Outdoor elevators in Fort Lauderdale

Who this is for

Outdoor elevators suit raised coastal homes, homes with a long run of front steps, and remodels where there is no room inside. FEMA notes that when an elevator is part of a renovation it is often placed outside the main structure.

Do outdoor 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.[7][5][4][2]

Fort Lauderdale houses and outdoor 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.[8][9][10]

Help paying for an outdoor elevator 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.[11][12][13][14][6]

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.[2][15][3]

Permits 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.

What does the High Velocity Hurricane Zone mean for an outdoor elevator?

Miami-Dade County explains that every Florida county except Miami-Dade and Broward is a non-HVHZ area under the Florida Building Code, so Miami-Dade and Broward homes fall in the High Velocity Hurricane Zone. An enclosure, doors and windows on an outdoor tower there must meet those stricter product rules. Ask your installer which approvals the enclosure carries.[2]

How do you protect an outdoor elevator from flooding?

FEMA says platform lifts installed outdoors make it harder to keep equipment above the base flood elevation, which leaves them open to flood damage. It recommends controls and pumps above that level where possible, and a float switch so the cab cannot descend into floodwater.[15]

Frequently asked questions