Home elevator repair and service in Miami

Who this is for

This page is for anyone with a home elevator that has stopped, makes new noises, or has not been serviced in a while, including families who bought a house that came with one.

• Elevator stuck or not answering calls
• Doors that stick, bounce or do not lock
• Battery or power-loss warnings
• A home bought with an elevator of unknown history

Who regulates home elevator repair and service in Miami?

Repairs on an elevator that serves only your home fall outside the state elevator bureau, but Miami-Dade, the City of Miami and Miami Beach act for the state on elevators in shared buildings. If your elevator serves a condo common area, the local elevator office, not the state, holds its records.

Many Miami homes still have elevators fitted before Florida's 2017 door gap rules. A service visit is a sensible time to measure the gap between the hall door and the car gate against the 3/4 inch and 2 1/4 inch limits in s. 399.031, which apply to new home elevators.[6][4]

Older Miami homes and home elevator repair and service

About 47 percent of Miami-Dade homes were built before 1980, and the median home dates from 1982. Older block homes often have narrow stairs and no obvious shaft space, so the survey checks wall structure, stair width and the electrical panel before a model is chosen.

The median owner-occupied home in Miami-Dade is valued at about $547,200. IRS Publication 502 says lifts added for medical reasons usually do not raise a home's value, but elevators generally do, which affects how much of the cost may count as a medical expense.

About 17 percent of Miami-Dade residents are 65 or older, roughly 1 in 6 people. Planning a lift before it is urgent gives time to compare models and arrange permits.[2][7][8][9]

Help paying for home elevator service in Miami-Dade

IRS Publication 502 says the cost of operating and keeping up a lift added for medical care can count as a medical expense, above 7.5 percent of adjusted gross income. If cost is the barrier, the Alliance for Aging (305) 670-6500 is the Miami-Dade starting point for help at home.[8][5]

What is different about a home lift in Miami-Dade?

Miami-Dade is one of only two Florida counties in the High Velocity Hurricane Zone, so outdoor lift towers, enclosures and doors must meet the stricter product approvals used there. Homes near the bay, the beaches and canals should check their flood zone, because FEMA expects any elevator that could descend below the base flood elevation to have a float switch or an equal system.

In a condo, Florida law treats a single family's own apartment as a private residence, so a lift inside your unit is a private residence lift. Anything that serves the building's shared areas is not, and follows the state and county elevator rules for public conveyances.[10][3][6]

Permits in Miami

• Miami-Dade County Building (Permitting and Inspection): Building, electrical and mechanical permits in unincorporated Miami-Dade; its fee schedule lists Category 52, residential elevator (private or individual), at $64.38 per elevator.
• Miami-Dade Office of Elevator Safety: A state-contracted elevator jurisdiction. Its permit-to-install form lists inclined stairway chairlifts and inclined and vertical wheelchair lifts as device classes.
• City of Miami Beach Elevator Safety Division: Holds jurisdiction over elevators, wheelchair lifts and related equipment in Miami Beach; permits go to registered elevator companies, not owners.
• City of Miami: Also a state-contracted elevator jurisdiction for the conveyances the state law covers.

What should a service visit check?

• Door locks and the gap between the hall door and the cab door or gate
• Safety edges, emergency stop, alarm and phone
• Battery backup and lowering in a power cut
• Rails, cables, belts or hydraulic fluid, depending on the type
• Float switch, if the elevator serves a level that can flood

Is your older elevator safe for children?

Florida's Max Grablin Act limits the gap between the hoistway door and the landing sill to 3/4 inch for swinging doors and 2 1/4 inches for sliding doors, and requires the space between the hall door and the car door or gate to reject a 4 inch sphere. The rules apply to new elevators in a private residence. Older home elevators may not meet them, and a space guard can often be added.[6]

Frequently asked questions