Home elevators in Fort Lauderdale

Waterfront homes: where should the machinery go?

FEMA recommends electrical controls and hydraulic pumps above the base flood elevation when possible, and warns that a hydraulic elevator with battery descent can lower itself to the lowest landing in a power cut. On a canal or coastal lot, ask for a float switch built into the controller so the car cannot descend into floodwater.[2]

Outdoor elevator towers in Broward

When an elevator is added during a renovation, FEMA notes it is often placed outside the main footprint. In Broward that means an enclosure built to High Velocity Hurricane Zone rules. Fixr gives $8,000 to $20,000 for simpler outdoor elevator lifts; a fully enclosed tower costs more.[2][3][1]

How do permits work in Broward?

Broward County is one of the five local jurisdictions that handle elevator regulation under contract with the state. Elevators inside a private home fall outside the state law, so the permits you will usually need are local building and electrical ones, which your installer applies for.[4][5]

How a home elevator is planned in Fort Lauderdale

Fort Lauderdale's homes are older than most in South Florida, with a median build year of 1973, so many elevator projects here are retrofits: finding stacked closets, a stairwell corner or an outside wall where a hoistway or a pneumatic tube can go without rebuilding the house.

Water sets the rest of the plan. On canal lots, and in neighbourhoods like Edgewood where the April 2023 rain left still water over 3 feet deep, the pit, pump and controls need to sit where floodwater cannot reach them, and an exterior tower must meet the High Velocity Hurricane Zone product rules that apply across Broward.[9][10][3]

Do home elevators in Fort Lauderdale need a permit?

An elevator serving only your Fort Lauderdale home is outside the state elevator law, so the permits are your city's building and electrical permits. Broward County's Elevator Section, which acts for the state in Broward, handles elevators in shared buildings, including lifts that serve condo common areas.

Broward is in the High Velocity Hurricane Zone, which matters for any part of the elevator exposed to the weather: exterior towers, hoistway doors that open outside and glazing all need product approvals that meet the stricter rules.[5][6][4][3]

Fort Lauderdale houses and home elevators

Only about 33 percent of Fort Lauderdale homes are detached houses, against 40 percent across Broward. Where a canal-side house has its garage at street level and bedrooms above, a compact elevator or a stair lift on the garage stair is usually the shortlist.

Fort Lauderdale has some of the oldest housing in South Florida: about 64 percent of homes were built before 1980 and the median home dates from 1973. Older block homes can need extra framing, wider doorways or electrical upgrades before a lift goes in.

About 19 percent of Broward residents are 65 or older. Fort Lauderdale's older housing means many homes have steps at the entrance as well as inside.[7][9][11]

Help paying for home elevators in Broward

Broward is its own Medicaid managed care region, Region H, and long-term care screening starts with the Area Agency on Aging of Broward County on (954) 745-9567. Elevators are not named among covered home adaptations, so ask before counting on it. Eligible veterans can apply for the VA's Specially Adapted Housing grant, up to $126,526 in fiscal year 2026; Broward veterans use the Miami VA health care system, with clinics in Sunrise, Hollywood and Deerfield Beach.[12][13][14][15][8]

What is different about a home lift in Broward?

Broward and Miami-Dade are the two Florida counties in the High Velocity Hurricane Zone. That matters most for outdoor elevators and porch lifts, whose enclosures, doors and glazing must meet the stricter product rules. Waterfront and canal-side homes should also check their flood zone, because FEMA expects a float switch or equal system on any elevator that could descend below the base flood elevation.

Heavy rain floods low streets here too: on April 12 and 13, 2023, the National Weather Service measured more than 20 inches of rain near Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport and found still water just over 3 feet deep in Edgewood. Any elevator pit, porch lift base or battery in a low spot needs a plan for that.[3][2][10]

Permits for home elevators in Fort Lauderdale

• Broward County Building Code Division, Elevator Section: Handles elevator permits and certificates of operation in Broward under contract with the state for conveyances the law covers.
• City of Fort Lauderdale and other Broward cities: Issue local building and electrical permits for work inside homes. Your installer confirms the route for your address.

Which type of home elevator should you choose?

Hydraulic and pneumatic elevators are the two types most often installed in homes. Hydraulic and cable or traction elevators need a shaft and room for machinery, so they suit new builds and larger retrofits. Pneumatic and shaftless models need less building work and fit more existing homes.

We help you weigh the options at the first visit, starting with the space and the person who will ride it most.[1]

Do home elevators in Florida need a state permit?

Usually not from the state. Florida's elevator law lists elevators, stairway chairlifts and wheelchair lifts in private residences as equipment it does not cover, and the state elevator bureau says conveyances serving only one family residence do not need a permit from it. Your city or county building department can still require building and electrical permits, and Miami-Dade charges $64.38 per residential elevator on its mechanical fee schedule.

One Florida rule does apply inside homes: the Max Grablin Act sets door gap limits for every new home elevator. Ask any installer to show you how their design meets it.[5][18][19]

What about hurricanes and flooding?

FEMA says a float switch, or a system that gives the same level of safety, is required under ASME A17.1 for any elevator whose cab could descend below the base flood elevation during a flood, and that controls and hydraulic pumps should sit above that level when possible. If your home is in a flood zone, plan this from the first drawing.[2]

Frequently asked questions