related approvals such as stormwater: 5 days to decide completeness within the existing 45-day limit, 20 and then 14 days on resubmittal, no unrelated new comments, a refund of all fees on a miss, and mandamus.

For building departments, it makes a private professional provider's inspection report deemed approved on submission, with two business days to flag deficiencies (O.C.G.A. 8-2-26). From January 1, 2028, local governments that issued more than 250 building permits in the prior year must publish real-time permit status, including missed deadlines (SB 447).

Indiana: HEA 1005 plan review for Class 2 structures

HEA 1005 (P.L. 146-2025) added IC 36-7-2.5, effective January 1, 2026, for Class 2 structures (one- and two-family dwellings, townhouses, and their outbuildings). The 7-business-day review runs from the completeness notice, which must say whether the unit can meet that window and inspect within 3 business days. If the unit says it cannot and the applicant switches to a private provider, the unit refunds review or inspection fees but may keep up to $100. If it commits and misses, it must issue a permit or limited permit by the next business day. A complete private review report also requires a permit the next business day (HEA 1005).

North Carolina: G.S. 160D-1110.1 third-party plan review and residential refunds

G.S. 160D-1110.1 covers commercial and multifamily projects with sealed plans. After a missed deadline, the applicant may hire a certified engineer or architect for independent third-party review; the permit must then issue within 3 business days, with plan review and permit fees refunded or waived (G.S. 160D-1110.1). G.S. 160D-1110(b) applies its 15-business-day initial review only if the local government reviews residential plans at all. Both provisions apply to applications submitted on or after July 1, 2024.

Texas: HB 14 third-party review and the 45-day municipal permit rule

HB 14 (effective September 1, 2023) added Local Government Code chapter 247, which has no review period of its own. If a plat, plan, or development permit is not acted on by the 15th day after a deadline "prescribed by a provision of this code," meaning the Local Government Code, a qualified third party such as a licensed Texas engineer may review it, with no added fee and no waiver. Inspections follow the same rule, and an appealed decision the governing body does not affirm within 60 days is considered approved (HB 14).

Section 214.904 (2005), the 45-day rule in the table, is a Local Government Code deadline for building permits, and chapter 247 defines a development permit to include a permit to construct or improve an improvement to land. The cautious reading is that chapter 247 may apply to municipal building permits; confirm with your city attorney.

Utah: 14- and 21-business-day residential plan review

Utah Code 10-20-909 counts its review deadlines from the end of a 3-business-day screening period: 14 business days for one- and two-family dwellings and townhomes, and 21 for other residential structures, excluding lodging. For one- and two-family dwellings and townhomes, a municipality may require a single resubmittal, and only for site plan or footprint deficiencies. Inspections are due within 3 business days, or the applicant may use a listed third-party firm. The deadlines and the stamped-plan rule date to 2017 (S.B. 241); the section was renumbered from 10-6-160 effective November 6, 2025 (Utah Code 10-20-909).

Washington: SB 5290 project permit timelines (building permits excluded)

SB 5290 (chapter 338, Laws of 2023) set default timelines in RCW 36.70B.080, effective January 1, 2025, for cities and counties planning under the Growth Management Act, which may modify them by ordinance. Days are calendar days, excluding periods such as waiting on the applicant, and a late decision means a 10 or 20 percent fee refund unless the local government has adopted at least three process options in RCW 36.70B.160 (RCW 36.70B.080). Building permits are outside these timelines; since SB 5290, the definition of a project permit excludes them.

Bills that did not pass

Texas HB 23 and SB 1450, which would have expanded chapter 247, died in the 2025 regular session. Washington's SB 5729, a permit streamlining bill, passed the Senate in February 2026 but got no House floor vote before the session ended on March 12, 2026. North Carolina's H 876, which would require some reviews within two business days, has not moved since its committee referral on April 10, 2025.

A playbook for meeting plan review deadline laws

Make completeness objective, and decide it fast

Since most clocks start at a complete application, publish a checklist of every required document so completeness is a yes or no decision, not a first review. California requires posted checklists and example applications, Indiana requires a written schedule of what makes an application complete, and Utah's statute lists the contents itself. Assign completeness checks to a named person each day so 3- and 5-day windows do not lapse.

Measure the clock the way the statute does

Log the start event, the counting method, and every allowed pause, with dates. Washington excludes time waiting on the applicant, Georgia tolls during state agency review, and California tolls for outside review only if the applicant is notified within 3 business days. A system that counts days differently from the statute can show a deadline met that the law treats as missed.

Put every comment in the first review

Georgia bars unrelated new comments on land disturbance resubmittals, Utah limits resubmittals for one- and two-family plans and bars requiring a redraft for minor changes listed on the reviewed plan, Florida limits later private provider reviews to the issues first cited, and California requires a full set of comments up front. Cite the sheet and code section in each comment so the applicant can respond once. Our companion guide covers how applicants should respond to plan check comments.

Triage the queue by statutory deadline

Sort work by statutory due date, not arrival order. The shortest clocks, such as Indiana's 7-business-day review, need a daily lane, and files with refund or deemed-approval exposure should reach a supervisor early.

Line up third-party capacity before you need it

North Carolina lets local governments contract certified third-party reviewers, California lets departments contract or temporarily employ plan checkers, and Texas counts approved reviewers from other political subdivisions. Put contracts, conflict-of-interest screening, and private provider intake forms in place before a backlog forces the decision.

Track and publish your numbers

Washington requires annual performance reports from certain counties and cities, California adds permit and staffing counts to housing reports from April 1, 2027, and Georgia requires a public status site from 2028. Your own clock data lets you answer with records, not estimates.

AI-assisted plan review: keeping it defensible

Utah's statute lets a municipality use "automated review" for all or part of its plan review (Utah Code 10-20-909(13)). Whether a tool meets that definition, and how it is used, is the municipality's call, and the decision stays with the department. A shot clock does not lower the standard for a correct decision, which still has to hold up on appeal or in a refund dispute. Three practices help:

• Every finding cites its source. A flagged issue points to the sheet and the code section it relies on, so a reviewer can confirm it against the plans.
• A human reviewer decides and signs off. The plans examiner accepts, edits, or rejects each finding and signs the comment letter. Software output is a draft, not a determination.
• The record shows what was checked. Keep the findings, the reviewer's decisions, and the dates with the permit file.

PlanChecker.AI is built around the first of these. It runs automated plan checks on PDF plan sets and flags potential code issues and design conflicts with code citations, and answers stay linked to the sheet they came from. It is a pre-screening tool and does not replace official plan review. AI output can contain errors or omissions and does not guarantee compliance or a met deadline; our AI disclosure sets out the limits. For what the product does and does not do for jurisdictions, see our FAQ.

Permit shot clock FAQ

What happens if a building department misses a permit shot clock deadline?

It depends on the state. Common results are fee refunds or reductions (Florida, Indiana, North Carolina, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Georgia for land disturbance permits), the applicant's right to use third-party or private review or inspection (California, Indiana, North Carolina, Texas, Utah), and, in narrower cases, a permit deemed approved. Georgia also allows mandamus for land disturbance permits.

Is a building permit deemed approved if the city misses the deadline?

Usually not by silence alone. Deemed approval applies in specific cases: Florida private provider permits (forms not flagged in time, or no response to a sealed affidavit within 10 business days), California AB 253 permits (no action on a compliant private report within 10 business days), and Texas chapter 247 appeals not affirmed within 60 days. Utah and Indiana have close equivalents; see their sections.

Can an applicant hire a private plan reviewer if the review runs late?

In several states, yes. North Carolina (sealed commercial and multifamily plans), California (AB 253 residential projects), Indiana (Class 2 structures), and Texas (development documents past the code deadline) allow third-party review after a delay. Florida and Indiana allow private providers whether or not the department is late. Qualifications and required affidavits differ by state.

When does the permit review clock start?

Most laws start at a complete application. Several treat an application as complete if the department is silent: 5 business days in Florida, 5 days for Georgia land disturbance permits, 15 business days for California housing permits, and 28 days in Washington. Utah's clock runs from the end of a 3-business-day screening period. Indiana requires a completeness notice within 3 business days and counts its 7-day review from that notice.

Does a resubmittal restart the shot clock?

Sometimes. California treats a corrected resubmittal as a new application. Florida gives 10 business days after revisions. North Carolina allows up to 10 more days for sealed commercial and multifamily plans. Georgia sets 20 and then 14 days for land disturbance resubmittals and bars unrelated new comments. Washington pauses its clock while the applicant responds.

Is this guide legal advice?

No. This guide is general information based on statute and bill text reviewed in October 2026. Laws change, and exemptions and local facts matter. Before changing intake, review, or refund procedures, confirm the current statute text and your obligations with your city or county attorney.

Talk to us

If your department is preparing for a shot clock, we can walk through how PlanChecker.AI could fit a pre-screening step. Contact us to book a walkthrough; we respond within one business day. To try it first, every new account starts with a 14-day free trial of Basic. A card is required, and you won't be charged if you cancel before the trial ends. See plans and trial terms.