Permits and
private providers
A permit decides when your project can start, and who applies for it matters. This guide covers how residential permits work in Fort Lauderdale, what Florida's private provider law allows, and how to check the person pulling the permit.
How a residential permit works in Fort Lauderdale
The City of Fort Lauderdale's permitting page says the owner, an authorized agent or the contractor applies to the building official and needs a permit before altering or repairing a regulated structure. Applications, inspections and status run through the city's online portal, LauderBuild.
Exterior work needs a current signed and sealed survey and a site plan. Seawalls, docks, fences, driveways and patios can go in with a current survey and a Zoning Affidavit.
The page says initial permit reviews are to be completed within 30 days of receipt. It also cites the Florida Building Code for 30 working days. These are stated targets, and we did not verify actual review times, so plan with the city, not with a number.
An application is considered abandoned 180 days after filing unless pursued in good faith or issued. Reviewers include structural, electrical, plumbing, flood and mechanical chiefs, plus landscaping, zoning and engineering. Fire reviews everything except one- and two-family homes.
Simple jobs and the notice of commencement
The city offers same-day walk-thru permits for re-roofs, shutters, exact-replacement windows and doors, air conditioner changeouts, exact water heater changeouts, fences and residential paving. Historic properties and after-the-fact permits are not eligible.
The city's page says a Notice of Commencement is required when the contract exceeds a stated dollar threshold, recorded with the Clerk with a copy posted on site. Florida Statutes section 713.02 sets a different exemption threshold. The dollar threshold in the city's page and in the statute differ, so confirm which applies, ideally with your attorney.
What a private provider can do
Under Florida Statutes section 553.791, an owner may hire a private provider for plan review, inspections or both. The owner pays the provider directly and signs a written contract. The local government must reduce the permit fee by its cost savings and cannot charge for services the provider performs.
The provider must be a building code administrator, engineer or architect. For residential additions and alterations limited to 1,000 square feet or less, the statute lets a standard certificate holder serve. A provider cannot inspect a building it designed or built.
The City of Fort Lauderdale keeps a list of registered private provider firms, which is not an endorsement. It asks the owner to book a kick-off appointment with the Assistant Building Official before submitting.
The statute also sets deadlines for the building official to send written notice of an incomplete application. We could not confirm which applications those deadlines cover, so ask the city before relying on them.
What a private provider does not remove
Even with private provider plan review, the city can still review for local ordinances and floodplain rules. The 8th Edition Florida Building Code says the building official must review and inspect flood requirements.
Broward County is separate from the city permit. For waterfront work, a county license applies to work in, on, over or under county waters, alongside the city permit. Each city also runs its own building department. We did not research the process in the other cities near Fort Lauderdale, so ask the one that governs your address.
Check who is pulling the permit
Ask for the contractor's state license number and look it up yourself on the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation's Verify a License portal. Read the type, the status, and whether the name matches the company on the proposal.
Florida Statutes section 489.119 says the contractor's number must appear on permit applications and permits, and in each offer of services, proposal, bid, contract or advertisement. Business stationery and promotional novelties are not counted as advertisements. The page we read shows an older amendment date, so confirm it is current.
Section 489.105 explains the two kinds. A contractor with the statewide credential (the statute calls it certification) holds a state certificate of competency and may work anywhere in Florida. A registered contractor met a local competency requirement and may work only in the place where registered. Ask which one you are hiring.
The same section says a general contractor's scope is unlimited as to the type of work. A building contractor is limited to buildings of up to three stories, with an exception for non-structural remodeling of any size. A residential contractor is limited to one-, two- or three-family homes not exceeding two habitable stories above one uninhabitable story.
A company may contract in a category only while a qualifying agent in that category is affiliated with it. Section 489.127 makes it unlawful to contract, or to advertise as available to contract, without proper registration or certification, and says a business tax receipt is not a license.
According to the city, the owner of a one- or two-family home may act as their own contractor for their own use, not for sale or lease. The owner must do or directly supervise the work and sign an Owner/Builder Affidavit.
Questions owners ask
Can I use a private provider on a Fort Lauderdale project?+
The city keeps a registered list and asks for a kick-off appointment with the Assistant Building Official before you submit. Florida Statutes section 553.791 allows an owner to use one for plan review, inspections or both.
Does a private provider skip flood review?+
No. The 8th Edition Florida Building Code says the building official must still review and inspect flood requirements.
Where do I confirm a contractor's license number?+
Use the state's Verify a License portal run by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, and read the status yourself. The number should also appear in the contractor's proposal and contract.
What is the difference between a statewide and a local contractor credential?+
Under section 489.105, a contractor with the statewide credential may work anywhere in Florida. A registered contractor may work only in the jurisdiction where registered.
Related services
Keep reading
Permit rules change, and the City of Fort Lauderdale, Broward County and the State of Florida decide how they apply to your project, so confirm with them before you design.
Where this comes from: fortlauderdale.gov, leg.state.fl.us, leg.state.fl.us, leg.state.fl.us, leg.state.fl.us, leg.state.fl.us, browardcountyfl.qscend.com.