RESNET Certified Inspector | Builder Focused Turnaround | Immediate Electronic Reports
Stellar Building Performance is a Florida local, family-run company working throughout St. Lucie County, one of the fastest-growing construction markets in Florida, from Port St. Lucie and Tradition north through Fort Pierce and out to Hutchinson Island.
What Is a Duct Leakage Test?
St. Lucie County is one of the fastest-growing construction markets in Florida, covering Port St. Lucie, Tradition and Fort Pierce, plus a very large scattered-lot market. Port St. Lucie, Fort Pierce and the Town of St. Lucie Village all permit separately, and the county division covers unincorporated areas only.
A duct leakage test measures how much air escapes the duct system instead of reaching the rooms it was sized for. 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.
Whichever department reviews it, the requirement and the report are the same, documented under the Florida Energy Conservation Code.
Request St. Lucie County Duct Leakage Testing
we respond quickly for palm bay duct leakage testing. no waiting days for scheduling and reports.
Local St. Lucie County Projects Our Team has Worked On
Florida Energy Code Duct Leakage Requirements
The Florida Energy Conservation Code governs every residential permit in St. Lucie County, and it applies to any conditioned structure built as living space. What changes from project to project is who enforces it.
In St. Lucie County, Port St. Lucie, Fort Pierce and the Town of St. Lucie Village all permit separately. St. Lucie County Building & Code Regulation Division covers unincorporated areas only, so jurisdiction depends on exactly where the parcel sits.
Volume here is significant. The county authorized roughly 4,000 new private housing units in 2025, and Port St. Lucie has been the fastest-growing large city in the country for five consecutive years. Alongside the master-planned phases in Tradition, Riverland and Verano sits an enormous scattered-lot market: the city’s Comprehensive Plan records over 80,000 originally platted lots from the General Development Corporation era.
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 St. Lucie 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:
In St. Lucie County, duct leakage testing is what turns “it should be fine” into a documented number before final inspection. Passing the first time is what keeps the closeout on schedule.
How We Keep Our Services Simple and Easy
We want completing your Duct Leakage Testing in St. Lucie County to be as easy as possible.
1.
Schedule your test
You tell us the St. Lucie County address and when the home will be ready. Volume here is high enough that we hold recurring slots rather than booking one job at a time.
2.
onsite testing
Registers are sealed and the duct blaster is connected to the system, which is then brought up to test pressure. We work around whoever else is still on site in St. Lucie County, so nobody has to clear out.
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
The report goes out by email before we leave the St. Lucie County job, documenting code compliance for the inspection file.
5.
Ready for Final Inspection approval
With the report on file, St. Lucie County Building & Code Regulation Division can close out the permit and issue the certificate of occupancy.
Contact Us for Fast & Convenient Duct Leakage Testing in St. Lucie County
Why Builders Choose Stellar Building Performance
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No missed appointments or reschedules.
Responsive scheduling for St. Lucie County projects.
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Recent Duct Leakage Tests in St. Lucie County
Checking in from the field! See some highlights of our recent St. Lucie County Duct Leakage Test site visits!
Frequently asked questions about Duct Leakage Testing
Budget half an hour to an hour on site in St. Lucie County, depending on the size of the house. Nothing is drilled, cut or removed.
In St. Lucie 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 St. Lucie County Building & Code Regulation Division will not close it out. Being on time in St. Lucie 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.
No. Work does not have to stop and the building does not need to be cleared. We just need the envelope in its finished condition, with exterior doors and windows shut.
Duct Leakage Testing Code Reference
Duct Leakage Test Florida Requirements Explained
Duct leakage testing is required in St. Lucie 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 St. Lucie County to Pass Final Inspection?
Similar Services
Stellar Building Performance covers the full energy-code package for St. Lucie County projects, so one call handles the testing and the calculations that go with it.
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 St. Lucie County area!
Energy Code Calculations
Energy performance calculations required for Florida residential building permits and code compliance documentation.
Helping St. Lucie County Builders Stay on Schedule
Fast Scheduling
We know how St. Lucie County books inspections, and we test to fit that rather than fight it.
accurate results
Measured, not estimated. Calibrated equipment, RESNET certified, documented for St. Lucie County Building & Code Regulation Division.
immediate reports
The report is emailed the same day to everyone on the St. Lucie County job, not left in a truck.
Other Areas We Serve
Local duct leakage testing throughout St. Lucie County, with additional service in Brevard County, Indian River County, Martin County, and Okeechobee County.
