Miami-Dade County, FL Building Safety: Electrical Permits (2026)

The Building Code chapter of the Code of Miami-Dade County states in Section 8-1 that it "is the building code for both the incorporated and unincorporated areas of the County," so the electrical permit rule in Section 8-10 reaches every one of the county's 34 municipalities as well as the Unincorporated Municipal Service Area, unless a city has adopted its own separate administrative amendments. Section 8-10(a) starts from the Florida Building Code's Section 104 permit baseline and layers on county-specific requirements: subsection (v) requires a permit for low-voltage work such as fiber optics, telephone, television, fire alarms, burglar alarms, computer systems, and central vacuum systems rated 77 volts or less, and subsection (vi) separately requires an electrical permit for all appurtenances, apparatus, or equipment connected inside or attached to a building, structure, lot, or premises.

Once plans are submitted, a plans examiner reviews them and marks them "REVIEWED FOR CODE COMPLIANCE" before the Building Official issues a weatherproof permit card that must stay posted in a conspicuous place on the front of the property for the duration of the work, under Section 8-10(b) and (c). Section 8-12 sets the fee structure: the appointing authority (the county or the local municipal building department) sets the permit fee, and anyone who starts electrical work before pulling the permit owes double the fee under Section 8-12(c).

Homeowners doing their own wiring in a single-family or duplex residence they occupy can self-permit under Section 10-5(a)(2), but must first satisfy the Building Official that they understand the Florida Building Code well enough to do the trade, and cannot pay or employ anyone to help.