RESNET Certified Inspector | Builder Focused Turnaround | Immediate Electronic Reports
Stellar Building Performance is a Florida local, family-run company serving Martin County, from Palm City and Stuart through Jensen Beach, Port Salerno and Hobe Sound, and inland to Indiantown.
What Is a Duct Leakage Test?
A duct leakage test measures how much air escapes the duct system instead of reaching the rooms it was sized for. Across Martin County it applies to every new home with conditioned living space.
This is five incorporated municipalities and a large unincorporated area that holds most of the population — Palm City, Jensen Beach, Hobe Sound, Port Salerno and Rio, all unincorporated. Stuart, Sewall’s Point, Ocean Breeze, Jupiter Island and Indiantown each permit separately, while Palm City, Jensen Beach and Hobe Sound run through the county.
Registers are sealed and a calibrated duct blaster pressurizes the system to 25 Pascals, reporting the result as CFM25 per 100 square feet of conditioned floor area. We document the result under the Florida Energy Conservation Code and send it the same day.
Request Martin County Duct Leakage Testing
we respond quickly for palm bay duct leakage testing. no waiting days for scheduling and reports.
Local Martin County Projects Our Team has Worked On
Florida Energy Code Duct Leakage Requirements
The Florida Energy Conservation Code governs every residential permit in Martin County, and it applies to any conditioned structure built as living space. What changes from project to project is who enforces it.
Martin County has five incorporated municipalities, and all five run their own building departments: Stuart, Sewall’s Point, Ocean Breeze, Jupiter Island and Indiantown. The Martin County Building Department covers everything else, which includes Palm City, Jensen Beach, Hobe Sound, Port Salerno, Rio and the county’s portion of Hutchinson Island.
A Stuart mailing address frequently falls in unincorporated county rather than the city, so we confirm the reviewing department per parcel before scheduling.
Martin County publishes its own R402 energy form, which sets envelope leakage at 7 ACH50 or less with the report provided to the code official before Certificate of Occupancy, and duct leakage at 4 cfm per 100 square feet total with the air handler installed, or 3 cfm per 100 square feet at rough-in.
A duct test is required here whenever any part of the duct system or the air handler sits outside the conditioned space. Total leakage must be no more than 4 CFM25 per 100 square feet of conditioned floor area, or 3 CFM25 per 100 square feet at rough-in where the air handler is not yet installed. Where every duct run and the air handler are inside the thermal envelope, the code does not require a test at all.
Why is Duct Leakage Testing Beneficial?
Whether a Martin County permit runs through a city or the county, a home that leaks costs its owner the same amount either way.
Ducts losing air outside the conditioned space can cause:
A clean result in Martin County means the file is complete and nobody is making a second trip. A failure caught early means it is still cheap to fix.
How We Keep Our Services Simple and Easy
We want completing your Duct Leakage Testing in Martin County to be as easy as possible.
1.
Schedule your test
You tell us the Martin County address and when the home will be ready. A mailing address settles very little in Martin County, so we verify the parcel before we book.
2.
onsite testing
We show up at the Martin County address with everything needed. Registers are sealed and the duct blaster is connected to the system, which is then brought up to test pressure.
3.
Diagnostics and Measurements
We measure total duct leakage in CFM25 per 100 square feet and compare it against the limit for the test stage. You get the number and, if it needs work, the reason behind it.
4.
Report delivered same day via email
Documentation is emailed the day of the test so the Martin County permit file is complete when the inspector opens it.
5.
Ready for Final Inspection approval
With the report on file, Martin County Building Department can close out the permit and issue the certificate of occupancy.
Contact Us for Fast & Convenient Duct Leakage Testing in Martin County
Why Builders Choose Stellar Building Performance
Stellar Building Performance
No missed appointments or reschedules.
Responsive scheduling for Martin County projects.
We’re on the same team
Other Inspectors
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Recent Duct Leakage Tests
Checking in from the field! See some highlights of our recent Duct Leakage Test site visits!
Frequently asked questions about Duct Leakage Testing
Typically 30 to 60 minutes for a Martin County home. The setup takes longer than the measurement itself, and nothing about it is destructive.
In Martin County, duct leakage testing is required for new residential buildings where any part of the duct system or the air handler sits outside the conditioned space. That covers most homes with ducts in an attic, a garage, a crawlspace, or a soffit chase. If every duct run and the air handler are inside the thermal envelope, the code exempts the system from testing.
Common Structures Like:
Additional Structures Like:
Either one is allowed. A rough-in test is run before the drywall closes the system up, which is the better moment to catch a problem because the ducts are still reachable. A postconstruction test is run near the end, once the air handler is in and the home is approaching final inspection. The limit is 4 CFM25 per 100 square feet in both cases, except at rough-in without the air handler installed, where it tightens to 3.
Yes — an undocumented test is an incomplete permit file, and Martin County Building Department will not close it out. Being on time in Martin County is most of the job.
It is recommended to test as close to completion as possible. Our best suggestion is to be one of the last vendors in the project before the cleaners do their final clean. We provide a pre-inspection, get ready checklist in all of our proposals that is designed to make being prepared for your duct leakage test as simple and easy as possible.
Usually not. The test runs while the crew keeps going; what matters is that the building is buttoned up the way it will be at handover.
Duct Leakage Testing Code Reference
Duct Leakage Test Florida Requirements Explained
Duct leakage testing is required in Martin County under R403.3.3 of the 2023 Florida Building Code, Energy Conservation, Eighth Edition, which calls for ducts to be pressure tested at 25 Pascals either at rough-in or after construction.
The limits live in R403.3.4. Total leakage must be no more than 4 CFM25 per 100 square feet of conditioned floor area on a postconstruction test, and the same 4 CFM25 on a rough-in test where the air handler is installed. If the air handler is not in place at rough-in, the limit tightens to 3 CFM25 per 100 square feet.
There is a real exception: no duct test is required where the ducts and air handlers are located entirely within the building thermal envelope. Homes on the performance path under R405 are handled differently again, and are tested against the duct leakage rate assumed in the energy calculation.
We keep the full code language, including the complete text of R403.3.3, R403.3.4 and the R405 provisions, on our main duct leakage page: read the full Florida duct leakage code references.
questions? give us a call, this is our specialty!
Need Duct Leakage Testing in Martin County to Pass Final Inspection?
Similar Services
Building performance diagnostics for Martin County builders — testing, verification, and the code calculations behind them.
Blower Door Testing
Verify the building envelope meets the 7 ACH50 air leakage limit using a calibrated duct leakage, required for new construction inspections. We provide this service across the Martin County area!
Energy Code Calculations
Energy performance calculations required for Florida residential building permits and code compliance documentation.
Helping Martin County Builders Stay on Schedule
Fast Scheduling
Testing in Martin County gets scheduled to land before the inspection, not chase it.
accurate results
Measured, not estimated. Calibrated equipment, RESNET certified, documented for Martin County Building Department.
immediate reports
Documentation lands by email the day we test, so the Martin County closeout package is never waiting on us.
Other Areas We Serve
Local duct leakage testing throughout Martin County, with additional service in Brevard County, Indian River County, St. Lucie County, and Okeechobee County.
