House Plans and Custom Drafting in Jacksonville, FL
12,551single-family permits, 2024
Jacksonville issued 12,551 single-family residential permits in 2024, up 6.17% from 11,821 the year before. That's the cleanest, most precisely-tracked permit count of any city in our service area, and it tells you plainly what's happening on the ground: this is a city where houses are getting built, additions are getting drawn, and plan sets are moving through Duval County review every week. Apex Drafting Services provides the custom house plans, stock plans, and CADD work behind that pipeline, serving Jacksonville homeowners, builders, and contractors entirely remotely.
What Jacksonville's Permit Numbers Say About the Market
A 6.17% year-over-year jump in single-family permits isn't a rounding error. It means more lots breaking ground, more remodels getting formalized, and more plan sets stacking up in front of Duval County plan reviewers. For a drafting firm, that permit count is the real signal, more reliable than a population headline, because it reflects actual construction activity rather than people simply living somewhere.
Jacksonville also crossed 1,009,833 residents in 2024, becoming one of only two U.S. cities to pass the 1-million mark that year, alongside Fort Worth, Texas. A city that size, paired with a permit count that's still climbing, points to sustained building activity rather than a one-year spike. Zillow lists the average Jacksonville home value at $295,910, down 2.3% year over year, which makes it the most affordable of Florida's major metros. That combination, more permits pulled against a softer price backdrop, tends to pull in first-time builders and value-conscious remodelers alongside production builders, which is exactly the mix that keeps a drafting queue full.
The local drafting field includes established names like Alldraft Home Design, which has operated since 1993 and cites more than 13,000 plans built, along with Evolution Drafting, Start to Finish Drafting & Design, Imagine Architectural Designs, and Warren E. Barry, several of them with an active presence on Angi. Apex Drafting is two months old and doesn't compete on tenure. We compete on turnaround, direct access to the person drawing your plans, and pricing that isn't propping up a storefront.
ADU Rules for Jacksonville and Florida
Florida passed SB 184 in its 2025 session, effective July 1, 2025, and it applies statewide, including Jacksonville. The law requires local governments to allow at least one accessory dwelling unit on single-family-zoned lots and blocks certain overly restrictive local provisions that used to make ADUs difficult to permit. Duval County and the City of Jacksonville still control the details within that floor, things like maximum size, setbacks, and parking requirements, so an ADU plan set here has to be drawn against the specific local code, not just the state minimum.
A follow-up bill, SB 48, would have tightened the statewide ADU rules further. It passed the Florida Senate 38-0 during the 2026 session but died in the House on March 13, 2026. It is not law. If you're planning an ADU in Jacksonville today, SB 184 is the governing statute, and that's what we design to.
Given the permit growth and the price gap between a standalone build and an ADU addition, accessory dwelling units are one of the strongest opportunities in this market right now. See our ADU Plans & Design page for how we scope and draw them.
Which Services Fit the Jacksonville Market
Three of our eight services line up directly with what Jacksonville's data is showing.
Custom House Plans
With single-family permits up 6.17% and home values still affordable relative to Miami or Tampa, Jacksonville has room for buyers to build new rather than compete for existing inventory. That's a direct driver of custom plan demand. See Custom House Plans.
ADU Plans & Design
SB 184 opened the door statewide, and Jacksonville's lower average home price makes an ADU a realistic way to add rental income or house extended family without the cost of a second full build. See ADU Plans & Design.
Permit-Ready Drawings & As-Builts
A permit office processing over 12,500 single-family applications a year needs clean, review-ready sets the first time. We draw to what Duval County plan review expects, not a generic national template. See Permit-Ready Drawings & As-Builts.
Jacksonville Drafting FAQ
Does Apex Drafting have an office in Jacksonville?
No. Apex Drafting is a remote drafting company. We serve Jacksonville homeowners, builders, and contractors from our Colorado City, AZ headquarters, working entirely through phone, email, and video calls. Every Jacksonville client works with the same drafter from first sketch to final permit set, without a local office markup on the bill.
Can Apex Drafting design an ADU for a Jacksonville property?
Yes. Florida's SB 184, effective July 1, 2025, requires local governments statewide, including Jacksonville, to allow at least one accessory dwelling unit on single-family-zoned lots. Duval County still sets its own size, setback, and parking specifics within that state floor, and we design the ADU plan set to match those local requirements.
Is a strengthened version of Florida's ADU law in effect in Jacksonville yet?
Not yet. A follow-up bill, SB 48, passed the Florida Senate 38-0 in the 2026 session but died in the House on March 13, 2026. The law currently governing ADUs statewide, including in Jacksonville, remains SB 184 as passed in 2025.
How does Jacksonville home construction compare to the rest of Florida?
Jacksonville pulled 12,551 single-family residential permits in 2024, up 6.17% from 11,821 in 2023, one of the clearest single-family permit counts of any city we track. Zillow puts the average Jacksonville home value at $295,910, down 2.3% year over year, making it the most affordable of the major Florida metros even as permit volume climbs.
Nearby Florida Service Areas
Ready to Start Your Jacksonville Project?
Whether you're pulling one of the next single-family permits or drawing up an ADU under Florida's new rules, we can scope it remotely and get a plan set moving.