Tools
Pole EPA and wind load worksheet
Add up the effective projected area and the weight going on top of a pole, check it against the pole manufacturer published allowance, and see the margin before the submittal goes out. Built for South Florida design wind speeds.
EPA is the effective projected area of everything the wind pushes on: the luminaires, the arms and brackets that hold them, and anything else bolted to the top. Each manufacturer publishes an EPA figure for its own product. Add them up, then read the pole manufacturer table.
Leave the allowance fields blank if you do not have the pole data sheet yet. The worksheet will still give you the total EPA and weight, which is what a pole manufacturer needs from you to size it.
Before you rely on it
This is a takeoff worksheet, not a structural calculation. It adds up what you tell it and compares that against an allowance you read off a data sheet. The pole manufacturer certified EPA table at your design wind speed and mounting height is the authority, and a permit set in Miami-Dade or Broward needs a Florida professional engineer. Send me the fixture schedule and the pole schedule and I will run it against the lines I represent.
Design wind speed in South Florida
The Florida Building Code 8th Edition, in force since 31 December 2023, adopts ASCE 7-22. Miami-Dade and Broward are the High Velocity Hurricane Zone in their entirety; no other Florida county is.
| Miami-Dade County | 175 mph, Risk Category II. Entire county is HVHZ. |
|---|---|
| Broward County | 170 mph, Risk Category II. Entire county is HVHZ. |
| Palm Beach County | Read off the ASCE 7-22 map for the specific site. Not HVHZ, but coastal parts sit in the wind-borne debris region. |
| Exposure category | Coastal South Florida sites are commonly Exposure D. It changes the answer, so confirm it for the site rather than assuming. |
Treat these as the figures to start a conversation with, not as the site-specific value. Wind speed is determined per site, and the engineer of record sets it. If the number on the drawings differs from what is here, the drawings win.
What HVHZ does and does not cover for exterior lighting is on the HVHZ exterior lighting page, and the wider category is on light poles and structures.
What to send me for a pole price
The six things that let me price a pole without going back and forth: the luminaire catalog number and quantity per pole, the EPA and weight from that luminaire data sheet, the mounting height, the arm or bracket type, the design wind speed and exposure off the drawings, and the base condition, whether anchor base or direct burial.
If a fixture swap is on the table, tell me early. A different luminaire changes the EPA, and a changed EPA can change the pole and the foundation. That is the part that gets found late and costs money.
Pole lines I represent
All three are on the SESCO Ft. Lauderdale and Coral Gables line cards, so I can price them, get factory support behind them and stand on them after the job closes.