How long does it take to build a house in Fort Lauderdale?
As of November 2026, a new house in Fort Lauderdale takes a median 28 months from permit to certificate of occupancy, across 175 houses permitted from 2021 through 2023. The middle half take 23 to 37 months. On the water the median is 33 months; inland, 24.
Where the months go.
Builders file documents with the city as each stage passes inspection. From the permit application, the first foundation document comes at a median 10 months. The block walls go up about 2 months later, the finishes start at about 25 months, and the certificate of occupancy follows about 3 months later. The longest stretch runs from the walls to the finishes: about 14 months.
When each stage starts
Months after the permitOn the water and inland
Median months after the permit- On the water
- Inland
Both sides of the water reach the foundation at about 10 months. The gap opens after that: the finishes start at 29.4 months on the water and 21.8 inland.
The biggest houses take the longest.
Houses of 7,000 sq ft and up took a median 33.2 months, against 21.6 to 26.2 for smaller ones; 46 of those 49 are on the water. Townhome and villa-pair units are measured the same way, one unit at a time.
Permit to certificate of occupancy
MonthsHome size is the tax roll’s total building area, garage and covered areas included, so it runs larger than the area under air.
A townhome unit is one of three or more attached homes, each on its own lot; a villa pair is two. Each unit has its own permit and certificate of occupancy, so each is timed on its own. How townhomes are tracked.
The fastest and slowest builders, on the record.
All 9 builders with 5 or more finished homes in Fort Lauderdale to time, fastest first. Each is set against homes like theirs, as on their own page: waterfront homes for builders mostly on the water, inland homes for those mostly inland, since waterfront builds run longer.
A builder’s median covers every finished home of theirs in Fort Lauderdale with both dates on record, whatever year it was permitted.
What the slower builds have in common.
Comparisons across the same 175 houses. They show which builds ran longer, not why.
Waterfront houses took a median 33.1 months, inland ones 24.4. The difference builds up after the walls: the finishes start at 29.4 months on the water and 21.8 inland.
Houses of 7,000 sq ft and up, against 21.6 to 26.2 months for smaller ones. 46 of those 49 are on the water.
Houses of three stories or more, going by the permit’s plans. Two-story houses took a median 28.9 months; one-story houses, 24.4.
Custom houses took a median 31.1 months; likely spec houses, built to sell, 24.4. On the water that’s 33.1 against 33.2; inland, 26.1 against 23.5. What the labels mean.
From the permit application to the first foundation document, on the water and inland alike. The clock starts at the application, so this includes the city’s review of the plans: how long that review is taking now.
Of the 471 houses permitted 2021–2023, 83 are still being built and 20 have gone quiet; 4 are still waiting on their permit. They can’t be timed until they finish, so the medians here lean fast.
Rising now
345 homes are rising in Fort Lauderdale; 251 show an estimated completion window worked out from these numbers. The most are in Coral Ridge, Victoria Park and Rio Vista.
What it costs
Estimated build cost per square foot, what lots sell for, and two houses priced out: the cost to build in Fort Lauderdale.
Planning a build
Find a lot with a lot report for any address, check how long permits are taking, then match builders who have built where you want to, or compare cities.
How it’s measured: from the new-home permit application to the first certificate-of-occupancy packet submitted to the city, for the 175 houses permitted 2021–2023 with both dates on record (471 were permitted in those years). Stage dates are the first document the city recorded for each stage. Figures as of November 2026, from LauderBuild and the county parcel roll. How the data works.