Answer · Custom Web Design

Who Owns the Code After the Project?

1 min read285 words

WDCT Senior Strategist Web Design Company Tampa · Editorial

Updated May 16, 2026

14 days kickoff → live $3K–$15K+ scope-tiered WCAG 2.1 AA baseline

The short answer

You own all the code we write for your project. Custom WordPress themes, custom blocks, custom plugins — all transferred to you at launch via a Git repo and documented handoff. No agency lock-in.

№ 01The longer answer

At launch, you receive: the WordPress installation on your hosting, a Git repository with the full custom theme code, a documented handoff (admin credentials, plugin inventory, integration credentials), and the brand brief + style guide we created during the project.

What that means in practice: if you ever want to fire us and hire a different agency, you can. The next agency picks up the codebase. Standard WordPress block-theme practices. No proprietary frameworks, no agency-only build tools, no obfuscated code.

We don’t hold hosting hostage. Hosting accounts are in YOUR name (we recommend Kinsta or Cloudways; you sign up directly). DNS is in your registrar. Email accounts are yours. The agency dependency some agencies engineer doesn’t exist here.

The one exception: if we use a commercial plugin that requires a license, that license is in your name and you renew it (typically $50-$150/year). We document which licenses are required at handoff.

№ 02Is the code documented?

Yes. Inline comments where non-obvious, plus a CLAUDE.md / README in the theme repo covering: structure, build commands, deployment process, and known constraints.

№ 03Can my in-house developer take over?

Yes. Standard FSE block theme conventions. Any competent WordPress developer can extend or maintain the codebase. We’ve handed off to in-house dev teams 12 times in the last 18 months.

№ 04What if I want to take the code to a non-WordPress platform?

The PHP and template code is WordPress-specific. The content (markdown, JSON exports) is portable. We can also bundle content exports as part of handoff if that’s a known future direction.

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