South Florida Electrical Permits, Codes and Inspections: A Builder's Guide

Guides for builders, GCs and developers

Find the rule, the portal or the inspection you are dealing with

How to use this guide

Every electrical job in South Florida runs through the same gates: the right permit from the right building department, a sequence of inspections, and, on new work, a utility connection that cannot happen until the inspection is signed off. The rules come from the Florida Building Code, the National Electrical Code it adopts, Florida statutes and each county or city building department, and they do not line up neatly across county lines.

This guide is written for the people who carry those jobs: builders, general contractors, remodelers, developers, architects and owner-builders in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach. Each article covers one step or one rule in depth and links the code section, statute or department page it relies on. The building department with jurisdiction over your address always has the final word, and we link to it wherever we can.

It is written by KRW Electric Company LLC, a Florida certified electrical contractor (EC13012832) based in Miami Beach. We handle the permit and the inspection on our jobs. If you are lining up an electrical sub, start with working with general contractors or residential new construction electrical.

Permits by county and city

Miami-Dade County permits unincorporated areas, and each municipality has its own building official (Miami-Dade, how to apply for permits). Broward and Palm Beach work the same way, with different portals, inspection codes and renewal rules.

• Electrical permits in Miami-Dade County: portals, sub-permits, inspection codes and permit searches
• Electrical permits in Broward County: ePermits, Fort Lauderdale's LauderBuild and the role of BORA
• Electrical permits in Palm Beach County: ePZB, inspection types and Boca Raton
• Miami-Dade vs Broward vs Palm Beach: a side-by-side comparison
• City of Miami electrical permits: iBuild, ePlan and sub-permits
• Miami Beach electrical permits: Civic Access, master permits and flood rules
• Fort Lauderdale electrical permits: LauderBuild and walk-thru permits

Permit process: searches, sub-permits, expiration and deadlines

Many permit delays have nothing to do with the electrical work itself. They come from an open permit on the property, a sub-permit filed before the master, a Notice of Commencement that was never recorded, or a permit that quietly expired. These guides cover the paperwork side.

• How to search permits in Miami-Dade: open permits by folio, permit history and city portals
• Open and expired permits in Florida: how they get closed and why they matter at a sale
• Master permit vs electrical sub-permit: how GC and electrical permits fit together
• Notice of Commencement for electrical work: when it is required and when it must be posted
• Florida permit expiration rules (2026): the new one-year rule for single-family permits
• Permit review deadlines and private providers: what the statutes require of building departments
• Owner-builder electrical permits: what the exemption allows and what it does not
• Florida electrical license types: EC, ER and specialty licenses, and how to verify a sub

Codes: what is in force and what is coming

Florida is on the Florida Building Code, 8th Edition (2023), and its electrical provisions adopt NFPA 70, the 2020 National Electrical Code (FBC-Building Chapter 27). The 9th Edition, built on the 2023 NEC, is proposed to take effect December 31, 2026 (Florida Administrative Register notice).

• Florida Building Code electrical requirements: how the 2023 code adopts the NEC, and Florida's amendment
• 9th Edition electrical changes: what the 2023 NEC would change and how the transition works
• 2020 NEC requirements for new homes: a builder's checklist
• GFCI and AFCI requirements in Florida: today and under the proposed code
• Electrical load calculations for a permit: standard and optional methods, worked through
• Electrical plan review in South Florida: what reviewers look for

Inspections, temporary power and utility service

On new work, power follows paperwork. FPL does not energize a new service until the local electrical inspection is complete and the utility has formal notice from the inspecting office (FPL Electric Service Standards). These guides walk the sequence from the temporary pole to the final.

• The electrical inspection sequence: from foundation grounding to final
• Temporary power poles and FPL: permits, inspection and the utility's stand requirements
• FPL new construction service: the Project Portal and what must be in place
• Rough-in inspection checklist: what gets checked before the walls close
• Final electrical inspection checklist: devices, labeling, testing and panels
• After a failed electrical inspection: corrections and re-inspection

Flood zones, HVHZ, pools, generators and ADUs

South Florida adds rules most of the country never sees. Broward and Miami-Dade are the state's High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, flood elevation decides where a service, panel or generator can go, and substantial improvement can pull a whole building up to current flood rules.

• Flood zone electrical requirements: equipment elevation, breakaway walls and meters
• The 50% rule and electrical work: how electrical scope counts toward substantial improvement
• HVHZ and electrical equipment: anchorage and rooftop rules in Broward and Miami-Dade
• Product approval, NOAs and electrical equipment: what those approvals do and do not cover
• Pool electrical bonding in Florida: equipotential bonding and GFCI
• Generator permits in South Florida: what the permit package usually needs
• ADU electrical in Florida: service, metering and load questions

For recertification of older buildings, see the electrical side of building recertification. For EV charging permits, see EV charger permits in South Florida.

Working with KRW Electric

KRW Electric works with builders and general contractors across Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach on residential new construction, commercial new construction, remodels and service upgrades, from electrical planning and rough-in through finish and final. We handle the permit and the inspection on our jobs. To talk through a project, get in touch or call (305) 359-7312. Commercial teams should also see our commercial electrical guides.