Electrical Permits in Broward County: A Builder's Guide

Builder's guide: Broward County

From the Uniform Permit Application to a completed master

County or city: who has the address

Broward works like Miami-Dade in one important way: the building department for the address runs the permit. The county's Building Code Division handles unincorporated Broward, and cities with their own building departments issue permits inside their limits. Fort Lauderdale is one example, with its own LauderBuild portal, covered below. If you are not sure which office covers a street, call the city first; the department with jurisdiction always has the final word on what it requires.

Broward County and its municipalities share an online front door, ePermits OneStop, which the county describes as a place for customers to apply for permits in their city or municipality (Broward ePermits OneStop). Sharing a front door does not mean sharing rules: each city still sets its own submittal requirements, and many publish their own checklists. Pompano Beach, for example, publishes an EV charging checklist; our EV charger permit guide walks through it.

Unincorporated Broward: ePermits OneStop and the BCS system

The county's ePermits help guide lays out the process for unincorporated addresses (Broward ePermits help guide). The parts that matter for an electrical contractor:

• Registered qualifier. The qualifier's license must be registered with the Broward County Building Code Division, or the qualifier must hold a Broward County Certificate of Competency or an eligible business tax receipt.
• Uniform Permit Application. The current version of the Broward County Uniform Permit Application is uploaded with the supporting documents for every submittal: the initial submittal, a change of plans, a change of contractor, surveys and later product approvals.
• Master permit first. The online application starts from a "BCS Master Permit" and the parcel ID; trade sub-permits sit under it. A sub-permit shows "Ready to Issue" when it still needs its completed permit application before pricing and issuance.
• Everything online after acceptance. Once an ePermit application is accepted, later documents go through the ePermit account, not in person.
• Printed to scale. Approved plans, documents and the permit card have to be printed to scale for inspections.

The Building Code Division's number on the guide is 954-765-4400. Public permit lookups run through the county's BCS search (Broward BCS), where you can look up a permit, pay subsequent review fees and request inspections.

Reading a Broward permit status

Broward's statuses tell you where a master permit and each sub-permit stand. These are the definitions in the county's guide (Broward ePermits help guide):

The distinction between the last two is the one GCs trip over. An electrical sub-permit showing "Permit Final" is closed, but the job is not closed until the master shows "Completed". When you check a property before buying or remodeling, look at both. Our guide to master permits and electrical sub-permits explains the relationship.

Requesting inspections in unincorporated Broward

After the permit is issued, the county schedules inspections online through BCS Request Inspection. A Phone Access Code is required, and it is printed on the Fee Statement (Broward ePermits help guide). Keep the Fee Statement with the permit paperwork on site, because whoever books the inspection needs that code.

Broward has not published a public electrical inspection code list we could verify, so use the inspections shown on the permit card and check with the department for which electrical inspections your job needs. The sequence on a new building generally follows the work: underground and slab before the pour, rough before walls are closed, and final once devices and equipment are in. The electrical inspection sequence guide covers the stages in order. Statewide, permit offices must accept inspection requests electronically (section 553.79, Florida Statutes).

Before the first inspection, the county wants a copy of the recorded Notice of Commencement emailed to building@broward.org where one is required (Broward ePermits help guide; section 713.135, Florida Statutes). In Broward, NOCs are recorded with Records, Taxes and Treasury at 115 S. Andrews Ave, Room 114 (Broward Records, Taxes and Treasury). See our Notice of Commencement guide.

Expired permits and the 180-day renewal window

Broward's permit rules in the county guide say an expired permit may be renewed within 180 days after it expires. After 180 days a new permit has to be applied for, every stamp and approval obtained again, and any new regulations, including Florida Building Code changes, complied with (Broward ePermits help guide). On a job that stalled, that 180-day line decides whether you are renewing or starting over under the current code. Renewals, extensions, cancellations and changes of contractor are all requested as a "Revision" in the ePermit account.

State law layers on top. Since July 1, 2026 a single-family permit is valid for 1 year after issuance, or until the next Florida Building Code edition takes effect, whichever is later (section 553.79, Florida Statutes). An expired permit with substantially complete work can be closed without a new permit under the code in effect at application, and a new contractor can close it while being liable only for its own work (section 553.79(16)). The 9th Edition of the Florida Building Code is proposed to take effect Dec 31, 2026; it is not final yet (Florida Administrative Register notice). More in open and expired permits in Florida.

Fort Lauderdale: LauderBuild

Fort Lauderdale runs its own building department. Since Jan 1, 2024 every application goes through LauderBuild, the city's Accela portal (LauderBuild), and searching records there needs no account (Fort Lauderdale LauderBuild). The city's Property Reporter GIS map is useful for confirming the parcel before you apply (Fort Lauderdale Property Reporter).

• The city uses the Broward Uniform Permit Application, and lists walk-thru electrical permits for residential work, a stand-alone temporary pole and a service change or repair (Fort Lauderdale permitting services).
• Applications are abandoned after 180 days, and one renewal is allowed (Fort Lauderdale building permits).
• The Permit Solutions Team is at 954-828-3160 and customer service at 954-828-6520 (Fort Lauderdale building permits).

The city's electrical inspection codes and phone scheduling line were not something we could verify from a primary source, so check LauderBuild or call the department. Our Fort Lauderdale electrical permits guide goes further.

BORA: the countywide policies

Broward also has the Broward County Board of Rules and Appeals, known as BORA (Broward Board of Rules and Appeals). BORA hears code appeals and publishes Board policies that Broward building departments cite in their own requirements. Two matter most for electrical work.

Policy 05-05: the 25-year building safety inspection

Under the August 2024 amendments to Policy 05-05, buildings are inspected starting at 25 years from the certificate of occupancy and every 10 years after that. The electrical report comes from a Florida-licensed engineer or architect specializing in electrical work (BORA Policy 05-05, 2024 amendments). Condominiums and co-ops of three or more habitable stories also fall under the state milestone inspection law, which is structural only (section 553.899, Florida Statutes). When a safety inspection report calls for electrical repairs, those repairs need permits like any other work; our electrical safety inspections and code violation correction pages cover that side. The Miami-Dade equivalent is in the electrical side of recertification.

Policy 06-03: residential generators

Lauderdale-by-the-Sea publishes its residential generator requirements under BORA Policy 06-03 (Lauderdale-by-the-Sea residential generator requirements). Among them:

• Generator at base flood elevation or first-floor elevation.
• Clearances to openings per the manufacturer, including a neighbor's openings.
• Fuel tank at least 10 feet from the structure and the property line.
• Slab and anchoring details, a riser diagram and a load calculation under NEC Article 220 (Policy 06-03 as published by Lauderdale-by-the-Sea).
• A transfer switch, signage at the service and at the transfer switch, and CO detectors at openings within 15 feet of the exhaust.

Other Broward cities may word their checklists differently, so get the current one from the department for your address. Our generator installation page and generator permit guide cover the rest.

HVHZ and flood rules in Broward

Broward is in the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone with Miami-Dade (HVHZ definition, FBC-Residential R202). In the HVHZ rooftop section, rooftop equipment and supports are secured for the Chapter 16 wind loads and rooftop conduit is raised 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 the question for exterior disconnects, meter cans and generator pads is how they are mounted and anchored. Ask the building department what it wants to see.

In flood hazard areas, the 8th Edition's flood provisions put electrical equipment at or above the required flood elevation, with exceptions for equipment designed to ASCE 24, and since 2023 standby generators follow the same rule (Florida Division of Emergency Management, 8th Edition flood provisions). See flood zone electrical requirements.

How KRW Electric fits on a Broward job

KRW Electric Company LLC holds Florida certified electrical contractor license EC13012832, which is statewide (DBPR license verification), and works across Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach from Miami Beach. On our jobs we handle the electrical permit and the inspections, from the sub-permit under your BCS master to booking inspections and clearing corrections. For builders that means new construction electrical, rough-in and finish work, panel upgrades and generators.

Compare the counties in the Miami-Dade vs Broward vs Palm Beach comparison, or read the Miami-Dade and Palm Beach guides. The South Florida electrical permits guide collects the whole series, and our Broward County page lists the areas we serve.

Planning a Broward job? Send us the address and scope or call (305) 359-7312.