Broward County Streamlines Permitting With AI-Assisted Review System

FORT LAUDERDALE — Broward County Building Division has begun rolling out an artificial intelligence-assisted plan review system that county officials say will cut residential permit review times from an average of 31 business days to under 10 days for straightforward single-family and multi-family projects.

The system, developed by Tampa-based PermitFlow Technologies in partnership with Broward County, uses natural language processing and computer vision to analyze submitted construction documents against the Florida Building Code and Broward County amendments, flagging deficiencies and generating preliminary review comments before a human plan examiner begins review.

“The AI handles the routine checklist items — setbacks, floor area ratios, basic structural calculations — so our examiners can focus their expertise on the complex engineering and life safety issues that genuinely require professional judgment,” said Broward Building Official Dennis Stoker.

The system launched in February 2026 for residential projects and is being expanded to light commercial projects in April 2026. Full commercial rollout, covering office and mixed-use projects, is planned for October 2026.

Early metrics from the first 60 days of operation show first-submission completeness rates have improved from 42 percent to 67 percent, with applicants receiving AI-generated pre-screening reports within four hours of submission.

The Broward County Board of County Commissioners approved the $3.8 million contract with PermitFlow Technologies in July 2025. The county projects the system will pay for itself within 18 months through reduced overtime costs and increased permit revenue from faster project approvals.

Author: James Rivera

Infrastructure Reporter. Covers FDOT contracts, highway expansion, and transit projects across Florida. Former civil engineer with 12 years in highway design before transitioning to construction journalism.