Fort Lauderdale is not the place to wing a demolition permit. The city's checklist is long, it's enforced, and a single missing letter stops the review. The good news is that nothing on it is mysterious once you know who issues each piece and how long it takes to get. Most delays we see come from starting the utility letters and the tree work too late, not from the city's review itself.
Who's involved
Everyone who touches a Fort Lauderdale demolition permit
The city's Building Division, through LauderBuild
Applications and plans go in online through LauderBuild, the city's permit portal, with the Broward County uniform permit application. Plan review, comments and resubmittals happen digitally, and contractors have to be registered with the city to apply.
Broward County, for asbestos
Every demolition needs Broward County's Statement of Responsibilities Regarding Asbestos. It's filed through the county's ePermits system at least 10 working days before work starts.
The utilities
FPL for electric, TECO Gas for gas, and the City of Fort Lauderdale's own water department for the water meter. A licensed plumber caps the sewer, or the septic tank is abandoned under its own permit.
Engineering and landscape reviewers
Engineering reviews the right-of-way, the hold harmless agreement and dewatering. Landscape review covers every tree and palm on the lot, whether it stays or goes.
The Historic Preservation Board, when it applies
Demolishing a designated landmark or a building in a historic district needs a Certificate of Appropriateness first. The board meets monthly.
The order that works
How to get a Fort Lauderdale demolition permit, step by step
Check historic status and the flood zone first
If the property is a landmark or in a historic district, the Certificate of Appropriateness comes before anything else. If you plan to rebuild, look at the flood zone now too, because it shapes what the new house will need.
Order the survey and the tree survey
The city wants a current signed and sealed survey showing each structure and its square footage, with every tree and palm marked. These take time to schedule, so order them on day one.
File the county asbestos statement
Start the Broward SRRA early. It's due at least 10 working days before work, and commercial buildings need an asbestos survey and the state notice with it.
Request the utility letters
Ask FPL for the disconnect letter and TECO Gas for the gas letter, and send the city's water meter removal form to the water department. The water form has to come back stamped before the permit can be issued.
Cap the sewer or abandon the septic tank
This one needs its own permit and a passed inspection before the demolition permit is issued, so schedule the plumber as soon as the water is off.
Get the pest control report and sign the forms
A pest control company inspects for rodents. The owner signs the debris mitigation form, the landscaping letter and the hold harmless agreement, and the contractor signs the dewatering affidavit and the dust control letter.
Submit in LauderBuild and answer every comment
Upload the uniform application and the full checklist. Answer every reviewer comment completely in one resubmittal, because each extra round costs time.
Before the first inspection
Record and post the Notice of Commencement if the job is over $5,000, and install the tree protection barricades. If trees are staying, the barricades have to pass inspection before landscape approval.
The city's list
What's on Fort Lauderdale's demolition checklist
This is the city's current demolition checklist, revision 16, dated July 28, 2026, grouped the way the city groups it. Every item has to be provided or marked not applicable.
Building
- Broward County Statement of Responsibilities Regarding Asbestos
- A current signed and sealed survey showing each structure to be demolished and its square footage, plus a sealed survey at completion for a partial demolition
- A pest control report showing the property is free of rodents
- A daily work schedule listing the equipment, for buildings over one story
- A notarized letter from the demolition contractor naming the water source for dust control
- The Construction Debris Mitigation form, signed and dated by the owner
Utilities
- Gas disconnect letter from TECO Gas
- Water meter removal letter from the city's water department
- Sewer cap or septic tank abandonment permit, with a passed inspection
- FPL disconnect letter
- Refrigerant recovery from the AC units, shown with an EPA license or a letter from a licensed contractor
- Fire service water meter removal letter, only if the building has standpipes or sprinklers
Site, engineering and trees
- Notice of Commencement, original and a copy on site, when the demolition costs more than $5,000
- An owner-signed landscaping letter promising no exposed soil when the work is done
- Hold Harmless Agreement for Demolition
- Dewatering Affidavit
- A Maintenance of Traffic permit if any staging or work happens in the city right-of-way
- Trees and palms marked on the survey with a tree list, a tree protection barricade detail, or a letter stating there are no trees
The forms people trip on
Fort Lauderdale's demolition forms, in plain English
| Item | What it really says |
|---|---|
| Water meter removal letter | You choose whether the city removes the meter, keeps the city-side service line or removes it too. Removing the meter is required unless you get special approval. The water department has to stamp the form before the demolition permit is issued. |
| Construction Debris Mitigation form | The owner agrees the dumpster stays on the property, not in the swale or street, debris goes into a container within 24 hours, nearby streets and sidewalks get broom-cleaned every day, and there's no noise before 8 a.m. or after 7 p.m. |
| Hold Harmless Agreement | The owner agrees to defend and indemnify the city for claims that come out of the demolition. It's signed by the owner and the contractor's license holder, and notarized. |
| Dewatering Affidavit | The contractor swears to one of three things: no dewatering, dewatering that stays on the site, or off-site discharge, which needs its own engineering dewatering permit first. Sites near known contamination or over one acre can need county or state permits too. |
| Landscaping letter | The owner promises the lot won't be left as bare dirt. Undeveloped areas stay as they are or get ground cover or sod. |
| Dust control letter | A notarized letter from the demolition contractor saying where the water to keep the dust down will come from. |
The city updates its checklist and forms. Download the current versions from the city's Development Services forms page before you start.
Trees
Trees are where Fort Lauderdale demolitions slow down
Every tree goes on the survey
The city wants each tree and palm numbered on the survey with its species, height, trunk size and condition, and a statement that the ones staying will be protected. No trees? You still submit a letter saying so.
Barricades go up first
Tree protection barricades have to be installed before work starts. If trees are staying, the barricades have to pass inspection before the landscape review signs off.
Removing a tree is its own permit
Trees that have to come out to reach the building need a separate tree removal sub-permit.
Rebuilding? Tell the city
The checklist says mitigation for removed trees has to be paid before the demolition and tree permits close, unless a building permit for redeveloping the site has been submitted. If you're building new, getting that permit in can change when and how mitigation is handled.
Bigger jobs
What commercial and multifamily demolitions add
For commercial buildings and multifamily buildings with three or more units, the city's checklist adds more.
Mitigation permit and bond
When the engineering reviewer asks for them.
Erosion and sediment control plan
Silt fence, a rock construction entrance, a truck wash-down area, storm drain protection on the site and within 100 feet of the property lines, dewatering and filtering, and the fence and gate layout.
Staging and storage plan
How the job will protect the neighbors: fencing, storage, cranes, truck routes and times, noise, dust, lighting, underground utilities, parking and traffic.
Right-of-way closures
Closing part of a city street or sidewalk needs approval from the city's Transportation and Mobility department. A closure longer than 72 hours needs a revocable license approved by the City Commission.
Historic properties
Historic review in Fort Lauderdale
What's covered
The city has 62 individually designated historic landmarks and historic districts that include Sailboat Bend and Himmarshee. Demolition of a designated property needs a Certificate of Appropriateness.
Who decides
Requests start with the city's historic preservation staff, and demolition goes to the Historic Preservation Board, which meets monthly. Plan for that schedule before you set a demolition date.
Check before you buy
If you're buying an older house to tear down, confirm it isn't designated or in a district before you close. Historic status can change the whole plan.
Fort Lauderdale realities
What else shapes a Fort Lauderdale teardown
Canal and waterfront lots
Seawalls, docks and soft ground near the water change where the equipment can sit and how the job is planned.
Flood zones
Much of the city is in a flood zone. That doesn't change the demolition permit, but it decides how high the new house has to sit, and it's why many older houses here are worth more torn down than renovated.
Close neighbors
The debris mitigation rules, the noise hours and the hold harmless agreement all exist because Fort Lauderdale lots are close together. Tell the neighbors before the machine shows up.
Who can pull the permit
The contractor has to be licensed and registered with the city in LauderBuild. A Florida certified general contractor license is a state license, so it works in Fort Lauderdale the same as everywhere else in the state.
Related
Keep reading
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a permit to demolish a house in Fort Lauderdale?
Yes. Demolishing a house or any structure in the City of Fort Lauderdale needs a demolition permit from the city's Building Division, applied for online through LauderBuild.
How do I apply for a demolition permit in Fort Lauderdale?
Through LauderBuild, the city's online permit portal, with the Broward County uniform permit application and every item on the city's demolition checklist. The city won't process an incomplete application.
What documents do I need for a demolition permit in Fort Lauderdale?
A current sealed survey, Broward County's asbestos statement, a pest control report, utility letters from FPL, TECO Gas and the city's water department, a sewer cap or septic abandonment permit with a passed inspection, refrigerant recovery, a debris mitigation form, a landscaping letter, a hold harmless agreement, a dewatering affidavit and tree information. A Notice of Commencement is needed when the job costs more than $5,000.
Do I need an asbestos survey to demolish a house in Fort Lauderdale?
Every demolition needs Broward County's asbestos statement, filed at least 10 working days before work. Commercial buildings and residential buildings with five or more units also need an asbestos survey and the state notice. For an older house, a survey is a good idea even when it isn't required.
What hours can demolition happen in Fort Lauderdale?
The city's construction debris mitigation form says no noise before 8 a.m. or after 7 p.m. Quiet setup can start earlier, but noise can't leave the site before 8 a.m.
Can I remove trees during a demolition in Fort Lauderdale?
Only with a separate tree removal sub-permit. Trees that stay need protection barricades installed before work starts, and mitigation for removed trees may be due before the permits close.
Can I demolish a historic house in Fort Lauderdale?
Demolishing a designated landmark or a building in a historic district like Sailboat Bend or Himmarshee needs a Certificate of Appropriateness, reviewed by the Historic Preservation Board.
Who issues the water meter removal letter in Fort Lauderdale?
The City of Fort Lauderdale's water department. The form has to be completed and stamped before the demolition permit is issued, and it's returned to Development Services.
This article is general information based on the City of Fort Lauderdale's demolition permitting checklist (revision 16, July 28, 2026), its demolition permit forms and city and county sources as of November 2026. Requirements, forms and fees change. Confirm with the city's Development Services Department before you apply.