The BDA project, from first survey to yearly test

"Not published" means no code or fire department document we have read sets a time. Put the vendor's schedule in the contract.

The fire code calls for approved emergency responder radio coverage inside buildings (IFC 510.1), and in Florida the requirement is also state law, with listed exemptions (F.S. 633.202(18)(h)). Only the fire marshal can tell you how the rule applies to your building, so ask in writing and keep the answer.

• Paper you keep: the fire marshal's letter or notice, with the code section.
• What trips buildings up: acting on a vendor's word instead of the fire department's. For the rules where you are, ERRCSCheck's building checker applies the published exemptions and links each local requirements page.

A radio tester walks each floor in a grid and records the signal (IFC 510.5.4). Miami-Dade runs its own pre-test (Phase I) with a calibrated spectrum analyzer and handheld voice tests before a building may apply for a BDA permit (MDFR guidelines). If the survey passes, no amplifier is needed (IFC 510.4.2.1).

• Paper you keep: the survey report and grid maps, one per radio band where the fire department uses more than one (Miami-Dade tests 450 MHz and 800 MHz separately).
• What trips buildings up: rooms nobody can open on the day, and a survey on the wrong frequencies. The fire department's technical criteria list the frequencies (IFC 510.4.2.2).

Four approvals, in roughly this order:

1. Design by a qualified person: at minimum an FCC general radio operator license and in-building system training for the designer and lead installer (IFC 510.5.3).
2. Licensee consent from the agency that holds the radio channels, in a recordable format (47 CFR 90.219(b)(1)(i)); NFPA 1225 also asks for written authorization from the license holder before activation (18.7.2). Florida requires the licensee's express consent for new systems and changes (F.S. 633.202(18)(d)). Details: FCC registration and licensee consent.
3. Permit from the fire department (IFC 510.3). In Miami-Dade, no radio equipment may be installed before plans are approved (MDFR guidelines).
4. FCC registration for a Class B booster before it operates (47 CFR 90.219(d)(5); FCC DA 14-15).

• Paper you keep: approved plans, the consent letter, the permit, the FCC confirmation.
• What trips buildings up: equipment ordered before approval, and a consent letter that never arrives.

The crew installs the amplifier, antennas, cable and a battery that carries the system at least 12 hours (IFC 510.4.2.3), tied into the fire alarm for trouble signals (NFPA 1225 18.14.1). The fire code does not say who runs the power and pathways; ask whether it is the BDA vendor or a separate electrical contractor, and whether it is in the price. The acceptance test then checks coverage floor by floor (IFC 510.5.4). In Miami-Dade the installer must attend, the test stops if coverage misses 99 percent of critical areas or 90 percent of general areas, and the fire alarm test follows before the permit closes (MDFR guidelines).

• Paper you keep: the acceptance report and the amplifier gain values. If they are lost, the owner must rerun the acceptance test (IFC 510.5.4 item 6).
• What trips buildings up: repeat visits. Miami-Dade bills a first or second re-inspection at $98.46 and a third or later at $194.44 (Implementing Order 04-123, item 25); estimate yours with the fee estimator.

After acceptance, the model code requires a test every year and after structural changes, with a report to the fire code official (IFC 510.6.1). In Florida the fire marshal may also require a new coverage assessment every 3 or 5 years at most, depending on the building (F.S. 633.202(18)(c)2); see the Florida re-test schedule. We have not found a separate five-year test in IFC 510 or the Florida statute. If your fire department requires one, the reminder can track a five-year date too. Miami-Dade also requires a service contract with a licensed radio service provider whose runner responds within four hours of a trouble signal (MDFR guidelines, quoting Sec. 14-69 of the county code).

• Paper you keep: each annual report, and the service contract.
• What trips buildings up: a battery that fails its load test, oscillation, and renovations. The failure finder covers each, and BDA testing explains the annual test.

The BDA cost guide lists what each stage costs, the cost per unit calculator splits a quote across the owners, and the fee estimator adds up published fire department fees. For an install, upgrade or repair, you can request quotes through ERRCSCheck. Your request goes to up to 3 vetted installers who serve your area. No texts and no cold calls.

Confirm every stage with your fire marshal (AHJ).