Fort Lauderdale, FL Building Safety: Plumbing Permits (2026)

Sec. 28-54 sits within the city's sanitary sewer connection rules and splits sewer permitting by trade: a licensed plumber must obtain a plumbing permit before connecting the building sewer to the sanitary sewer lateral on private property, while a licensed underground utility and excavation contractor, engineering contractor, or approved general contractor must instead obtain an engineering permit before installing sewer manholes, gravity mains, lift stations, force mains or laterals that connect to gravity mains. Both permit types require the applicant to provide a current certificate of competency and an insurance certificate to the development services department before work begins.

This division-of-labor rule reinforces Sec. 28-53, which likewise restricts sewer connection work on private property to a duly licensed and certified plumber, restricts main and lateral installation to a licensed underground utility, excavation, or engineering contractor, and requires asphalt pavement restoration to be handled by a licensed engineering or paving contractor. Before any permit issues, Sec. 28-52 requires scaled drawings, details and specifications signed and sealed by a Florida registered professional engineer for review by development services department and public works engineering division staff, and no sewer work of any kind may begin until plans are approved and the permit is issued.

Once work is complete, Sec. 28-55 requires the applicant to notify development services when the building sewer is ready for inspection, and the connection to the sanitary sewer system must be made under the supervision of the plumbing inspector and must be gastight, watertight and rootproof.