If your job is inside the City of Miami, the county building department is not the one issuing your permits. Miami-Dade County handles only unincorporated areas; each municipality has its own building official (Miami-Dade, how to apply for a permit). The City of Miami runs its own online system, iBuild, and its own plan review in ePlan. This guide lays out how an electrical permit moves through that system on a typical builder's project, where the electrical contractor fits, and how to keep a permit alive when the schedule slips.
It is written for GCs, developers and remodelers. The City of Miami Building Department has the final word on anything here, and its pages linked below are the source to check before you file. For the other jurisdictions, see our South Florida electrical permits guide.
Confirm the address is in the City
Start with the 13-digit folio from the Property Appraiser. The county says its own process is only for folios that start with 30 (unincorporated Miami-Dade); everything else belongs to a city. Addresses with a "Miami" mailing address are often in unincorporated areas or in another city, so check the folio, not the envelope. The City's permit search takes a process number, permit number, address or 13-digit folio, and it is worth running before you bid so you know what is already open on the property. Our permit search walkthrough covers how to read the results.
The two systems: iBuild and ePlan
- iBuild is where applications are submitted and managed, and where inspections are scheduled (City of Miami iBuild).
- ePlan (ProjectDox) is where drawings are reviewed, comments are issued and corrected sheets are resubmitted.
In practice the GC or permit holder opens the master in iBuild, the drawings go through ePlan, and the trades come in afterward on their own sub-permits.
Sub-permits come after the master is approved
This is the rule that most affects the electrical schedule. The City says a sub-permit can only be requested after the master permit is approved, and the trade contractor is added by trade and qualifier number (City of Miami, get a sub-permit). That means the electrical contractor cannot pull the electrical sub-permit while the master is still in review, no matter how ready the electrical drawings are.
What that means for the GC:
- Submit the master with complete electrical sheets. The electrical sub-permit waits on the master, so every round of master comments pushes electrical back too.
- Tell your EC the moment the master is approved and send the master permit number.
- Make sure the EC's qualifier number is correct. The contractor is added by trade and qualifier, so a typo or an expired license stops the sub-permit.
- Do not schedule electrical rough until the electrical sub-permit is issued. Inspections are booked against the trade sub-permit number, not the master.
Our post on master permits vs electrical sub-permits compares how this works in the other South Florida jurisdictions.
What the electrical contractor needs from you
- The master permit number and the approval date.
- The approved electrical sheets, and any revisions ePlan asked for.
- The property owner's information as it appears on the master.
- A recorded Notice of Commencement where one is required. Florida law requires the NOC to be recorded and a copy posted at the site before the first inspection (F.S. 713.13).
- Utility coordination details: service location, meter location and any service change, since FPL will not energize a new service until the local inspection is done and it has notice from the inspecting office (FPL Electric Service Standards, 2023 edition; check the current edition).
Plan review timing
State law sets outer limits on how long a local building department can take. Under F.S. 553.792, the local government must tell you in writing within 5 business days what, if anything, is missing from an application. Once the application is complete, it must approve, approve with conditions or deny an electrical or other listed trade permit for an existing single-family home within 5 business days when the work is valued under $15,000, residential and trade permits (electrical included) within 30 business days for structures under 7,500 square feet and 60 business days for structures of 7,500 square feet or more, and site-specific permits under a master building permit within 12 business days. Those are ceilings, not targets, and the clock rules are in the statute. The practical lever you control is a complete submittal.
Scheduling electrical inspections
The City lets you schedule inspections three ways: in iBuild, by phone at (305) 416-1100 option 2, or through 311. Either way you use the trade sub-permit number (City of Miami, schedule a building inspection). Florida law also requires permit offices to accept inspection requests electronically (F.S. 553.79(1)(d)).
The specific inspection types on your electrical sub-permit are set by the City on the permit record, so read the record rather than working from another jurisdiction's list. On a typical new building the electrical work moves through underground and slab work, rough-in before walls are closed, and a final, with temporary power where the job needs it. Our guide to the electrical inspection sequence for new construction explains what happens at each stage.
Before you call for rough
- Sub-permit issued and the number in hand.
- NOC recorded and posted where required.
- Approved plans on site.
- Work complete for the stage being inspected, with boxes, cable and raceways visible and accessible.
Extension or completion: keeping a permit alive
The City offers two tools, and which one you need depends on whether the permit is still active (City of Miami, permit extension or completion).
| Situation | Request | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Permit still active, but you need more time | Extension | 180 more days |
| Permit already expired, work not finished | Completion | 180 days to finish and get final inspections |
Request the extension before the permit lapses. Single-family permits now also have the statewide rule in section 553.79(1)(c): since July 1, 2026 they expire one year after issuance or when the next Florida Building Code edition takes effect, whichever is later, and local governments may send notices and may extend. If your permit dates do not match what you expect, ask the City how it is applying the new rule to your permit. Our guide to open and expired permits covers what happens if a permit expires with the work substantially done.
Things that slow a City of Miami electrical permit
- Trying to pull the electrical sub-permit before the master is approved.
- A qualifier number that does not match the contractor's active license.
- Scheduling an inspection against the master number instead of the electrical sub-permit.
- Letting a permit expire without asking for an extension first.
- Electrical sheets that do not match what was built, which turns a final into a revision.
Questions builders ask
Can my electrician pull the electrical permit before the building permit is issued?
Not in the City of Miami. The City says a sub-permit can only be requested after the master permit is approved. The electrician can still prepare everything so the sub-permit goes in the day the master clears.
Do I need a separate electrical permit for a service change with no other work?
Stand-alone electrical work is permitted differently from a trade sub-permit under a master. Ask the City how your specific scope is classified before filing; it has the final word on permit type.
Can I call 311 to schedule an electrical inspection?
Yes. The City lists iBuild, (305) 416-1100 option 2, and 311 as ways to schedule, using the trade sub-permit number.
What is the difference between an extension and a completion?
An extension adds 180 days to a permit that is still active. A completion reopens an expired permit and gives 180 days to finish the work and inspections.
Working in the City of Miami?
KRW Electric (EC13012832) handles the electrical permit and inspections on its jobs, on new construction and remodels across Miami-Dade. If you are a GC lining up trades, our page for general contractors explains how we work with you. Send us the master permit number and drawings or call (305) 359-7312.
Reviewed by Kyle White, KRW Electric Company LLC — licensed electrical contractor EC13012832.
