Elevators for existing homes in Boca Raton

Who this is for

This is for families who love their home and want to stay in it, often a two-storey house where one person can no longer manage the stairs safely.

Do elevators for existing homes in Boca Raton need a permit?

In Boca Raton the permits for an elevator inside your home are local ones, filed through the city's Building Division and its Boca Ehub portal; homes in unincorporated areas use the Palm Beach County Building Division. The state elevator bureau does not regulate conveyances serving only one family residence.

Palm Beach County is not a contracted elevator jurisdiction, so for a lift that serves shared condo areas the state bureau issues the permit directly: $325 to install a regulated conveyance and $200 to alter one, and only registered elevator companies can apply.[6][7][8][9]

Older Boca Raton homes and elevators for existing homes

About 43 percent of Boca Raton homes were built before 1980, against 33 percent across Palm Beach County. Older homes may need a new circuit or some framing before a lift goes in, which the survey checks.

About 34 percent of Boca Raton homes are in buildings of 20 or more units, and attached townhouses and villas are a larger share of Palm Beach County housing (12 percent) than in Miami-Dade or Broward. In a two-level villa or condo unit, a lift is a private residence lift under Florida law once the association approves it.

About 24 percent of Boca Raton residents, and 25 percent across Palm Beach County, are 65 or older, well above the share in Miami-Dade or Broward. Many lifts here are planned for long daily use, so seat comfort, battery life and service matter as much as price.[2][3][10][11]

Help paying for an elevator retrofit in Palm Beach County

Palm Beach County is in Medicaid managed care Region G, and long-term care screening starts with the Area Agency on Aging of Palm Beach/Treasure Coast on (561) 684-5885 or toll free (866) 684-5885. Elevators are not named among covered home adaptations, so ask first. Eligible veterans can apply for the VA's Specially Adapted Housing grant, up to $126,526 in fiscal year 2026; the nearest VA medical center is the Thomas H. Corey VA Medical Center in West Palm Beach.[12][13][14][15][5]

What is different about a home lift in Palm Beach County?

Palm Beach County is outside the High Velocity Hurricane Zone, which covers only Miami-Dade and Broward, so the stricter High Velocity Hurricane Zone product rules that apply a few miles south do not apply here. Coastal and Intracoastal homes should still check their flood zone and plan any elevator with a float switch if its cab could descend below the base flood elevation.

In condo buildings, a lift that serves shared areas is not a private residence lift. In Palm Beach County the state elevator bureau issues those permits directly, at $325 to install a regulated conveyance, and only registered elevator companies can apply.[16][17][9][8][10]

Permits in Boca Raton

• City of Boca Raton Building Permits: Local building and electrical permits for work inside homes in the city.
• Florida DBPR Bureau of Elevator Safety: Regulates covered elevators directly in Palm Beach County, such as lifts in shared condo areas. Lifts serving only one family residence are not regulated by the bureau.

Where can an elevator go in an existing house?

• Stacked closets on each floor, the classic retrofit spot
• Beside or inside the stairwell, using open space above the stairs
• The corner of a large room, for a pneumatic or through-floor model
• An outside wall, with a tower added to the house

Condos and townhouses

Florida law defines a private residence as a separate dwelling or a separate apartment occupied by members of a single-family unit, so a lift inside one condo unit is treated as a private residence lift. The building's association rules, structure and insurance still apply, so get written approval before you order anything.[10]

Frequently asked questions