Permit Office (AHJ)
City of Orlando Permitting Services Division (Economic Development Department)
Orlando, FL · Licensed Professional Engineering
Structural systems designed to the loads your state actually imposes — gravity, seismic, wind, and snow — with drawings built to get approved the first time.
Orlando structural design is wind-driven but under standard Florida Building Code provisions, not the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone — the city is inland in Orange County, so we design to standard FBC wind pressures (roughly 140 mph ultimate) with Florida Product Approval for components rather than Miami-Dade NOAs, and windborne-debris protection is required by wind zone. Seismic is negligible (SDC A) and snow is zero. The defining subsurface variable is central-Florida karst: sinkhole and soft-ground potential over limestone can dictate deep foundations, ground improvement, or careful pond siting, so the geotechnical report governs foundation selection. High water tables further constrain below-grade construction. We reconcile the lateral system to the actual wind zone and let subsurface conditions set the foundations, all under the Florida-amended 2021 IBC basis.
Code adoptions and local amendments change on multi-year cycles. The state source verification date is 2026-07-28; we verify the governing editions with City of Orlando Permitting Services Division (Economic Development Department) at project kickoff.
Commercial plan review runs through the City of Orlando's online Accela Citizen Access / e-permitting system, with electronic submittal and multi-discipline review across building, structural, MEP, zoning, and engineering. Orlando is not in the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, so it uses standard Florida Building Code wind provisions with Florida Product Approval rather than Miami-Dade NOAs. Private provider (private inspector/plan reviewer) service is available under Florida statute to accelerate qualifying projects, and larger developments run through concurrent development and engineering review.
As a non-HVHZ jurisdiction, Orlando designs to standard FBC wind pressures with Florida Product Approval for components rather than Miami-Dade NOAs. Local layers that reshape design include City of Orlando and Orange County stormwater and floodplain ordinances, the city's Green Works / building-performance initiatives, and coordination with the regional water management district for master drainage.
OUC is a municipal provider with its own commercial rate schedules, demand charges, and interconnection process, and OUC also provides chilled-water district cooling in parts of downtown that changes central-plant scope. New large services can carry transformer lead times we confirm early. OUC and Orange County Utilities provide water and reclaimed water, and reclaimed-water availability affects irrigation and site design.
Orlando's construction market is anchored by tourism and hospitality (theme parks, convention, and resort development around International Drive), strong in-migration and multifamily growth, healthcare and the Lake Nona Medical City / life-science cluster, and expanding logistics and higher-education activity. That pipeline keeps Permitting Services' review queues active, and stormwater/floodplain review often paces site schedules.
Reviewed 2026-09-11. Code editions and local requirements can change; confirm the current requirements with the authority having jurisdiction before design.
With a team of licensed PEs and a multi-discipline engineering team, we're ready to take on projects of any size — and we turn quotes around fast. Send us your scope and get a clear proposal: deliverables, timeline, and fee.
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