Building or Remodeling in Fort Lauderdale: LauderBuild, Seawalls, Flood Zones and Older Buildings

Fort Lauderdale has more miles of canals than most people realize, a downtown full of towers, beachfront condos, and neighborhoods of mid-century homes that are now prime renovation candidates. The mix of water, age and density gives the city its own set of rules on top of Broward County's.

This guide covers what is specific to building and remodeling in Fort Lauderdale, from the permit portal to the seawall.

Permits run through LauderBuild

Since January 1, 2024, all permit applications and related submissions in Fort Lauderdale go through LauderBuild, the city's online portal. What that means in practice:

• Contractors register first. Contractors register their license in LauderBuild and submit license, insurance and workers' compensation documents there, not by email or mail. A contractor who has not worked in the city before needs to do this before applying.
• Digital plan review. Plans are uploaded and reviewed digitally through the LauderBuild Plan Room, where comments and correction requests show up.
• Inspections online. Registered users schedule inspections in the portal, and anyone can look up a permit's status and inspection results.
• Look before you buy. Because records are searchable, LauderBuild is also a quick way to check a property's permit history.

Seawalls and tidal flooding

For canal and Intracoastal homes, the seawall is now part of the building conversation. In 2020 Broward County adopted resilience standards for tidal flood barriers, which cities were given time to adopt:

• Minimum height. New and substantially repaired or rehabilitated seawalls, banks and berms must be built to at least 5 feet NAVD88 under the county standard.
• Disrepair. A seawall is presumed to be in disrepair if it lets tidal water flow through or over it onto a neighbor's property or the street. Owners who are cited must show that repairs have started within 60 days and finish within 365 days.
• Disclosure. Sale contracts for property in a tidally influenced area must include a disclosure stating so.

Flood zones and the 50 percent rule

Much of Fort Lauderdale sits in FEMA flood zones, especially near the canals and the beach. For an older home below today's required flood elevation, a large renovation or addition can trigger the 50 percent rule and require bringing the whole house up to current flood standards. Get an elevation certificate early. Our post on the 50 percent rule explains how improvement costs are counted, and our second-story addition guide covers why building up runs into the same rule.

Older buildings and the 25-year inspection

Fort Lauderdale has a large stock of condo, apartment and commercial buildings from the 1960s through the 1990s. Under Broward's Building Safety Inspection Program, most buildings other than small homes and townhouses need a structural and electrical safety inspection at 25 years and every 10 years after, with 180 days to submit the report and generally 180 days to complete repairs. In Fort Lauderdale those reports go through LauderBuild. Our guide to the 25-year inspection covers the details.

On the beach

• Coastal permits. Significant work on the ocean side of Florida's Coastal Construction Control Line needs a state permit in addition to the city permit. See our post on building near the beach.
• Sea turtle lighting. The city regulates lighting visible from the beach on new and existing buildings, and lists sea turtle nesting season as March 1 to October 31. That affects light fixtures and even the glass you choose for beachfront windows.

Hurricane rules

Fort Lauderdale is in the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, like all of Broward, so windows, doors and roofing need approvals for HVHZ use, typically a Miami-Dade NOA. Our guide on looking up an NOA shows how to check the products on your quote.

The bottom line

In Fort Lauderdale, plan around four things: LauderBuild for every permit, the seawall and tidal flooding rules on the water, flood elevations for older homes, and the 25-year inspection for older buildings. We handle home renovations, impact windows and doors, commercial build-outs and concrete restoration across Fort Lauderdale and the rest of Broward. Tell us about your project.