Electrical plan review is the step where the building department checks your electrical drawings against the code before it issues the permit. In South Florida that means the Florida Building Code 8th Edition and the 2020 National Electrical Code it adopts (FBC-Building 2023, 2701.1). A clean set moves through; a set missing a riser diagram, a load calculation or a fault current figure comes back with comments, and every round of comments costs schedule.
This guide covers what reviewers look for, using Miami-Dade's published commercial electrical review form as the example, what residential submittals generally include, the state deadlines for review, and how to avoid comments. It is part of our South Florida electrical permits, codes and inspections guide.
What Miami-Dade's commercial reviewers check
Miami-Dade publishes a commercial electrical plan review form that lists "code requirements that must be verified by the Building Official before the issuance of a building permit." Code references are to the 2023 8th Edition of the Florida Building Code and NFPA-70 (2020), and electrical sheets are to be marked with the letter "E" and a drawing number; where a provision does not apply, the form has an N.A. box (Miami-Dade commercial electrical review guidelines). The areas it covers:
| Area | Code items on the Miami-Dade form |
|---|---|
| Services | Number of services (230.2); service conductor size for overhead (230.23) and underground (230.31); insulation of service conductors (Miami-Dade guideline) |
| Fault current and working space | Available fault current (110.9, 110.10); working space (110.26, 110.32, 110.34) (Miami-Dade guideline) |
| Disconnects | Disconnecting means and identification (230.70, 110.22); number (230.71) and grouping (230.72) of disconnects (Miami-Dade guideline) |
| Protection | Ground-fault protection of equipment (230.95); conductor protection at 800 A or less and over 800 A (240.4); overcurrent protection location (230.90, 230.91) (Miami-Dade guideline) |
| Grounding | Grounded conductor to service equipment (250.24(B)); grounding electrode system (Article 250 Part III); electrode conductors (250.66) (Miami-Dade guideline) |
| Transformers | Separately derived systems (250.20(D), 250.30); transformer overcurrent protection, ventilation and access (Article 450) (Miami-Dade guideline) |
| Egress, emergency and standby | Exit signs and egress lighting (FBC 1008, 1013); emergency systems (FBC 2702, NEC 700); standby systems (NEC 701) and signage (Miami-Dade guideline) |
| Miscellaneous | Wiring in air-handling spaces (300.22); rooftop receptacle (210.63, 210.8); penetrations (300.21); motor, appliance and elevator disconnects; wet-location wiring (Miami-Dade guideline) |
| Fire systems | Smoke alarms and fire alarm and detection by occupancy (FBC 907, NEC 760) (Miami-Dade guideline) |
Other departments use their own forms, but the list is a useful map of what any commercial electrical reviewer will look for. Our commercial electrical permits and commercial resources pages go further, as does the new commercial electric service timeline.
Residential submittals, generally
For houses, the documents are simpler, but reviewers still need to see how power arrives and where it goes. A residential electrical submittal commonly includes:
- Riser diagram: service size, meter, main disconnect and outdoor emergency disconnect, surge protective device, feeders and subpanels, and grounding.
- Panel schedules: every circuit with its breaker size and type, including GFCI and AFCI protection.
- Load calculation: the NEC Article 220 calculation supporting the service size (Mike Holt on Article 220); see electrical load calculations for permits.
- Floor plan with devices: receptacles, lighting, smoke alarms, dedicated circuits and equipment locations.
- Special equipment: generator, pool, EV charger and exterior equipment details where they apply.
We have not found one published residential electrical checklist that applies across South Florida, and requirements differ by department. Check your department's checklist before you finalize the set: Miami-Dade County (unincorporated areas; each city has its own building official), Broward County ePermits and the Palm Beach County Building Division. In Miami-Dade, contractors apply for sub-permits and stand-alone trade permits through the county's e-permitting and submit plans through the EPS Portal; the City of Miami uses iBuild and ePlan, and Fort Lauderdale uses LauderBuild.
The 2020 NEC items reviewers most often need to find on a house are covered in our 2020 NEC new home checklist, and the GFCI and AFCI rules in GFCI and AFCI requirements in Florida.
How long review can take under Florida law
Florida law sets deadlines for a local government to approve, approve with conditions, or deny a building permit application once it is complete and sufficient, unless the applicant waives them in writing (section 553.792, Florida Statutes):
- 5 business days for listed permits, including electrical, for an existing single-family dwelling where the value of the work is less than $15,000 (section 553.792(1)(a)1.).
- 30 business days for residential units and electrical permits where the structure is under 7,500 square feet, and 60 business days where it is 7,500 square feet or more (section 553.792(1)(a)2.-3.).
- 60 business days for nonresidential buildings under 25,000 square feet, and 12 business days for a site-specific permit under a master building permit (section 553.792(1)(a)4. and 6.).
Within 5 business days of receiving an application, the local government must tell the applicant in writing what is needed to complete it; if it does not, the application is deemed complete (section 553.792(1)(c)). If a department misses a deadline, fees are reduced, unless it sent written notice of the reasons the application fails the code; that notice gives the applicant 10 business days to submit corrections, and the department then has 10 business days to approve or deny (section 553.792(1)(e)-(g)). Local ordinances can set shorter timeframes. Private providers can also perform plan review under section 553.791; ask your department how it handles them. More in Florida permit review deadlines and private providers.
How to avoid comments
- Use the department's checklist as the table of contents. On Miami-Dade's commercial form, mark each line with a drawing number or N.A. so the reviewer is not left guessing (Miami-Dade commercial electrical review guidelines).
- Make the numbers agree. The service size on the riser, the load calculation, the panel schedules and the utility's service must match.
- Show fault current and working space on commercial sets; both are line items on the form (Miami-Dade commercial electrical review guidelines).
- Label the edition. Note the FBC 8th Edition and NFPA 70-2020 on the sheets, and watch the proposed 9th Edition, proposed to take effect December 31, 2026 (Florida Administrative Register); see our 9th Edition guide.
- Answer the 5-day completeness notice fast and respond to every comment in writing, sheet by sheet (section 553.792).
- Coordinate trades before submittal. Equipment sizes from mechanical and pool contractors belong on the electrical sheets.
Questions builders ask
Does every electrical permit need plan review?
Not always. Some permits are issued without full plan review; Fort Lauderdale, for example, lists walk-thru residential electrical and service change permits (Fort Lauderdale Permitting Services). Ask your department which track your job falls under.
Who prepares the electrical drawings?
It depends on the job and the department. Some work, especially commercial, needs signed and sealed drawings from a Florida-registered professional; ask the department what your job requires. The electrical contractor installs to the approved drawings and flags conflicts before rough-in.
How do I know the review clock has started?
The statutory timeframes run from receipt of a complete and sufficient application (section 553.792). Keep the submittal date and any completeness notice on file.
What does "E" on the drawing number mean?
Miami-Dade's form asks that electrical plans be identified with the letter "E" and a drawing number (Miami-Dade commercial electrical review guidelines).
GCs can see how we work at for general contractors.
Getting a set ready for electrical plan review? Send us the drawings and the address, or call (305) 359-7312. KRW Electric Company LLC (Florida certified electrical contractor EC13012832) handles the permit and the inspection on its jobs across Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.
Reviewed by Kyle White, KRW Electric Company LLC — licensed electrical contractor EC13012832.
