City of Bonifay

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? No. The City of Bonifay is NOT the building or electrical AHJ. Holmes County Building Department (107 E Virginia Ave, Bonifay; Building Official Keith Bennett; 850-547-1119; hcbd@holmescountyfl.org) issues and inspects building and electrical permits inside Bonifay city limits. The City's only role in the permit chain is a zoning 'Letter of Compliance'. 95% · city LDR s.10.13.02 + county permit packet + city audited financials
• What does this authority permit itself, and what does it delegate? City of Bonifay holds: land use / zoning (planning contracted to Alday-Howell Engineering, City Planner John Feeney, holmesplanning@aldayhowell.com, 850-634-6084), the Land Development Regulations, the Comprehensive Plan, the floodplain ordinance (Ord. 397), the electric franchises, the 10% public service tax, and fire suppression (Bonifay Fire-Rescue, ISO 5, all-volunteer, 21-22 members, Station 1 at 809 S Waukesha St). Holmes County Building Department holds: building permit, electrical/trade permits, plan review, and all inspections. Contractor licensing is a Holmes County Certificate of Competency. 88% · city department page + county department page
• Is a permit required for a residential rooftop PV system? Yes. A Holmes County building permit is required, and 'Solar System' is a printed project-type tick-box on the Application for Building Permit (Revised 02/2025). The FS 553.79(1)(g) $7,500 no-permit exemption cannot reach a PV job: (g)2.b excludes 'any electrical, plumbing, structural, mechanical, or gas work performed on property containing a single-family dwelling', and (g)2.a separately excludes property in a flood hazard area. 90% · county building permit application (rendered)
• Is there a separate electrical permit, or is it combined? Separate. The building permit and the electrical permit are two applications. The Application for Building Permit states 'I understand that a separate permit must be secured for ELECTRICAL WORK, PLUMBING, SIGNS, WELLS, POOLS...'; the electrical permit is taken on the county's Trade Permit Application (Revised 08/2026); and the fee schedule carries a separate Electrical line plus 'All sub-permits will be assessed a base fee of $10.00'. 92% · county permit application + trade permit application + fee schedule
• Is a HOA or architectural approval required first? Not as a permit prerequisite. The Application for Building Permit states in a boxed NOTICE: 'Holmes County Building Department does not have the authority to enforce deed restrictions or covenants on Properties. You are advised to check for any restrictions that may affect your property.' The City of Bonifay has no architectural review board. Private covenants may still bind the owner, subject to FS 163.04. 85% · county building permit application (rendered)
• Is there a historic-district review? No historic district, no Certificate of Appropriateness and no preservation board. What exists is City LDR s.4.08.02: during review of a development permit application the City determines whether the site is 'in an area of historical or archaeological significance as listed on the Florida Master Site File or the Holmes County Comprehensive Listing of Historical and Archaeological Resources', and if so requires a survey by a competent authority from an area college or university. Separately, 'Prior to the demolition of any housing over 75 years old or housing which is of historical or architectural significance, preservation alternatives shall be evaluated.' Neither limb reaches a rooftop PV retrofit; the archaeological limb could reach a GROUND MOUNT with footings on a listed parcel. 82% · city LDR chapter IV (rendered)
• Is a wind or windstorm certification required? No windstorm certificate as such. What is required is Florida Product Approval: the county checklist lists both 'Florida Product Codes' and 'Product Approval' as submittal items, and the Trade Permit Application's ROOF block has a printed 'FL. PRODUCT APPROVAL CODE' field. Holmes County is NOT in the High Velocity Hurricane Zone, which is Miami-Dade and Broward only. 78% · county checklist + trade permit application (rendered)
• Is a Specific Use Permit or Council approval ever required? No. No special use permit, conditional use or Council approval is required for a residential rooftop or accessory solar system. The one overlay in this county that could have reached a PV installation is the AIRPORT IMPACT OVERLAY ZONE created by Holmes County Ordinance 25-02 (adopted 15 April 2025, LDC s.2.02.04), which protects Tri-County Airport under FS Chapter 333 and contains the clause 'No operations of any type shall produce smoke, GLARE, or other visual impairment to pilots within three (3) miles of any usable runway of a public airport', plus a requirement for an FAA Form 7460-1 and an OE/AAA determination and a Tri-County Airport Authority letter for an airspace obstruction reviewed 'at time of building permit submittal'. It does not reach Bonifay, for two independent reasons. 82% · county airport overlay ordinance + measured geometry
• Is there a system-size cap on residential generation? No local cap. The City of Bonifay's LDR, Comprehensive Plan and Charter contain no generation size limit, and Holmes County publishes none. The cap is at utility level and differs by seller: FPL, as an investor-owned 'public utility', is bound by FS 366.91(5) and FAC 25-6.065 with its Tier 1 (10 kW or less) / Tier 2 / Tier 3 structure. West Florida Electric Cooperative is exempt from FAC 25-6.065 by FS 366.11(1) but IS bound by FS 366.91(6) and sets its own tiers by its governing authority. 65% · Florida Statutes + local code enumeration

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 a Holmes County Contractor's Competency Card, or the property owner under the Florida owner-builder exemption. The county publishes a CERTIFIED CONTRACTOR PACKET containing a Contractor's Competency Card Checklist, a Contractor's Competency Card Application and a Contractor's Permit Authorization. City Ord. 197 s.F (1982) additionally requires 'a County Electrical License' before engaging in electrical contracting in the City. 75% · county contractor packet + city ordinance 197
• Must the contractor be registered with this authority before applying? Yes - registration with Holmes County (Contractor's Competency Card) is required before a contractor may pull a permit, and the Trade Permit Application has dedicated CONTRACTOR NAME / COMPANY NAME / EMAIL fields. The Building Permit Application also has a 'State License' field and a 'Card' field side by side, i.e. the county records both the state licence and the county card. 78% · county contractor packet + permit application
• Is a homeowner permitted to self-install and self-permit? Yes. The Residential Building Packet contains an 'Owner/Builder Permit Affidavit' reciting the FS 489.103 owner-builder exemption, including the requirement that the owner provide 'direct, onsite supervision of the construction' and is 'the responsible party of record on a permit'. City Ord. 197 s.C(b) separately allows a bona fide homeowner to install electrical wiring in his own single-family home he lives in, still requires him to take out a permit and have the work approved by the Electrical Inspector, and caps it at ONE permit per year. 82% · county owner-builder affidavit + city ordinance 197

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? For a NEW HOUSE the county checklist requires: Land Development Approval, 911 Address, Septic Tank Permit, Driveway Permit, Legal Description/Deed, Two (2) Sets of Plans, fire-resistant construction/fire suppression, Florida Product Codes, Elevation Certificate (any property in a flood zone), LETTER OF COMPLIANCE (if in the City Limits), Residential Application for Building Permit, Notice of Commencement, Disclosure Statement, Owner Builder Permit Affidavit, Authorization Form for Permit Application, Florida Energy Efficiency Code, Product Approval, Trade Permit Application (one per trade), Electrical Affidavit and Roofing Inspection Affidavit. A certified copy of the Notice of Commencement is required for any improvement costing $5,000 or more and must be posted on the jobsite before the first inspection. 70% · county residential construction checklist (rendered)
• How many copies, and in what format? Two (2) sets of signed and sealed plans drawn to scale, on paper, filed at the counter at 107 E Virginia Avenue, Bonifay. There is no electronic submission route published. 85% · county residential construction requirements (rendered)
• Is a site plan required, and what must it show? No site development plan is required for a rooftop PV retrofit, and this is settled by the City's own code rather than by an absence. City LDR s.10.01.01 says 'No development may be undertaken unless the activity is authorized by a development permit', and s.10.01.02 opens 'EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN SECTION 10.01.03 BELOW, a development permit may not be issued unless the proposed development activity is authorized by a Final Development Order'. Section 10.01.03 then lists nine exceptions, two of which independently carry a rooftop array: (B) 'The construction or alteration of a one-, two-, three- or four-family dwelling on a lot of record, or in a valid recorded subdivision, which is not part of a larger development', and (C) 'The alteration of an existing building or structure so long as no change is made to its gross floor area, its use or the amount of impervious surface on the site.' A rooftop array changes none of gross floor area, use or impervious surface. What the county requires instead is simply two sets of signed and sealed plans drawn to scale. A GROUND MOUNT is the live question: exception (C) can fail on it, because LDR s.7.01.01(D) requires accessory structures to be 'included in all calculations of impervious surface and stormwater runoff' and s.7.01.01(E) requires them to be 'shown on any development plan with full supporting documentation as required in Chapter X'. 84% · city LDR chapter X (rendered)
• Is a one-line / three-line diagram required? Not required for a one- or two-family dwelling. City Ord. 197 s.G(a) requires 'A complete set of electrical plans to be submitted to County Inspection Department for approval before work is started on buildings... No permit shall be issued until all corrections have been approved' and then expressly states 'This shall exclude 1 and 2 family dwellings.' The Trade Permit Application asks only for a free-text DESCRIPTION OF WORK and a JOB COST. 65% · city electrical ordinance 197
• Is a structural PE stamp required, and at what threshold? No solar-specific structural PE threshold is published. The general county rule is 'Two (2) sets of SIGNED & SEALED plans drawn to scale', and a standing notice effective 1 August 2022 states 'All trusses need to be engineered. Truss plans and layout are required to be submitted at the time of application for the building permit.' 62% · county department page notice + residential requirements
• Is an electrical PE stamp required, and at what threshold? No local threshold. Statewide, FS 471.003(2)(h) exempts a chapter 489 electrical contractor who designs and installs the system from the PE requirement where the electrical system has a value of $125,000 or less AND requires an aggregate service capacity of 600 amperes (240 volts) or less on a residential electrical system. A typical residential PV system is inside both limbs, so no electrical PE stamp is required. 80% · Florida Statutes

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. Holmes County operates no permit portal. Applications, plans and payment are taken on paper at 107 E Virginia Avenue, Bonifay (850-547-1119, hcbd@holmescountyfl.org). The City of Bonifay's online portal (wipp.edmundsgovtech.cloud, wippId=BONI) is Edmunds GovTech utility billing for water/sewer/sanitation only and has no permitting function. 80% · county department page + site enumeration
• Can the whole application be completed online? No. The county's published route is paper and in person: two paper plan sets, cheque/cash/credit card, counter filing. The new county 'Land/Address/Permit Roadmap' (uploaded 11 September 2026) lists cheque or cash amounts at every step and gives a street address for each. 80% · county permit roadmap (rendered)
• What does a residential solar permit cost? Valuation-based, with no solar line. On the Holmes County schedule a PV system's declared 'Valuation of Work' drives the building permit fee: $10,001-$50,000 = $252 for the first $10,000 plus $6 per additional $1,000; $50,001-$100,000 = $492 for the first $50,000 plus $5 per additional $1,000. Worked examples on the two real PV valuations the survey holds: at $37,408 valuation the building permit fee is $420, plus 25% residential plan review $105, plus the county's 3% surcharge $12.60 = $537.60 out the door. At $55,000 valuation it is $517 + $129.25 + $15.51 = $661.76. From 1 October 2026 the residential plan review component becomes a flat $300 instead of 25%, taking the $37,408 example to roughly $733. Add $10 base fee per sub-permit and, if the electrical permit is billed on the residential flat line instead of valuation, $100 for 'Residential: New electrical'. 80% · county fee schedule
• How is the fee calculated? Declared construction valuation, in bands, plus a plan review percentage, plus a state surcharge. Building permit: $1,000-$10,000 = $100 for the first $1,000 + $8 per additional $1,000; $10,001-$50,000 = $252 + $6 per $1,000; $50,001-$100,000 = $492 + $5 per $1,000; $100,001-$500,000 = $742 + $4 per $1,000; $500,001+ = $2,342 + $3 per $1,000. Residential plan review = minimum $25 or 25% of the building permit fee (flat $300 from 1 Oct 2026). Surcharge = '3% or $4.00, whichever is greater' on all permits. Sub-permits carry a $10 base fee. The same declared valuation also sets the statutory review clock under FS 553.792 - one number governs both the price and the time. 85% · county fee schedule + county ordinance 23-01
• Is there a separate plan-check fee? Yes, and it is changing. Currently: 'Plan Review Fees: Residential: Minimum is $25.00, or 25% of the Building Permit Fee.' A 'Plan Revision' costs a further $25 per occurrence residential. The county's Building/Planning/Zoning page carries a dated notice: 'Effective October 01, 2026: residential plan review fees will be $300 and commercial plan review fees will be $500 due at submittal.' For a typical PV permit that raises the plan review component from about $105 to $300 and moves it from issuance to submittal. 88% · county fee schedule + dated department notice

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? Holmes County publishes no plan-review turnaround. The governing clock is statutory: FS 553.792(1)(a)2 gives a local government 30 BUSINESS days to approve, approve with conditions or deny a building permit application for a structure under 7,500 sq ft, and (a)1 gives only 5 business days where the work is on an existing single-family dwelling AND 'the value of the work is less than $15,000'. Real residential PV valuations ($37,408 and $55,000 in this survey) sit above $15,000, so 30 business days governs typical Florida PV. Separately, FS 553.792(1)(c) requires the county to give written notice within 5 business days of what is missing, and if it does not, the application is AUTOMATICALLY deemed properly completed. FS 553.792(1)(e) requires the permit fee to be cut by 10 percent for each business day the deadline is missed. 78% · Florida Statutes + county website enumeration
• How long is an issued permit valid before it expires? The county's two forms both say six months, and both are shorter than state law. The Application for Building Permit says 'The building permit is valid as long as there is construction progress and an approved inspection is recorded within each 180 days (6 months) period', and the Trade Permit Application says 'This permit is VOID after six (6) months from issuance unless the work it covers has been commenced and has had ongoing inspections'. FS 553.79(1)(c) provides that 'A building permit issued by a local government 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.' State law controls; for a single-family dwelling the permit runs a year, not 180 days. 88% · Florida Statutes vs county permit forms
• Which utility handles interconnection here? It depends on the street address - there are TWO franchised electric sellers inside the city limits. Florida Power & Light Company, as successor to Gulf Power Company, holds a city-wide franchise under Ordinance 387 adopted 30 December 2013 for a 30-year term, franchise fee 6% of revenue. West Florida Electric Cooperative Association, Inc. holds a geographically limited franchise under Ordinance 211 adopted 14 May 1984, franchise fee 3%, covering only 'that portion of the City of Bonifay annexed on September 26, 1983, by Ordinance No. 201, and in any future annexed area which WEST FLORIDA ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE ASSOCIATION, INC., is serving at the time of said future annexation'. Ordinance 201 annexed land contiguous to the SOUTH boundary of the City in Section 7 T4N R14W and Section 12 T4N R15W, bounded by SR 79, the north right-of-way of I-10, SR 173 and St. Johns Road. So: the historic city is FPL; the 1983 southern annexation toward the I-10 interchange is West Florida Electric. A third co-op, Choctawhatchee Electric Cooperative (CHELCO), sells in Holmes County but holds no Bonifay franchise. 90% · EIA-861 2024 + city franchise ordinances + county trade permit form
• Where does the utility sit in the sequence? The utility is captured at application, not after it: the county's Trade Permit Application requires the applicant to tick WFEC, FP&L or CHELCO in the ELECTRIC block. City Ord. 197 s.E requires that all electrical work 'be inspected by the Electrical Inspector... BEFORE SERVICE WIRES ARE CONNECTED THERETO', so the county inspection precedes energisation. Ord. 197 s.G(b) and (e) further require underground work in public right-of-way and underground services to be installed 'to utility company specifications' and 'to utility company requirements where such requirements exceed' the NEC - a codified deference to the seller on service work. 68% · city electrical ordinance 197 + county trade permit form

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, effective 31 December 2023, as adopted within the Florida Building Code 8th Edition (2023). The city's own Ordinance 197 still codifies the 1981 NEC and Ordinance 173 still codifies the 1973 Southern Standard Building Code; both are dead letters preempted by FS 553.73 and neither has been repealed. 88% · county permit application + statewide adoption
• Which building code edition is in force? Florida Building Code, 8th Edition (2023). Printed on the face of the Holmes County Application for Building Permit (Revised 02/2025): 'Code in effect 8th Edition Florida Building Code'. 92% · county FBC adopting ordinance + permit application
• Which fire code edition is in force? Florida Fire Prevention Code, 8th Edition (2023), applying statewide through the State Fire Marshal. Neither the City of Bonifay nor Holmes County publishes a fire code adoption of its own. Bonifay Fire-Rescue is an ISO 5 all-volunteer department of 21-22 members providing suppression and response only; it publishes no plan review or inspection function. Where fire review does occur it runs through the county Building Department: the county fee schedule's 'Life Safety / Fire Review & Inspection Fees' are 'determined by the Building and Fire Official' and are scoped to sprinklers, alarms and valuation - i.e. commercial work. 70% · county fee schedule + city fire department page
• Are there local amendments to any of the above? None. No local amendments to the Florida Building Code were found. Two superseded local adoptions survive unrepealed on the City's books: Emergency Ordinance 173 (effective 31 December 1974) adopting 'the Southern Standard Building Code being particularly the 1973 edition', and Ordinance 197 (adopted 5 April 1982) adopting 'the National Electric Code, being particularly the 1981 Edition' with a schedule of local electrical amendments. Both are preempted by FS 553.73 but remain published as current ordinances on the City's ordinance register. 78% · county FBC adopting ordinance + city ordinances 173 and 197
• What is the installation judged against? The Florida Building Code 8th Edition (2023) and the NEC 2020 it incorporates, enforced by the Holmes County Building Official. City Ord. 197's surviving local electrical amendments, if applied, add: service entrances in rigid conduit; a minimum 2-inch service mast conduit; overhead services at least 12 feet above ground; underground service to utility company requirements where those exceed the NEC; and a 3-foot minimum tail left on service conductors for make-up. 72% · city electrical ordinance 197 + FBC

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 Bonifay 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.

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

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? No authority in this chain specifies any placard. Neither Holmes County nor the City of Bonifay publishes a placard, label or marking requirement of any kind. What applies is the NEC 2020 labelling that comes in through the FBC. At utility level, FPL's filed tariff requires a placard only for battery storage at the meter enclosure. 72% · enumerated absence across county and city documents
• Where must the labels be placed? No local rule. Label placement follows NEC 2020 as adopted in the FBC. No Holmes County or City of Bonifay document addresses where PV labels go. 65% · enumerated absence

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? No PV-specific AC disconnect rule is published by either authority. The only local rule touching disconnect location is City Ord. 197 s.G(j): 'All electrical meters shall be located ahead of the customer's main switch or disconnect unless otherwise allowed by the electrical inspector.' The real answer is per utility and differs across the city: FPL's filed Tier 1 tariff requires no external AC disconnect for systems of 10 kW or less, and FAC 25-6.065 also bars FPL from requiring liability insurance at Tier 1; West Florida Electric Cooperative is outside FAC 25-6.065 by FS 366.11(1) and sets its own requirement under FS 366.91(6), which is not published. Ask the co-op before quoting a WFEC job. 68% · city electrical ordinance 197 + FS 366.11/366.91
• Is a ground mount treated as a structure? Treated as a structure by two separate routes, and the flood route is the one that bites. Zoning: a ground mount would be an accessory structure under City LDR Chapter VII, which requires a permitted principal development on the parcel, compliance with the standards pertaining to the principal use (so the principal building's setbacks), exclusion from required buffer or landscaped areas absent a variance, inclusion in impervious surface and stormwater runoff calculations, and depiction on a development plan under Chapter X. Flood: City Ordinance 397 s.307.1 applies to 'all development... for which specific provisions are not specified in this ordinance or the Florida Building Code' and requires it to be anchored against flotation and to 'Have mechanical, plumbing, and electrical systems above the design flood elevation or meet the requirements of ASCE 24, except that minimum electric service required to address life safety and electric code requirements is permitted below the design flood elevation provided it conforms to the provisions of the electrical part of building code for wet locations.' That is exactly where a ground-mount inverter and DC/AC disconnect sit, and 20.05% of the city is Special Flood Hazard Area. Two further city-wide provisions to raise with a customer rather than assert as requirements: LDR s.5.05.03 'Glare' - 'Any operation or activity producing glare shall be conducted so that direct light or indirect light from the source shall not cause illumination in excess of .5 foot candles when measured from the property line of a residential property' - and LDR s.5.03.04, which requires a CITY PERMIT to remove or damage any protected tree (any tree of 18 inches diameter at breast height or greater, and dogwood or redbud at 4 inches or greater) with caliper-for-caliper replacement or a payment into the Tree Protection and Related Expenses Trust Fund, and which contains NO solar shading relief. 72% · city LDR chapters V and VII + flood ordinance 397

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 or email to the Holmes County Building Department: 850-547-1119, hcbd@holmescountyfl.org, 107 E Virginia Avenue, Bonifay FL 32425. No online booking is published. The county's checklist states 'No inspections will be made prior to the issuance of a building permit' and 'A 24 hour notice is required prior to each inspection.' 75% · county residential packet (rendered) + department page
• How much notice is required? 24 hours. 'A 24 hour notice is required prior to each inspection.' 85% · county residential packet (rendered)
• Are same-day or AM/PM windows offered? No AM/PM windows and no same-day service are published. What IS published is far more restrictive: the county's Residential Construction Checklist heads its inspection list 'INSPECTIONS: (Mondays + Thursdays)'. Inspections are performed on two days a week. Combined with the 24-hour notice rule, an inspection requested after Wednesday will not be reached until the following Monday. 78% · county residential construction checklist (rendered)

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? No. The City of Bonifay performs no building or electrical inspection of any kind; its own Land Development Regulations direct it to use the county office. Holmes County Building Department performs the final inspection inside Bonifay city limits. 92% · city LDR s.10.13.02 + audited financials
• If delegated, to whom? Holmes County Building Department, 107 E Virginia Avenue, Bonifay FL 32425. Building Official: Keith Bennett (850-547-1119 office, 850-703-3900 cell, hcbd@holmescountyfl.org). Building Permit Techs: Shawna Lumpkin and Gracie Slay. 90% · county department 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? The county publishes an inspection catalogue on its Residential Construction Checklist, in this order: Temporary Construction Pole; Footings (with sill/stem run); Sheathing (Nailing); Framing / Plumbing Stack-Out; Plumbing Rough-In (bath, kitchen etc.); Pre-Treat for Termites; Install Doors/Windows (checked at Final); Call Back Plumbing, Electrical & Heating/Cooling Contractors; Final Inspection; plus an Inspection Affidavit required of everyone and a 'Power Company Emergency Work With Order' line under OTHER. 65% · county residential construction checklist (rendered)

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? Yes. The 'RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION CHECKLIST (For Office Use Only)' inside the Residential Building Packet is a published requirements-and-inspection checklist, listing 20 submittal requirements, 6 permit types and 10 inspection types. There is no PV-specific checklist. 80% · county residential construction checklist (rendered)
• What must be on site at inspection? A certified copy of the Notice of Commencement, for any improvement to real property costing $5,000 or more: 'A certified copy of the Notice of Commencement must be provided to Building Department and posted on the jobsite before the first inspection can be performed.' A residential PV job at typical Florida valuations is always over $5,000. FS 553.79(23) separately allows the site plans and permit to be kept at the worksite in original or electronic form. 85% · county building permit application (rendered)

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.

• Who notifies the utility for PTO? Not published by either authority. The only published sequencing rung is City Ord. 197 s.E, which requires that all electrical work 'be inspected by the Electrical Inspector, or by someone designated by him, before service wires are connected thereto' - so the county inspection necessarily precedes energisation. Which party then notifies the seller is not stated anywhere, and the county's only capture of the seller is the WFEC/FP&L/CHELCO tick-box at application. 62% · city electrical ordinance 197
• How are corrections issued and cleared? Not published locally. The statutory mechanism applies: under FS 553.792(1)(f) the county avoids the 10%-per-day fee reduction only by giving the applicant written notice by email or US Mail within the review timeframe specifically stating the reasons the application fails the Florida Building Code or local ordinance, and stating that the applicant has 10 business days to submit revisions or the application will be denied; under (1)(g), once revisions are submitted the county has 10 business days to approve or deny. 60% · Florida Statutes