Hillsborough County energy calcs & Manual J.
Both energy forms, one combined PDF, signatures on page one.
Hillsborough County asks for a digital set of energy forms R402 and R405, with the front sheet digitally signed by the person who did the calculations and by the owner or agent, plus a digital Manual J from the mechanical contractor. Multi-page calcs must be one combined PDF. Hillsborough is climate zone 2A.
- Department
- Hillsborough County Development Servicesunincorporated · HillsGovHub1
- Code edition
- FBC Energy Conservation, 8th Ed. (2023)9th Ed. (2026) scheduled for Dec 31, 2026 · what changes2
- Climate zone
- Zone 2A1% cooling 92°F · 99% heating 43°F3
- Price
- $195 · $445 · $595Energy calc from · full package · sealed. Same in all 67 counties · price list
- Ready by
- 2–3 business daysExpedited: within 24 business hours, +$150. Clock starts when complete plans pass intake (3:00 PM ET cutoff) · how it works
- Evidence
- 11 primary sourcesEvery number on this page links to its source · references
What Hillsborough reviewers ask for
The county's new-construction plan-review list asks for a digital set of energy forms R402 and R405, not one or the other, with the front sheet carrying the digital signatures of the person who performed the calculations and of the owner or agent.1 It also wants a digital Manual J obtained from the mechanical contractor.1
The rest of the Hillsborough submittal notes2 more paragraphs
The digital-signature guide adds the file rules: PDFs at 300 dpi minimum, under 500 MB, flattened, with digital signatures on the first page only.4 Multi-page energy calculations must be uploaded as one combined PDF, not page by page, and kept separate from other document categories.4
The same requirements appear word for word on the townhome and single-family addition checklists, so additions get the same energy-form treatment as new houses.5
Building departments
3 departments · addresses, phones, portals
Hillsborough County's plan-review pages cover the unincorporated county, while the City of Tampa and the City of Temple Terrace each run their own building departments.67 Tampa's Construction Services takes applications through Accela.6 Temple Terrace's building department requires its own permit before any work and processes HB 803 exemption requests, which it limits to non-structural work under $7,500 with no electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing.9 For Plant City, use the city's own building page for contacts.
| Department | Address | Phone | Portal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hillsborough County Development Services (unincorporated) | 601 E. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa, FL 33602 | Official page | HillsGovHub1 |
| City of Tampa, Construction Services | See official page | 813-274-3100 (option 1) | Accela6 |
| City of Temple Terrace, Building & Permitting | City Hall, 11250 N 56th Street, Temple Terrace, FL 33617 | 813-506-6460 | Temple Terrace online permitting7 |
Design conditions
92°F cooling · 43°F heating · zone 2A · weather stations
Cooling station: MacDill AFB, Tampa (Manual J). Heating station: Tampa International Airport (ASHRAE).3
Hillsborough's cooling limit of 92°F comes from MacDill Air Force Base, and its heating limit of 43°F from Tampa International.3 It's zone 2A.2 Our take: the two-station split shows how the county table works, taking the hotter summer and the colder winter from different places. A Brandon house inherits a MacDill summer.
Worked example
2,400 sq ft house → 28,590 Btu/h, 2.38 tons · illustrative
Illustrative · not a Manual J
A 2,400 sq ft two-storey with a frame upper floor, a common new-build pattern in the county's growth corridors; the construction type is our assumption. Zone 2A and a drier assumed grains difference than South Florida keep the latent load modest for a four-bedroom house.
| House | new two-storey frame-over-block home, Riverview area |
|---|---|
| Conditioned area | 2,400 sq ft, 2 storeys, 9 ft ceilings |
| Bedrooms / occupants | 4 / 5 |
| Glazing | 14% of floor area (336 sq ft), U 0.32, SHGC 0.25 |
| Walls / ceiling | R-11 walls, R-38 ceiling under a vented attic |
| Air leakage | 4.5 ACH50 |
| Ducts | in the attic, 8% gain allowance |
| Ventilation | mechanical, per FBC formula |
| Outdoor design | 92°F cooling / 43°F heating (sourced above) |
| Indoor design | 75°F cooling / 70°F heating |
| Design grains difference | 40 gr/lb (assumption) |
Illustrative only. A simplified block-load estimate with the inputs shown, not an ACCA Manual J, and not for permitting. A real calc goes room by room with your plans, orientation and equipment data. Code ceiling for single-stage cooling at 1.15× total load: 32,880 Btu/h.10
Local housing
Median year built 1993 · 55.7% single-family detached · Census ACS
Hillsborough's median home was built in 1993, and 40.4% of units date from 2000 or later.11 Single-family detached accounts for 55.7% of 656,536 units, mobile homes 6.3%.11
Utility rebates
Tampa Electric (TECO)
- Tampa Electric (TECO). Tampa Electric's Heating & Cooling Program pays tiered rebates by SEER2 rating for qualifying ducted systems; ductless mini-splits don't qualify. Check the program page for the current amounts.8
Utility programs change often; check the program page before you count on a rebate.
Hillsborough County questions
3 answers · Does Hillsborough County want R402 or R405?
Does Hillsborough County want R402 or R405?
Both. The county's residential plan-review requirements ask for a digital set of Florida energy forms R402 and R405, with the front sheet digitally signed by the person who did the calculations and by the owner or agent. A digital Manual J from the mechanical contractor is also on the list.
How should I upload a multi-page energy calc in Hillsborough County?
As one combined PDF. Hillsborough's digital-signature guide says multi-page supporting documents, energy calculations included, must be a single multi-page file at 300 dpi or better, flattened, with the digital signature on the first page only. Individually uploaded pages don't meet the requirement.
Does the county handle permits in Tampa?
No. The City of Tampa's Construction Services handles permits inside city limits through Accela, and Temple Terrace runs its own building department too. Hillsborough County permits the unincorporated areas from 601 E. Kennedy Blvd. Confirm the jurisdiction before you upload, because each one has its own portal.
Price
One statewide price in all 67 counties. Building departments decide what they accept; we don’t guarantee approval. Revisions for plan-review comments on the same design are free.
Nearby and related
Sources
11 primary references · numbered to match the citations
- 01Hillsborough County, Residential New Construction: Building Plan Review Requirementshcfl.gov
- 022023 Florida Building Code, Energy Conservation (8th Ed.), Table R301.1, climate zones by countyup.codes
- 03RESNET / ENERGY STAR, Appendix A: HVAC Design Temperature Limits by State and County (v4, 2019). 1% cooling and 99% heating values drawn from the ASHRAE 2013 Handbook of Fundamentals and ACCA Manual J 8th Ed.resnet.us
- 04Hillsborough County, Guide to Digital Signatures (PDF)assets.contentstack.io
- 05Hillsborough County, Single-Family Addition: Building Plan Reviewshcfl.gov
- 06City of Tampa, Construction Services: Forms and Documentstampa.gov
- 07City of Temple Terrace, Building and Permittingtempleterrace.gov
- 08Tampa Electric, Heating & Cooling Programtampaelectric.com
- 09City of Temple Terrace, Permitting Services (HB 803)templeterrace.gov
- 10Florida Building Commission, R405-2026 documentation checklist example (quotes R403.7.1.1 cooling equipment sizing limits)floridabuilding.org
- 11U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 1-year estimates (B25018, B25024, B25034, B25035, B25003, B25040), via Census Reportercensusreporter.org