Commercial Electrical Permits and Inspections in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach

Permits and inspections

Which department, which drawings, which inspections

Who Issues the Permit Depends on the Address

The first question on any commercial electrical permit in South Florida is not what the work is. It is where the building is. Each of the three counties splits permitting between the county and its cities, and the answer decides which portal, which plan reviewers and which inspectors you deal with.

Miami-Dade County

Miami-Dade has 35 municipalities, each with its own building official who issues permits and performs inspections inside its limits. The county issues permits for unincorporated Miami-Dade, which the county identifies by folio numbers beginning with 30 (Miami-Dade permitting). Even when a city issues the permit, some projects still need county reviews such as water and sewer, impact fees, environmental resources (DERM) or fire rescue. Unincorporated electrical permits are applied for through the county's electrical permit portal.

Broward County

Broward's Building Code Division regulates construction in unincorporated Broward (the Broward Municipal Services District) and in the cities that contract with the county for building services. If the property is in a city that runs its own building department, that city issues the permit.

Palm Beach County

Palm Beach County's Planning, Zoning and Building Department issues permits in unincorporated Palm Beach County; its Building Division notes that the county's amendments to the Florida Building Code require permits for most construction work. According to the Property Appraiser, the county has 39 municipalities, and each has its own permit department.

County-by-county detail on the areas we serve is on our Miami-Dade County, Broward County and Palm Beach County pages.

Who Applies: The Licensed Contractor and the Qualifier

On a commercial job, the electrical permit is pulled by the licensed electrical contractor doing the work. Miami-Dade states it plainly: building permits are issued in the name of the person performing the work, and only licensed contractors or owner-builders may obtain one. On many projects the electrical permit is a sub-permit under the general contractor's master building permit; Palm Beach County's ePZB portal tracks sub-permits under the main permit number, for example.

Behind every contracting business is a qualifying agent. Under section 489.522, Florida Statutes, primary qualifying agents are responsible for supervising the business's operations and all field work at all sites, and a secondary qualifying agent is responsible for field work at sites where their license was used to obtain the permit. That is why the license number on the permit matters: it names who is answerable for the work.

KRW Electric holds Florida electrical contractor license EC13012832 and pulls the electrical permit for the scope we install. If you are a GC, our page for general contractors covers how we work under your permit and schedule.

When Commercial Electrical Work Needs Engineered Drawings

Florida's engineering law sets the line. Section 471.003(2)(h), Florida Statutes lets a licensed electrical contractor design the electrical system it installs without an engineer only on projects under both a system-value limit and a service-capacity limit, which for a commercial or industrial system is 800 amperes at 240 volts. Above either limit, the electrical design comes from a licensed professional engineer.

In practice, most commercial new construction and a large share of tenant improvement work goes in with engineered electrical drawings, and many building departments ask for drawings on smaller commercial work too. Check with the department that has jurisdiction before assuming a job can go in without them. KRW Electric is not an engineer of record; we work with yours on design-assist and install to the approved drawings.

A typical commercial electrical permit set includes:

• A riser diagram showing the service, distribution and feeders.
• Load calculations for the service and each panel.
• Panel schedules.
• Available fault current at the service, often backed by a letter from the utility; FPL lists fault current and service availability letters among its project request types.
• Lighting layout, lighting controls and energy code compliance documentation.
• Emergency and exit lighting, and the power side of any life-safety systems.

The Private Provider Option

Florida lets owners use a private provider for plan review, inspections or both. Under section 553.791, Florida Statutes, a private provider is a licensed engineer, architect or building code administrator, and the owner, or the contractor with the owner's written authorization, may hire one. The building official must be notified in writing on the statute's timetable, either with the permit application or before the first scheduled inspection.

On a fast commercial schedule, private providers can help with inspection availability and plan review turnaround. The permit is still issued by the local building department, and the provider's reports go to it. Decide early, because switching mid-project brings its own notices and paperwork.

The Inspection Sequence on a Commercial Job

Inspection names vary a little by department, but the order is the same everywhere: nothing gets covered until it has been inspected. Miami-Dade's electrical inspection codes are a good map of the sequence:

1. Temporary for construction: the temporary service that powers the site (Miami-Dade inspection codes).
2. Foundation grounding: the grounding electrode in the footings before concrete.
3. Underground: conduit and conductors below grade before backfill.
4. Slab: conduit in or under the slab before the pour.
5. Rough: the rough in electrical inspection of boxes, raceways, cables, supports and grounding in walls and ceilings before they close.
6. Final: devices, fixtures, panels, labeling and the completed installation.

Miami-Dade's list also includes a temporary-for-test inspection, a shop sign inspection and others (full list). On a tenant improvement, underground and slab inspections usually apply only where new floor work is cut in; the rough and final carry most of the load.

What fails a rough inspection

Inspectors look for the things that cannot be checked once drywall goes up: box fill and support, raceway support and fittings, grounding, conductor sizing against the drawings, and fire-rated penetrations sealed. The fastest way to pass is a walkthrough before calling for inspection, with the approved drawings on site.

Florida requires local enforcement agencies to accept inspection requests electronically (section 553.79, Florida Statutes), so most departments schedule through their portal. For new service work, the final electrical inspection also gates the utility: FPL's service application checklist lists the final city or county electrical inspection among the items for permanent service.

The High-Velocity Hurricane Zone in Miami-Dade and Broward

Miami-Dade and Broward are the Florida Building Code's High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, which carries stronger wind provisions adopted after Hurricane Andrew. Palm Beach County is outside it. For electrical work the HVHZ shows up in a few places:

• Rooftop equipment. Switchgear, disconnects, conduit supports and anything else on the roof is attached to resist HVHZ wind loads, as designed by the engineer of record.
• The building envelope. Miami-Dade's product approval program covers envelope products such as roofing, wall cladding and exterior openings. Electrical penetrations through roofs and walls have to be coordinated with those systems, not cut in after.
• Exterior site equipment. Light poles, sign structures and pedestals need foundations designed for the wind loads.

Hurricane season also affects scheduling: exterior and rooftop work, crane picks and utility outages are easier to plan outside peak storm months. See commercial service and switchgear for equipment location, flood zones and salt air.

Closeout: Final Inspection, CO and Certificate of Completion

A project is not done when the lights come on. It is done when the permit is closed. In Miami-Dade, a Certificate of Occupancy or Certificate of Completion confirms that a building or renovation was completed in compliance with the applicable codes, and it requires approved inspections and satisfied completion holds. A Certificate of Occupancy is also a prerequisite for the Certificate of Use that allows a business to operate. An electrical final that slips therefore delays the tenant's opening, not just the paperwork.

Closeout on the electrical side usually includes accurate panel schedules, as-installed drawings, test results and, where the energy code applies, lighting control and commissioning documentation. The 2023 energy code requires commissioning documents to go to the code official as well as the owner after the CO (DBPR summary).

Open and Expired Permits on a Tenant Improvement

Commercial spaces change hands often, and the previous tenant's open or expired permits come with the space. They surface at the worst time: when the new tenant's permit is applied for, when a lender or buyer searches the records, or at the CO.

Florida law gives owners a path. Under section 553.79(16), Florida Statutes, a property owner may close a permit by keeping the original contractor or hiring a different appropriately licensed contractor to do the work needed to satisfy the permit and obtain the inspections; a new contractor is liable only for the work they perform, not the original contractor's defects. The statute also lets the local enforcement agency close an expired permit without a new one where it determines the work was substantially completed.

Departments handle the mechanics differently. Palm Beach County's ePZB portal, for example, has applications for renewing an inactive permit and for a change of contractor. On a TI, search the permit history for the suite before design starts, and budget time for closing old permits into the schedule.

When the old work itself is the problem, see code violation correction. For a written condition report before you lease or buy, see electrical safety inspections.

Code Editions and Where to Go Next

The code that governs a permit is the one in effect for that application. Rule 61G20-1.001 currently adopts the Florida Building Code, 8th Edition (2023), and the Florida Building Commission is developing a 9th Edition (2026). Projects that straddle an update should confirm the edition with the building department before drawings are finalized.

Permits are one part of the commercial work we do. See commercial electrical services for the overview, new construction electrical for ground-up projects, and commercial remodel and tenant improvement for build-outs. Scope-specific pages cover lighting and controls and commercial EV charging.

Planning the work? Send the drawings or a description through our contact page or call (305) 359-7312.