You’ve got two quotes for house plans on your desk. One is from a drafter. One is from a licensed architect. They’re not the same number, and a friend just told you that only an architect can legally draw a house in Florida.

Your friend is wrong, at least for most homes.

In Florida, a drafter can legally draw your single-family home, but who should draw it depends on what you’re building and how much help you want getting it built. Here’s what the law says, where it stops and how to pick fairly between the two.

Key Takeaways

• Fla. Stat. 481.229 exempts one- and two-family homes, townhouses and their domestic outbuildings from the architect license requirement, regardless of cost.
• Other types of buildings costing less than $25,000 are also exempt, except schools, auditoriums and other public-use buildings.
• Commercial projects such as franchise restaurants, retail and offices generally need a Florida-licensed architect.
• Either way, structural design still needs engineering.

What Florida Law Says

The key statute is Fla. Stat. 481.229(1). It says no architect license is required to prepare plans for “any one-family or two-family residence building, townhouse, or domestic outbuilding appurtenant to” one. That exemption applies regardless of cost.

So a modest starter home and a large waterfront custom home are treated the same way. The size of the check doesn’t trigger the architect requirement. The type of building does.

The same subsection covers any other type of building that costs less than $25,000, with a carve-out: schools, auditoriums and other public-use buildings don’t get the exemption.

The plain-English version: a drafter or designer can legally draw a single-family home in Florida.

Where the Exemption Stops

Once you leave single-family, duplex and townhouse territory, and the building costs $25,000 or more, the picture changes. Commercial buildings, including franchise restaurants, retail stores and offices, generally require a Florida-licensed architect, with engineers handling structural, MEP and the other disciplines.

There’s one more wrinkle. Under Fla. Stat. 481.229(4), registered civil and structural engineers may perform architectural services that are “purely incidental” to their engineering practice. They can’t call themselves architects, though. If you want the full breakdown of who does what, read our post on architect vs. engineer for a Tampa home project.

Engineering Is Still on the Table

Here’s the part people miss. The drafter-versus-architect question is only about who draws the architecture. It says nothing about structure.

In Tampa Bay, design wind speeds are high and site-specific. Building departments typically require wind-load design and signed and sealed structural or engineering documents for new homes. Requirements vary by jurisdiction, but you should plan on an engineer whichever way you go.

So the real comparison isn’t drafter versus architect plus engineer. It’s drafter plus engineer versus architect plus engineer.

What Each One Brings

A drafter or designer

Good drafters are fast, efficient and very good at turning a clear set of decisions into clean drawings. Plenty of builders lean on the same drafter for years because the relationship works. If you already know exactly what you want and the lot is simple, a drafter can be a smart fit.

A licensed architect

An architect is trained and licensed to carry a design from the first conversation through construction. When an architect signs and seals the documents, they become the architect of record and take professional responsibility for them. Architects sign and seal under rules of the Florida Board of Architecture and Interior Design, and digital sealing is permitted.

The value of an architect usually shows up in the phases that aren’t drawing: programming, design development, permit comments and construction administration. We break those phases down in what an architect actually does on a new home.

Drafter vs. Architect: Side by Side

When Each Option Makes Sense

A drafter often makes sense when:

• The home is simple and the lot has no flood or setback surprises.
• You’re reusing a plan that has already been permitted nearby.
• Your builder is managing design decisions and just needs clean drawings.

An architect often makes sense when:

• The lot is waterfront, in a flood zone or tight on setbacks.
• The home is fully custom and you want one person owning the design through construction.
• The project is commercial or franchise work, where an architect is generally required anyway.

Neither choice is wrong. The wrong move is picking on price alone without asking what you get for it.

Where TomCo Fits

TomCo’s Design Studio holds architecture license AR100677, and TomCo is also a licensed design-build general contractor. You can design and build with us, or hire us for design only and build with any contractor. We also work for other GCs: the GC keeps the client and the build, and we provide the drawings. See our architectural services for contractors.

Design projects start around $3,500, with larger or more complex work typically running about $8,000–$40,000+. The fixed fee is quoted up front after a discovery call.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a draftsman legally draw house plans in Florida?

Yes. Fla. Stat. 481.229(1) exempts one-family and two-family homes, townhouses and their domestic outbuildings from the architect license requirement, regardless of cost.

Do I need an architect for a commercial building in Florida?

Generally, yes. Commercial projects such as franchise restaurants, retail and offices generally require a Florida-licensed architect, with engineers for structural, MEP and other disciplines.

What about small non-residential buildings?

Other types of buildings costing less than $25,000 are also exempt from the architect requirement, except schools, auditoriums and other public-use buildings.

Does a home drawn by a drafter still need an engineer?

Typically, yes. Building departments typically require wind-load design and signed and sealed structural documents for new homes. Requirements vary by jurisdiction.

Can an engineer act as my architect?

Partly. Under Fla. Stat. 481.229(4), registered engineers may perform architectural services purely incidental to their engineering practice, but they cannot call themselves architects.

What does architect of record mean?

The architect of record is the licensed architect who signs and seals the construction documents and takes professional responsibility for them.

Pick the Right Pen for the Project

If you’re weighing a drafter against an architect, start with the building type, then the lot, then how much help you want after the drawings are done. If you’d like a licensed architect backed by a team that builds what it draws, TomCo’s residential architect team in Tampa is ready to talk it through.

Schedule a private 30-minute consultation or call (813) 922-2299.

Ask ten people what an architect does and most will give you the same answer: draws the house. That’s the part you see. It’s not the part that decides whether your new Tampa Bay home gets permitted on schedule, lands near budget and still works the way you pictured it ten years from now.

An architect turns what you want into decisions a builder can price, a building department can approve and a crew can build. On a new home, that work happens in six phases, and each one asks you to decide something different. Here’s what actually goes on in each.

Key Takeaways

• Architectural work on a new home typically runs through six phases: programming, schematic design, design development, construction documents, permitting support and construction administration.
• The biggest, cheapest decisions happen early. Moving a line on paper costs far less than moving a wall in the field.
• Structural engineering, surveys and energy calculations are separate disciplines that the architect coordinates.
• At TomCo, architectural design starts at about 6 weeks from discovery to permit-ready documents, and full custom homes typically take about 12–24 weeks or longer.

Phase 1: Programming (Figuring Out What You Need)

Programming is the interview. Before anyone draws a line, the architect learns how you live. How many bedrooms. Who works from home. Whether a parent might move in someday. How you entertain. Where the cars, the boat and the bikes go.

It also covers the lot. On a Tampa Bay new build, that means setbacks, the flood zone, where the afternoon sun hits, the view you want to frame and the neighbor’s window you’d rather not stare into.

The result is a written program: a wish list with room-by-room square footage targets and a frank budget conversation. It isn’t glamorous. It’s where a lot of bad houses could have been saved.

Phase 2: Schematic Design (The Big Moves)

Schematic design is where the house takes shape. Expect rough floor plans, simple massing and a few options for how the home sits on the lot. One story or two. Front-load garage or side-load. A lanai facing the water or the pool.

This is the phase to push back. If the kitchen feels tight on paper, it will feel tighter with cabinets in it. Changing things now costs a few hours of redrawing. Changing them after framing costs real money and real time.

Phase 3: Design Development (Locking In the Details)

Once the layout is right, design development fills in the choices that drive cost: window sizes and types, roof shape and pitch, ceiling heights, exterior materials, the structural approach and where the mechanical equipment lives.

This is also when outside disciplines come in. Structural engineering, MEP, energy calculations and a survey are typically separate from the architectural fee. A good architect coordinates them so the structure and the design agree before the construction documents start, not after a reviewer catches the conflict.

Phase 4: Construction Documents (The Set That Gets Built)

Construction documents are the full drawing set a building department reviews and a builder prices and builds from. Expect a site plan, floor plans, exterior elevations, building sections, a roof plan, door and window schedules, wall details and notes tying everything to the Florida Building Code.

In Tampa Bay, these drawings have to answer wind and flood questions clearly. Design wind speeds here are high and site-specific. Lots in flood zones must be elevated to the design flood elevation set by FEMA maps and local freeboard rules. Building departments typically require signed and sealed structural documents alongside the architectural set.

If you’ve never read a plan set, our homeowner’s guide to reading architectural plans walks through each sheet.

Phase 5: Permitting Support

Submitting plans is rarely one and done. Reviewers send comments. Someone has to answer them, revise the drawings and resubmit without breaking something else in the set.

That’s the architect’s job in this phase. Timing matters more than usual right now, too. The Florida Building Code 9th Edition (2026) takes effect December 31, 2026. Permit applications submitted before that date are generally reviewed under the 8th Edition, and applications submitted on or after it fall under the 9th. If your new home is in design this fall, ask your architect which side of that date you’ll land on.

Phase 6: Construction Administration

Once building starts, questions come up that no drawing set fully answers. A beam conflicts with a duct run. A window manufacturer changes a size. You decide you want a different exterior material.

Construction administration is the architect answering those questions, reviewing submittals and protecting the design intent while the house goes up. When the architect and the builder work under one roof, as they do in design-build, those answers move a lot faster.

Phase by Phase: What Happens and What You Decide

Does Every New Home in Florida Need an Architect?

Not legally. Florida law exempts one- and two-family homes and townhouses from the architect license requirement, so a drafter or designer can legally draw a single-family home. Structural engineering is still typically required either way.

The better question is whether you want someone carrying the design through all six phases or someone who produces drawings and hands them off. That choice shapes how many surprises you meet later.

What It Costs

National cost guides such as HomeGuide put architect fees for custom homes and new builds at about 8%–15% of construction cost. TomCo’s Design Studio works differently: a fixed design fee, quoted up front after a discovery call. Design projects start around $3,500, and larger or more complex work typically runs about $8,000–$40,000+. Outside disciplines like structural, MEP, geotechnical, survey and energy calcs are coordinated by TomCo but not included automatically.

For a deeper breakdown, see how much an architect costs in Tampa.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does an architect do on a new home?

An architect turns your needs, budget and lot into a permit-ready design. On a new home that typically means programming, schematic design, design development, construction documents, permitting support and construction administration.

Which phase of design matters most?

The early ones. Programming and schematic design set the size, layout and placement of the house, and changes there cost far less than changes once construction documents or framing are underway.

Is structural engineering included in the architect’s work?

Usually not automatically. Structural, MEP, survey and energy calculations are separate disciplines. At TomCo, the Design Studio coordinates them, and building departments typically require signed and sealed structural documents for new homes.

How long does architectural design take for a new home?

At TomCo, architectural design starts at about 6 weeks from discovery to permit-ready architectural documents. Full custom homes typically take about 12 to 24 weeks or longer, depending on complexity and review comments.

Can I hire TomCo for design only and build with another contractor?

Yes. You can design and build with TomCo, or hire the Design Studio for design only and build with any contractor you choose.

Does the 2026 Florida Building Code change affect my new home?

It may. The 9th Edition takes effect December 31, 2026. Applications submitted before that date are generally reviewed under the 8th Edition, so plan your permit timing with your architect.

Bring In the Architect Before You Fall for a Floor Plan

The best time to bring in an architect is before you’ve committed to a layout. TomCo’s in-house Design Studio (architecture license AR100677) handles every phase of a new home, from the first conversation to the last field question. And because TomCo is a licensed design-build general contractor, the people drawing your house know how it gets built. Learn more about our residential architect services in Tampa.

Schedule a private 30-minute consultation or call (813) 922-2299.