Your BDA failed its annual test. Here is the plan.

Ask the tester for the full written report, not a one-line pass or fail. It should show the grid results for each floor, the gain readings against the acceptance values, the battery test and any notes on oscillation. Those are the parts of the annual test the model code lists (IFC 2021 510.6.1).

Then sort the deficiency list into three groups:

1. Safety now. Battery that could not carry the load, oscillation, donor antenna failure, a system that is down. These come first.
2. Coverage. Floors or critical areas such as stairwells and elevator lobbies that fell short. A floor fails when more than one of its 20 test areas fails, with one re-divided retest allowed when exactly two fail (IFC 2021 510.5.4).
3. Paperwork. Missing acceptance gain values, missing consent letter, missing FCC registration. These are real failures too: if the gain values are lost, the owner can be required to rerun the acceptance test (IFC 2021 510.5.4 item 6).

Most failures trace back to something that changed: an aging battery, a donor antenna moved by roof work, renovations that block signal, or a change to the public safety radio system. Our page on common BDA failures explains each one and what the code checks. Use it to ask your vendor good questions; this page is about what you, the owner, do next.

Two rules sit behind the last two columns. The FCC lets a building operate a booster on public safety channels only with the express consent of the radio license holder (47 CFR 90.219(b)(1)(i)). Florida adds that "any modification to an existing system or any installation of a new system must have the express consent of the frequency licenseholder" (F.S. 633.202(18)(d)). The code also requires coverage to meet the general area and critical area numbers after the work, not before (IFC 2021 510.4.1).

Send every vendor the same packet:

1. The full test report with floor grids.
2. The acceptance test report and gain values, if you have them.
3. Any notice or deadline from the fire department.
4. A list of renovations since the system was accepted.

Ask each one: which deficiency items their price fixes, whether the work counts as maintenance or a modification, whether the price includes the permit and the license holder's consent, and what the re-test costs. Prices are covered on our BDA cost page.

When the work is done, the affected parts are tested again. Under the model code, testing is required where changes could materially change the original field performance tests (IFC 2021 510.6.1), so new antennas usually mean a new grid test on those floors. Ask your fire marshal what the re-test must cover.

Plan for access on re-test day. Fire departments can charge for re-inspections. Miami-Dade, for example, charges $98.46 for the first or second re-inspection of a fire safety system and $194.44 for a third or later one (Implementing Order 04-123).

The test report goes to the fire code official (IFC 2021 510.6.1). If yours failed, the fire department will see that. Call the fire prevention office and tell them:

• what failed and what you are doing about it;
• the vendor you hired and the repair date;
• when the re-test is booked.

If you receive a formal notice, read the deadline on it. In Florida, a fire marshal requiring an existing building to retrofit after the statewide dates must give at least one year from the notice of code violation (F.S. 633.202(18)(g)). Local rules for your city or county are on ERRCSCheck.

We do not print typical durations because they depend on the fire department and the scope. Ask each vendor for a dated schedule.

If you want help finding a vendor, the form below sends your request to up to 3 licensed installers who serve your area. They contact you by email, or by phone only if you choose calls.