What Broward County pool equipment quotes should include
Your one written scope with photos goes to every bidder, and Broward's county rules decide which permits a heater swap needs.
Why compare several pool bids?
One pool company may quote a pump repair while another quotes a new variable-speed pump, so two numbers can describe different jobs. With every bidder pricing one written scope, you can see whether a gap comes from cost or from the plan, and ask about it.
How do written bids from photos work?
Describe the job with photos and a short written scope, and contractors who take part price that scope without a site visit; getting bids is free. 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 should my pool photos and notes include?
Photograph the whole equipment pad, then the nameplates on the pump, filter and any heater, plus the problem itself: a crack, rough or stained plaster, green or cloudy water. Record a few seconds of a noisy pump. In the notes, give the pool's approximate size, any spa, what you tried and whether you want repair or replacement pricing.
My pool keeps dropping. Can a leak be priced from photos?
Rarely with certainty: photos and the written scope can support an estimate for the likely fix, but locating a leak usually takes a visit with test equipment. The contractor you pick may visit once before settling the final price against the percentage the bid stated.
Which permits does a pool heater swap need in Broward?
Yes, under the Board of Rules and Appeals amendments a pool heater needs plumbing and electrical permits rather than a mechanical one, and a gas heater also gets a gas inspection. No Broward rule names a pump swap by itself. Seven towns publish their own pool line, shown below with each permit office.
| Town | Permit office | Published pool rule |
|---|---|---|
| Coral Springs | Building Department, 954-344-1025 | The city's fee schedule lists permits for gas and solar pool heaters, and it publishes a separate pool-equipment permit checklist. |
| Dania Beach | Building Division, 954-924-6805 | The city says repairing or replacing equipment on a structure such as a pool needs a permit, and electrical and plumbing work is never exempt; its pages don't name pool pumps or heaters. |
| Hollywood | Building Division, 954-921-3335 option 1 | The city says repairing or replacing equipment can need a permit, and electrical, plumbing and mechanical work is never exempt; its pages don't name pool pumps or heaters. |
| Margate | Building Department, 954-970-3004 | The city's fee schedule lists a residential permit for a new or replacement pool heater; it doesn't name pool pumps. |
| Sea Ranch Lakes | Village office, 954-943-8862 | The village's building fee schedule lists permits for a pool heater and, under electrical work, for pool pumps. |
| Tamarac | Building Department, 954-597-3420 | The city's fee schedule lists a permit for a solar pool heater; it doesn't name pool pumps or other pool heaters. |
| Weston | Building Code Services, 954-385-0500 | A pool heater replacement is a Quick Permit, filed with plumbing and electrical applications and the heater's specifications; the city doesn't name pool pumps. |
Do the other Broward towns publish a pool-equipment rule?
No, not beyond the seven towns above (checked 29 September 2026), but every Broward building office enforces the county amendments, and the Broward County Uniform Building Permit Application that Deerfield Beach posts says a separate permit must be secured for pools, heaters, electrical and plumbing work. Ask each bidder whether the estimate covers it.
How do I check a pool 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; the county's Central Examining Board certifies pool and spa contractors under its Division I trades. 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, and Broward shares that status only with Miami-Dade, under section 202 of the state code. We found no official rule tying pool pump or heater anchoring to the zone, so ask your bidders whether their price assumes any wind-related detail for equipment on the pad.
Why is one pool bid higher than another?
Usually because the scope differs: fixing a part or replacing it, a single-speed or variable-speed pump, the heater brand and fuel, a patch or a full resurface, and any new plumbing. Ask every bidder to list which of these they priced, so a low bid is not just a smaller job.
Who can see my contact details?
Nobody before the connection is confirmed. Contact details stay hidden until the homeowner picks a contractor and they confirm the connection. Until then, bidders work only from the scope card, the photos and a 5-digit ZIP code. The contact-detail filter can miss disguised contact details.
Sources for the facts on this page
All sources below were checked on 29 September 2026.
- Pool heater and inspection rules: Broward County Board of Rules and Appeals, Florida Building Code Broward amendments, sections 105.2 (F.10) and 110.3, library.municode.com.
- Separate-permit line: the Broward County Uniform Building Permit Application as posted by Deerfield Beach, deerfield-beach.com.
- Seven town rows: those towns' fee schedules and permit pages, quoted in InstaBids' per-town permit notes.
- County card and search: Broward County Code of Ordinances, Chapter 9, sections 9-4(a) and 9-26(a), and the Building Code Division contractor search at dpepp.broward.org.
- Wind zone: Florida Building Commission copies of the section 202 definition naming Broward, floridabuilding.org.
Get pool quotes in Broward County
Describe the pool job once, with photos of the equipment pad and the heater label, and say whether the heater is gas, electric or solar: Broward's rules put a heater swap under plumbing and electrical permits, and a gas heater adds a gas inspection. Bidders can then price the permits into the same written scope.
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: 29 September 2026