Broward County

A city address is usually permitted by the city, not the county — but not always, and some authorities keep building and hand electrical to someone else. Getting this wrong costs the whole submittal, because every requirement below belongs to whoever actually holds jurisdiction. Check the overlays in the same pass: an HOA, a historic district, a windstorm certification or a system-size cap can reshape the design, and all of them are cheaper to find now than after the array is laid out.

• Is this authority the AHJ for residential solar at this address? Only for addresses inside the Broward Municipal Services District (BMSD) -- the unincorporated communities of Boulevard Gardens, Broadview Park, Franklin Park, Hillsboro Pines, Hillsboro Ranches, Rosevelt Gardens and Washington Park -- plus Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. For an address inside any of Broward's ~30 incorporated municipalities, the County Building Code Division is NOT the AHJ; that city's own building department is. 92% · county department page
• What does this authority permit itself, and what does it delegate? Both building and electrical (plus mechanical/plumbing), performed directly by Broward County Building Code Division (BCD), but ONLY for BMSD + the airport. Every incorporated municipality either runs its own building department or has separately negotiated an interlocal agreement (ILA) for supplemental staffing -- and the one ILA I could open (Town of Pembroke Park) is emergency/nonguaranteed SUPPLEMENTAL STAFFING only: the Town still issues its own permits and keeps the fees, County staff are loaned hourly and 'Building Official Services shall only be provided by County when specifically requested in writing by Town.' I could not find a definitive named list of any municipality where BCD holds first-line permitting authority the way it does in BMSD. 78% · interlocal agreement (recorded exhibit, Broward Legistar) + county page (JS-rendered, no list retrievable)
• Is a permit required for a residential rooftop PV system? Yes, a permit is required for residential rooftop PV in BMSD. 90% · BORA Board Policy #09-02, 'Administrative Guidelines for Processing Solar Thermal/Electric Permits' (eff. 15 May 2009), OCR'd from the archived PDF (no text lay
• Is there a separate electrical permit, or is it combined? Effectively combined under a single master permit per system type, with separate trade reviews/inspections tied to it. BORA Policy #09-02(B): 'Building Departments shall establish an individual master permit for both Solar Thermal and Solar Electric installations to which applicable subsidiary categories are to be tied. Adding additional categories to the master permit may not require an additional permit ... but will require a separate trade review in every instance.' 78% · BORA Board Policy #09-02(B)
• Is a HOA or architectural approval required first? No -- an HOA/architectural-approval cannot be required as a gate to a Broward building permit; under Florida Statute 163.04, a deed restriction, covenant or declaration may not prohibit solar collectors, and an association's rights are limited to reasonably determining panel placement/orientation (within 45 degrees of due south) without impairing system performance. 70% · Florida Statute 163.04 (statewide)
• Is a wind or windstorm certification required? No stand-alone 'windstorm certification' document exists as a separate step, but its function is subsumed into the mandatory PE/RA-stamped wind-load/uplift/lateral design package required on every roof-mounted PV submittal because Broward is in the HVHZ (see q13) -- functionally equivalent to a windstorm certification. 62% · BORA Uniform Solar Permit Submittal Matrix (HVHZ wind-load documentation)
• Is a Specific Use Permit or Council approval ever required? No for a standard rooftop residential system -- Broward Code of Ordinances §39-109 (unincorporated zoning) treats rooftop PV as 'permitted accessory equipment' 'in all zoning districts,' which does not require a Specific Use Permit or Commission approval. 60% · Broward County Code of Ordinances §39-109 (quoted via search-engine synthesis of Municode content; primary page 403'd to direct fetch)
• Is there a system-size cap on residential generation? No generation-capacity (kW) cap found; §39-109 instead imposes a physical HEIGHT cap: a rooftop PV system 'must not exceed roof lines in height or be higher than 5 feet above flat roofs.' 58% · Broward County Code of Ordinances §39-109 (search-engine synthesis; primary page 403'd to direct fetch)

Several authorities require the electrical permit to be pulled by a licensed electrician, or require the contractor to be registered with them BEFORE applying. Registration is not same-day. This is second on the list rather than fourth because it is the step most likely to stop the job before the drawings matter.

• Who is allowed to pull the electrical permit? A Certified Solar Contractor (CV license) may pull the master permit in either the Solar Thermal or Solar Electric category. A Certified/Registered Electrical Contractor may pull it in the Solar Electric category. A Certified/Registered Plumbing Contractor may pull it in the Solar Thermal category. A Registered Solar Contractor may pull it in the Solar Thermal category but restricted to residential installations only. Each may self-perform only their own trade's scope and must subcontract other trades' work. 85% · BORA Board Policy #09-02(C)
• Must the contractor be registered with this authority before applying? Yes for the local trade license: Broward County requires contractors to hold a Broward County Certificate of Competency (issued via the County's Central Examining Board / Building Code Division Contractor Licensing section) in addition to any state DBPR license, before they may pull permits in the county's jurisdiction. BCD's own page states it 'regulate[s] all trades and occupations associated with the installation, repair, alteration, design or modification of electrical, plumbing, ... building construction industry ... as mandated by the Florida Statutes and Chapter 9 of the Broward County Code of Ordinances' and separately offers a 'Contractor' packet to 'apply, renew or obtain a Certificate of Competency.' 65% · county department page (Chapter 9 BCC reference) + Central Examining Board schedule documents
• Is a homeowner permitted to self-install and self-permit? Not confirmed for Broward specifically. Florida's statewide owner-builder exemption (F.S. 489.103(7)) lets a homeowner pull permits and act as their own contractor on their own residence generally, and I found no Broward-specific carve-out that excludes solar from that exemption -- but I also found no Broward document that affirmatively discusses owner-builder solar. 50% · Florida Statute (statewide, not Broward-specific)

Almost everywhere wants a site plan, a one-line or three-line electrical diagram, equipment cut sheets with listings, and a structural attachment detail. Build it against the published checklist rather than the last jurisdiction you worked in — the checklist is what the reviewer marks against.

• What documents make up a complete submittal? Per the county-wide BORA Uniform Solar Permit Submittal Matrix: for roof-mounted PV panels/BIPV/solar thermal collectors -- signed & sealed drawings and design calculations by a licensed PE or Registered Architect documenting wind-load compliance of the exposed panel equipment, uplift/lateral force compliance of support framing, connection design for wind loads, and dead-load capacity of structural supports; a Uniform HVHZ Photovoltaic (BIPV) Application; a detail of the roof-penetration flashing; and clearance-requirement documentation. For solar water heaters: FSEC Approval/Listing and a System Reference Drawing (or, if PV-pump powered, a listing for the PV panel and pump). For the electrical scope: an electrical diagram per NEC Art. 690 in its entirety, and component documentation showing FSEC certification / NEC 110.3(B) listing. 85% · BORA Uniform Solar Permit Submittal Matrix, Board Policy #09-02
• How many copies, and in what format? At least two sets of plans/specifications per application ('two or more sets of plans and/or specifications ... with each application for a permit'); electronic media is permitted when approved by the Building Official. 70% · Broward County Administrative Chapter 1 Sec. 106.1.1/106.1.5 (quoted in BORA Policy #09-02)
• Is a site plan required, and what must it show? A site plan is implied by the general permit-application requirement (Sec. 105.3.2: application 'shall describe the land on which the proposed work is to be done, by legal description and address') but I could not find a Broward-published, PV-specific site-plan content checklist (property lines, easements, meter locations, etc.) the way some other AHJs publish one. 45% · Broward County Administrative Chapter 1 Sec. 105.3.2
• Is a one-line / three-line diagram required? Yes. 'Submit electrical diagram designed in accordance to the National Electrical Code Article 690 Solar Photovoltaic Systems, in its entirety.' 88% · BORA Uniform Solar Permit Submittal Matrix
• Is a structural PE stamp required, and at what threshold? Required for all roof-mounted PV panels/BIPV and solar thermal collector equipment, with no dollar-value threshold stated: the matrix requires 'signed and sealed drawings & design calculations by licensed Professional Engineer or Registered Architect' documenting wind-load, uplift/lateral, connection, and dead-load compliance -- for every such installation, because Broward is in the HVHZ (High-Velocity Hurricane Zone). 82% · BORA Uniform Solar Permit Submittal Matrix
• Is an electrical PE stamp required, and at what threshold? Only above a size/capacity threshold, per F.S. cited in the matrix: 'Plans must be signed and sealed by a Professional Engineer if: (a) the system has a value of more than $50,000, or (b) the system has an aggregate service capacity of 600 amperes (240 volts) or more for a residential electrical system, or (c) 800 amperes (240 volts) or more for commercial/industrial.' Below those thresholds, the installing electrical/solar contractor's own exemption applies and no separate electrical PE stamp is required. 80% · BORA Uniform Solar Permit Submittal Matrix, citing F.S. 471.003(h)

Most authorities now take the whole application through a portal, and several states cap or constrain what a residential solar permit may cost. Check whether plan check is billed separately before you quote the job.

• Which permit portal does this authority use? Broward County ePermits OneStop (broward.org/ePermits), login at access.broward.org, used for County (BMSD) permits and by participating municipalities alike. Separately, 'Go SOLAR Broward' is a DOE-grant-funded streamlined online solar-specific permitting system with pre-approved/pre-engineered mounting designs, flat fee, and same-day approval for qualifying simple residential systems -- but its own materials describe it as available where the property 'is governed by a participating municipality,' and I could not confirm BMSD itself (as opposed to individual cities like Sunrise or North Lauderdale) is a participating jurisdiction on Go SOLAR. 60% · county ePermits landing page + secondary program descriptions (Go SOLAR)
• Can the whole application be completed online? Yes for ePermits OneStop generally -- 'allows customers applying for permits in their city or municipality to submit applications and receive approval for associated Broward County permits and licenses online.' I could not confirm from a BCD-specific page whether a BMSD residential-solar master permit specifically can be fully completed online end-to-end (vs. requiring an in-person or mailed wet-stamped plan set given the PE/RA-stamp requirements in q13). 60% · county ePermits landing page
• What does a residential solar permit cost? No PV-specific fee line exists; a residential solar permit is priced like any other permit under Broward's general fee schedule: the greater of a $125 minimum base fee, or 1.85% of job value, charged separately per trade (Structural for the racking/roof work, Electrical for the PV/inverter work, and Plumbing if a solar-thermal collector is involved). For a typical residential rooftop PV job (Electrical trade) that is $125 minimum or 1.85% of job value, whichever is greater -- e.g. roughly $370 on a $20,000 job. 60% · county fee schedule (Sec. 40.27/40.29/40.30), Internet Archive snapshot of 6 Jul 2024 -- live URL and elaws.us mirror both unreachable at time of research
• How is the fee calculated? Valuation -- percentage of job value (1.85% per the most recent schedule I could open), with a flat $125 minimum base fee applied if greater. Not flat, not per-kW, not per-panel. 70% · county fee schedule, Internet Archive snapshot of 6 Jul 2024
• Is there a separate plan-check fee? Yes, potentially -- Sec. 40.27(d)(1): 'At application, a nonrefundable minimum permit fee and any assessable plan review fees per the Plan Review Fee Schedule, Exhibit 40A, will be assessed.' I could not open Exhibit 40A itself to give its rate. 55% · county fee schedule Sec. 40.27(d)(1), referencing Exhibit 40A (not independently opened)

Interconnection is a separate process from the permit and usually the longer pole. Where the utility does not depend on the permit being issued, running both at once is the single biggest saving available on a residential job.

• What is the stated plan-review turnaround? Two statutory clocks apply, both read from the enrolled text, and BOTH bind Broward's own BCD review of a residential PV/electrical permit (this is NOT limited to the private-provider route): under F.S. 553.792(1)(a), AS AMENDED BY CS/CS/HB 803 (Ch. 2026-63, eff. 1 Jul 2026), a Broward-reviewed ELECTRICAL permit for an EXISTING single-family dwelling must be approved/approved-with-conditions/denied within 5 BUSINESS DAYS of a complete application if the value of the work is under $15,000; otherwise (value $15,000+, or new construction) it falls under the general residential timeframe of 30 business days for a structure under 7,500 sq ft. Separately, F.S. 553.791 (the private-provider/alternative-plans-review route, most recently amended by 2025 HB 683 and further amended by the same HB 803) lets an applicant bypass the local reviewer's queue entirely by hiring a licensed private provider, on that route's own faster statutory clock. No Broward-published turnaround figure of its own was found -- these are the statewide statutory floors, not a BCD-stated number. 75% · enrolled bill text, CS/CS/HB 803 (Ch. 2026-63), effective 1 Jul 2026, amending F.S. 553.792(1)(a) -- read directly, not from a summary
• How long is an issued permit valid before it expires? A minimum of 1 year from issuance -- Florida law now sets this as a statewide FLOOR for any Broward-issued single-family-dwelling permit, including a solar permit: 'A building permit issued by a county for a single-family dwelling expires 1 year after the issuance of the permit OR on the effective date of the next edition of the Florida Building Code, WHICHEVER IS LATER.' The county may send a written 30-day-advance expiration notice but this paragraph 'does not prevent a local government from extending a building permit beyond the expiration date.' No Broward-specific document was found stating a different (shorter or longer) period for BCD permits specifically, so the state floor is the answer. 78% · enrolled bill text, CS/CS/HB 803 (Ch. 2026-63), effective 1 Jul 2026, amending F.S. 125.56(4)(d) -- read directly, not from a summary
• Which utility handles interconnection here? Florida Power & Light (FPL) -- Broward County (including BMSD) sits within FPL's service territory; none of Broward's jurisdictions operate a municipal electric utility. 70% · FPL net metering guidelines page (utility-side, not independently checked against a PSC territory map)
• Where does the utility sit in the sequence? Parallel with a hard downstream gate: the AHJ (BCD or the city) permit and final inspection are independent of FPL, but FPL prohibits energizing the system ('Operation of the renewable generation system ... prior to the installation of a new bi-directional meter is strictly prohibited') until its own net-metering interconnection process, including installing the bi-directional meter, is complete -- so FPL's step effectively comes after the AHJ's final inspection in practice even though the two approval tracks run independently. 60% · FPL net metering guidelines page

The NEC edition a jurisdiction enforces is often a cycle behind the newest one published, and local amendments sit on top of it. Rapid shutdown, conductor sizing and labelling all change between editions, so the edition in force is the first thing to establish, not the last.

• Which NEC edition is in force? NEC 2020 (NFPA 70-2020), adopted through the Florida Building Code, 8th Edition (2023), effective 31 December 2023. 85% · Broward BORA Formal Interpretations index (FI-35 cites NFPA 70, 2020), corroborated by 40 independently researched Florida files
• Which building code edition is in force? Florida Building Code, 8th Edition (2023) -- Building, Residential and Existing Building volumes -- effective 31 December 2023, with Broward-specific HVHZ provisions (Broward is, with Miami-Dade, one of only two Florida counties in the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone). 90% · BORA compiled Formal Interpretations document, 8th Edition (2023), effective date printed on the document itself
• Which fire code edition is in force? Florida Fire Prevention Code, 8th Edition (2023), with Broward County amendments -- effective alongside the 8th-edition FBC cycle (31 Dec 2023). 75% · BORA CodeAppeals page (links to Municode FFPC Broward Amendments, 8th Ed.) + Florida State Fire Marshal FFPC page
• Are there local amendments to any of the above? Yes. BORA maintains and publishes Broward-specific technical amendments to the 8th-edition FBC by volume -- e.g. 'FBC (2023) Residential Technical Amendments, 8th Edition' and 'FBC (2023) Plumbing Appendix F-Ch 3, Ch 6' -- plus the county-wide administrative provisions in Broward County Administrative Chapter 1 (permit application, submittal, inspection and fee rules quoted throughout this file) and the HVHZ-specific R44xx/1512-series sections that apply only in Broward and Miami-Dade. 85% · Florida Building Commission filing of Broward's local amendment (Plumbing volume), dated 29 Dec 2023
• What is the installation judged against? The 8th-edition (2023) Florida Building Code (Building/Residential/Existing Building volumes) as locally amended by Broward County's Administrative Chapter 1 and BORA's technical amendments, the HVHZ-specific wind/product-approval provisions, NEC Article 690 'in its entirety,' and the BORA Uniform Solar Permit Submittal Matrix (Board Policy #09-02) governing what must be submitted and reviewed. 75% · BORA Uniform Solar Permit Submittal Matrix + corroborating 8th-edition FBC adoption evidence

Ridge setbacks and roof access pathways are fire-service requirements and they constrain the array layout. They are the most common cause of a redesign after the fire department comments on a plan set.

• What ridge setback and access pathways are required? Florida Building Code Residential §R324.6 (roof access & pathways) and §R324.6.2 (setback at ridge): not fewer than two 36-inch-wide pathways from lowest roof edge to ridge on separate roof planes (one on the street/driveway side, one on/adjacent to each PV-array roof plane); ridge setback of 18 inches on both sides where the PV array covers 33% or less of the plan-view roof area (or 66% or less with an NFPA 13D/P2904 residential fire sprinkler system installed), rising to 36 inches above those thresholds; §R324.6.2.2 additionally bars panels directly below an emergency escape/rescue opening and requires a 36-inch pathway to it. Exceptions exist for detached non-habitable accessory structures and for roofs at or under a 2:12 slope. 72% · ICC 'Significant Changes' commentary reproducing IRC/FBCR §R324.6 verbatim, cross-checked against a Florida county government's own §R324 mirror (Leon County)

Which rapid-shutdown rule applies follows directly from the NEC edition in force, and the initiation device has to be at a location the fire service can reach and identify. This is inspected, and it is labelled.

• Is rapid shutdown required, and to which NEC edition? Yes, required by NEC Art. 690.12 under the 2023 NEC as adopted via the 8th-edition (2023) Florida Building Code, Electrical volume. No Broward-specific amendment to the rapid-shutdown requirement was found. 62% · Inference from NEC edition in force + BORA matrix's 'NEC Art. 690 in its entirety' requirement

The NEC sets a baseline for permanent markings at the service equipment and the disconnecting means. On top of that, an authority may specify its own wording, and the utility may specify more again. Where any of them writes its own text, a generic off-the-shelf label set will not pass — this is the detail most often fixed on a return visit.

• Is a site plan / facility map placard required, and what must it show? No Broward-AHJ-specific facility-map placard requirement found; NEC Art. 690 (adopted in its entirety) contains the general directory/plaque requirement for multiple disconnects. Separately, FPL (the utility, not the AHJ) requires 'a sign noting the location of the disconnect switch ... installed at the meter to enable FPL personnel to easily locate the disconnect switch in the event of an emergency,' and requires customers to 'contact FPL for approval ... of the verbiage or the location of the sign prior to final design.' 60% · FPL Net Metering Guidelines (utility-level, not AHJ) + absence across documents opened
• Does the UTILITY specify placards beyond the AHJ's? Yes -- FPL (utility) requires signage beyond anything the AHJ documents I could open ask for: a location sign at the meter so FPL personnel can find the disconnect switch in an emergency, plus a warning sign on the switch itself stating both sides may be energized; FPL must be contacted to approve the sign's wording/location before final design; the switch must be mounted separate from but adjacent to the FPL meter socket, remain accessible to FPL at all times, and be lockable with a single FPL padlock (not locked inside a meter room). 80% · FPL Net Metering Guidelines
• Where must the labels be placed? AHJ-side: unresolved -- would most likely be answered by FI-37 (solar disconnect placard interpretation) which I could not retrieve (see q38). Utility-side (FPL): the location sign goes at the meter (not necessarily on the disconnect itself), and the warning sign goes on the disconnect switch enclosure; the switch itself must be mounted adjacent to (not inside) the meter enclosure. 55% · FPL Net Metering Guidelines; AHJ-side unresolved per q38

Where the AC disconnect must sit relative to the meter is usually the utility's rule, not the building department's. Battery storage frequently carries its own permit, its own inspection and its own fire conditions.

• Where must the AC disconnect be, relative to the meter? Per FPL (the utility, since the AC disconnect requirement here is a utility interconnection rule rather than a Broward AHJ rule): the manual disconnect switch (required for Tier 2/Tier 3 systems, i.e. systems above the smallest net-metering tier) must be mounted separate from, but adjacent to, the FPL meter socket -- 'nearby and readily accessible from the meter location' -- remain accessible to FPL at all times, and be lockable in the open position with a single FPL padlock; it must not be locked inside a meter room. 78% · FPL Net Metering Guidelines
• Must equipment be on a specific approved list? Yes, functionally -- every HVHZ roof attachment component (panel, racking/mounting system, clamps, flashing, fasteners) must carry a current Florida Product Approval (marked for HVHZ use) or a Miami-Dade County Notice of Acceptance (NOA); and NEC 110.3(B) ('listed or labeled equipment shall be installed and used in accordance with any instructions included in the listing or labeling') is cited directly in the BORA Uniform Solar Permit Submittal Matrix as a component-documentation requirement, alongside required FSEC certification/listing for solar-thermal equipment. 75% · BORA Uniform Solar Permit Submittal Matrix (NEC 110.3(B) / FSEC citation) + secondary HVHZ product-approval sources
• Are batteries permitted, and under what conditions? Yes, under Florida's statewide adoption of NFPA 855 (Installation of Stationary Energy Storage Systems) via the Florida Fire Prevention Code, 8th Edition (2023), and Florida Building Code Residential §R328 (added in the 2023/8th-edition cycle to correlate with NFPA 855). Reported general NFPA 855 residential conditions: units restricted to specific locations (garage, utility closet, outdoors -- not habitable rooms such as bedrooms), an aggregate capacity limit (commonly cited as up to 280 kWh per dwelling once Ch. 15 location-based limits are correctly applied), minimum 3-foot spacing between ESS units (unless UL 9540A testing supports closer spacing), and interconnected smoke/heat alarms where installed in a garage or closet. I found no Broward-specific ESS amendment beyond this statewide baseline. 55% · secondary sources on statewide NFPA 855 / FBC Residential §R328 adoption (Broward-specific amendment text not independently opened)
• Is a specific mounting system or attachment spacing required? No single prescribed mounting system or spacing, but every roof-attached component (panels, racking, clamps, flashing, lag bolts) must individually carry HVHZ product approval -- either a statewide Florida Product Approval marked 'Approved for use in the HVHZ' or a Miami-Dade County Notice of Acceptance (NOA) -- plus PE/RA-sealed wind-load, uplift, lateral-force and connection-design calculations per component, because Broward is in the HVHZ. 75% · BORA Uniform Solar Permit Submittal Matrix + secondary sources on HVHZ product-approval mechanism

Booking is a portal, a phone call or an email depending on the authority, and the notice required is rarely zero. Book before the work is finished rather than after — the lead time, not the work, is usually what sets the date.

• How is an inspection booked? Portal or by phone/office visit: 'Building permit inspections can now be requested online by selecting the online inspections portal,' requiring the permit number, a phone access code found on the permit fee invoice, inspection type, requested date, and a day-of point of contact. BCD's main line (954-765-4400) and its Fort Lauderdale office (2307 W. Broward Blvd Suite 300) remain available as alternate routes. 65% · county contact info (opened directly) + search-engine synthesis of the (client-rendered, not directly opened) inspection-request page
• How much notice is required? Inspection requests made after 3:00 PM are pushed to the next business day -- implying same-day requests up to that cutoff and effectively no formal advance-notice period beyond that daily cutoff for standard inspections. Overtime/after-hours inspections require 48 hours' advance notice, requested directly with the relevant Trade Chief. 55% · search-engine synthesis of a client-rendered county inspections page (not independently opened)

Some authorities inspect their own solar work; some delegate it, and a few do not inspect the PV equipment itself at all. Who is coming determines what they will look at.

• Does this AHJ perform its own final solar inspection? Yes for BMSD -- Broward County Building Code Division performs its own final solar inspections there (Building/Structure/Roofing and Electrical, per the BORA inspection matrix). For addresses in incorporated municipalities, their own building department inspects (BCD is not the AHJ there -- see jurisdiction/q1). 75% · BORA Policy #09-02(D)
• If delegated, to whom? Not delegated within BMSD -- Broward County Building Code Division performs the inspections itself with its own inspectors. (Outside BMSD, in any incorporated municipality, the relevant city building department is the inspecting authority instead of BCD -- see q1/q2/jurisdiction.) 70% · BORA Policy #09-02(D)

A rough-in or mid-roof inspection, where one is required, has to happen before the work it covers is closed up. Missing a stage means opening something back up, and it is the most expensive kind of correction.

• Which inspections are required, and in what order? Per BORA Policy #09-02(D), by system type: Solar Thermal -- Building/Structure/Roofing (at time of installation, then Final) and Plumbing (Final). Solar Electric -- Building/Structure/Roofing (at time of installation, then Final) and Electrical (Rough, then Final). Hybrid (combined PV + integral solar water panel) systems -- Building/Structure/Roofing (installation + Final), Electrical (Rough + Final), and Plumbing (Final). The Board recommends all required inspections for a given visit be completed within a two-hour window. 85% · BORA Policy #09-02(D)
• Is a rough-in or mid-roof inspection required? Yes for Solar Electric and Hybrid systems -- an Electrical Rough inspection is required in addition to Electrical Final (per BORA Policy #09-02(D)). Solar Thermal-only systems do not get a distinct 'rough' inspection line under the same policy (only Building/Structure/Roofing at installation + final, and Plumbing final). 80% · BORA Policy #09-02(D)

The approved plan set, the permit, and the equipment listings should be on site and reachable. Inspectors routinely verify that installed equipment matches what was approved, and that the labels are the ones the plan set promised.

• Does the inspector verify labels and listings? Not explicitly stated as an inspection checkpoint in any Broward document I could open, but it follows necessarily from two things that ARE stated: (1) BORA's Uniform Solar Permit Submittal Matrix requires 'FSEC Certification' and NEC 110.3(B) listed/labeled-equipment compliance as a component-documentation submittal, and (2) the FBC generally requires installed work to conform to the approved plans, which include that listing/labeling documentation -- so a Broward final inspection would necessarily be checking installed equipment against the submitted listing/labeling documentation even though no Broward inspection checklist I opened spells this out as a separate line item. 55% · Inference from BORA Uniform Solar Permit Submittal Matrix (component-documentation/listing requirement)

Passing gives you a final or an equivalent sign-off. That is not the same as permission to operate: PTO comes from the utility, and who tells the utility the inspection passed varies. A system left switched off for weeks is usually waiting on this handover.

• What is issued on pass? Most likely 'Final' (a passed Final Electrical/Final Building inspection sign-off) rather than a new Certificate of Occupancy, since a PV retrofit on an existing residence is not a change of occupancy -- but no Broward document I opened states this in terms for solar specifically, and BCD's fee schedule does separately price 'Issuing original Certificate of Occupancy / Certificate of Completion / Temporary CO / Partial CO per discipline' as its own line item, which leaves open the possibility Broward issues some form of completion certificate on a solar master-permit close-out. 45% · inference from county fee schedule Sec. 40.29(a) framework; no direct Broward statement for solar found
• Who notifies the utility for PTO? Most likely the installer/customer, via FPL's own net-metering interconnection application -- FPL's guidelines state that operating the system 'prior to the installation of a new bi-directional meter is strictly prohibited,' which gates PTO behind FPL's own process rather than an automatic AHJ-to-utility notification, but FPL's document does not explicitly name who is responsible for submitting/triggering that process (installer vs. homeowner vs. AHJ). 45% · FPL Net Metering Guidelines (silent on who specifically notifies FPL)
• Is there a re-inspection fee? $66.00 for the first reinspection, doubling for each subsequent reinspection of the same violation: 2nd $132.00, 3rd $198.00, 4th $264.00, and so on in multiples of $66. (General BCD fee, not solar-specific.) 75% · county fee schedule Sec. 40.27(d)(3)(c), Internet Archive snapshot of 6 Jul 2024