City of Brooksville

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 Brooksville Building Division is the AHJ for residential solar inside city limits; Hernando County is the AHJ outside them. The City publishes the test: look the parcel up on the Hernando County Property Appraiser site - Levy Code CWBE = City jurisdiction, CWES = County jurisdiction. 95% · department page
• What does this authority permit itself, and what does it delegate? Both, in-house. The City issues one combined building permit that carries the electrical work, reviews the plans and performs the inspections. Contractor/electrician CERTIFICATES OF COMPETENCY are a separate matter: LDC Secs. 78-151 and 78-171 require a Hernando County certificate AND a City certificate on top of state licensure - that is a licensing split, not delegation. 90% · ordinance
• Is a permit required for a residential rooftop PV system? Yes. A permit is always required for residential rooftop PV. The City's FS 553.79(g)-style $7,500 single-family exemption expressly does NOT apply to 'any electrical, plumbing, structural, mechanical, or gas work performed on property containing a single-family dwelling', which excludes every PV install. 95% · department page
• Is there a separate electrical permit, or is it combined? Combined. One permit - permit use 'PHVL - Solar System' under permit type 'Building - Residential' - covers the job; there is no companion electrical permit. 90% · permit portal (issued records)
• Is a HOA or architectural approval required first? Not by the City, for a rooftop retrofit. The City does have a Design Review Board (LDC Sec. 8-6.1), composed of the sitting City Council members, and Sec. 8-6.1(e) says no building permit shall be issued until the DRB has approved the design - but its jurisdiction is limited to 'all new residential development proposals', reviewed alongside preliminary site plans for NEW developments. Sec. 8-6.1(g)(3)(iii) further codifies the FS 163.3202 preemption barring the City from regulating 'building design elements' on single- and two-family residences. Private HOA covenants are outside the City's instruments. 78% · ordinance
• Is there a historic-district review? No - and this is the headline finding, because the code makes it look like yes. LDC Part 3-2 creates a Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB) and Sec. 3-2.5(a)(1) requires a Certificate of Appropriateness before any exterior alteration 'whether or not a building permit is required' - but ONLY on a designated Landmark, and Sec. 3-2.5(e)(4) makes any building permit obtained without a required COA invalid. The City has never operated it. Its own published Downtown Brooksville Historic Resource Survey states: 'Though the regulatory framework is in place within the project area for an active historic preservation program, the city has not populated its Historic Preservation Review Board, and does not require applications for Certificate of Appropriateness anywhere in the city.' Separately, LDC Part 3-1 (Historical Central Business/Residential District Overlay) is a real overlay with design standards, but it applies to 'all new development and redevelopment', contains no board review and no solar provision, and Sec. 3-1.4(a) asks only that renovations 'adhere to the architectural style of and utilize materials similar to the existing structure'. 88% · city-published survey report + ordinance + boards page
• Is a wind or windstorm certification required? No separate local windstorm certification. Hernando County is not HVHZ. The wind path is the standard Florida one: LDC Sec. 10-1.4(d)(2)a.1 requires construction documents to illustrate the roofing system, materials, fastening, flashing and wind-resistance rating with product evaluation showing compliance with the site's wind criteria, or a statement by an architect or engineer for the specific site; and Sec. 10-1.4(d)(2)b accepts FS 489.115(4)(b) contractor certification as equivalent to sealed plans for wind resistance on one- and two-family dwellings. 72% · ordinance
• Is a Specific Use Permit or Council approval ever required? No. Residential rooftop PV needs no Special Use, Special Exception, Conditional Use or Council approval. Table 2-2 (Table of Allowable Uses) has no solar or photovoltaic row at all. 78% · ordinance (controlled search)
• Is there a system-size cap on residential generation? No cap in the City code. The binding limits are the utility's: Duke Tier 1 is 10 kW or less gross AND the total generation capacity must not exceed 90 percent of the rating of the service currently provided. WREC requires proof of $1,000,000 liability insurance for any system over 10.00 kW AC. LDC Sec. 11-1.2's definition of 'electrical power generating facility' expressly excludes solar facilities under 75 MW, which is far above residential scale and has no practical effect. 80% · ordinance + utility filed tariff

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? Either. Real issued permits were pulled by licensed electrical contractors (Sunrun EC13009885, Tesla Energy Operations EC13006226, Bay Area Solar EC13006980, William May Inc EC13005353, Florida Power Management EC13008645), by certified solar contractors (Tampa Bay Solar CVC56923, Solar Volt CVC57149) and by individuals under personal names. LDC Sec. 78-171 requires anyone doing electrical work in the City to hold a state certificate or registration, a Hernando County certificate of competency AND a City certificate of competency. 85% · permit portal (issued records) + ordinance
• Must the contractor be registered with this authority before applying? Yes. A City certificate of competency plus registration of the name and address with the Building Official is required before contracting (Secs. 78-151(a), 78-152(e), 78-171, 78-173). The portal carries a 'Solar Contractor' licence type under Construction Industry that can be applied for online. FS 553.791 private providers must separately register on the City's private-provider roster before contracting in the City. 88% · ordinance
• Is a homeowner permitted to self-install and self-permit? Apparently yes, but the City publishes no owner-builder terms. The fee schedule prices a 'Change of Main Contractor on Issued Permit (Includes Owner/Builder to Contractor)' line at $135.00, and LDC Sec. 10-1.4(d)(4)d refers to 'the owner-builder limitations provided in the disclosure statement'. Several of the 32 issued solar permits were filed under individual personal names. 60% · fee schedule

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? Online permit application plus, as applicable: site plan, survey, floor plan with location of plumbing and electrical fixtures, mechanical details, elevations, electrical service panel, cross-sections of structural walls with details of materials and fasteners, roof framing plan, and energy calculation (for new/added conditioned space). LDC Sec. 10-1.4(d)(2) adds: drawings and specifications at minimum quarter-inch scale bearing the name and signature of the person responsible for the design, and for roof assemblies the type of roofing system, materials, fastening, flashing and wind-resistance rating. 75% · department page + ordinance
• How many copies, and in what format? PDF, uploaded to the Citizen Portal at Step 5 of the application. Paper intake is possible but priced as a penalty: a flat $54.00 for staff to process, plus $3.00 per permit application page and $3.00 per 8.5x11 page / $6.00 per construction-plan page to scan and upload. The underlying code baseline (Sec. 10-1.4(d)(2)a) is 'two or more copies' of specifications and drawings. 85% · department page
• Is a site plan required, and what must it show? Yes, 'as applicable' - the site plan is the first item on the City's Permit Process list of plans to attach. What it must show for a solar job is not specified. 65% · department page
• Is a structural PE stamp required, and at what threshold? No numeric local threshold. LDC Sec. 10-1.4(d)(2)b applies the state rule: a registered architect or engineer must affix a seal 'as required by state statute', but contractor certification under FS 489.115(4)(b) is expressly accepted as equivalent to sealed plans for wind-resistance plan review on one- and two-family dwellings. The Building Official may require details, computations and stress diagrams (Sec. 10-1.4(d)(2)a.2) and may accept or reject plans sealed under FS ch. 471, 481 or 489 on good cause shown. 78% · 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? CivicGov 'Community Development 4.0 Citizen Portal' (a CivicPlus product), at www.civicgov4.com/fl_brooksville/portal. It covers Planning & Zoning, Permitting, Licensing and Code Enforcement. An unauthenticated 'Public Records Search' by address or parcel number is open to anyone; applying, uploading and inspection scheduling need a registered account. 95% · permit portal
• Can the whole application be completed online? Yes. Registration, application, document upload, payment by credit card and inspection scheduling are all online. The City's own Citizen Portal User Guide walks seven steps from Register to Complete Application, and the portal's catalogue shows 'PHVL - Solar System' with an 'Apply Online' link under Building - Residential. Payment can alternatively be made on a tablet at City Hall or by mail. 90% · department guide + permit portal
• What does a residential solar permit cost? $125.00 flat, plus $50.00 for each additional inspection. 92% · fee schedule
• How is the fee calculated? Flat. 92% · fee schedule
• Is there a separate plan-check fee? No. The $125.00 is inclusive; the PERMITTING / PLAN REVIEW section of the fee schedule prices only alterations to already-approved plans ($54.00 minimum residential), contractor changes, duplicate plans, extension letters and a $216.00 'Priority Permit Review'. Nothing adds a plan-check charge to a new residential solar permit. 80% · fee schedule

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? About 10 working days for a residential plan review, stated by the City. The statutory outside limit is also printed on the same page: FBC 105.3.4 - a building permit for a single-family residential dwelling must be issued within 30 working days of application unless unusual circumstances apply. 88% · department page
• How long is an issued permit valid before it expires? Three figures are live at once and they do not agree. (1) LDC Sec. 10-1.4(d)(5)a: a permit becomes invalid unless work commences within six months of issuance, or if work is suspended or abandoned for six months; failure to obtain an approved inspection within 180 days of the previous approved inspection counts as abandonment; extensions of up to 90 days each may be granted; and 'unless otherwise stated in this Article, a permit shall be valid for a period not exceeding two years from the date of issuance.' (2) The Permitting Information page states that building permits for a single-family dwelling 'shall now expire 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', replacing the six-month period. (3) A real issued solar permit, #25-1219, filed 14 Jul 2025, carries a portal expiration date of 14 Feb 2026. 78% · department page + ordinance + permit record
• Which utility handles interconnection here? Duke Energy Florida, Inc. Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative (WREC) serves parts of Hernando County but there is no evidence it reaches inside Brooksville city limits. 78% · city accounts payable report
• Where does the utility sit in the sequence? After permit, and after the City's inspection. Two instruments say so. LDC Sec. 10-1.4(d)(9)c.1: 'No person shall make connections from a utility source of energy, fuel or power to any building or system which is regulated by the technical codes ... until released by the Building Official and a certificate of occupancy or completion is issued.' Duke's filed Tier 1 agreement: 'The Customer agrees to provide Local Building Code Official inspection and certification of installation. The certification shall reflect that the local code official has inspected and certified that the installation was permitted, has been approved, and has met all electrical and mechanical qualifications.' The executed agreement must be returned at least thirty calendar days before parallel operation, and the customer must give ten days' notice before connection so Duke may inspect. 88% · ordinance + utility filed tariff

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, under Florida Building Code 8th Edition (2023). Brooksville adopts it by floating reference and names no year of its own. 90% · adopting ordinance
• Which building code edition is in force? Florida Building Code 8th Edition (2023), adopted as a floating reference to the code 'as developed and maintained by the state building commission'. 90% · adopting ordinance
• Which fire code edition is in force? Operatively the Florida Fire Prevention Code 8th Edition (2023) - but the codified text names a fossil. Sec. 46-71(a) adopts 'the Florida Fire Prevention Code 2007 edition ... as based on NFPA 1, Uniform Fire Code 2006 edition and NFPA 101, Life Safety Code, 2006 edition ... along with all subsequent changes, revisions and or modifications thereto'. The floating clause carries it forward from a 2007 base, and Sec. 46-71(b)-(c) independently adopts the Rule 69A- series and FS 633.025 as the minimum. Record both: a reader taking the printed year at face value would fit to a nineteen-year-old edition. 78% · adopting ordinance
• Are there local amendments to any of the above? Yes, one that matters and several that do not. The one that bites: LDC Sec. 10-1.6 amends FBC-Residential R322.2.1 so that in flood hazard areas not designated Coastal A Zones the lowest floor must be at base flood elevation PLUS ONE FOOT, or the design flood elevation, whichever is higher. Sec. 10-1.4 is a full Chapter 1 administrative amendment set (permits, fees, inspections, certificates). There are NO local electrical, solar, rapid-shutdown, mounting or setback amendments. 85% · ordinance
• What is the installation judged against? Florida Building Code 8th Edition (2023) with NEC 2020 as FBC Chapter 27, Electrical. LDC Sec. 10-1.2(e)(9) states that 'the provisions of Chapter 27 of the Florida Building Code, Electrical, shall apply to the installation of electrical systems, including alterations, repairs, replacement, equipment, appliances, fixtures, fittings and appurtenances thereto.' Plus the Florida Fire Prevention Code as adopted by Sec. 46-71, and the local BFE+1 amendment where the parcel is in a flood hazard area. 85% · 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.

• What ridge setback and access pathways are required? No local rule. The operative requirements are whatever the Florida Fire Prevention Code as adopted by Sec. 46-71 carries - the 2007-based adoption floats forward to the 8th Edition (2023) and NFPA 1's PV roof-access and pathway provisions come with it. The City publishes no ridge-setback or pathway figure of its own, and the Fire Division's codified role (Secs. 46-73 to 46-76) is inspection and enforcement, not plan review of residential PV. 55% · ordinance (inference)

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? Required, to NEC 2020 Article 690.12, via the City's floating adoption of NFPA 70. The City adds nothing of its own - the phrase 'rapid shutdown' appears zero times in the entire Brooksville code. 78% · ordinance (inference from adopted NEC)

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? Only what NEC 2020 Articles 690 and 705 require as adopted. Neither the City nor either candidate utility adds a placard. The word 'placard' appears once in the whole Brooksville code and it defines the PERMIT CARD ('Permit card or placard means a document issued by the City evidencing the issuance of a permit and recording of inspections') - not a PV placard. 80% · ordinance + utility agreements (controlled search)
• Does the authority specify placard wording of its own? No. 85% · ordinance (controlled search)
• Is a site plan / facility map placard required, and what must it show? No local requirement. NEC 705.10 applies through the City's floating adoption of NFPA 70, and neither Duke nor WREC asks for a facility map. 60% · ordinance (inference from adopted NEC)
• Does the UTILITY specify placards beyond the AHJ's? No. Duke Energy Florida's filed Tier 1 interconnection agreement specifies no placard, plaque or label of any kind, and WREC's Interconnection Agreement (PDF metadata dated 14 Nov 2025) and Application for Operation of a Renewable Generation System specify none either. Of the utilities read across this survey, still only SECO and FPL specify a sign. 75% · utility interconnection agreements
• Where must the labels be placed? Wherever NEC 2020 as adopted requires. Neither the City nor the utility specifies a placement. The only placement rule anywhere in the chain is Duke's, and it is about the DISCONNECT rather than a label: if Duke elects to install one it goes 'mounted separate from, but adjacent to the Company's meter socket' - with no distance figure given. 55% · utility filed tariff + ordinance

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? Depends on the utility, and for Duke it is neither mandatory nor exempt. DUKE (the utility for city addresses): discretionary at Duke's election and at Duke's expense. Verbatim from Duke's FPSC-filed Tier 1 agreement, Section No. VII, First Revised Sheet No. 7.312, effective 29 April 2013: 'In the event the Company elects to install a manual disconnect switch, it shall be at the Company's expense. The Company installed disconnect switch shall be the visible load break type to provide a separation point between the AC power output of the Customer-owned renewable generator and any Customer wiring connected to the Company's system. The disconnect switch shall be mounted separate from, but adjacent to the Company's meter socket. The Customer shall ensure that such disconnect switch shall remain readily accessible to the Company and be capable of being locked in the open position with a single Company utility lock.' No distance figure is given anywhere - only 'adjacent to'. WREC (if the address turns out to be co-op-served): no AC-disconnect location, visibility or lockability specification at all in its current Interconnection Agreement or RGS application, and because a co-op sits outside FL PSC Rule 25-6.065 under Fla. Stat. 366.91 there is no state floor beneath that silence. 88% · utility filed tariff
• Must equipment be on a specific approved list? Yes, at utility level. Duke requires the generation to be 'submitted by a manufacturer to a nationally recognized testing and certification laboratory, and ... tested and listed by the laboratory for continuous interactive operation with an electric distribution system in compliance with the applicable codes and standards of IEEE 1547, IEEE 1547.1 and UL 1741', and to include a utility-interactive inverter that automatically isolates on loss of grid. WREC requires that 'All RGS Systems will be compliant with IEEE-1547/UL-1741 for a Grid-Tied system', certified by the contractor's signature, and extends the same requirement to any battery backup interconnect. At City level the analogous requirement is Florida Product Approval for the roof assembly under Sec. 10-1.4(d)(2)a.1. 85% · utility filed tariff + utility application form
• Are batteries permitted, and under what conditions? Permitted, with no City-level conditions published. WREC's RGS application has a dedicated 'Battery Back Up System (Yes/No)' field with number and wattage of batteries, requires the battery interconnect to be IEEE-1547/UL-1741 compliant, and requires the batteries' size and quantity to appear on the engineering-quality one-line. The City's code contains no energy-storage provision at all and its fee schedule has no ESS line. The operative fire rule is whatever the Florida Fire Prevention Code as adopted carries (NFPA 855). 60% · utility application form + ordinance (controlled search)
• Is there a separate ESS permit or inspection? No. There is no ESS permit type and no ESS inspection in the City's system. The portal's permit-use catalogue was enumerated - 184 residential and commercial permit uses - and contains four solar-related entries (PHVL Solar System residential and commercial, PHTR pool heating, PL solar water heater) and nothing for batteries or energy storage; the fee schedule likewise prices a Generator Installation at $101.00 but no storage system. 72% · permit portal catalogue + fee schedule
• Is a ground mount treated as a structure? Unresolved, and the code pulls two ways. The Article XI definition of 'Structure' - 'anything constructed or erected which requires location on the ground or attachment to something having a fixed location on the ground' - would capture a ground-mounted array. But the only provision in the whole Code that names solar panels, Sec. 4-2.1(g)(3), treats them as MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT for siting purposes: 'Mechanical equipment, such as air conditioning units, pumps, heating equipment, solar panels, and similar installations, may not project into the required front yard(s), but may project five feet into the required rear yard(s), and three feet or no more than 50 percent of the required yard, whichever is the most restrictive, into the required side yard(s).' Separately Sec. 2-3.2 note (9) exempts 'solar energy collectors' from the height limits provided they extend no more than ten feet above the roof. There is no ground-mount-specific provision. 58% · 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? Portal. 'To schedule an inspection, please visit the Permits Portal. Your request will be processed and you will receive an email with the date and approximate time of your inspection.' Cancellations are by email to permits@cityofbrooksville.us, which returns a confirming email. 92% · department page
• How much notice is required? No notice period is stated in days. The City says a request is processed and the applicant is emailed the date and approximate time. What IS codified are duties running the other way: LDC Sec. 10-1.4(d)(7)f makes the permit holder responsible for requesting a final inspection within ten calendar days of completing the permitted work, and a re-inspection within seven days of a red tag, and 'a person failing to request an inspection as described in this Section is deemed to have violated this Article.' 70% · department page + ordinance
• Are same-day or AM/PM windows offered? Not as standard, but a specific time can be bought. The fee schedule prices 'Specific Time Schedule Inspection' at $81.00, 'Additional / Partial Inspections' at $54.00 per inspection, 'After Hours Inspection' at $162.00 per inspector per trip up to two hours plus $75.00 per hour or part thereof beyond, and 'Emergency Non-Scheduled Inspection' at $108.00. The default is an emailed date and 'approximate time'. 80% · fee schedule + department page

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, currently - with a documented recent gap that is worth knowing about. The Building Division 'handles all building permit activity including applications and inspections' and the City employs its own Building Official (Mike Stacks, listed in the City directory, entry updated July 2026, with a City job description posted September 2025). BUT the Building Division page still links 'Third-Party Inspection Information', which is Resolution No. 2024-04: adopted while the City was 'currently without a full time Building Official', it recorded that 'permit holders have contracted with third party inspectors to perform the required inspect[ions] until a full time Building Official is hired' and authorised a refund of up to fifty percent of the permit cost against third-party inspector invoices, the programme to end 'when the Building Official is on staff'. Separately, FS 553.791 private providers are available at owner election and must first register on the City's private-provider roster. 80% · city resolution + department page
• If delegated, to whom? Not delegated. Where a third party is involved it is either an owner-elected FS 553.791 private provider or, under Resolution No. 2024-04, a third-party inspector retained by the permit holder - in both cases the City remains the AHJ and issues the permit. Private providers and private provider firms must register with the Brooksville Building Division before contracting to provide services in the City, must show licensure and insurance, and must update the registration within five business days of any change. 82% · 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? Not published for solar. What can be said from the City's own documents: the $125.00 solar fee covers one inspection and each additional inspection is $50.00, which implies a single-inspection default; LDC Sec. 10-1.4(d)(7)d requires a final inspection of every electrical system on completion before a certificate of occupancy or completion is issued; and Sec. 10-1.4(d)(7)g says the Building Official 'shall make inspections based on the Florida Building Code requirements'. 55% · fee schedule + ordinance (inference)

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? No. There is no published inspection checklist of any kind, solar or general. 75% · department page
• What must be on site at inspection? The printed permit card, posted in a conspicuous place and protected from the weather, kept there until the certificate of occupancy or completion is issued - the City says 'Please print your permit card and place it in the window of the property', and LDC Sec. 10-1.4(d)(7)e makes posting a precondition of commencing work. Also the stamped plan set: Sec. 10-1.4(d)(5)c requires the Building Official to endorse both sets 'Reviewed for Code Compliance', one returned to the applicant, and 'the permit drawings shall be kept at the site of work and shall be open to inspection'. The fee schedule separately fines 'Notice of Commencement Not Posted' at $54.00. 85% · ordinance + department page + fee schedule
• Does the inspector verify labels and listings? Probably yes, but the City has not said so. LDC Sec. 10-1.4(d)(7)g directs the Building Official to 'make inspections based on the Florida Building Code requirements', which incorporate the NEC's labelling and listing articles, and Sec. 10-1.2(e)(15) makes referenced standards an integral part of the codes. 50% · ordinance (inference)

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? A certificate of completion, not a certificate of occupancy. LDC Sec. 10-1.4(d)(9)b: 'A certificate of completion is proof that a structure or system is complete and for certain types of permits is released for use and may be connected to a utility system. This certificate does not grant authority to occupy or connect a building, such as a shell building, prior to the issuance of a certificate of occupancy.' A certificate of occupancy is reserved for new buildings and changes of occupancy (Sec. 10-1.4(d)(9)a). In the portal the finished permit shows status 'Closed' - which is how all 30 completed solar permits recovered in this run appear. 80% · ordinance + permit records
• Who notifies the utility for PTO? Installer/customer, in both directions. The City's step is a release, not a notification: LDC Sec. 10-1.4(d)(9)c.1 forbids any connection from a utility source of power until released by the Building Official and a certificate of occupancy or completion is issued. Duke then puts the duty on the customer - the customer 'agrees to provide Local Building Code Official inspection and certification of installation', must return the executed interconnection agreement at least thirty calendar days before beginning parallel operation, and must give ten days' notice before connection so Duke may inspect. WREC's route is the same shape: the application, the interconnection agreement and the engineering-quality one-line go by email to rgs@wrec.net, and 'only after the system has been inspected and the size verified, will a net meter be installed.' 82% · ordinance + utility filed tariff + utility application form
• Is there a re-inspection fee? First re-inspection $54.00; second $75.00; third and each subsequent $100.00. Related lines: Additional / Partial Inspections $54.00 each, Reactivate an Invalid Permit $54.00, Extension Letter $54.00. 92% · fee schedule
• How are corrections issued and cleared? At plan review: 'You will be notified once processing is complete or if any corrections are needed.' At inspection: a red tag, after which LDC Sec. 10-1.4(d)(7)f requires the permit holder to request a re-inspection within seven days. Correspondence runs through the portal - Step 7 of the City's Citizen Portal User Guide lets the applicant message the staff member assigned to review the permit once review has begun, and only the permits desk before that. 70% · department page + ordinance + portal guide