Crane work in Fort Walton Beach and Destin, priced from Pensacola
Fort Walton Beach is the east end of the area we cover, about 30 miles from downtown Pensacola as the crow flies and more by road. Eglin, Hurlburt Field and the airport put height limits on part of town.
What does a Fort Walton job cost with the drive?
Posted rates run about $180 to $195 an hour for a small boom truck and $210 to $310 for larger cranes. Travel from the Pensacola side adds about an hour each way, and some sheets add $25 an hour past 50 miles, so a small Fort Walton job often costs $700 to $1,100.
- Fort Walton Beach requires a city utility permit for work in its right of way, with a scaled site plan.
- Building permits in the city are filed through its online permit system.
- Eglin Air Force Base, Hurlburt Field and Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport mean tall booms can need FAA notice.
- Travel time from Pensacola is the biggest extra on the bill.
Crane jobs in Fort Walton Beach
Fort Walton Beach and Destin are Okaloosa County, with a different mix of work from Pensacola. Condos and hotels on Okaloosa Island and in Destin need rooftop AC and generator lifts. Older neighborhoods off Beal Parkway and Mary Esther Cut-Off have the same trees-on-roofs and reroofing work as Escambia after a storm. Boat lifts and dock work run along the Santa Rosa Sound and Choctawhatchee Bay.
Travel from Pensacola
Downtown Pensacola to Fort Walton Beach is about 30 miles straight-line and closer to 40 by road. Crane time usually runs from the yard, so an hour each way at $180 to $195 an hour adds about $360 to $390. The posted sheet we use adds $25 an hour past 50 miles, which Destin can cross. An operator based closer cuts that.
Permits
Fort Walton Beach handles work in its right of way with a utility permit application. The city wants a scaled site plan or recent survey showing the right of way and what goes where, and it handles inspections and extensions through Engineering. Building permits are filed separately through the city’s online permit system, managed by Growth Management. In unincorporated areas, Okaloosa County is the office to call.
Eglin Air Force Base, Hurlburt Field and Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport surround the area. Under 14 CFR 77.9, cranes that rise above the FAA’s notice slopes from a runway, or more than 200 feet above the ground, need notice first. Give the operator your address and the height of the lift.
Prices for common jobs
- AC unit on a two-story home: a 30-ton boom truck, about $390 at its minimum plus travel.
- Condo rooftop unit in Destin: a 65-ton crane at $260 an hour, $1,040 at the 4-hour minimum plus travel.
- Tree on a roof after a storm: a 50 to 90 ton crane, $705 to $1,240 plus travel and the tree crew.
See the rates page for riggers, overtime and the other extras.
What people ask about this
Do I need a permit to put a crane in a Fort Walton Beach street?
Work in the city's right of way uses the city's utility permit application, with a scaled site plan or survey showing the right of way. Ask the operator whether your setup needs one.
Can a crane work near Eglin or Hurlburt Field?
Yes, but tall booms near runways may need FAA notice under 14 CFR 77.9 before they go up. Most boom truck jobs at a house stay below that.
Do you cover Destin?
Yes, from this page. Destin adds a little more travel than Fort Walton Beach, and condo work there often has HOA rules about hours.
Sources we used
Get this job in front of a local operator
Rough numbers are fine. The operator will check them with you.
Related guides
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Pensacola crane and boom truck ratesHourly rates by crane size, 2 to 4 hour minimums, travel past 50 miles and what a truss set or storm job costs.
- Crane service for storm damage in Pensacola
Crane service after Hurricane Isaias in Pensacola: lifting trees off roofs, crane sizes and costs, power line rules, insurance paperwork and repair lifts.
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Boom truck rental for roof trussesSetting roof trusses with a boom truck around Pensacola: truck size for a house package, time and cost at posted rates, site prep and the framer's part.