Usually your city. Broward County has 31 cities, and most of them run their own building departments. The county's Building Code Division issues permits only for unincorporated Broward and for cities that contract with it for building services.
Applying to the wrong office is one of the most common ways to lose a week before a project even starts. Here's how to get it right the first time.
Quick answer
- Your property is inside a city: apply to that city's building department, unless the city contracts with the county.
- Your property is in unincorporated Broward: apply to Broward County's Building Code Division.
- Your mailing address can be misleading. A "Fort Lauderdale" mailing address doesn't mean the property is inside Fort Lauderdale city limits.
- The rulebook is shared: every Broward jurisdiction follows the Florida Building Code with Broward's countywide amendments and policies.
- Palm Beach County works the same way: cities issue their own permits, and the county handles unincorporated areas.
Why is your mailing address not enough?
Mailing addresses follow postal boundaries, not city boundaries. A house with a "Fort Lauderdale, FL" address can actually be in Oakland Park, Wilton Manors, Lauderdale Lakes or unincorporated Broward. The post office doesn't care which city you're in. The building department does.
Some areas have also been annexed into cities over the years, so older records may sit with one office while new permits come from another. Broward County notes it may no longer have records for properties in areas that were annexed into a city.
How do you find the right building department?
- Step 1. Look up the property on the Broward County Property Appraiser website by address or folio number.
- Step 2. Check the municipality listed for the parcel. That's the jurisdiction, not the mailing city.
- Step 3. If it's a city, check whether that city runs its own building department or uses the county or an outside firm.
- Step 4. Use that jurisdiction's application portal and forms. In Fort Lauderdale, that's LauderBuild, the city's online permit portal.
If the parcel is listed as unincorporated, the permit goes to Broward County.
Does the city change the rules?
The building code is the same: the Florida Building Code plus Broward's countywide amendments. Broward's Board of Rules and Appeals (BORA) sets countywide policies, which is why things like the AC replacement and water heater data forms are the same in every Broward city.
What does change from city to city:
- Application portals and submittal formats
- Fee schedules
- Zoning rules: setbacks, lot coverage, what can go where
- Extra local requirements (landscaping, engineering, fire)
- Review speed and how the city handles comments
- How they've set up new processes like the 2026 small-project exemption
That's why the same project can take a different amount of time, and cost a different amount, in two neighboring cities.
What about Palm Beach County?
Similar setup. Palm Beach County has 39 cities. Most handle their own permits, and the county's Building Division handles unincorporated areas. Look up the parcel on the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser site to confirm the jurisdiction.
Why this matters for your timeline
Every jurisdiction has its own portal, forms and habits. A package built for Fort Lauderdale won't automatically work for Pompano Beach or Hollywood. Most of what we do as permit expediters is knowing these differences before they cost you a resubmittal.
Frequently asked questions
Can I pull a permit from the county for property inside a city?
Only if that city contracts with the county for building services. Otherwise, the city is the only place that can issue it.
Who handles zoning, the city or the county?
The same jurisdiction that controls land use for your parcel. For city properties, that's the city.
Is Broward County's permit application used everywhere?
Most Broward jurisdictions use the Broward County Uniform Building Permit Application, plus their own checklists and forms.
Not sure which city your project is in?
Send us the address. We'll confirm the jurisdiction and handle the permit from start to finish, anywhere in Broward and Palm Beach County. Call us or request a callback.