Who can install access control in Florida

The law in Florida calls out door hardware by name. Under Section 489.505, a certified alarm contractor can run wiring and devices that use up to 98 volts for electric locks or surveillance cameras. That same section also includes access-control systems as a signal an alarm monitoring company may pick up.

These licenses come from the Electrical Contractors' Licensing Board (ECLB), which sits in the Department of Business and Professional Regulation. The board's FAQ page states that a license is required for any wiring inside a building, and anything below 98 volts counts as low voltage.

You can use one of four license types for low voltage door work. The deciding factor for the correct license is a fire-alarm connection on those doors.

• EF, Alarm System Contractor I: covers every kind of alarm, fire alarms included. Doors that release after a fire alarm goes off belong under this license.
• EG, Alarm System Contractor II: every alarm system aside from fire.
• ES, Limited Energy Systems Specialty: this is the license the board identifies for wiring under 98 volts.
• All electrical and alarm jobs, plus new power circuits, fall under the EC, Certified Electrical Contractor license.

A certified contractor took the state test and can operate across all of Florida. A registered contractor got a local certificate from a city or county, and then that certificate was registered with the board. Someone with a registered license is limited to the place that issued it.

A registered EY or EZ alarm license won’t let an installer work beyond the county where it was issued. One more thing to watch: a registered electrical license (ER) does not cover alarm contracting.

Florida restricts how cities and counties issue permits for this work. Section 553.793 treats a low-voltage alarm job as one that includes related pieces like access control and cameras. The local agency has to sell you permit labels at a top price of $40 per label, per project, per unit, wherever a permit is required.

Rules for fire exits are separate. Talk to your building department about the way the Florida Building Code, 8th Edition (2023) handles maglocks on your exit doors.