Broward County building permits are issued by your city's building department in most cases, and by the Broward County Building Code Division if your property is in an unincorporated neighborhood or in a city that contracts with the county. Most offices use the same uniform application and add county and state surcharges to their own fees. Below: who issues permits, each city's portal, real fees, and how product approvals and owner-builder rules work. For a quick first read, use the free permit checker.
Key takeaways
- In Broward, your city's building department issues most permits; the Broward County Building Code Division handles the Broward Municipal Services District (unincorporated areas) and cities that contract with it.
- Most Broward cities use the Broward County Uniform Building Permit Application, and several post a version dated March 9, 2026.
- Permit fees are set city by city, and many charge a percentage of construction cost; Fort Lauderdale, for example, charges a $131 minimum or 1.75 percent of construction cost (fees checked November 2026).
- Broward permits typically add a Board of Rules and Appeals fee of $0.52 per $1,000 of construction cost plus two state surcharges of 1 percent and 1.5 percent of the permit fee.
- Roofing, window, door, and shutter permits in Broward ask for product approvals, and cities commonly accept either a Florida Product Approval or a Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance (NOA).
Table of contents
- Who issues building permits in Broward County?
- What is the Broward County Uniform Building Permit Application?
- Which online permit portal does my Broward city use?
- How much do building permits cost in Broward County?
- What does the Broward Board of Rules and Appeals do?
- Do Broward permits need Miami-Dade NOAs or Florida product approvals?
- Can I pull my own permit as an owner-builder in Broward?
- When do I need a Notice of Commencement in Broward?
- What does an impact window permit cost in three Broward cities?
- Can a private provider speed up a Broward permit?
- What happens if I build without a permit in Broward?
- What should I do before starting a project in Broward?
Who issues building permits in Broward County?
Your city does if the property is inside city limits and the city runs its own building department. The Broward County Building Code Division provides permitting for the Broward Municipal Services District (BMSD) and regulates construction in cities that contract with the county. If you are unsure whether your parcel is inside city limits, ask the city's building department before you apply.
What is the Broward Municipal Services District?
The BMSD is the county's name for unincorporated Broward. Neighborhoods the county lists in the district include Broadview Park, Franklin Park, Boulevard Gardens, Hillsboro Pines, and Washington Park. The Building Code Division's office is at 2307 W. Broward Boulevard, Suite 300, in Fort Lauderdale.
What is the Broward County Uniform Building Permit Application?
It is the standard building permit application used across Broward. Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Pembroke Pines, Deerfield Beach, Pompano Beach, Davie, and Miramar all post it as their permit application.
The form is updated from time to time. The Town of Davie announced that Broward County updated the standard Building Permit Form and that the new version is required as of March 9, 2026, so download a current copy from your city's site rather than reusing an old one.
Some cities add their own paperwork. Deerfield Beach requires its HOA affidavit for all residential permits, and Davie requires an addendum form for every master or standalone permit.
Which online permit portal does my Broward city use?
Each city runs its own online system. These are the portals listed on each city's official site when we checked in November 2026.
| City | Online permit portal | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Lauderdale | LauderBuild | Applications, inspections, and permit status |
| Hollywood | Accela Citizen Access (ACA) | Used for all new applications since August 4, 2026 |
| Coral Springs | eTRAKiT | Paper submittals are converted to electronic format for a fee |
| Davie | Online Application Submittal (OAS) | Required since January 12, 2026; plans upload through ProjectDox |
| Deerfield Beach | GeoCivix digital permitting portal | HOA affidavit required for residential permits |
| Miramar | Permits and Inspections Self Services | Payments and inspections in the same portal |
| Pembroke Pines | Development Hub | Project checklists on the forms page |
| Plantation | Citizen Access | Online submittal limited to licensed contractors or accounts the city activates |
| Pompano Beach | Click2Gov | One permit covers all trades |
Our Fort Lauderdale permit page collects LauderBuild links, forms, and city fees in one place.
How much do building permits cost in Broward County?
Each city sets its own fees, and most charge a percentage of construction cost with a minimum. The examples below come from each city's published schedule, checked in November 2026. Fees change, so confirm with the office before you budget.
| City | Base building permit fee | Schedule |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Lauderdale | $131 minimum or 1.75 percent of construction cost | Rev 10, revised September 17, 2026 |
| Pembroke Pines | $129.16 up to $2,500; 3.79 percent from $2,500 to $1,000,000 | Adopted October 1, 2026 |
| Deerfield Beach | $75 up to $5,000; 2.5 percent above $5,000 up to $2,000,000 | Resolution No. 2024/202 |
| Hollywood | $100 minimum up to $1,000; 2.20 percent tier from $1,001 to $1,000,000 | FY 2026 schedule |
Flat fees for common jobs
A few cities price routine work separately:
- Deerfield Beach: residential A/C change-out $75; residential water heater change-out $75.
- Pompano Beach: residential A/C change-out $65 up to a four-ton system, plus $20 for each additional ton.
- Pembroke Pines: residential roof permits are capped at a $500 maximum fee.
- Hollywood: an Express Permitting Service handles residential A/C replacement, water heater, reroof, and electrical service change permits.
County and state surcharges
Broward schedules typically add three items to the city fee: the Board of Rules and Appeals fee of $0.52 per $1,000 of construction cost, plus state surcharges of 1 percent and 1.5 percent of the permit fee, each with a $2 minimum, as printed on the Fort Lauderdale, Pembroke Pines, and Deerfield Beach schedules. Fort Lauderdale also adds a $5 Construction Lien Law fee, and Hollywood adds a 2 percent technology fee and a 1 percent educational fee.
What does the Broward Board of Rules and Appeals do?
The Broward County Board of Rules and Appeals (BORA) considers proposed amendments to the Florida Building and Fire Prevention codes, hears appeals of decisions made by building and fire code officials, and issues formal interpretations of disputed code sections.
For most homeowners, BORA shows up as the per-permit fee above, and as the appeal route if a building official rejects an approach you believe the code allows.
Our take: On a typical Broward job, the permit is a small line item next to the cost of the work, and the surcharges add only a few dollars. Pull the permit. Wrongly assuming a job is exempt is the costly mistake, especially on roofs, windows, and doors, where product approvals and inspections are what protect you in a hurricane.
Do Broward permits need Miami-Dade NOAs or Florida product approvals?
Usually one or the other. Broward roofing, window, door, and shutter permits ask for product approvals, and city checklists commonly accept either a Florida Product Approval or a Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance (NOA).
A Notice of Acceptance (NOA) is a Miami-Dade County product approval for building envelope products such as windows, exterior doors, roofing, skylights, and shutters. Broward cities spell out how they use it:
- Deerfield Beach's re-roof checklist says roof product approvals may be Florida Product Approvals or a Miami-Dade NOA.
- Miramar's roofing package asks for a Product Approval or Notice of Acceptance for the roof system.
- Coral Springs' roofers packet says roofing work must follow Dade County Notices of Acceptance, and its shed checklist accepts NOAs or State of Florida Product Approvals.
- Plantation says product approvals for windows, doors, garage doors, shutters, and roofs must be approved and stamped by the architect of record before submittal.
The High-Velocity Hurricane Zone
Broward roof permits use High-Velocity Hurricane Zone (HVHZ) forms. Deerfield Beach's re-roof checklist lists the HVHZ Uniform Roof Permit Application, and Pembroke Pines references an HVHZ roofing package. Deerfield Beach even prices single-family High Velocity installations of windows, doors, and roofs separately, at 1.5 percent of construction cost with a $125 minimum.
The state's Florida Product Approval search lets you filter for products approved for use in the HVHZ. Our guide to product approvals and NOAs explains how to read an approval before you buy.
Can I pull my own permit as an owner-builder in Broward?
Yes, if you meet Florida's owner-builder exemption in section 489.103, Florida Statutes, and your city's procedures. The exemption covers building or improving a one-family or two-family residence for your own use that is not offered for sale or lease, with you providing direct, on-site supervision of any work not done by licensed contractors.
Two state rules matter most:
- If you sell or lease the home within one year after completion, the law presumes the work was done for sale or lease.
- You must personally appear and sign the building permit application.
How Broward cities handle owner-builders
Broward cities make the in-person rule concrete. Fort Lauderdale's owner-builder affidavit says the owner must personally appear at the Development Services Department and sign in front of a permit technician. Coral Springs says the owner must personally appear at the Building Department to sign the application, and Davie says owner-builders filing in person must bring the application personally.
Most cities post an owner-builder affidavit or disclosure statement; Pembroke Pines calls its version the Property Owner Acting as Contractor Affidavit. Before you sign one, read our owner-builder permit guide on the responsibilities you take on.
When do I need a Notice of Commencement in Broward?
You need one when the direct contract is more than $5,000. Under section 713.135, Florida Statutes, the permit office requires a copy of the recorded Notice of Commencement before the first inspection, and repair or replacement of an existing heating or air-conditioning system under $15,000 is excluded.
A Notice of Commencement (NOC) is a document the owner records before work starts, and posts at the job site, so subcontractors and suppliers know who to notify about payment. Pembroke Pines' re-roof and fence checklists say the NOC must be recorded, submitted, and displayed before the first inspection for any non-mechanical project over $5,000. Fort Lauderdale and Miramar point residents to Broward County's ePermits Notice of Commencement page rather than posting a city form.
What does an impact window permit cost in three Broward cities?
The base fee for the same job varies by about $50 across these three cities. Here is a worked example: eight windows replaced with impact-rated units on a single-family home, under a $12,000 contract.
| City | Published rule | Base permit fee | BORA fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Lauderdale | $131 minimum or 1.75 percent of cost | $210.00 | $6.24 |
| Deerfield Beach | High Velocity windows: 1.5 percent of cost, $125 minimum | $180.00 | $6.24 |
| Pembroke Pines | $129.16 first opening, $14.37 each additional | $229.75 | $6.24 |
State surcharges of 1 percent and 1.5 percent of the permit fee (each with a $2 minimum) are added in each city, as is Fort Lauderdale's $5 Construction Lien Law fee. At $12,000, the job is also over the $5,000 Notice of Commencement threshold, and the permit will ask for product approvals for the windows.
Can a private provider speed up a Broward permit?
It can, and several cities discount their fees when you use one. Florida law lets a property owner, or the owner's contractor with written authorization, choose a private provider for plan review or building code inspections.
- Fort Lauderdale: a $105 base fee for a permit by affidavit, where a private provider completes the inspections, on projects of $25,000 and below.
- Miramar: fee reductions of 35 percent for private provider plan review and inspections, and 20 percent for inspections only.
- Davie: discounts of 40 percent for plan review and inspection, and 20 percent for either one alone.
- Deerfield Beach: reductions of 25 percent for plan review and inspection, and 15 percent for inspection only.
You still pay the private provider separately. Our private provider inspections guide covers when the trade-off makes sense.
What happens if I build without a permit in Broward?
Expect to pay more. Davie and Miramar both charge double the permit fee for work started without a permit, and you still need the permit and its inspections.
What if my permit is about to expire?
Act before the expiration date, because renewal costs more afterward. Fort Lauderdale charges 50 percent of the total permit fee to renew before expiration and 100 percent after. Pompano Beach charges $125 or the base permit fee, whichever is less, for an extension requested before expiration, and Davie lists a $75 permit extension. For the broader risks, see our guide on building without a permit in Florida.
What should I do before starting a project in Broward?
Confirm which office serves your parcel, then confirm the permit list, fees, and product approvals with that office before you sign a contract.
- Confirm your jurisdiction. City building department if you are inside city limits; the Broward County Building Code Division if you are in the BMSD or a contract city.
- Download current forms. Use the latest Broward County Uniform Building Permit Application and any city addendum or affidavit.
- Collect product approvals. Get the Florida Product Approval or Miami-Dade NOA numbers for roofing, windows, doors, and shutters.
- Budget for surcharges. Add the BORA fee and state surcharges to the city's base fee.
- Plan the Notice of Commencement. If the contract is over $5,000, record it before work starts and file a copy before the first inspection.
When you are ready, run your project through our free checker, then confirm every detail with your building department.