Broward County's permit system is decentralized by design: 31 municipalities, 31 building departments, 31 sets of submission requirements. If you're in Fort Lauderdale, you're using OpenGov. If you're in Davie, you need two sets of plans and a landscape-architect-signed tree survey. If you're in unincorporated Broward, you're submitting through the county's ePermits portal with final plans on 24″ × 36″ sheets at 1″ = 50′.
The two things that stay consistent across every jurisdiction: HVHZ compliance (Broward is a High-Velocity Hurricane Zone) and flood zone notation (much of the county is Zone AE). Both must appear on every permit plan regardless of project size or which building department you're talking to.
Do You Need a Site Plan for a Small Permit in Broward County?
Yes — most residential building permits in Broward County require a site plan. The good news is that most standard residential projects (sheds, fences, decks, pools, additions) are accepted with a non-certified, homeowner-drafted plan in the majority of Broward's cities.
The plan needs more fields than you'd expect in a typical inland county:
- Flood zone designation — Zone AE or other FEMA designation must appear on the plan
- Impervious surface calculation — required for most permits
- Broward County Property Appraiser Folio number — your parcel's unique identifier
- HVHZ material compliance notation — products must carry Miami-Dade NOA approval
Who Runs Into This in Broward County
- Fort Lauderdale homeowners working through the OpenGov system for decks, pools, and additions in a city with some of Broward's strictest formatting requirements (ULDR Section 47-24 compliance)
- Pembroke Pines and Coral Springs residents in newer suburban developments adding accessory structures and ADUs to larger lots
- Hollywood and Davie Contractors pulling permits for fence and pool projects where the tree survey requirement (Davie) or city-specific setbacks add steps
- Unincorporated Broward homeowners, for whom the 45-day site plan review timeline is the most common surprise
- Post-Ian renovation projects flowing from neighboring Lee County that connect contractors to Broward suppliers and subs — reminder that Broward's own HVHZ rules affect everything in the county
What Needs a Site Plan in Broward County
Project-type requirements apply county-wide; each city may add requirements:
- Fence permit site plan — Most Broward cities require permits for fences over 6 feet. Site plan shows fence location, height, materials, and property line setbacks.
- Shed permit site plan — Sheds typically require permits; size thresholds vary by city. Site plan shows footprint, setbacks, and distances to existing structures.
- Deck permit site plan — Permit required. Plan must show footprint, height above grade, setbacks, and impervious surface calculation.
- Pool permit site plan — Permit required. Plan must show pool location, equipment, barriers, setbacks, flood zone notation, and HVHZ compliance.
- ADU permit site plan — ADUs require a permit and site plan; confirm current ADU rules with your city.
- Garage permit site plan — Permit required; HVHZ material compliance required. Site plan shows footprint, driveway, and setbacks.
- Addition permit site plan — Site plan must show existing footprint, expanded footprint, updated impervious surface calculation, and flood zone status.
- Driveway permit site plan — May require permit. Site plan shows location, ROW, and curb cuts.
Why This Trips People Up in Broward County
The 31-city jurisdiction problem. Every Broward municipality runs its own building department. Submitting to the county for a Fort Lauderdale address — or the reverse — routes your application immediately to the wrong office. Confirm jurisdiction at bcpa.net using your Folio number before applying.
HVHZ compliance on materials. This isn't just a notation on the plan — it affects what materials and products you can actually use. Every product (roofing, windows, doors, garage doors, hurricane shutters) must carry a Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance (NOA). Contractors who've worked outside South Florida often learn this the hard way at inspection.
Flood zone elevation. A Zone AE designation doesn't always stop a project, but it does require flood zone notation on the plan and may require an elevation certificate. Projects renovating more than 50% of a structure's pre-damage market value trigger the substantial improvement rule and must bring the entire structure up to current flood code.
Davie's tree survey requirement. Davie requires a tree survey signed and sealed by a landscape architect — not just a notation on the site plan. If your project involves any significant grading or structure placement near existing trees, budget for this separately.
Unincorporated Broward's 45-day review window. Fort Lauderdale advertises a 5-business-day completeness review. Unincorporated Broward County's site plan review can take up to 45 days. These are not the same process.
City-by-City Notes in Broward County
| City | Key permit notes |
|---|---|
| Unincorporated Broward | County Building Division; ePermits system; final plans 24″×36″ at 1″=50′ or better; 45-day review for site plans |
| Fort Lauderdale | OpenGov Permitting; ULDR Section 47-24 compliance; 5-business-day completeness review; most detailed formatting requirements in Broward |
| Davie | Two sets of plans + two site plans required; tree survey signed/sealed by landscape architect; surveys must show all easements |
| Coral Springs | Site plans required for most residential construction; contact coralsprings.org for current requirements |
| Hollywood | Own permit system at hollywoodfl.org |
| Pembroke Pines | Own permit system at ppines.com |
| Miramar | miramarfl.gov — verify current site plan requirements |
| Deerfield Beach | deerfield-beach.com — verify current requirements |
> If your property is in an incorporated city, that city's building department handles your permit — not Broward County. Check your jurisdiction at bcpa.net.
Setbacks in Broward County
Unincorporated Broward — RS-3 Residential zone:
| Setback | Distance |
|---|---|
| Front | 25 ft |
| Rear | 25 ft |
| Side (interior) | 7.5 ft |
| Side (corner lot, facing street) | 15 ft |
| Pool — rear and side | 5 ft |
| Pool — front | 25 ft |
Fort Lauderdale — RS-8 zone pool setbacks: 5 ft rear/side, 20 ft front.
City setbacks vary significantly. Always verify your specific city and zoning district before designing.
How the Tool Handles This — 4 Steps
SitePlans AI loads Broward County parcel data so you're starting from real lot dimensions:
- Enter your address — Parcel boundaries and existing building footprint load from county records.
- Add flood zone notation — Mark Zone AE or other applicable FEMA flood designation on your plan.
- Place your project — Shed, deck, pool, garage, or addition placed on the real lot at correct setbacks.
- Export a clean PDF — Download a scaled, titled plan with Folio number, north arrow, and all required fields.
Where This Tool Fits — and Where It Doesn't
| Situation | Best path |
|---|---|
| Standard residential shed, fence, or deck | SitePlans.ai; most Broward cities accept non-certified plans |
| Pool in flood Zone AE | SitePlans.ai for layout; confirm flood zone elevation certification requirements with your city |
| Davie project with tree survey requirement | SitePlans.ai for site plan; hire licensed landscape architect for tree survey |
| Unincorporated Broward (45-day review) | SitePlans.ai for layout; ensure all required fields are present before submitting |
| HVHZ material compliance | Verify NOA on all products regardless of who draws the plan |
| Plan rejected | SitePlans.us for human-reviewed revision |
What This Doesn't Replace
Out site plan builder webtool helps create preliminary, conceptual, permit-style site plans for smaller residential projects where local rules allow homeowner- or contractor-prepared drawings. It is not a licensed land survey, sealed engineering drawing, PE/PLS/architect stamp, or a guarantee of permit approval. Broward County is an HVHZ jurisdiction — product selection and structural compliance must meet Florida Building Code HVHZ standards regardless of who prepares the site plan. Where a jurisdiction requires a licensed professional's certification, that requirement must still be followed.
Common Mistakes That Delay Broward County Permits
- Wrong jurisdiction — Identify whether you're in a city or unincorporated county before submitting.
- Missing flood zone notation — Zone AE designation must appear on all site plans in affected areas.
- No Folio number on plan — Required on all Broward County site plans; find yours at bcpa.net.
- No impervious surface calculation — Required for most permits regardless of project size.
- HVHZ material non-compliance — Products without NOA approval fail inspection; choose materials before breaking ground.
- Davie tree survey missing — Separate document from the site plan; signed and sealed by a landscape architect.
- Scale not shown — Plans must state scale explicitly (1″=20′ or as required by jurisdiction).
- No setbacks labeled — All structure-to-property-line distances must be dimensioned.
- Unincorporated Broward size requirement — Final plans must be 24″×36″; some applicants submit letter-size documents.
Support and Local Resources
- Broward County Building Division — broward.org/Building — unincorporated permits
- Broward County ePermits — dpepp.broward.org — online submissions
- Broward County Property Appraiser — bcpa.net — Folio numbers, parcel data, flood zone
- Fort Lauderdale Building — fortlauderdale.gov/departments/building — OpenGov system
- Davie Building Division — davie-fl.gov — two-set requirement, tree survey details
- Florida Building Code — floridabuilding.org — HVHZ requirements, NOA lookup
- FEMA Flood Maps — msc.fema.gov — flood zone verification
Nearby Counties
- Miami-Dade County site plan guide
- Palm Beach County site plan guide
- Lee County site plan guide
- Collier County site plan guide
- Florida permit site plan requirements
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Does Broward County accept homeowner-drawn site plans?
Most of Broward's 31 cities accept non-certified, homeowner-prepared site plans for standard residential projects (sheds, fences, decks, pools). Some cities may require additional documentation. Davie, for example, requires a tree survey signed by a licensed landscape architect. Always confirm with your specific city before submitting.
2. What is the HVHZ requirement in Broward County?
Broward County is in the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone (HVHZ) under the Florida Building Code. All structures must use HVHZ-compliant materials. Products must carry a Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance (NOA) — this applies even in Broward, not just Miami-Dade.
3. Does my Broward County site plan need a flood zone designation?
Yes. Significant portions of Broward County are in FEMA Zone AE. The flood zone designation must appear on your site plan. Projects in flood zones may also require a flood elevation certificate.
4. Which building department handles my Broward County permit?
If your property is in one of Broward's 31 incorporated municipalities, that city's building department handles your permit. The county's Building Division handles only unincorporated addresses. Check your property's Folio number at bcpa.net to confirm jurisdiction.
5. What is the substantial improvement rule and does it affect my renovation?
If a renovation's cost exceeds 50% of the structure's pre-damage market value, FEMA's substantial improvement rule requires bringing the entire structure up to current flood code — including floor elevation. This requires documentation on your site plan and typically requires a licensed professional.
6. What are the setbacks in unincorporated Broward County?
For RS-3 residential zones: front 25 ft, rear 25 ft, interior side 7.5 ft, corner-lot side facing street 15 ft. Pool setbacks: 5 ft rear and side, 25 ft front. City setbacks vary significantly — confirm with your city's planning department.
7. How long does permit review take in Broward County?
Fort Lauderdale: 5-business-day completeness review. Unincorporated Broward County: up to 45 days for site plan review. City timelines vary. A complete, correctly formatted package significantly reduces correction-request delays.
8. What is the Folio number and why does it need to be on my site plan?
Your Folio number is Broward County's unique parcel identifier, found at bcpa.net. It must appear on all permit plan submissions to help reviewers match your application to the correct parcel record.
9. What does Davie require that other Broward cities don't?
Davie requires: two sets of plans and surveys, two site plans showing all intended setbacks, and a tree survey signed and sealed by a licensed landscape architect. This is in addition to standard site plan requirements.
10. Can I use SitePlans.ai for a Broward County permit?
Yes — for layout, visualization, and producing a scaled site plan with required fields. Enter your address, pull parcel data, place your project, add flood zone notation and impervious calculation, and export. Most Broward cities accept homeowner-prepared plans for standard residential projects.
11. What is SitePlans.us and when should I use it?
SitePlans.us is the human-reviewed, done-for-you service — useful when a project has been rejected, is complex, or needs to move quickly. Plans are non-certified and not sealed by a licensed professional; they serve as permit-ready drafts for building department review.
12. Does SitePlans.ai guarantee permit approval in Broward County?
No. Permit approval depends on your city's plan review, HVHZ compliance, flood zone requirements, HOA rules, and the completeness of your submission.
13. What if my property lines look wrong in SitePlans.ai?
Verify at the Broward County Property Appraiser. GIS parcel data is an approximation — for flood zone-adjacent or boundary-dispute situations, a licensed land surveyor may be needed.
14. How does Broward County differ from Miami-Dade County for permits?
Miami-Dade has a unified countywide permit system. Broward has 31 independent municipal building departments plus the county for unincorporated areas. Both are HVHZ counties. Miami-Dade is significantly stricter on sealed plan requirements for certain project types; Broward's cities generally accept homeowner-drawn plans for standard residential work.
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Check Your Folio, Find Your City, Build Your Plan
Before you do anything else: look up your property at bcpa.net, confirm which building department handles your address, and check your flood zone designation. Then enter your address in the tool — Broward parcel data loads your lot boundaries, and you can place your project with correct setbacks, add the flood zone notation and impervious surface calculation, and export a complete plan.
Build My Broward County Site Plan →
Need a human to review the plan before you submit? SitePlans.us handles that.
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