City of Atlantis

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? Yes. The City of Atlantis is the AHJ for residential solar: it is one of the 392 Florida local governments listed on the DBPR/floridabuilding.org local-government (surcharge) dropdown as an entity that actually issues building permits, and it runs its own Construction Services Department under Code Art. III, ch. 4 (Ord. 472, 20 Jul 2022) as a dedicated enterprise fund. 95% · state permit-issuer register
• What does this authority permit itself, and what does it delegate? Atlantis itself holds building, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, gas, zoning and floodplain permitting and inspection; it CONTRACTS the Building Official and the inspections themselves (budget line 450-524311 'Building Official Contract' $115,000 against $63,570 of in-house payroll; the FY23-24 budget names the same line 'Building Official and Inspections $110,000'). FIRE is delegated to GREENACRES FIRE RESCUE by contract (general fund 001-522340 'Fire Rescue Service Contract' $399,374 plus Fire Assessment Fund 102 at $707,742). Palm Beach County Fire Rescue only DISPATCHES for Atlantis; it does not serve it. 92% · adopted budget + provider and county pages
• Is a permit required for a residential rooftop PV system? Yes, and the trigger is unusually wide. Zoning Sec. 15-10(c)(1): no structure may be 'erected, moved, added to, structurally altered OR AESTHETICALLY ALTERED' without a building permit. The Building Department page states 'Atlantis requires permits prior to making all exterior alterations or installations'. A rooftop PV array is both a structural and an aesthetic alteration of the exterior. FBC-amendment 105.2 exempts only replacement/repair under $1,000, interior finish work, film sets, playground equipment, retractable awnings and small movable fixtures - and four of those six exemptions are expressly qualified 'providing such work does not otherwise require ARC approval'. No solar exemption anywhere. 95% · codified ordinance + department page
• Is there a separate electrical permit, or is it combined? Electrical is a separate 'Trade permit'. Code Sec. 4-33 defines 'Trade permit' as a structural, electrical, mechanical or plumbing permit, a 'Master permit' as the permit for the complete work, a 'Subsidiary permit' as a trade permit under a master, and a 'Stand-alone permit' as a trade permit pulled without a master. The New Residential Construction checklist confirms the practice: the permit fee 'includes structural, electrical and plumbing' for new construction, but 'All other disciplines must have separate permit for work.' For a retrofit PV job on an existing dwelling the expected shape is a master/structural permit with a subsidiary electrical permit. 75% · codified ordinance + department checklist
• Is a HOA or architectural approval required first? YES, AND IT IS THE STRONGEST ARCHITECTURAL GATE IN THIS SURVEY - BUT IT IS SUBSTANTIVELY PREEMPTED FOR SOLAR. (a) ARCHITECTURAL: Sec. 15-10(e)(3) - the ARC 'shall review EVERY application for a permit ... to erect a building, sign, or structure of any kind, whatsoever, or to ALTER, REMODEL, REPAIR, OR CHANGE THE EXTERIOR of any structure'. No residential exemption. Sec. 15-10(c)(2): plans 'must be approved by the city architectural committee ... PRIOR TO THEIR SUBMISSION WITH THE APPLICATION FOR A BUILDING PERMIT'. The ARC is 'the final decision-making authority'. (b) HOA: the City enforces the association's decision as a permit condition - 'For homes in a homeowners association, exterior work must include written association approval'; 'Any permits for exterior work on condos, villas or homeowner groups must include written association approval OR IT WILL NOT BE PRESENTED BEFORE THE ARC OR APPROVED UNTIL IT IS PROVIDED'; the permit application carries 'Association approval must be submitted when applicable' against both SINGLE FAMILY and CONDO/VILLA GROUP. Sec. 15-6(a) goes further and adopts the covenant as the standard: where the zoning chapter and 'deed restrictions or covenants' differ, 'the most restrictive or that imposing the higher standards shall govern'. (c) THE PREEMPTION: FS 163.04(1) makes an ordinance that 'prohibits or has the effect of prohibiting the installation of solar collectors' EXPRESSLY PROHIBITED, and 163.04(2) bars any deed restriction or approving entity from denying solar, limiting it to choosing a location on the roof within 45 degrees east or west of due south and only 'if such determination does not impair the effective operation of the solar collectors'; 163.04(3) awards costs and attorney's fees to the prevailing party. So both approvals are procedurally required and substantively cannot be used to refuse a PV array. 92% · codified ordinance + Florida Statutes
• Is there a historic-district review? NO. Atlantis has no historic district, no local register, no historic preservation board and no certificate of appropriateness. Across 1,267,061 characters of codified text the phrase 'certificate of appropriate' appears ZERO times; the 14 hits on 'historic' are the code publisher's own boilerplate, a flood-chapter variance keyed to FBC Existing Building ch. 12, the fire appeals board's 'historic, geographic or unusual conditions' criterion, and 'historic surface water drainage flows'. The City's Boards page lists ARC, Board of Adjustment, Commission on Ethics, Finance & Audit, Infrastructure Surtax Oversight, Local Planning Agency and the Neighborhood Improvement District - no historic board. 90% · codified ordinance, enumerated
• Is a wind or windstorm certification required? Not a separate certification, but the wind criteria are codified and high. Sec. 4-23 (Ord. 419, 2012) establishes design wind speeds under FBC 1609.3: Category I 160 mph, Category II 170 mph, Category III and IV 180 mph. A dwelling is Category II, so 170 mph. Product approvals (NOAs) are a mandatory submittal item - 'Two (2) sets and NOA's of plans' on the application, 'Two sets of product approvals' on the Building Department page - and 107.2.1.2 requires the construction documents to show the wind resistance rating and either product evaluation or an architect/engineer statement for the specific site. 90% · codified ordinance + permit application
• Is a Specific Use Permit or Council approval ever required? Council approval is not routine, but it is the top of the appeal ladder and the ARC decision is a committee decision on every permit. Sec. 15-10(e)(6): the ARC is the final decision maker; a denied applicant has 30 days to petition the ARC for reconsideration, the ARC acts within 30 days, and only then may the applicant appeal to the City Council, which acts within 45 days and 'may not waive requirements specifically set forth in the code'. A variance from a code requirement goes instead to the Board of Adjustment under Sec. 15-9. No special use permit exists for solar. 88% · codified ordinance
• Is there a system-size cap on residential generation? No City cap. The City code says 'solar' once in 1.27 MB and it is not a size rule. The binding caps are FPL's: Tier 1 is an inverter AC rating of 10 kW or less (about 11.76 kW DC at FAC 25-6.065(2)(b)'s AC = DC x 0.85), Tier 2 above 10 kW to 100 kW, Tier 3 above 100 kW to 2 MW; and generation is capped at 90% of the serving FPL transformer rating. Crossing 10 kW AC is what buys a mandatory visually-open DER disconnect switch. 88% · utility standards + codified ordinance (absence)

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 contractor holding the relevant Florida licence who is REGISTERED with the City first, or the homeowner under an Owner/Builder Affidavit. There is no local licence class list for solar; Sec. 4-22 adopts FBC 105.1 ('Any contractor, owner, or agent authorized in accordance with Chapter 489, F.S.'). 85% · department page + codified FBC amendment
• Must the contractor be registered with this authority before applying? Yes, and before any work at all. 'All contractors/companies working in Atlantis must be registered with us'; 'You must be registered in order to do business in the city'; 'Companies doing business in Atlantis are required to register with the City PRIOR TO STARTING WORK.' A Business Tax Receipt is required, renewed every 1 October, supported by Certificate of Competency, Palm Beach County licence, proof of liability and workers' comp insurance and the State licence. The FAQ puts it bluntly: 'Only companies who have obtained a business tax receipt from City Hall can do jobs in the City of Atlantis.' 95% · department page
• Is a homeowner permitted to self-install and self-permit? Yes. An Owner Builder Affidavit is a published form and is a listed alternative to the contract on both the building permit application and the ARC application ('Copy of contract OR Owner/Builder Affidavit'). Note FS 489.103(7)(a)3, the dedicated solar owner-builder limb, remains conditional on a DOE SunShot Rooftop Solar Challenge grant and in any event requires a licensed electrical contractor for the wiring. 85% · city form

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? From the permit application form itself: (1) completed, notarised application; (2) TWO sets of plans WITH NOAs (product approvals) and a survey showing setbacks met; (3) a COPY OF THE CONTRACT; (4) Notice of Commencement; (5) Owner/Builder affidavit if applicable; (6) payment at submission; (7) pictures of the house for exterior work. The Building Department page adds: two sets of photos of proposed replacement items, a product sample where applicable, two sets of product approvals, and - for any home in a homeowners association - WRITTEN ASSOCIATION APPROVAL. The 17-digit County Property Control Number is a required field. ARC approval must already exist (Sec. 15-10(c)(2)). 'INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.' 90% · permit application form
• How many copies, and in what format? TWO paper sets for residential, on paper. 'Two paper copies of supporting documents (plans, photos, et al.) must be submitted.' FBC-amendment 107.1 says 'two or more sets'. ARC needs 'two sets of detailed plans and/or detailed specifications'. Commercial is three sets because of the Greenacres fire review. Plans must be to a minimum 1/8 inch scale on substantial paper (107.2.1.4). Electronic submission is discretionary only ('Electronic media documents shall be submitted when required by the building official'). 92% · department page + codified FBC amendment
• Is a site plan required, and what must it show? Yes. FBC-amendment 107.2.5 requires a site plan to scale showing size and location of new construction and existing structures, distances from lot lines, street grades, proposed finished grades and, as applicable, flood hazard areas, floodways and design flood elevations, drawn from an accurate boundary line survey. The permit application separately requires 'plans with survey ... showing setback requirements being met'. The building official may waive it for alteration or repair. Sec. 4-6 requires a signed and sealed boundary AND tie-in survey only where the work alters the structure's distance to a lot line - which a roof-mounted array does not and a ground mount does. 90% · codified FBC amendment
• Is a one-line / three-line diagram required? Effectively yes, expressed as a riser rather than a one-line. FBC-amendment 107.3.5.3(9), the minimum plan review criteria for one- and two-family dwellings, requires: 'Electrical: Electric service riser with wire sizes, conduit detail and grounding detail, Complete load calculations, Panel schedules.' Separately FPL requires a Single Line Diagram that includes the meter number, and a three-line diagram in some cases. 88% · codified FBC amendment
• Are string and conductor calculations required? Yes - 'Complete load calculations' and 'Panel schedules' are both named in the codified residential minimum plan review criteria (107.3.5.3(9)), alongside wire sizes, conduit detail and grounding detail. 107.2.1.3 lets the building official require further 'details, computations, stress diagrams, and other data'. 88% · codified FBC amendment
• Is a structural PE stamp required, and at what threshold? A DOLLAR threshold, and it is the lowest found in this survey. Zoning Sec. 15-10(c)(4): 'All drawings and specifications for RESIDENCES OF $10,000.00 VALUE OR MORE ... shall bear the signature and seal of a registered architect or engineer, registered in the State of Florida', and 'Any structural remodeling or structural alteration plans are to be prepared by a registered architect or engineer.' A typical residential PV job at $25,000-$55,000 is far over the threshold, so signed and sealed drawings are required as a matter of course - not on an engineering judgement but on price. 90% · codified zoning ordinance
• Is an electrical PE stamp required, and at what threshold? The same clause. Sec. 15-10(c)(4) does not separate electrical from structural: all drawings and specifications for residences of $10,000 value or more must bear the seal of a Florida registered architect or engineer. No separate electrical-PE threshold is published. 80% · codified zoning ordinance

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? NONE. Atlantis operates no permit portal. Applications are paper, filed at City Hall, 260 Orange Tree Drive; the forms are downloadable PDFs from a CivicPlus Document Center and the application must be NOTARISED. The site has no eTRAKiT, iWorQ, Cloudpermit, MyGov, SolarAPP or equivalent - a keyword sweep of all 119 sitemap pages returned zero hits for every one of those names and for 'portal'. The only transactional systems the City runs are utility bill payment (municipalonlinepayments.com/atlantisfl) and a Laserfiche document repository. 90% · enumerated city website + department page
• Can the whole application be completed online? No. Two paper copies of plans and supporting documents must be submitted, the application must be notarised, payment is due at submission, and a $200/$500 cash bond must be deposited with the City Clerk before the permit issues. Electronic media is submitted only 'when required by the building official' (107.1). FS 553.79(1)(b)'s electronic-submission expectation is not met here. 88% · department page + codified FBC amendment
• What does a residential solar permit cost? TWO DIFFERENT PUBLISHED FORMULAS, on the same website, and they disagree. FAQ (Building): '$60 for the first $1,000 dollars worth of work, and 2.25% for the remainder of the cost of the job up to $50,000. Contact City Hall ... for fees for projects over $50,000.' Checklist for New Residential Construction: 'Permit Fees are $50.00 up to $2,500 (value of the job) - otherwise the fee is 2% of the cost of the job.' On a $40,000 PV job that is $937.50 by the FAQ and $800.00 by the checklist. Add a REFUNDABLE CASH BOND of $500 for any permit over $10,000 (Sec. 4-7), a building surcharge of 1 cent per square foot, and possible separate plan review, engineering and re-inspection fees named on the application. Quote a range, not a number, and confirm with City Hall on 561-965-1744 x112. 70% · department FAQ + department checklist
• How is the fee calculated? By VALUATION - a percentage of the cost of the job, plus a flat base. FBC-amendment 109.3 defines valuation as 'total replacement value to include structural, electric, plumbing, mechanical, interior finish, relative site work, architectural and design fees, marketing costs, OVERHEAD AND PROFIT; excluding only land value', with Marshall-Swift/Means as reference data and 'Final building permit valuation shall be set by the building official.' The application says 'the above permit fee is based on the value of the job as described herein.' *** This sits squarely against FS 553.79(1)(f), which bars requiring a contract 'or any associated document, including ... material costs lists, labor costs, or overhead or profit statements' and says 'Inspection fees may not be based on the total cost of a project and may not exceed the actual inspection costs incurred' - yet 109.3 says the permit SHALL BE DENIED unless the applicant produces 'detailed, quantity estimates, and/or bona fide signed contracts'. *** 90% · codified FBC amendment
• Is there a separate plan-check fee? Not in the published formulas, but the permit application warns of one: 'Additional fees including but not limited to PLAN REVIEW, Engineering and Re-inspection fees may apply.' Neither of the two published fee statements contains a plan-check line, and the FY2024-25 budget's Construction Services fund has only two fee revenue accounts - 450-322100 Building Permits $247,000 and 450-329100 Reinspection Fees $5,000 - with no separate plan-review account. 70% · permit application form + adopted budget

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? 30 WORKING DAYS for a single-family dwelling, codified. FBC-amendment 105.3.4: 'A building permit for a single-family residential dwelling must be issued within 30 working days of application therefore unless unusual circumstances...' That matches FS 553.792(1)(a) limb 2 (30 business days, structure under 7,500 sq ft). BUT the clock cannot start until the ARC has approved, because Sec. 15-10(c)(2) makes ARC approval a condition of SUBMITTING the application - and the ARC has its own 45-day deemed-approval window. Realistic worst case before issue: ARC 45 days + 30 working days. 88% · codified FBC amendment
• How long is an issued permit valid before it expires? TWO REGIMES IN ONE CODE, AND THEY CONFLICT. Zoning Sec. 15-10(c)(6)-(7): the permit expires if work has not BEGUN within 90 days, and expires if not SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETED within two years. FBC-amendment 105.4.1.2-105.4.1.3: a permit becomes null if no approved inspection in six months, and a new permit must be obtained within six months of expiry; 105.5 'Expiration' is 'Reserved'. Separately Sec. 4-63(2) creates a rebuttable presumption of a construction-delay violation, citable before the special master, if no inspection is requested for 45 days. 85% · codified ordinance
• Which utility handles interconnection here? FLORIDA POWER & LIGHT. The City owns only its water, sewer and stormwater utility; electricity is bought from FPL and the City takes a franchise fee from it. The FY2023-24 budget names the line 'Franchise - FPL $280,000 / $290,000' and the FY2024-25 chart of accounts carries '001-323100 Franchise Fee - Electricity $290,000'. A city cannot pay itself a franchise fee. The City also levies a 5% public service tax on every sale of electricity (Sec. 12.5-50, Ord. 486 of 14 May 2024), budgeted at $241,667. 95% · adopted budget + codified ordinance
• Where does the utility sit in the sequence? FPL sits at both ends and the City sits in the middle. FPL's Electric Service Standards XIII.A recommend written interconnection approval BEFORE procuring material, and FAC 25-6.065(5)(a) requires local code approval BEFORE parallel operation, with 10 days' notice before placing in service. Atlantis adds a front-end step nobody else does: ARC approval before the permit application may even be filed. For new construction the City also holds the meter - Sec. 15-10(c)(9): 'Permanent electric power shall not be connected until after the issuance of a certificate of occupancy.' 85% · utility standards + codified ordinance

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? GENUINELY UNSETTLED, and it is a two-instrument problem. Sec. 4-24 (Ord. 419, 21 Mar 2012): 'The MOST CURRENT EDITION of the National Electrical Code ... is hereby adopted' - a floating adoption of the NEC in the City's own right. Sec. 4-21 separately adopts 'the most current edition of the Florida Building Code' - also floating - and the City's flood page states the current adoption as 'Florida Building Code 2023 Edition 8', whose electrical provisions run on NEC 2020. So the codified City answer is 'whatever NEC edition is current', while the FBC route gives NEC 2020. Ask the Building Official which he enforces before designing to either. 75% · codified ordinance
• Which building code edition is in force? Florida Building Code, 8th Edition (2023), adopted by floating reference in Sec. 4-21 and named explicitly on the City's floodplain Permits page: 'The City of Atlantis has adopted the Florida Building Code 2023 Edition 8.' 92% · department page + codified ordinance
• Which fire code edition is in force? Florida Fire Prevention Code, current edition, adopted by floating reference. Sec. 7-26(a) adopts 'the Florida Fire Prevention Code, composed of the Fire Prevention Code, NFPA 1 and the Life Safety Code, Pamphlet 101, CURRENT EDITIONS, as adopted by the state fire marshal'. The enforcing fire official, the Greenacres Fire Marshal, names the 7th Edition on the Greenacres Fire Rescue site. 85% · codified ordinance + fire provider page
• Are there local amendments to any of the above? Building: YES and they are extensive - Sec. 4-22 is 216,855 characters of local amendments to FBC Chapter 1 Administration (Sections 101-119), covering permits, exemptions, fees, valuation, inspections, certificates and appeals. Electrical: NO local technical amendments; Sec. 4-24 simply adopts the NEC. Fire: NO - Sec. 7-28, which formerly amended NFPA 1, was REPEALED in its entirety by Ord. 333 of 20 Mar 2002 and is 'Reserved', and the former Sec. 7-29 amending NFPA 101 was likewise repealed and replaced with an appeals procedure. Wind speed lines are locally established (Sec. 4-23). 90% · codified ordinance
• What is the installation judged against? The Florida Building Code 2023 (8th ed.) as locally amended by Sec. 4-22, plus the NEC per Sec. 4-24, plus FBC-amendment 101.4.1 which routes electrical to 'the provisions of Chapter 27 of the Florida Building Code, Building'. FBC-amendment 101.3.2 disclaims warranty and liability for the City's review and inspection. 85% · codified ordinance

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.

Nothing recorded for City of Atlantis on this step yet — 1 question checked and found unpublished. The guidance above is general.

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? Not addressed locally; it follows the adopted NEC edition (NEC 690.12), which is itself unsettled between 'the most current edition' under Sec. 4-24 and NEC 2020 via FBC 2023. The words 'rapid shutdown' appear nowhere in the City code. 70% · codified ordinance (absence)

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.

• Which placards does this authority require at the service equipment? FPL's, not the City's. The City specifies no placards at all. FPL Electric Service Standards Section XIII (stamped 10-30-25), XIII.A.6: two engraved placards, one at the INTERCONNECTING METER CAN and one at the DER DISCONNECT SWITCH. If a battery is present, XIII.C.1 adds a third placard permanently affixed to the meter enclosure. 92% · utility standards
• Does the authority specify placard wording of its own? FPL does, verbatim. XIII.A.6: 'INTERCONNECTING METER CAN / WARNING / MULTI POWER SOURCES / ENTER SOURCES HERE / RATED AC OUTPUT CURRENT ** AMPS / NOMINAL OPERATING VOLTAGE ** VOLTS' - a FOUR-LINE placard with TWO job-specific numeric fields. And 'DER DISCONNECT SWITCH / GENERATION SYSTEM AC DISCONNECT / RATED AC OUTPUT CURRENT ** AMPS / NOMINAL OPERATING VOLTAGE ** VOLTS' - three lines, two numeric fields. Battery: XIII.C.1 - 'Battery storage utilized in this facility.' The identical placard block is printed TWICE in Section XIII, at A.6 (page XIII:2) where it reads 'All labels MUST be permanent' and again at B.6 (page XIII:9) where the same sentence reads 'All labels SHOULD be permanent'. 92% · utility standards
• Does it specify letter height, colour or material? Partly. FPL requires 'permanent and weatherproof/UV resistant placard with ENGRAVED LETTERS'. It specifies NO letter height and NO colour. The City specifies nothing. 90% · utility standards
• Is a site plan / facility map placard required, and what must it show? No AHJ placard. FPL's requirement is a drawing, not a placard: XIII.A.3 - 'Meter numbers associated with interconnecting premise must be included in Single Line Diagrams (SLD) and/or plans', and XIII.A.4 - 'Plans must show dimensions between the location of the meter socket and the DER disconnect switch.' XIII.A.7 may require a System Impact Study with all relaying, protection and metering on a one-line, and a three-line in some cases. 88% · utility standards
• Does the UTILITY specify placards beyond the AHJ's? YES - and they are the ONLY placards on the job. Atlantis requires none, so every label on an Atlantis PV installation is an FPL requirement. Note XIII.A.6 is NOT tier-scoped, so the meter-can placard reaches even a Tier 1 (10 kW AC or less) system that needs no disconnect switch at all. 90% · utility standards
• Where must the labels be placed? At the interconnecting meter can, and on the DER disconnect switch. Battery placard: 'permanently affixed to the meter enclosure'. Where a DER disconnect is required it must sit separate from but adjacent to the FPL meter socket, within 10 feet, always accessible to FPL, with no locked gates, doors or fences between them. 92% · utility standards

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? Tier 1 (inverter AC rating 10 kW or less): NO DER disconnect switch required - XIII.A.4 is expressly scoped, 'All TIER 2 AND TIER 3 systems require an FPL approved visually open DER disconnect switch', and FAC 25-6.065(6)(a) exempts inverter-based Tier 1 unless the utility pays. Where one IS required it must be on the AC side, mounted separate from but adjacent to the FPL meter socket WITHIN 10 FEET, always accessible to FPL, with no locked gates, doors or fences between, load side of the meter to the IEEE 1547 inverter and line side to FPL's grid, with the dimensions shown on the plans. Separately XIII.A.5 is NOT tier-scoped: a LINE-SIDE TAP ahead of the main panel forces a manual AC disconnect within 10 feet of the meter socket at any tier - so ask the tap point before quoting. 92% · utility standards
• Must equipment be on a specific approved list? No local approved-equipment list, but three external ones bite. FPL XIII.A.1: the inverter must be certified to UL 1741 SA and IEEE 1547 - 'Inverters that have not been certified to UL Standard will be denied interconnection.' FPL XIII.C.1: battery equipment must be NRTL-certified to the current UL 1741, or DC-coupled behind a UL 1741 listed device. The City requires Notices of Acceptance (product approvals) with every application and two sets of product approvals with the permit, and FBC-amendment 104.9 lets the building official approve materials and equipment. 90% · utility standards + permit application
• Are batteries permitted, and under what conditions? Yes, under FPL's conditions, with no City rule at all. XIII.C.2: energy stored is for the customer's use only and 'at this time the customer may not export power from the battery to the grid'. XIII.C.3: a backup-only battery with no renewable generation may charge from the grid and 'No interconnection agreement is required', with the customer responsible for preventing back-feed. XIII.C.4: a grid-charging, grid-interconnected battery must be notified to FPL and, for now, submitted on a Small Generator Interconnection Application. Stand-alone battery storage is not 'renewable energy' under FAC 25-6.065(2)(d) and its output is not net metered. The words 'battery', 'energy storage' and 'ESS' do not appear as regulated terms anywhere in the Atlantis code. 90% · utility standards + codified ordinance (absence)
• Is there a separate ESS permit or inspection? No separate City ESS permit or inspection is published. A battery would ride on the electrical trade permit (Sec. 4-33) and the electrical rough-in and final inspections (110.3.B). FS 553.791(1)(r) treats 'solar energy and energy storage installations or alterations' as single-trade work. 65% · codified ordinance (inference)
• Is a ground mount treated as a structure? Yes, and a ground mount is caught in at least four places a roof mount is not. (1) Sec. 15-3(4): 'structure' is broadly defined and Sec. 15-10(c)(1) requires a permit to erect any structure. (2) R-1 accessory buildings and structures are limited to two floors and 20 feet. (3) Sec. 4-6 requires a signed and sealed boundary AND tie-in survey for any work that alters a structure's distance to lot lines - which a ground mount does and a roof array does not. (4) In the AE flood zone, Sec. 8-102 catches it as 'other development': anchored against flotation, collapse and lateral movement including buoyancy, built of flood damage-resistant materials, with 'mechanical, plumbing, and electrical systems ABOVE THE DESIGN FLOOD ELEVATION'. There is also a strong appearance analogue: Sec. 15-6(e) requires all roof-top appurtenances 'excluding solar heating devices' to be adequately screened from public view, and the ARC's generator rules demand sight screening and bar front-yard installation outright. 85% · codified ordinance
• Is there a local rule on service upgrades or busbar sizing? No busbar or service-upgrade rule of its own, but one clause bites hard on a service change: Sec. 4-10 requires that when any existing building is 'reconstructed, substantially extended or enlarged OR STRUCTURALLY ALTERED', it 'shall have an entirely underground location for all utility service lines, electrical distribution systems, wires and cables'. A PV job that involves a service or meter relocation should assume underground. FBC-amendment 102.8 separately bars the City from requiring that existing rooftop mechanical equipment be moved. 70% · codified ordinance
• Is a specific mounting system or attachment spacing required? No mounting-system or attachment-spacing rule for PV. The only roof-specific local requirements are material and appearance: Sec. 4-61 limits roofing materials citywide to concrete tiles, barrel tile and cedar shake shingles, while Sec. 15-5(f)(7) codifies a named roof product for each of thirteen-plus villa groups (Entegra Butterscotch Tile; Englert Metal Sierra Tan; White Flat Cement Tile; Westlake Royal Saxony 900 Split Shake Sierra Brown w/Black Antique; Boral Saxony 900 Slate Flat White Tile; Eagle Bel Air 4502 Arcadia Canyon Brown; standing seam metal Dove Gray; standing seam metal Mansard Brown; Crown Smoked Fireclay Tuscany red barrel; and others). Mounting hardware and flashing must suit tile or standing-seam metal, and note that the two clauses conflict - Sec. 4-61 does not permit metal roofing that Sec. 15-5 mandates for three villa groups. 85% · codified zoning ordinance

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? By telephone to City Hall, 561-965-1744 ext. 112. There is no online scheduler; the City runs no permit portal. The Standby Generators page adds that 'The electrician is responsible for calling in the final generator inspection', i.e. the trade contractor books their own trade final. 85% · department page
• How much notice is required? A 3:30 pm PRIOR-DAY CUT-OFF. 'Required inspections must be called in no later than 3:30 p.m. for an inspection to be scheduled for the next day. Inspections called in after 3:30 p.m. will not be processed until the following day.' Office hours are Monday-Friday 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. 95% · department page
• Are same-day or AM/PM windows offered? Not published. No AM/PM windows and no same-day option are stated anywhere; the only timing rule is the 3:30 pm prior-day cut-off, which by its terms produces next-business-day inspections with no window. 60% · department page (bounded)

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 - the City's own Construction Services Department performs the inspections, but through a CONTRACTED Building Official and inspection service rather than employees. Budget 450-524311 'Building Official Contract' $115,000 against $63,570 of in-house payroll; the FY23-24 budget names it 'Building Official and Inspections $110,000'. FBC-amendment 104.4: 'The building official shall make all of the required inspections, or the building official shall have the authority to accept reports of approved agencies.' 88% · adopted budget + codified FBC amendment
• If delegated, to whom? Not delegated for building or electrical. Fire is delegated to GREENACRES FIRE RESCUE, whose Fire Marshal (Peter 'Tyler' Wallwork, 561-642-2163, Greenacres City Hall, 5800 Melaleuca Lane, Greenacres FL 33463) performs fire plan review and final fire inspections - but for COMMERCIAL structures only, so not on a residential PV job. Private providers are defined in Sec. 4-33 by reference to FS 553.791 but no local private-provider procedure, reservation list or affidavit form is published. 88% · fire provider page + city form page

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? For an electrical trade permit, FBC-amendment 110.3.B lists four: (1) Underground inspection including bonding and ground, before backfill; (2) Rough-in, after dry-in and framing, before insulation or membranes; (3) Low voltage, for security, alarm, elevator and special uses; (4) Final, after the work is complete and properly connected. Building-side, 110.3.A includes a roofing inspection covering dry-in, insulation, roof coverings including in-progress, and flashing. 110.6: 'Work shall not be done beyond the point indicated in each successive inspection without first obtaining the approval of the building inspector.' 110.3 gives the building official discretion over 'the timing and sequencing of when inspections occur and what elements are inspected at each inspection'. A useful analogue is the published Standby Generators sequence: Slab, Electric Rough, Gas Rough, Gas Final, Electric Final done at the same time as the final generator inspection. 85% · codified FBC amendment
• Is a rough-in or mid-roof inspection required? Yes for electrical - 110.3.B.2 rough-in - though on a retrofit roof array with no concealed work the building official's 110.3 discretion over 'what elements are inspected at each inspection' may collapse it into the final. No mid-roof inspection type exists; the roofing inspection (110.3.A.3) does cover 'roof coverings (including in-progress)'. 70% · codified FBC amendment

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.

• Is there a published inspection checklist? For solar, NO. The City publishes checklists for New Residential Construction, Commercial Construction, Swimming Pools, Standby Generators, Air Conditioning Replacement and Landscape - and none for solar. The Standby Generators page is the closest published analogue and does give a full required-information list and inspection sequence. The site search returns ZERO results for 'solar' against 78 for 'fee schedule' and zero for the fabricated control. 88% · department page, enumerated
• What must be on site at inspection? One approved set of construction documents. FBC-amendment 107.3.1: one reviewed set is retained by the building official, 'The other set shall be returned to the applicant, shall be kept at the site of work and shall be open to inspection by the building official.' 105.7: 'The building permit or copy shall be kept on the site of the work until the completion of the project.' 105.8/Sec. 713.135 F.S.: the recorded Notice of Commencement 'must be recorded and posted on the job site BEFORE THE FIRST INSPECTION'. 92% · codified FBC amendment + permit application
• Does the inspector verify labels and listings? Not published as a distinct check. FBC-amendment 110.3.B.4 requires the electrical final to confirm that 'all required electrical fixtures are in place and properly connected or protected'; 104.9 makes approval of materials and equipment the building official's job. There is no published statement that labels or listings are verified at final. FPL, not the City, enforces the placards and the UL 1741 SA / IEEE 1547 listing - and FPL's leverage is the interconnection, not the inspection. 60% · codified FBC amendment (bounded)

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? For work in an existing dwelling, a Certificate of Completion; a Certificate of Occupancy is required only for use, occupancy or a change of occupancy classification (111.1), and is not issued for work exempt from permits. 111.2 lists thirteen mandatory contents of a CO including the permit number, the name of the building official and 'The edition of the code under which the permit was issued'. For new construction, landscaping must be complete per the ARC-approved plan before a CO issues (Sec. 15-10(c)(8)) and permanent power is withheld until the CO (Sec. 15-10(c)(9)). The $200/$500 cash bond is refunded after the site is cleared (Sec. 4-7). 80% · codified FBC amendment
• Who notifies the utility for PTO? The customer or the contractor, not the City. FPL XIII.A: 'All net metering systems require written approval and agreement from FPL'; FAC 25-6.065(5)(a) requires local code approval before parallel operation and (5)(b) ten days' notice before placing the system in service, with the agreement executed within 30 calendar days under (7)(c). Nothing in the Atlantis code, on its website or on its forms requires or permits the City to notify FPL. Contact for FPL net metering: netmetering@fpl.com. 85% · utility standards + codified ordinance (absence)
• Is there a re-inspection fee? YES, and it is budgeted. Revenue account 450-329100 'Reinspection Fees' $5,000 in the FY2024-25 Construction Services fund; the FY23-24 budget shows it created that year ('Building Permit Reinspection Fees $0 -> $5,000'). The permit application warns that 'Re-inspection fees may apply'. The Standby Generators page shows it in use: if landscaping and shielding are not in place at final, 'the inspection will fail and a re-inspection fee will be charged.' Sec. 7-48(e) separately provides a fire reinspection service fee set by Council resolution. THE AMOUNT IS NOT PUBLISHED. 85% · adopted budget + department page
• How are corrections issued and cleared? In writing at the inspection, section by section. FBC-amendment 110.6: the building official 'shall either indicate the portion of the construction that is satisfactory as completed, or notify the permit holder or his or her agent wherein the same fails to comply with this code. Any portions that do not comply shall be corrected and such portion shall not be covered or concealed until authorized by the building official.' Clearing is by re-inspection, chargeable. Watch Sec. 4-63(2): no inspection requested for 45 days creates a rebuttable presumption of a construction-delay violation, citable before the special master. 85% · codified FBC amendment