Florida · city · ERRCS / BDA requirements
ERRCS and BDA requirements in City of Miami, Florida
City of Miami Fire-Rescue, not Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, is the fire AHJ inside city limits. It has not published BDA signal levels or test procedures that we could find. Buildings over 300 feet must meet with the Fire Prevention Bureau, and emergency responder radio coverage is on that meeting's agenda.
Guidance, not engineering advice. Rules on this page come from the documents listed under Sources. Confirm with City of Miami Fire-Rescue, Fire Prevention Bureau before you design, permit or test a system.
Who must comply
State rules apply here too. See Florida statewide rules.
| Rule | Effect | Citation | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buildings over 300 feet tall need a meeting with the Fire Prevention Bureau's engineering section; emergency responder radio coverage (BDA) is item 15 on its agenda. | Note | High-rise Fire Prevention Meeting Agenda | City of Miami Fire-Rescue, Fire Prevention Bureau |
| Trigger | Published value |
|---|---|
| Minimum building size | Not published; confirm with the fire marshal |
| Minimum stories | Not published; confirm with the fire marshal |
| Height trigger | Not published; confirm with the fire marshal |
| Below-grade areas | Not published; confirm with the fire marshal |
| Building types named | Not published; confirm with the fire marshal |
| Existing buildings must retrofit | Not published; confirm with the fire marshal |
| Compliance deadline | Not published; confirm with the fire marshal |
Miami-Dade County's BDA guideline covers MDFR's service area. Do not assume it applies inside the City of Miami; ask the city's Fire Prevention Bureau.
Signal and coverage
Not published by the city. General Guidelines for the Deployment of In-Building 800 MHz Radio Coverage Solutions for First Responders, version 4.6 (June 12, 2023) is a reference only.
| Requirement | Value |
|---|---|
| Minimum downlink signal | Not published; confirm with the fire marshal |
| Minimum uplink signal | Not published; confirm with the fire marshal |
| Delivered audio quality (DAQ) | Not published; confirm with the fire marshal |
| Coverage, general areas | Not published; confirm with the fire marshal |
| Coverage, critical areas | Not published; confirm with the fire marshal |
| Critical areas named | Not published; confirm with the fire marshal |
| Public safety radio bands | Not published; confirm with the fire marshal |
Not published by the city. Miami-Dade County's radio division notes that many municipalities in the region use the county's 800 MHz system and tells installers to confirm which band to amplify with it.
Testing
| Test | What the source says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Acceptance test | Not published in the local documents we found; confirm with the fire marshal. | None found |
| Annual test | Not published in the local documents we found; confirm with the fire marshal. | None found |
| Five-year test | Not published in the local documents we found; confirm with the fire marshal. | None found |
| Coverage assessment interval | Set by state law: the fire marshal may require an interior 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 once every 5 years for other existing buildings, with exceptions for major alterations, reported radio failures and imminent threats. | F.S. 633.202(18)(c)2 |
Permit and inspection process
- Call the Fire Prevention Bureau (305-468-5900 or 311) and ask how it tests existing buildings and reviews BDA plans. High-rise meeting page, contact block
- For buildings over 300 feet, cover radio coverage in the required high-rise meeting with the engineering section. High-rise meeting agenda, item 15
- Confirm with Miami-Dade County's radio division which 800/700 MHz band the system must amplify. ITD guideline, Important Notice 1
Codes and standards referenced
| Code or standard | Edition | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Florida Fire Prevention Code (NFPA 1 and NFPA 101, Florida editions), in force statewide | 8th edition (NFPA 1, Florida 2021 edition), effective December 31, 2023 | rule |
Notes
We will add the city's own rules when it publishes them.
Questions people ask
Is Miami-Dade Fire Rescue the fire marshal for a building in the City of Miami?
No. The City of Miami runs its own Fire-Rescue department and Fire Prevention Bureau, which is the fire AHJ inside city limits.
Does the City of Miami publish BDA signal levels?
Not that we could find as of our last check. Ask the Fire Prevention Bureau at 305-468-5900 which levels and test method it uses.
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
- Florida Fire Prevention Code, 8th edition: Florida amendments to NFPA 1 (2021 edition), sections 11.10.2 and 11.10.2.1, Florida Division of State Fire Marshal
- Rule 69A-60.003, F.A.C.: NFPA 1, the Fire Code, Florida 2021 edition, adopted (effective 12/31/2023), Florida Department of State, Florida Administrative Code
- High-rise Fire Prevention Meeting Agenda, City of Miami Fire-Rescue, Fire Prevention Bureau
- General Guidelines for the Deployment of In-Building 800 MHz Radio Coverage Solutions for First Responders, version 4.6 (June 12, 2023), Miami-Dade County ITD Radio Division