BDA cost per unit
Split a BDA quote across the units
The board will ask one question first: what does this cost each owner? Put in the quote (or a reported South Florida figure), the number of units, any reserve money and the fire department fees, and you have a number to bring to the meeting, with the source next to it.
Estimate only
What will it cost each owner?
Pick a reported figure or type your own quote, then the number of owners. It runs in your browser; nothing is sent or saved.
Project cost to start from
Low, middle and high are the three high-rise figures reported in Fort Lauderdale (South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Susannah Bryan), republished by Firehouse, Nov. 7, 2025). They are one city's data points, not a typical price range. We have not found a verifiable published figure for smaller buildings. Get at least three written quotes.
| What was reported | Amount |
|---|---|
| Reported high-rise system cost | $250,000 or more |
| Figure a condo association president was given | $275,000 |
| A city commissioner's example | $200,000 |
| Per owner at $250,000 with 250 owners (a retired fire chief quoted in the article) | $1,000 |
| Per owner at $250,000 with 25 owners (a retired fire chief quoted in the article) | $10,000 |
Source: Fort Lauderdale cites 69 high-rises with weak radio signals, South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Susannah Bryan), republished by Firehouse, Nov. 7, 2025. To split your own quote, divide it by the number of owners.
Estimate only. An equal split is arithmetic, not advice. How an association shares a cost (equal shares, by unit size, special assessment or a loan) depends on its declaration and state law; ask the association's attorney. The real number comes from a signal test and written bids on the same scope.
Quotes go to up to 3 vetted installers who serve your area. No texts, no cold calls. Owners never pay us.
Before you take the number to the board
- It is an equal split. Real cost sharing follows the association's declaration and state law. Ask the association's attorney how this cost is shared.
- Reserve money comes off first. Enter only money the board has actually voted to use.
- Fees are small but real. In Miami-Dade, the signal strength verification and acceptance test is $281.48 per inspector per hour, and every re-inspection costs at least $98.46 (Implementing Order 04-123, effective 10/01/2025). Add yours up with the fire department fee estimator.
- The comparison line is one source. It uses the retired fire chief's math in the Sun-Sentinel: at $250,000, about $1,000 each for 250 owners and about $10,000 each for 25.
What the number leaves out
The split covers the project you price. After the system is accepted, the building pays every year for the annual test and report (IFC 510.6.1), plus monitoring, batteries and repairs. When the radio authority changes frequencies, the owner pays to modify the system (IFC 510.6.2). The BDA cost guide walks through each of those costs, and the BDA project, step by step shows what you are paying for at each stage.
Need comparable bids? Request quotes through ERRCSCheck. Your request goes to up to 3 vetted installers who serve your area. No texts and no cold calls.
Estimate only. Confirm requirements with your fire marshal (AHJ) before you sign a contract.
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Never miss the next BDA test
Add your building once and we email you before the next test is due. It is free, and setting a reminder never shares your details with an installer. Need a new system or a repair? Ask ERRCSCheck for up to 3 quotes.
Questions people ask
Should the per-unit number include the yearly test?
Keep it separate. The installation is a one-time cost; the annual test, monitoring and repairs come every year (IFC 510.6.1). We have not found a published price for an annual BDA test, so budget it from your vendor's written quote.
The board wants a range, not one number. What do we show?
Run the calculator at the low and high reported figures and at your own quote, and say where each came from. The reported figures ($200,000, $250,000 or more, $275,000) are Fort Lauderdale high-rises in one news report, not a price range for every building.
Sources
Primary documents we read for this page. Rules change; confirm with your fire marshal (AHJ).
- Fort Lauderdale cites 69 high-rises with weak radio signals, South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Susannah Bryan), republished by Firehouse, Nov. 7, 2025
- Implementing Order 04-123: Miami-Dade County Fire Prevention Fee Schedule (effective 10/01/2025), Miami-Dade County
- International Fire Code Section 510, Emergency Responder Communication Coverage, City of Eaton, Ohio (reproducing ICC model code text; edition not stated in the document)