Do I need a permit for screen enclosure or pool cage in Fort Lauderdale?

Florida and local notes for Fort Lauderdale

Site-specific engineered wind-load drawings are effectively required for a new enclosure. Setbacks, easements, and HOA rules still apply. Re-screening mesh only is generally exempt; structural work is not. Screen enclosures are engineered for HVHZ wind loads, so expect signed and sealed drawings and a structural review rather than an over-the-counter permit. Products need approval for HVHZ use, and a Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance is commonly accepted here as evidence of it. Your city issues the permit, not the county. Broward's 31 municipal building departments each run their own permitting and inspections, while the county Board of Rules and Appeals sets code interpretation and the countywide amendments they all work from. The Broward County Amendments to the Florida Building Code, published by the Board of Rules and Appeals under the county charter, apply on top of the state code everywhere in the county. Individual cities can add their own amendments as well, so confirm both. Under ULDR Sec. 47-19.2.BB.5, a screen enclosure in the rear or side yard of a single-family home must be at least 4 feet from any property line and 10 feet from a property line on a waterway. The part of a screen enclosure that projects into the required rear yard is limited to 12 feet in height, and no more than 5 percent of the required pervious area may be inside it. A pool or spa covered by anything other than a screen enclosure must meet the zoning district's full yard requirements. The city's current document library has no screen enclosure checklist, so the Accessory Structure checklist (Structural and Zoning review, sealed plans, product approvals) is the closest published guide.