Outdoor elevators in Tampa

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 Tampa need a permit?

Inside the City of Tampa, the Construction Services Division provides all building permit and inspection services, so that is where an elevator for your home is permitted; in St. Petersburg, Clearwater and unincorporated Pinellas, the local building department or Pinellas County Building and Development handles it. The state elevator bureau does not regulate elevators serving one family residence.

Neither Hillsborough nor Pinellas is a contracted elevator jurisdiction, so an elevator serving shared condo areas is permitted and inspected by the state bureau directly, at $325 to install a regulated conveyance.[6][7][8][4]

Tampa houses and outdoor elevators

About 56 percent of Hillsborough County homes are detached houses, the highest share of the areas we serve, and many are single-storey. In those homes the need is often a few entry steps, which is porch lift or short stair lift territory, while two-storey homes in newer suburbs suit an elevator or stair lift.

About 59 percent of Pinellas County homes were built before 1980, and the median home dates from 1976; in the City of Tampa the figure is 42 percent. Bungalows in Seminole Heights and Hyde Park and 1960s block ranches in Pinellas often have raised floors with front steps, narrow doorways and older wiring.

About 27 percent of Pinellas County residents are 65 or older, against 16 percent in Hillsborough. Pinellas has an older population than Hillsborough, and older housing to match.[9][10][11]

Help paying for an outdoor elevator in Hillsborough

For Medicaid long-term care, Hillsborough is in Region D and Pinellas in Region C. Screening starts with Senior Connection Center on (813) 740-3888 (toll free (800) 336-2226) in Hillsborough, or the Area Agency on Aging of Pasco-Pinellas on (727) 570-9696. Elevators are not named among covered adaptations. Eligible veterans can apply for the VA's Specially Adapted Housing grant, up to $126,526 in fiscal year 2026; James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital on Bruce B. Downs Boulevard is the local VA hospital.[12][13][14][15][16][5]

What is different about a home lift in Tampa Bay?

Tampa Bay is outside the High Velocity Hurricane Zone, which covers only Miami-Dade and Broward, so outdoor lifts follow the standard Florida wind rules. Storm surge is the bigger planning point: Hurricane Helene brought 5 to 7 feet of inundation within Tampa Bay in September 2024, and the St. Petersburg tide gauge set a record of 6.31 feet above high tide. FEMA expects a float switch on any elevator that could descend below the base flood elevation.[2][3][17]

Permits in Tampa

• City of Tampa Construction Services Division: Provides all building permit and inspection services for property development in the City of Tampa, including the building and electrical permits for a home lift.
• Pinellas County Building and Development: Building permits in unincorporated Pinellas County; St. Petersburg, Clearwater and other cities run their own building departments.
• Florida DBPR Bureau of Elevator Safety: Regulates covered elevators directly in Hillsborough and Pinellas, such as lifts in shared condo areas ($325 to install a regulated conveyance). Lifts serving only one family residence are not regulated by the bureau.

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.[17]

Frequently asked questions