A permanently installed standby generator is a permitted installation in every South Florida jurisdiction, and it is rarely just an electrical permit. Depending on the unit and the address, the package can involve a slab or pad with anchorage details, a gas or fuel permit, an electrical permit for the transfer equipment, and a flood elevation check. This guide walks builders and GCs through what the published checklists in Broward and Miami-Dade ask for, the NEC items that apply at one- and two-family homes, and where flood and wind rules shape the pad location.
For the homeowner side of the same work, including how the unit is sized to the loads, see our generator installation page and storm readiness and backup power.
Who issues the permit
The building department with jurisdiction over the address issues the permit, and in South Florida that is usually a city, not the county. Miami-Dade's county department covers unincorporated areas only, and each municipality has its own building official (Miami-Dade, how to apply for a permit). Broward's unincorporated areas use ePermits OneStop, and Palm Beach County runs its own Permit Center. The checklists below are examples; the office that covers your job has the final word.
Broward: the BORA Policy 06-03 checklist
Broward's Board of Rules and Appeals Policy 06-03 underlies the generator checklists many Broward cities publish. The Town of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea's version, titled "Permitting Checklist for Permanent Residential Stand-By Generators, Incorporating Broward County Board of Rules and Appeals Policy #06-03", is a clear example (Lauderdale-by-the-Sea generator checklist). It asks for:
- Site plan or survey showing the location and setbacks of all components, and the location of operable doors, windows, soffit vents and intakes near the exhaust, including the neighbor's (checklist).
- Clearances from openings per the manufacturer's specifications (checklist).
- Elevation: the generator mounted above the base flood level, at the same elevation as the first floor (checklist).
- Fuel tank setback of at least 10 ft from the structure and the property line, and piping plans with a gas contractor's permit application for remote or supplemental tanks (checklist).
- Structural: plans showing slab size, depth and reinforcement, and anchoring details with size and spacing (checklist).
- Electrical: plans from the electrical contractor showing the service, panels, transfer switch, main disconnects, overcurrent protection, grounding, conduit and wire sizes; a riser diagram; UL listed components; and every load connected to the generator identified (checklist).
- Load calculation using NEC Article 220 for existing loads, with the generator sized for the load served (checklist).
- Transfer switch required for all generators and rated for the connected load; manual or automatic, whole-service or with an optional standby panel, or with automatic load shedding (checklist).
- Signage: a permanent sign at the service entrance showing the location of the standby source, and one at the transfer switch showing the sequence of operation (checklist).
- Carbon monoxide detectors at all openings within 15 ft of the generator exhaust (checklist).
Other Broward cities may format this differently or add items. Ask for the current checklist from the department that will issue your permit.
Miami-Dade: the county brochure
Miami-Dade publishes a generator installation brochure. It is an older document that cites the 2002 edition of NFPA standards, so treat it as a guide to what the county has required and confirm the current checklist before you submit (Miami-Dade generator brochure). Items the brochure has required:
- Signed and sealed plans by a professional engineer (brochure).
- The generator above the base flood elevation or the required floor elevation; for residential, the higher of the BFE or the crown of the road plus 8 in (brochure).
- A 100 ft separation from potable water wells, with further requirements for underground fuel tanks (brochure).
The sealed-plan requirement means a licensed professional engineer is part of the package, separate from the electrical contractor. The electrical contractor builds to those drawings and carries the electrical permit and inspections.
Clearances: NFPA 37 and the listing
Clearances to the house come from NFPA 37 and the manufacturer's listing. NFPA 37 (2015 edition) section 4.1.4 calls for engines to be at least 5 ft from openings in walls and from structures with combustible walls, unless the wall is 1-hour rated or the enclosure has been tested to show it will not ignite nearby combustibles (CSE on NFPA 37). Many residential units are listed for smaller clearances. Follow the installation manual for the exact unit, and show it on the site plan, because the plan reviewer will compare the two.
NEC items at one- and two-family homes
- Emergency shutdown, 445.18(D). Under the 2020 NEC, a standby generator at a one- or two-family dwelling needs an emergency shutdown device at an outdoor, readily accessible location. Portable, cord-connected generators are exempt (Leviton, NEC 2020 changes).
- Sign at the emergency disconnect, 702.7(A). Where an optional standby system is installed, a sign at the 230.85 outdoor emergency disconnect has to show where the standby source is located (Leviton).
- Outdoor emergency disconnect, 230.85. New one- and two-family services need an outdoor emergency disconnect in the first place, which is where that sign goes (Leviton).
The 9th Edition of the Florida Building Code, proposed to take effect Dec 31, 2026, brings NEC 2023, which separates the generator disconnect and emergency shutdown rules into 445.18 and 445.19 (proposed rule; Leviton, NEC 2023 changes). Which edition applies depends on the permit application date; confirm with your department.
Flood zones: M1905.2.2
Since the 8th Edition (2023), FBC-Residential M1905.2.2 requires permanently installed standby generators in flood hazard areas to be located or installed in accordance with R322.1.6, the same section that governs electrical and mechanical equipment (Florida flood provisions summary). In practice that means at or above the required flood elevation unless the installation meets the section's floodproofing exception (FBC-R R322.1.6 via Palm Beach County). The Broward checklist above and the Miami-Dade brochure both put the unit above base flood; your lot's required elevation may be higher. Our flood zone electrical requirements guide explains how to find it.
Wind: pads and anchorage in the HVHZ
Miami-Dade and Broward are the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone of the Florida Building Code (HVHZ definition). The pad, the anchorage and the enclosure's attachment are reviewed with that in mind, which is why the Broward checklist asks for slab reinforcement and anchor size and spacing (checklist). A generator placed on a roof in the HVHZ falls under FBC 1522, which requires rooftop equipment and supports to be secured to the structure for Chapter 16 wind loads and rooftop conduit raised at least 8 in above the finished roof (FBC 1522 HVHZ rooftop structures). Palm Beach County is outside the HVHZ and is assessed under the standard wind provisions. For more, see HVHZ electrical equipment anchorage.
Sequencing on a new build
- Pick the unit and the transfer approach early. Whole-service or selected loads changes the panel layout and the load calculation.
- Locate the pad on the site plan with clearances, flood elevation and the neighbor's openings.
- Coordinate the gas contractor's piping and permit with the electrical and structural submittals.
- Rough the conduit from pad to transfer equipment before slabs and walls close.
- Set the unit, terminate, install signage and CO detectors where required, and call final inspections on each permit.
Questions builders ask
Does a portable generator with an inlet need a permit?
The inlet and transfer equipment are permanent wiring, so expect a permit. Ask your department. Never backfeed through a receptacle.
Is a load calculation required?
The Broward checklist requires one using NEC Article 220 (checklist). Expect plan reviewers elsewhere to ask as well.
Who pulls the gas permit?
A licensed gas contractor, under its own permit. The Broward checklist expects that application with the piping plans (checklist).
Can the generator sit next to the AC condenser?
Only if the manufacturer's clearances allow it and the service space for both units is kept. Show both on the site plan.
Plan the generator with the rest of the electrical
The full permit picture is in our South Florida electrical permits guide. KRW Electric (EC13012832) handles generator electrical work, transfer equipment and surge protection across Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach, and handles the electrical permit and inspections on its jobs. Send us the site plan and the unit you are considering, or call (305) 359-7312.
Reviewed by Kyle White, KRW Electric Company LLC — licensed electrical contractor EC13012832.
