What to know before getting electrical quotes in Broward County
Describe the job once with photos; every contractor who bids prices the same written scope, so you compare like with like instead of phoning five companies.
Why get more than one electrical quote?
Typically, electrical quotes for the same job differ because each company prices a different job: one swaps the panel, another upgrades the whole service and the meter. Three quotes on one written scope show you which difference is the price and which is the plan, which three separate phone calls rarely do.
How does bidding from photos and a scope card work?
Contractors who take part price your photos and written scope card, so nobody visits before you see any prices. Homeowners pay InstaBids nothing. Contact details stay hidden until the homeowner picks a contractor and they confirm the connection. The contractor you pick may visit once before settling the final price against the percentage the bid stated.
What photos should I take for an electrical job?
Take the panel with its door open so the breaker labels show, the label inside the panel door, the meter outside, and the spot where you want new power, such as a garage wall for an EV charger. Labels matter most, because they tell a contractor the panel's size and age.
I smell burning or see sparks. Should I post a job?
No, not for anything that sparks, smells of burning or keeps tripping a breaker: call an electrician or your power company directly, because bids take time to come in. A bid card suits planned work, such as a panel upgrade, a new circuit or an EV charger.
Does a panel upgrade or new circuit need a Broward permit?
Yes, the Broward County Board of Rules and Appeals amendments, which every Broward building office enforces, require a permit to install, alter or repair electrical wiring or equipment, and they say extending an existing wiring system is never just maintenance. Most towns below also publish their own panel or service-change permit.
| Town | Permit office | Published panel or service-change rule |
|---|---|---|
| Broward County (unincorporated) | Broward County Building Code Division, 954-765-4400 | The county lists an electrical service change as its own permit type, and county rules treat adding circuits as new work, not maintenance. |
| Coconut Creek | Building Division, 954-973-6750 | The city requires a building permit for electrical alterations and replacements, and its fee code lists an electrical service change as its own permit. |
| Cooper City | Building Division, 954-434-4300 option 4 | The city has its own permit application for an electrical service or panel change. |
| Coral Springs | Building Department, 954-344-1025 | The city says an electrical service change-out or repair always needs a building permit, and it has permit categories for residential service changes and EV chargers. |
| Dania Beach | Building Division, 954-924-6805 | The city requires a permit for electrical work, and its small-job exemption for single-family homes never covers it; its pages don't name panels or circuits separately. |
| Davie | Building Division, 954-797-1111 | The town has its own permit checklists for electrical service changes and EV chargers, both requiring an electrical permit with plans. |
| Deerfield Beach | Building Services, 954-250-4060 | The city publishes service-change procedures that start with an electrical permit and an FPL-scheduled disconnect. |
| Fort Lauderdale | Development Services, 954-828-8000 | The city treats a home service change as its own electrical permit, one it can issue same-day at the Development Services walk-thru counter, and says electrical work always needs a permit. |
| Hallandale Beach | Building Division, 954-457-2220 option 2 | The city has its own electric service/panel change form, and its permit FAQ says altering or replacing any electrical system needs a permit, naming even switches and GFCI outlets. |
| Hillsboro Beach | Town Building Department, 954-427-4011 press 1 | The town has its own electric panel and service change permit form, and its small-job exemption never covers electrical work. |
| Hollywood | Building Division, 954-921-3335 option 1 | The city says any change of electrical service requires an electrical permit, eligible for its same-day express review. |
| Lauderdale Lakes | Building Division, 954-535-2480 | The city takes permit applications for electrical repairs straight at its Building Division; its pages don't name panels or circuits separately. |
| Lauderdale-By-The-Sea | Building Division, 954-640-4215 | The town issues electrical permits for work covered by the Florida Building Code, and its small-job exemption for houses never covers electrical work. |
| Lauderhill | Building Division, 954-730-3060 | The city's Building Division issues electrical permits; its pages don't name panels or circuits separately. |
| Lighthouse Point | Building Department, 954-943-6509 | The city requires a permit for any work on an existing electrical service or panel, including upgrades, and for extending wiring to new outlets, circuits or fixture locations. |
| Margate | Building Department, 954-970-3004 | The city lists installing electrical systems, devices and fixtures as permit work, and it has permit categories for residential service and panel changes. |
| Miramar | Building Division, 954-602-3200 | The city has a dedicated permit package for electrical service changes that asks for a riser diagram showing the panels. |
| North Lauderdale | Permitting Division, 954-724-7069 | The city has its own electrical service form for panel work, and Broward County's rules require the electrical permit. |
| Oakland Park | Building & Permitting, 954-630-4350 | The city says an electrical service change-out always needs a permit, and its small-job exemption for houses excludes all electrical work. |
| Parkland | Building Division, 954-753-5447 | The city requires an electrical permit for a service change, for adding or extending any circuit and for home EV charging systems. |
| Pembroke Park | Town Building Department, 954-966-4600 | The town lists an electrical service change, and even replacing fixtures or outlets, as a basic stand-alone permit with one inspection. |
| Pembroke Pines | Building Department, 954-435-6502 | The city has its own permit checklists for electrical service and panel changes and for EV chargers. |
| Plantation | Department of Building Safety, 954-797-2765 | The city says electrical permits are required for all electrical work, including new service equipment and service increases. |
| Pompano Beach | Building Inspections Division, 954-786-4669 | The city says replacing an electrical panel needs an electrical permit, and installing or replacing an EV charging station needs a building permit with electrical plans. |
| Sea Ranch Lakes | Village office, 954-943-8862 | The village's building fee schedule charges electrical permits for service changes, panels, new outlets and switches, and light fixtures. |
| Southwest Ranches | Town building department, 954-434-0008 option 1 | Under Broward County's rules, a panel or service change and any new circuit or outlet, including an EV charger circuit, needs an electrical permit; the town doesn't list electrical jobs separately. |
| Sunrise | Building Division, 954-572-2354 | The city has specific residential electrical permits for replacing a panel or upgrading the service, for adding or replacing outlets, switches and EV chargers, and for replacing light fixtures. |
| Tamarac | Building Department, 954-597-3420 | The city has a residential electrical service-change permit, with a riser diagram, for panel and service upgrades. |
| West Park | Building Department, 954-989-2688 option 9 | The city requires an electrical permit to upgrade a service or replace a panel, with electrical plans, load calculations and a riser diagram. |
| Weston | Building Code Services, 954-385-0500 | A service upgrade or panel change-out is a Quick Permit with a 3-5 business day review, and the city says electrical work always needs a permit, even under the small-job exemption. |
| Wilton Manors | Community Development Services, 954-390-2180 | The city requires an electrical permit to change a service or panel, with a service riser and load calculations on its service-change checklist. |
Can I swap a light fixture without a permit in Broward?
Rarely, as a published rule: Parkland's FAQ says a direct fan-for-fan or fixture-for-fixture replacement is the only work that clearly doesn't need a permit, while Pembroke Park and Sunrise list fixture or outlet replacement as permit work. Elsewhere only the county's small-repair exemption applies, at the building official's call, so check with your city first.
Does the power company get involved in a panel upgrade?
Yes, in some towns the city's own procedure says so: Deerfield Beach and Hillsboro Beach tell you to schedule the service disconnect with FPL before the day of the change, and Hallandale Beach's panel-change form has a box for when an FPL disconnect is required. Ask each bidder who books that date.
How do I check an electrical contractor's license in Broward?
Search Broward County's contractor license search at dpepp.broward.org by name, CC number or firm name, with no account needed; Division II of the county's Central Examining Board certifies electrical trades under Chapter 9. A contractor holding a Florida state certification appears on the DBPR search instead, since the county code exempts them.
Is Broward County in the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone?
Yes, section 202 of the Florida Building Code names Broward and Miami-Dade as the whole High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, the rules South Florida adopted after Hurricane Andrew. We found no Broward electrical rule tied to the zone (checked 30 September 2026), so for a panel or charger job the permit and inspection steps above are what to price.
What makes one electrical quote higher than another?
Typically, the plan differs more than the price: a panel swap versus a full service upgrade, a longer wire run, walls opened and patched, grounding brought up to code, or the permit. Ask each bidder to say which of those their estimate includes, so the lowest number is not simply the smallest job.
Who sees my details?
Nobody before the connection is confirmed: bidders see your scope card, your photos and your 5-digit ZIP code. Contact details stay hidden until the homeowner picks a contractor and they confirm the connection, and then you can talk directly.
Sources for the facts on this page
All sources below were checked on 29 or 30 September 2026.
- Electrical permit rule and small-repair exemption: Broward County Board of Rules and Appeals, Florida Building Code Broward amendments, sections 105.3.1.4 item 5 and 105.2, library.municode.com.
- Town rows, fixture rules and FPL steps: each Broward town's own building pages, forms and fee schedules, quoted in InstaBids' per-town permit notes.
- County card and search: Broward County Code of Ordinances, Chapter 9, sections 9-26(a) and 9-61(b), and the Building Code Division contractor search at dpepp.broward.org.
- Wind zone: Florida Building Commission copies of the Florida Building Code section 202 definition naming Broward, floridabuilding.org.
Get electrical quotes in Broward County
Describe the job once, add photos, and every contractor who bids prices the same written scope. Contact details stay hidden until the homeowner picks a contractor and they confirm the connection.
InstaBids is in an early pilot in Broward and Palm Beach counties. We are still building our contractor network, so a job may not get bids yet. Your request page shows whether any bids have come in.
Last checked: 30 September 2026