Insight
Florida's ERRCS deadlines and what they mean for installers
Florida's statute put dates on in-building radio coverage for existing high-rises. Here is what the law says, read straight from the source.
The dates in the statute
| Date | What was due | Who | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 1, 2024 | Apply for the permit and show the building will comply by January 1, 2025 | Existing high-rise buildings not in compliance, including high-rise apartments | F.S. 633.202(18)(a) |
| January 1, 2025 | Meet the minimum radio signal strength for fire department communications | Existing high-rise buildings, including high-rise apartments | F.S. 633.202(18)(a) |
After the deadline: citations and the one-year window
When a fire marshal requires an existing building to retrofit after those dates, the owner gets at least one year from the notice of code violation to finish (F.S. 633.202(18)(g)). For an installer, the citation date is the start of a known clock.
What does not change by county
Local fire marshals may not enforce stricter requirements than the Florida Fire Prevention Code and the statute for requiring, designing or installing a system (F.S. 633.202(18)(i)). Every new system or change needs the express consent of the frequency license holder (F.S. 633.202(18)(d)).
What does change by county
The statute gives the local fire marshal the job of setting the minimum signal strength (F.S. 633.202(18)(a)), so levels and steps differ. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue's guideline, for example, requires -95 dBm and DAQ 3.0 in 90% of general areas and 99% of critical areas, a pre-test before plans, separate 450 MHz and 800 MHz grid maps at acceptance, and a service contract with four-hour runner response.
Re-assessments keep the work recurring
Florida fire marshals may require a new coverage assessment no more than once every 3 years for an existing high-rise or an existing building over 12,000 total gross square feet, and every 5 years for other existing buildings, with exceptions (F.S. 633.202(18)(c)2).
Sources
Primary documents we read for this page. Rules change; confirm with your fire marshal (AHJ).
- Florida Statutes 2026, section 633.202, subsection (18), The Florida Senate
- General Guidelines for the Deployment of Two-Way Radio Communication Enhancement System (BDAs), Miami-Dade County Fire Prevention Division