Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach all issue electrical permits the same basic way: a licensed contractor applies online, trade work usually rides as a sub-permit under a master building permit, and inspections are booked against the permit before work is covered. The differences are in the details a GC or builder actually touches every week: which portal, which search tool, how an inspection gets booked, how long an expired permit can be revived, and whether the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone applies.
This comparison puts those details side by side for the unincorporated parts of each county, with a link to the source in every cell. Where we could not verify a cell from a primary source, it says "check with the department". And in every county, the first question is whether the address is unincorporated or inside a city with its own building department, because a city's rules replace the county's.
The side-by-side table
| Item | Miami-Dade (unincorporated) | Broward (unincorporated) | Palm Beach (unincorporated) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who issues | County for folios starting with 30; each city has its own building official (source) | County Building Code Division; cities with their own departments issue their own (source) | County PZB; cities with their own departments issue their own (source) |
| Portal | E-permitting for no-plan-review trade permits; EPS Portal for plan review (source) | ePermits OneStop, starting from a BCS Master Permit (source) | ePZB (source) |
| Application form | check with the department | Current Broward County Uniform Permit Application with every submittal (source) | check with the department |
| Permit search | Permit History, Open Permits by Folio, Open Master Permits, Master/Subsidiary Cross-Reference (source) | BCS search (source) | Open permit search by address or PCN (source) |
| Master and sub-permit | Electrical can be a sub-permit citing the master number; temporary power needs a master (source) | Trade sub-permits under a BCS master; "Permit Final" closes a sub, "Completed" closes the master (source) | "New Sub Permit Request" against the main permit number (source) |
| Requesting an inspection | Online or 786-315-2100, before 4 p.m. one business day ahead; permit number plus 3-digit code; virtual inspections offered (source) | BCS Request Inspection with the Phone Access Code on the Fee Statement (source) | Online or IVR (561) 355-2222 with a 7-digit contractor PIN (source) |
| Electrical inspection codes | Published: 001 Final, 002 Rough, 006 Slab, 023 Underground, 074 Foundation Grounding and others (source) | check with the department | Published: 203 Final, 205 Rough, 207 Temporary Power, 211 Underground, 214 Hot Check, 220 Rough with TUG and others (source) |
| Expired permit or renewal | Notarized Request for Expired Permit Check (source); temporary-for-test permits are valid 180 days for elevators and 30 days for other buildings (source) | Renew within 180 days after expiration; after that, a new permit under current code (source) | Renewal self-issues with fewer than 3 renewals, under 6 months inactive, no contractor change, no impact fee increase (source) |
| HVHZ | Yes (source) | Yes (source) | No (source) |
| Building recertification or safety inspection | Recertification at 30 years, then every 10 (source) | BORA Policy 05-05 safety inspection at 25 years from CO, then every 10 (source) | County program: check with the department. The state milestone law covers condos of 3+ habitable stories (source) |
| A city with its own portal | City of Miami iBuild (source); Miami Beach Civic Access (source) | Fort Lauderdale LauderBuild (source) | Boca Raton Boca eHub (source) |
Detail for each county is in our guides to Miami-Dade electrical permits, Broward electrical permits and Palm Beach electrical permits. The whole series lives in the South Florida electrical permits guide.
Notes on the table
Portals and search
Miami-Dade splits the front door in two: trade permits with no plan review go through the county's e-permitting system, and anything with drawings goes through the EPS Portal (Miami-Dade, how to apply for a permit). Broward runs one front door, ePermits OneStop, that the county shares with its municipalities (Broward ePermits OneStop). Palm Beach County runs everything in ePZB. For due diligence before a remodel, Miami-Dade's Master/Subsidiary Cross-Reference is the most direct way to see every trade sub-permit under a master and whether each one passed final.
Booking inspections
Each county has its own credential. Miami-Dade wants a permit number and a three-digit code, with a 4 p.m. cutoff the business day before. Broward wants the Phone Access Code printed on the Fee Statement, so keep that document where the person booking inspections can find it. Palm Beach County's IVR uses a 7-digit contractor PIN. In Palm Beach, service change inspections run between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. and are booked the day before (Palm Beach County inspection codes). State law requires every permit office to accept inspection requests electronically (section 553.79, Florida Statutes).
Expired permits
The three counties handle a lapsed permit differently, and the difference can decide whether a stalled job is renewed or restarted under a newer code. Broward draws a hard line at 180 days after expiration (Broward ePermits help guide). Palm Beach's renewal self-issues only when the permit meets all four conditions in the table, and otherwise goes to review (ePZB portal FAQ). Miami-Dade handles old permits through its Expired Permit Check request, and a newer permit covering the same work can mark an old one "Superseded" (Miami-Dade expired permit check). More in open and expired permits in Florida.
Rules that are the same everywhere
Some rules come from the state and apply in all three counties and every city:
- A single-family permit is valid for 1 year after issuance, or until the next Florida Building Code edition takes effect, whichever is later, since July 1, 2026 (section 553.79, Florida Statutes).
- An expired permit with substantially complete work can be closed under the code in effect at application, without a new permit (section 553.79(16)).
- Plan review deadlines: 30 business days for buildings under 7,500 square feet, 60 for 7,500 square feet or more, and 5 business days to flag an incomplete application (section 553.792, Florida Statutes).
- The owner records and posts a Notice of Commencement before the first inspection where the lien law requires one (section 713.13, Florida Statutes). See our Notice of Commencement guide.
- All three are on the 8th Edition (2023) Florida Building Code with NEC 2020 (FBC-Building Chapter 27). The 9th Edition is proposed to take effect Dec 31, 2026 and is not final (Florida Administrative Register notice).
HVHZ and flood
The HVHZ line runs between Broward and Palm Beach. In Miami-Dade and Broward, the HVHZ rooftop section requires rooftop equipment and supports secured for Chapter 16 wind loads and rooftop conduit at least 8 inches above the finished roof (FBC 1522, HVHZ rooftop structures). Electrical equipment is not a Florida product approval category (section 553.842, Florida Statutes), so ask the department how it wants exterior equipment anchored. Flood elevation rules for electrical equipment apply in flood zones in all three counties (Palm Beach County flood requirements).
Utilities
Where FPL is the utility, its new-service process starts in its Project Portal (FPL, how new construction works). Two cities run their own electric utilities: Homestead in Miami-Dade (City of Homestead, HPS Energy) and Lake Worth Beach in Palm Beach (Lake Worth Beach Utilities).
Questions builders ask
Can one electrical contractor pull permits in all three counties?
A state-certified electrical contractor (license prefix EC) holds a statewide license (DBPR license verification), but each department has its own registration steps. Broward, for example, requires the qualifier's license to be registered with its Building Code Division (Broward ePermits help guide). A registered electrical license (prefix ER) is valid only locally.
Which county is strictest about expired permits?
They are different rather than stricter. Broward's 180-day renewal window is the clearest cut-off; Palm Beach looks at renewal count and inactivity; Miami-Dade works through a formal expired-permit check. City rules vary again: Boca Raton, for example, expires a permit with no approved inspection in 180 days (Boca Raton permit renewals).
Does the county process apply if the job is in a city?
No. If the address is inside a city with its own building department, that city's portal, forms and inspection process apply. The City of Miami, Miami Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Boca Raton all run their own systems (City of Miami iBuild; Fort Lauderdale LauderBuild).
Do the 25-year and 30-year inspections need electrical permits?
The inspection itself is a report by a licensed engineer or architect; the repairs it calls for are permitted work like any other. Our pages on electrical safety inspections and recertification cover the electrical side.
Working across the county lines?
KRW Electric Company LLC (Florida certified electrical contractor EC13012832) works in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach and handles the permit and the inspection on its jobs, whichever portal the address uses. Our page for general contractors explains how we work under your master permit, and commercial electrical permits covers the commercial side. Send us the address and scope or call (305) 359-7312.
Reviewed by Kyle White, KRW Electric Company LLC — licensed electrical contractor EC13012832.
