Broward County: permits, licenses and hurricane season
Most Broward homes get their permits from the city, not the county. Here’s who does what, how to check a license and who to call if something goes wrong, with the official links.
Permits: your city or the county?
Most people in Broward live in a city, and the city’s building department issues their permits. The county’s Building Code Division issues permits only in the Broward Municipal Services District, the unincorporated part of the county, and at Fort Lauderdale International Airport. The district includes neighborhoods like Boulevard Gardens, Broadview Park, Franklin Park, Roosevelt Gardens and Washington Park. Not sure which office is yours? Call your city.
In the county’s area, you apply, upload plans and pay fees online with Broward County ePermits. To look up permits, use the county’s BCS system: no account is needed to search.
In the county’s area, these common jobs need a permit:
- A/C replacement or change-out.
- Water heater replacement, with a plumbing permit. No plans are needed if the new one goes in the same spot.
- Windows, doors and shutters, with the product approvals (Notices of Acceptance).
- Fences, with plans. Aluminum, iron and PVC fences must be designed by a Florida-registered architect or engineer, or have a Notice of Acceptance.
- Pools, with plans signed and sealed by a Florida-registered architect or engineer.
A homeowner who pulls their own permit must sign an Owner-Builder Affidavit in front of permitting staff, and a contractor must show proof of workers’ compensation insurance. Cities use their own forms.
The new $7,500 rule
Since July 1, 2026, a state law (House Bill 803) lets the owner of a single-family home skip the building permit for some work worth less than $7,500. Keep in mind:
- It doesn’t cover electrical, plumbing, mechanical, gas or structural work. Those can still need a permit.
- It doesn’t apply in flood hazard areas.
- It isn’t automatic. You must ask in writing, with the contract or other proof of the job and its value.
Before you skip a permit, ask your city’s building department how it handles these requests.
Licenses: state and county
Florida licenses contractors through its Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR). Broward also issues its own contractor licenses, called Certificates of Competency. Applicants go before the county’s Central Examining Board of Construction Trades. County categories include general, building, residential, plumbing, electrical and mechanical contractors. Check before you hire:
- County: go to Broward.org/Building and choose Search Contractors, or call 954-765-4400 (option 2). You can also search contractor licenses in the BCS system.
- State: the DBPR’s Verify a License, or call 850-487-1395.
More on license letters and which jobs need one: how to check a contractor’s license.
Hurricane season
Broward and Miami-Dade make up Florida’s High-Velocity Hurricane Zone (HVHZ): the strong hurricane rules South Florida adopted after Hurricane Andrew.
- Shutters should have a Miami-Dade County Product Approval or a Florida Building Code Product Approval, be installed by a licensed professional and be inspected by a building department, such as your city’s.
- Look up a product: Miami-Dade approvals in the Product Control Search, Florida approvals by FL number at the Florida Building Commission.
- Generator: a permanent one should be installed by a licensed electrician, with permits.
Broward has two evacuation plans. Check the evacuation map on the county’s evacuation page to see if you’re in a zone.
| Plan | Who should evacuate |
|---|---|
| Plan A, Category 1 or 2 | Mobile home residents, people next to tidal water or in low-lying areas, and everyone east of the Intracoastal Waterway |
| Plan B, Category 3 or higher | Everyone in Plan A, plus everyone east of U.S. 1 (Federal Highway) |
- Free alerts: sign up for ALERT Broward, the county’s emergency notification system.
- Need extra help? Join the Vulnerable Population Registry at Broward.org/Registry, or call 311 or 954-831-4000. That’s also the county’s emergency hotline during a storm.
Find the county’s official hurricane guide at broward.org/hurricane. For a full checklist, see our hurricane guide.
Where to report a problem
| Problem | Who to call |
|---|---|
| A Broward-licensed contractor | Building Code Division: 954-765-4400 (option 2), or in writing online |
| A state-licensed contractor | Florida DBPR: file a complaint |
| Someone working without a license | State hotline: 1-866-532-1440 |
| A dispute with a business | Broward County Consumer Protection |
| Anything else from the county | 311 or 954-831-4000, toll-free 1-833-311-2793 |
The county’s call center answers weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. You can also file any type of complaint online: choose “Request for Service”.
Good to know
- Watering: South Florida Water Management District limits apply in every Broward city, all year. In general, there’s no watering on Monday, Tuesday or Friday. Ask your city for your exact days and hours.
- Rebates: the Broward Water Partnership offers up to $125 per toilet to qualifying residents, and a county program offers rebates for efficient, weather-based irrigation. See the county’s water conservation page.
- Notice of Commencement: for county permits, a job of $5,000 or more needs one once the permit is issued. Search recorded notices in the county’s Official Records. Under state law, payments made after the notice expires can mean paying twice.
- Deposits: the county says to avoid contractors who ask for large payments up front. Under state law, a contractor who takes more than 10% up front must apply for the permits within 30 days and start work within 90 days after they’re issued.
- Flood zone: Broward’s current FEMA flood maps took effect on July 31, 2024. To find your zone, call 954-519-1483 with your address and ZIP code.
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Sources
- Broward County: building permits
- Broward County: Broward Municipal Services District
- Broward County: ePermits
- Broward County: BCS permit and license search
- Broward County: permitting packet (PDF)
- Florida Legislature: House Bill 803 (2026)
- Florida Statutes §553.79: the $7,500 permit exemption
- Broward County: contractor packet (PDF)
- Florida DBPR: verify a license
- Florida Building Commission: the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone (PDF)
- Broward County: official hurricane preparedness guide, May 2026 (PDF)
- Miami-Dade County: Product Control Search
- Florida Building Commission: product approval search
- Broward County: evacuation information
- Broward County: ALERT Broward
- Broward County: report a complaint
- Broward County: complaints about contractors
- Florida DBPR: unlicensed activity hotline
- Broward County: Consumer Protection
- Broward County: agencies and services
- Broward County: water conservation
- Broward County: Notice of Commencement
- Florida Statutes §489.126: deposits and permits
- Florida Statutes §713.13: Notice of Commencement
- Broward County: FEMA flood zone maps (PDF)
This page is general information, not legal advice. Rules change and differ from city to city, so check the official links and ask your city or county.
