Can I be my own general contractor in Florida?

Florida Statute 489.103(7) provides an owner-builder exemption for a one-family or two-family residence built for the owner's own occupancy and not offered for sale or lease, with personal on-site supervision and a signed disclosure statement to the permitting agency before the permit is issued. Selling or leasing within one year of completion creates a presumption that it was built for sale.

Do you need a licence to build houses in Texas?

The Texas Sunset Advisory Commission's record states the Texas Residential Construction Commission was abolished and its Act expired on September 1, 2009, with no replacement agency created. Electricians, air conditioning contractors and plumbers are still licensed by the state through their own boards; the general contractor is not. Some cities require a local registration to pull permits.

What does a general contractor charge to build a house?

HomeGuide's Texas page puts the general contractor at 10% to 20% of the construction budget and says most home builders include that fee in the total cost of the build rather than billing it separately. A bid that does not show the line has not necessarily left it out — ask.

Is it cheaper to be your own general contractor?

The fee HomeGuide publishes is 10% to 20% of the construction budget, and that is what is theoretically saved. What replaces it is the scheduling, the hiring, the licence checks, the insurance, the employer obligations Florida's own disclosure statement asks an owner-builder to acknowledge, and 6 to 12 or more months of construction on HomeGuide's timeline.

Do I need a general contractor to build a house?

Published August 22, 2026

Whether you need a licensed general contractor depends on your state: Florida licenses residential contractors, and Texas licenses no home builder at all.

Two states, two opposite answers, and this board covers both. Chapter 489 of the Florida Statutes defines a residential contractor as one whose services are limited to the construction, remodeling, repair or improvement of one-family, two-family or three-family residences not exceeding two habitable stories above no more than one uninhabitable story, and a building contractor as one limited to commercial buildings and residential buildings not exceeding three stories. Both are licensed categories in Florida. In Texas, the Sunset Advisory Commission's own record states that the Texas Residential Construction Commission was abolished and its Act expired on September 1, 2009, with its records and property transferred to the Comptroller of Public Accounts, and no replacement agency was created.

Sources: Florida Legislature, Texas Sunset Advisory Commission

This page is general information, not professional advice, and it is not legal advice. Building prices move with your lot, your plans and your local labor market, and the only number that counts is a written quote from a builder who has walked the site.

Florida's owner-builder exemption, and the strings on it

Florida Statute 489.103(7) lets an owner of property act as their own contractor on a one-family or two-family residence built for the owner's own occupancy or use and not offered for sale or lease. The statute requires the owner to supervise the work personally and on site, and to give the local permitting agency a signed disclosure statement before the permit is issued — a statement acknowledging what the licensing requirements are, what the insurance limitations are and what the owner's obligations as an employer would be. It also provides that proof of selling or leasing the structure, or offering it for sale or lease, within one year after completion creates a presumption that the construction was undertaken for the purpose of sale or lease.

Source: Florida Legislature

Read the one-year clause before you decide. An owner-builder exemption is for the house you are going to live in, and the statute says what selling it early looks like from the outside.

Texas has no state licence for the person running your build

The Texas Sunset Advisory Commission's page records that House Bill 2295, which carried its recommendations for the Texas Residential Construction Commission, did not pass, the Commission was not continued in separate legislation, and the Act expired on September 1, 2009. Specialty trades are a different matter and are still licensed by the state — electricians and air conditioning contractors through the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, plumbers through their own board. The gap is the general contractor coordinating the whole job. Some Texas cities require a local registration before a contractor can pull permits and others do not, so the answer is set by your city rather than by the state.

Source: Texas Sunset Advisory Commission

What a general contractor is actually being paid for

HomeGuide describes the builder acting as general contractor to manage the entire project, order materials, hire and manage the subcontractors and keep construction on schedule, and says most reputable builders already have established relationships with the professionals they prefer in each trade. It prices that role on its Texas page at 10% to 20% of the construction budget and notes that most home builders include the fee in the total cost of the build rather than billing it separately. Its published labor table gives a sense of how many trades that is: excavating contractors at $100 to $300 an hour, plumbers and HVAC installers at $75 to $150, electricians at $50 to $130, roofers and carpenters at $30 to $100, painters and flooring installers at $20 to $70.

Sources: HomeGuide, HomeGuide

The questions to answer before you decide

Ask your city or county building department who they will issue the permit to, and what they require of that person. That single call answers most of the question.
Ask what your lender requires. A construction lender releasing money against inspections has its own view on who is running the job, and that view is in the loan documents.
Ask what your insurer requires, and what your obligations as an employer would be if you hire trades directly.
Count the trades. HomeGuide's labor table names a dozen, each with its own schedule.
Be honest about the calendar. HomeGuide puts construction alone at 6 to 12 or more months before design and permitting.

What the whole build costs, before you decide who runs it: the cost to build a custom home.

If the answer is that you want someone else running it, start with the people already being recommended. These are the custom home builders AI assistants actually name when homeowners ask. Nobody can pay to be on these lists.

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Questions people ask next

Can I be my own general contractor in Florida?: Florida Statute 489.103(7) provides an owner-builder exemption for a one-family or two-family residence built for the owner's own occupancy and not offered for sale or lease, with personal on-site supervision and a signed disclosure statement to the permitting agency before the permit is issued. Selling or leasing within one year of completion creates a presumption that it was built for sale.
Do you need a licence to build houses in Texas?: The Texas Sunset Advisory Commission's record states the Texas Residential Construction Commission was abolished and its Act expired on September 1, 2009, with no replacement agency created. Electricians, air conditioning contractors and plumbers are still licensed by the state through their own boards; the general contractor is not. Some cities require a local registration to pull permits.
What does a general contractor charge to build a house?: HomeGuide's Texas page puts the general contractor at 10% to 20% of the construction budget and says most home builders include that fee in the total cost of the build rather than billing it separately. A bid that does not show the line has not necessarily left it out — ask.
Is it cheaper to be your own general contractor?: The fee HomeGuide publishes is 10% to 20% of the construction budget, and that is what is theoretically saved. What replaces it is the scheduling, the hiring, the licence checks, the insurance, the employer obligations Florida's own disclosure statement asks an owner-builder to acknowledge, and 6 to 12 or more months of construction on HomeGuide's timeline.

Written for homeowners by Most Recommended Custom Home Builders, which measures which custom home builders AI assistants actually recommend in 12 U.S. metros. Nobody can pay to be on those lists. How we measure.