City of Edgewood

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 for building and electrical. The City of Edgewood is NOT the building AHJ for residential solar: Code Sec. 102-25 authorises an interlocal agreement under which 'the other local jurisdiction, such as Orange County, shall take on the powers and duties of building official and building inspector of the city', and the 2005 Interlocal Agreement with Orange County does exactly that. Orange County's Division of Building Safety issues the permit and performs every inspection. The City remains the AHJ only for zoning/land-development review, tree removal, rights-of-way, signs, boat docks and floodplain administration (floodplain administrator = the Mayor, Code Sec. 106-51). 95% · interlocal agreement
• What does this authority permit itself, and what does it delegate? Delegated. Orange County Code ch. 9 Articles I (General), II (Building Code), III (Electrical Code), IV (Mechanical), V (Plumbing), VI (Gas) and IX (Contractor Certification, Registration, Licensing) 'apply, control and govern within the City's boundaries'. Articles VII, VIII, X, XI, XII, XIII (architectural standards), XIV, XV (Airport Noise Impact Areas) and XVI (Exterior Lighting) expressly do NOT. The City keeps zoning review and issues a stamped, signed application that must be obtained before the County will take the permit. 95% · interlocal agreement
• Is a permit required for a residential rooftop PV system? Yes. A rooftop residential PV system needs an Orange County 'S' (Sun) permit. FS 553.79(1)(g)2.b withholds the statutory $7,500 no-permit exemption from 'any electrical... structural... work performed on property containing a single-family dwelling', so the exemption is a dead letter for PV. 95% · published checklist
• Is there a separate electrical permit, or is it combined? Either, and the mount type decides. ROOFTOP: one 'S' (Sun) permit covers it - it is an electrical-family permit inspected as Electrical Rough and Electrical Final. GROUND MOUNT: 'All ground mount systems shall begin as a Building permit. After approval of the Building permit an Electrical Sub-permit will be required for the electrical work of the ground mount system.' 95% · published checklist
• Is a HOA or architectural approval required first? No city or county approval gate. 'Association' appears 11 times in Edgewood's 678 KB zoning chapter and not one couples an association to a development approval - the hits are the definition of 'person', a savings-and-loan association, a club or lodge, neighbourhood associations in a use list, the American Standards Association, the Electronic Industries Association (three times, in the telecom-tower article), the Manufacturing Chemists Association, and one subdivision clause making a homeowners' association responsible for maintaining improvements. FS 163.04(2) separately bars any deed restriction or covenant from prohibiting solar collectors and confines an association to requiring an orientation within 45 degrees east or west of due south where that does not impair effective operation. 90% · codified ordinance
• Is there a historic-district review? No. There is no historic district, no historic preservation board and no certificate of appropriateness in Edgewood. 'Certificate of appropriateness' returns ZERO hits in the full codified corpus; all 54 'historic' hits are the tree code's 'historic tree' size category or the flood chapter's FBC definition of 'historic structure'. The City's Boards and Commissions page lists only City Council, the Charter Review Committee and Planning and Zoning. The City's zoning map PDF and Future Land Use Map PDF both contain zero hits for 'historic' and zero for 'overlay'. Orange County's Article XIII architectural standards expressly do NOT apply inside the City. 95% · codified ordinance
• Is a wind or windstorm certification required? No separate windstorm certification. Wind resistance is proved inside the structural submittal: the solar checklist requires 'Wind speed (Search ATC Wind Speed by Location)' plus 'Exposure, Risk Category, and Minimum design loads', and Orange County Code Sec. 9-34 establishes basic wind speed by FBC Sec. 1609.3 / Figures 1609A-C and FBC-R Sec. 301.2.1. 'Windstorm' and 'wind-borne' both return zero hits in the Edgewood code and in Orange County Code ch. 9. Orange County is not in the HVHZ (Miami-Dade and Broward only). 90% · published checklist
• Is a Specific Use Permit or Council approval ever required? Not for a rooftop array. The one route that could reach Council is height: Code Sec. 134-485(a) allows 'Chimneys, water and fire towers, church spires, domes, cupolas, stage towers and scenery lofts, cooling towers, elevator bulkheads, smokestacks, flagpoles, parapet walls and similar structures and their necessary mechanical appurtenances' to exceed the height limit only 'after a hearing before the planning and zoning board and the city council', capped by the Orlando-Orange County Airports Zoning Board's limits. Solar is not named in that list and a flush rooftop array does not raise the highest point of the roof, so the clause should not fire. Variance and special-exception applications exist (Ch. 126 procedures) if it did. AIRPORT AND GLARE - A RISK TO RAISE, NOT A REQUIREMENT. Edgewood is close to Orlando Executive and under Orlando International's airspace, but there is no glare-radius clause: 'runway' returns ZERO hits in the full Edgewood code, 'airpark' zero, 'FAA' zero, and the City's zoning-map and Future Land Use Map PDFs return zero for 'airport'. The only airport reference is Sec. 134-485(a)'s height cap by reference to 'the height limitations established by the Orlando-Orange County Airports Zoning Board in their established airport zoning districts', which bites only on structures already seeking to exceed the district height limit. Orange County's own Article XV, 'Airport Noise Impact Areas', is expressly on the interlocal's list of articles that do NOT apply inside the City. What does exist is a lot-line glare standard of general application: Sec. 134-918 makes every use in every zoning classification subject to the performance standards, and Sec. 134-925 provides 'Every use shall be so operated as to prevent the emission of glare and heat of such intensity as to be readily perceptible at any point on the lot line of the property on which the use is located.' A reflective array is in principle reachable by that clause; nothing in the code or in any City document applies it to solar. 80% · codified ordinance
• Is there a system-size cap on residential generation? No local cap - neither the City code nor Orange County Code ch. 9 sets a residential generation size limit (zero hits for 'solar' or 'photovoltaic' in either). The operative caps are utility-side under FAC 25-6.065(4)(a): the gross power rating must not exceed 90% of the customer's utility distribution service rating, and the tiers are Tier 1 = 10 kW or less, Tier 2 = over 10 kW to 100 kW, Tier 3 = over 100 kW to 2 MW. For inverter-based systems AC nameplate = DC nameplate x 0.85. 90% · state rule

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? Licensed electrician or a solar contractor. The checklist lists 'Electrical Contractors (EC, ER)' and 'Solar Contractors (CVC)', with the note: 'if a Solar Contractor obtains the Sun permit for the photovoltaic system, an Electrical Contractor is required to make the interconnection of the photovoltaic system to the electrical system.' 95% · published checklist
• Must the contractor be registered with this authority before applying? Yes, and TWICE. (1) With the CITY: 'Contractors applying for permits to perform work within the City of Edgewood are required to register with our permitting department' - a current Florida business tax receipt, a copy of the DBPR state certification, and General Liability plus Workers' Compensation certificates naming the City of Edgewood as certificate holder at 405 Bagshaw Way. (2) With ORANGE COUNTY: a Fast Track account and County contractor licensing/registration under OC Code ch. 9 Art. IX, which applies inside Edgewood by the interlocal. 90% · department page
• Is a homeowner permitted to self-install and self-permit? Yes. Orange County issues owner-builder permits under FS 489.103(7), but 'Homeowners applying for owner-builder permits are required to complete an owner-builder verification meeting using a video conferencing application.' Note the solar-specific limb FS 489.103(7)(a)3 is NOT available here - it requires the permitting agency's government to participate in a US DOE 'SunShot Initiative: Rooftop Solar Challenge' grant, and 'SunShot' returns zero hits across Orange County's permitting pages, its Fee Directory and the entire 1.96 MB Edgewood code. The general (7)(a)1 owner-builder route for a one-family or two-family residence remains open. 85% · department page

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? Structural: details signed and sealed by a Florida engineer showing how the panels attach to the roof; code edition and applicable sections noted; wind speed (ATC Wind Speed by Location); exposure, risk category and minimum design loads; roof height, slope and covering; roof plan with module locations, support rail and module dimensions, weights, materials and attachment methods; fastener type, material, diameter, length and spacing; penetration flashing and waterproofing. Electrical: plans certified by FSEC (Florida Solar Energy Center) or, in lieu of FSEC, certified by a Florida licensed engineer - system description (stand-alone / utility interactive / battery backup / fossil generator included); site plan of all new and existing service equipment; riser diagram; electrical schematic (array configuration, wire sizes and types, junction boxes, disconnects, overcurrent protection, grounding, required signs, AC connection to building); electrical calculations; and specification sheets and installation manuals for modules, inverters, combiner box, disconnect and mounting system. Plus a recorded Notice of Commencement before the first inspection where the direct contract price exceeds $5,000. 95% · published checklist
• How many copies, and in what format? Electronic only, via Fast Track: 'All permitting in Orange County is done electronically through our Fast Track website.' No paper copy count is published. The City's own zoning step is by email to info@edgewood-fl.gov. 90% · published checklist
• Is a site plan required, and what must it show? Yes. The electrical plan requirements include a 'Site plan showing locations of all new equipment and existing service equipment.' For a GROUND MOUNT the City's own zoning review also bites: a survey/site plan showing the proposed location with documented setback measurements, plus specifications of size, height and materials. 90% · published checklist
• Is a one-line / three-line diagram required? Yes. The checklist requires both a 'Riser diagram showing how the new PV system ties into existing service' and an 'Electrical schematic diagram showing; PV array configuration, Wire sizes and types, Junction boxes, Disconnects, Overcurrent protection, Grounding, required signs, AC connection to building.' 95% · published checklist
• Are string and conductor calculations required? Yes, in detail: 'Wire sizing has been determined with proper ampacity, Temperature derating, Conduit fills, derating, Voltage drop for all DC and AC conductors, Ambient temperature effects on PV array output, Sizes of disconnects and overcurrent protection, Input and output current, Voltage, and power specifications for all major pieces of equipment.' 95% · published checklist
• Is a structural PE stamp required, and at what threshold? Yes, with NO threshold - every rooftop installation. 'Details signed and sealed by a Florida Engineer showing how the panels are attached to the roof.' The structural plans must also cite FBC-R Section 324 and the wind design basis. 95% · published checklist
• Is an electrical PE stamp required, and at what threshold? An electrical PE stamp is NOT strictly required - the checklist offers an alternative: 'Plans certified by FSEC, (Florida Solar Energy Center) or in lieu of FSEC, certified by a Florida licensed engineer.' FSEC certification substitutes for the engineer. 95% · published checklist

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? Orange County Fast Track (fasttrack.ocfl.net) for the permit itself. The City of Edgewood has NO portal: its step is email to info@edgewood-fl.gov, and its own 'Permit Search' page tells residents to start with Orange County Fast Track. 95% · department page
• Can the whole application be completed online? Yes for the County permit - application, plan upload, fee payment by credit card or Fast Track escrow, inspection scheduling, revisions and status tracking are all online. The CITY's prior zoning step is email-based, not a portal, and for a solar sub-permit it may be skipped entirely. 90% · portal
• What does a residential solar permit cost? Priced off the OPERATOR'S schedule, because the interlocal says so: 'The County shall issue all permits and... shall collect all related fees from permittees for building or related construction activity within the City at the same rates as charged for such services in the unincorporated areas of the County.' The applicable line is Orange County Fee Directory (effective July 2025), Electrical Permit Fees (C) 'Additions, Alterations and Repairs not Requiring a Change in Service': $38.00 up to and including $1,000 of valuation, then $5.00 for each additional $1,000 or fraction thereof, all valuations based on material and labour costs. Plus a 2.5% surcharge, minimum $4.00. Worked example on a $25,000 declared valuation: $38 + 24 x $5 = $158, surcharge $3.95 -> $4.00 minimum, TOTAL $162.00. If the service is upgraded, (B) applies instead and the fee is the difference between the new and old service amperage bands (e.g. 0-150 A single-phase 240 V = $75; 151-200 A = $91). The City charges NO fee of its own for a solar sub-permit: its published menu is $50 accessory structure, $50 fence, $50 pool, $100 sign, $350 boat dock, $500 SFR, and the permitting page says electrical sub-permits 'may go directly to Orange County without our initial review'. SURCHARGE, CHECKED ON ALL FOUR LIMBS AND IT PASSES: 'A surcharge will be assessed at the rate of 2.5% of each permit (building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, roof, and gas) fee associated with the enforcement of the Florida Building Code as per Florida Statutes section 468.631 and 553.721. The minimum amount collected in accordance with the Florida Statutes mentioned above on any permit issued shall be $4.00.' Rate 2.5% = 1% (553.721) + 1.5% (468.631); BOTH statutes cited; combined minimum $4.00 = $2 + $2. This is only the SECOND fully correct surcharge found in this survey. FS 553.79(1)(f) title check also passes: the valuation-based lines are titled 'Electrical Permit Fees' and 'Building and Construction Support Fees', not inspection fees, so the statutory bar on cost-based INSPECTION fees is not engaged. PRIVATE PROVIDER: 'In accordance with Florida Statute 553.791 applicable Permit fee(s) shall be reduced to 55% of the total permit fee if private provider is selected to perform either plan review or inspections or to 10% of the total permit fee if private provider is selected to perform both the plan review and inspections. However, in no event shall permit fees be reduced below the stated minimum.' That is the most generous private-provider reduction this survey has recorded and it is expressly not the commercial-only 25%/50% formula of 553.791(2)(d). FS 553.791(1)(r) names 'solar energy and energy storage installations or alterations' as single-trade work, so a private provider can run a single-trade plans review with a 5-business-day deemed-approval clock. 80% · fee schedule
• How is the fee calculated? Valuation. 'The permit fee will be based on the total cost for all materials, labor, and fixtures installed.' The underlying Fee Directory line is a tiered valuation ladder ($38 first $1,000, $5 per $1,000 thereafter), so strictly Tiered-on-valuation rather than a flat fee or a per-kW fee. 95% · published checklist
• Is there a separate plan-check fee? No. Orange County Fee Directory, Other Fees (C) Plan Submittal Fee: 'One and Two Family Dwellings' = N/C (no charge). Plan review is inside the permit fee. 90% · 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? Neither the City nor Orange County publishes a turnaround figure for a solar permit, so the governing number is statutory: FS 553.792(1)(a) gives 5 business days for an electrical permit on an EXISTING single-family residential dwelling where the value of the work is LESS than $15,000, and 30 business days where it is $15,000 or more (structure under 7,500 sq ft). Typical Florida residential PV valuations put the job in the 30-business-day case. Missing the deadline costs the authority 10% of the building permit fee per business day (553.792(1)(e)), and a local government must give written notice within 5 business days of what is missing or the application is automatically deemed properly completed (553.792(1)(c)). 85% · statute
• How long is an issued permit valid before it expires? Orange County publishes 180 days: 'A permit expires 180 days after the date it was issued or 180 days from the last passed inspection.' ONE 90-day administrative extension is available for $32.00. This sits BELOW the statutory floor: FS 553.79(1)(c) says '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.' Record both; the statute governs. 90% · department page
• Which utility handles interconnection here? Duke Energy Florida, LLC. Four city-side rungs agree, and they trace the corporate succession: (1) the City publishes a 'Duke Energy Business Resources' page and hosts Duke's own flyer; (2) the FY2025-26 budget carries a named revenue line 'DUKE ENERGY FRANCHISE FEE $300,000' beside a single 'UTILITY/SERVICE TAX - POWER $400,000' account and a separately named 'UTILITY SERVICE TAX - WATER $80,000'; (3) Code Sec. 110-25 requires street lighting to meet 'Progress Energy Corporation requirements' (Progress Energy Florida is Duke Energy Florida's former name); (4) Code Appendix A - Franchises lists 'Florida Power, Ord. No. 2005-03, adopted 8-23-2005, expiring 8-23-2035, 6%' - Florida Power Corporation being the same company two names earlier. A non-zero electric franchise fee also proves the City is NOT itself the seller. MONEY NOTE - THE MUNICIPAL PUBLIC SERVICE TAX: Code Sec. 54-22(a) levies 'on each and every purchase of electricity and water service within the corporate limits of the city, a tax at the rate of TEN PERCENT of the sales price', which is the ceiling FS 166.231 allows. Sec. 54-24's only exemptions are governments and churches - THERE IS NO RESIDENTIAL kWh OR FIRST-500-WATT EXEMPTION. Because the tax falls on electricity BOUGHT, net metering cuts it pound for pound: every offset dollar saves the homeowner an extra 10%. Sec. 54-22(b) excludes the fuel adjustment charge from the base. Scale from the City's own budget: $400,000 of electricity tax across roughly 1,100 households implies about $4.0m of electricity bought inside 1.24 square miles of land. 95% · adopted budget
• Where does the utility sit in the sequence? Before permit, in the sense that the AHJ inspection must come first and PTO last. FAC 25-6.065(5)(a) requires the Standard Interconnection Agreement to contain 'A requirement that customer-owned renewable generation must be inspected and approved by local code officials prior to its operation in parallel'. The customer must notify Duke at least 10 days before first placing the equipment in service (5)(b); Duke executes the agreement within 30 calendar days of a completed application (7)(c); the customer returns the executed agreement at least 30 calendar days before beginning parallel operation (7)(d). Practically: apply to Duke in parallel with the permit, pass the County electrical final, then notify for PTO. 90% · state rule

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? 2020 NEC. Orange County's own solar checklist states the applicable codes as 'Florida Building Code, (2023), Residential, 8th Edition' and '2020 National Electrical Code'. Edgewood Code Sec. 102-20(c) adopts 'the current edition of the National Electrical Code... as adopted by the state', a floating adoption; Orange County Code Sec. 9-131 does the same. Do not read the FBC's '2023' label as the NEC year. 95% · published checklist
• Which building code edition is in force? Florida Building Code, 8th Edition (2023), effective 31 December 2023; FBC-Residential 8th Edition for a single-family house. Orange County Code Sec. 9-33(a) adopts the FBC 'current edition as mandated by the State of Florida' and Sec. 9-35(a) adopts FBC-R 8th Edition, both applying inside Edgewood by the interlocal; Edgewood Code Sec. 102-25(b) separately affirms the FBC as adopted by the state. 95% · adopting agency
• Which fire code edition is in force? Florida Fire Prevention Code 8th Edition - NFPA 1, Fire Code, Florida 2021 Edition (FAC 69A-60.003) and NFPA 101, Life Safety Code, Florida 2021 Edition (FAC 69A-60.004), both adopted effective 31 December 2023. Edgewood adopts no fire code of its own: Sec. 26-1(a) adopts 'the state fire prevention code, as adopted by the state' by floating reference, and Sec. 26-1(b) says flatly 'The county conducts fire code inspections for the city.' 95% · state rule
• Are there local amendments to any of the above? Yes, but NONE of them touches solar. Orange County Code Sec. 9-33(b) makes extensive administrative amendments to FBC chapter 1 (including the 180-day permit life), Sec. 9-35(b) amends FBC-R (notably redefining SUBSTANTIAL IMPROVEMENT as CUMULATIVE from 25 September 2009 and re-pointing R322.1.4 to Orange County Code ch. 19 and Sec. 34-228), and Sec. 9-39(b) amends FBC-Existing Building. All apply inside Edgewood because Article II is on the interlocal's 'shall apply' list, and Edgewood Code Sec. 102-21(b) separately adopts by reference 'administrative amendments to chapter 1 of the building code adopted and enacted by Orange County during the term of the interlocal agreement'. Edgewood adds two of its own (Sec. 102-26): a new FBC 107.6.1 withholding the 105.14 affidavit route from 'the flood load and flood resistance construction requirements', and a new Sec. 117 on flood-hazard variances. 'Solar', 'photovoltaic', 'placard', 'rapid shutdown', 'battery' and 'energy storage' all return ZERO hits across Orange County Code ch. 9 (281 KB) and the Edgewood code (1.96 MB). 90% · codified ordinance
• What is the installation judged against? FBC-Residential 8th Edition (2023) Section 324 for the rooftop installation, the 2020 NEC for the electrical work, and wind loads per FBC Sec. 1609 / FBC-R R301.2.1 with Orange County Sec. 9-34. The checklist is explicit: 'All roof-top installations shall comply with section 324 of the 2023 Florida Building Code, Residential, 8th Edition.' 95% · published checklist

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 City and no County requirement of its own. Edgewood adopts no fire code (Sec. 26-1 floats to the state code) and the County conducts its fire inspections; Orange County Code ch. 9 contains zero occurrences of 'solar', 'photovoltaic', 'ridge', 'pathway' or 'access pathway'; and Orange County's Office of the Fire Marshal permit catalogue is a closed list of nine permit types (Block Party, Fireworks/Pyrotechnic/Special Effects, Trade Show & Convention, Fire Systems, Special Outdoor Events, Retail Sparklers, Laser Display, Click2Enter, Outdoor Public Assembly) with no residential and no solar entry. The operative requirement is therefore whatever the Florida Fire Prevention Code 8th Edition (NFPA 1 Florida 2021) and FBC-R Section 324 impose statewide. 70% · department page

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? Rapid shutdown is required to the 2020 NEC, which is the edition in force here by the operator's own statement. No local amendment modifies it: 'rapid shutdown' returns zero hits across Orange County Code ch. 9 and the full Edgewood code. 70% · published checklist

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? The AHJ requires none of its own. 'Placard' and 'label' both return zero hits across Orange County Code ch. 9, and zero relevant hits in the Edgewood code. The only local hook is indirect: the electrical schematic submitted for the permit must show 'required signs', i.e. whatever the 2020 NEC requires. The placards that actually appear at the service equipment are DUKE's, and Duke installs them itself. 90% · published checklist
• Does the authority specify placard wording of its own? No. Neither the City of Edgewood nor Orange County specifies any placard wording of its own. 90% · published checklist
• Does it specify letter height, colour or material? No. No letter height, colour, material or durability specification is published by either the City or Orange County. 90% · published checklist
• Is a site plan / facility map placard required, and what must it show? No AHJ-specified site-plan or facility-map placard. The requirement that exists is a submittal requirement, not a placard: the permit package must contain a 'Site plan showing locations of all new equipment and existing service equipment' and an 'Electrical schematic diagram showing... required signs'. Whatever placard the 2020 NEC requires is what applies. 80% · published checklist
• Does the UTILITY specify placards beyond the AHJ's? Yes - Duke Energy fits its own, and the installer does not. White Book (Florida Service Area, Revised April 1, 2026), Section VI: 'Duke Energy labeling on all distributive generator sites shall be applied by Duke Energy personnel'; 'Signs and labels are installed by Duke Energy'; 'Install signs and labels on all KW sizes of Distributed Generation sites'; 'Clean the surface before installing labels.' The catalogue is item 1505316 Electric Generator Warning label 3"x2" on the meter base / primary meter, lower left; 1505322 Electric Generator Warning label 6"x4" on a pad-mounted transformer, above the lock; 1505691 Electric Generator Warning sign 9"x6" on an overhead transformer pole, 5-6 ft above ground; 1505328 Generator Isolation Device label 3"x2" on a small disconnect switch, near the OFF position; 1505332 Generator Isolation Device label 6"x4" on a large disconnect switch, near the OFF position; 4205529 Generator Isolation Device sign 9"x6" on a recloser or pole disconnect switch, 5-6 ft above ground. DUKE HAS NO BATTERY PLACARD: anchored, the token 'ESS' appears ZERO times in the 331 KB White Book text, 'energy storage' zero, 'batter' once. Do NOT carry FPL's engraved meter-can placard or the 'Battery storage utilized in this facility' plaque into a Duke territory. 95% · utility construction standard
• Where must the labels be placed? Duke's own labels go where Duke's table says (meter base lower left; above the lock on a pad-mount transformer; 5-6 ft above ground on a pole; near the OFF position on a disconnect). The AHJ specifies no placement of its own, so any NEC-required labelling follows the 2020 NEC's own placement rules. 90% · utility construction standard

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? Duke's construction standard requires one and the PSC rule exempts Tier 1 from PAYING for it - record both. White Book Figure 48A ('NET' GENERATION METERING SINGLE OR THREE-PHASE SELF-CONTAINED METERED SERVICE, RESIDENTIAL/SMALL COMMERCIAL, revision 3 dated 3/31/24, DEF column ticked), notes verbatim: '1. GENERATION DISCONNECT REQUIRED AT ALL CONNECTION POINTS A, B, C, OR D. 2. GENERATION DISCONNECT REQUIREMENTS: MUST BE LOAD-BREAK RATED, INCORPORATE A LOCKABLE OPEN POSITION, AND PROVIDE A VISIBLE OPEN. 3. GENERATOR DISCONNECT LOCATION: MUST BE WITHIN SITE [sight] OF METERBASE AND READILY ACCESSIBLE. 4. WARNING LABEL REQUIREMENTS - PLEASE REFER TO SECTION 6. 5. CONNECTION AT POINT A: METERBASE MUST BE RATED/DESIGNED FOR DUAL LUG CONNECTORS AND MUST NOT BE MODIFIED... 7. CABLE TROUGH "D" MUST BE LOCKABLE.' Against that, FAC 25-6.065(6)(a): the switch 'shall be mounted separate from, but adjacent to, the meter socket and shall be readily accessible to the investor-owned utility and capable of being locked in the open position with a single investor-owned utility padlock', and 'Inverter-based Tier 1 customer-owned renewable generation systems shall be exempt from this requirement, unless the manual disconnect switch is installed at the investor-owned utility's expense.' 90% · utility construction standard
• Must equipment be on a specific approved list? Yes, on two separate lists. (1) Interconnection: FAC 25-6.065(4)(b) requires the generation to have been 'submitted by a manufacturer to a nationally recognized testing and certification laboratory, and... tested and listed by the laboratory for continuous interactive operation', against IEEE 1547 (2003), IEEE 1547.1 (2005) and UL 1741 (2005); (4)(c) requires a utility-interactive inverter that automatically isolates on grid loss. (2) Building: Orange County's residential submittal list includes an 'Orange county product approval specification sheet' - Florida Product Approval for the mounting components. 85% · state rule
• Are batteries permitted, and under what conditions? Yes, and the permit contemplates them explicitly. The electrical plan requirements demand a 'System description and operation; including but not limited to; whether the system is: Stand-alone, or non-grid connected system, Utility interactive, Battery backup, Fossil generator included in system.' No local condition, separation distance or size cap is imposed by either the City or Orange County - zero 'battery' and zero 'energy storage' hits across Orange County Code ch. 9 and the Edgewood code. FS 553.791(1)(r) names 'solar energy and energy storage installations or alterations' as single-trade work. 80% · published checklist
• Is there a separate ESS permit or inspection? No. There is no separate ESS permit type. Orange County's published permit catalogue lists Residential Structure types and Sub-trade types (Electrical, Gas, Mechanical, Plumbing, Roofing) with no energy-storage or battery entry, and no ESS inspection appears in the solar checklist's inspection list. 80% · department page
• Is a ground mount treated as a structure? Yes, and it changes the whole job. Orange County: 'All ground mount systems shall begin as a Building permit. After approval of the Building permit an Electrical Sub-permit will be required.' City zoning then treats it as a detached accessory structure under Code Sec. 134-483: not closer than five feet to a lot line, not closer than six feet to any other accessory building, NOT in front of the principal building, and its square footage 'shall count toward the impervious surface maximum for the lot' - a hard 45% cap in every residential district. Maximum height 16 feet if it sits between the district setback line and the property line. And the bulk-regulations table's footnote 1 is the one that bites on this shoreline city: 'Setbacks from every natural surface water body shall be a minimum of 50 feet, measured from the normal high water elevation.' A lakefront ground mount must sit 50 ft back from the normal high water line. FLOOD - THE LAND MASK IS DECISIVE HERE AND THE FREEBOARD IS IMPORTED, NOT LOCAL. Edgewood sits between Lake Jessamine, Lake Conway, Lake Holden and Lake Gatlin; TIGER GEOID 1219900 gives AREALAND 3,204,688 sq m and AREAWATER 772,581 sq m. Over the whole place polygon the SFHA share is 23.87%; on LAND ONLY it is 6.44% (Zone AE 6.34%, unnumbered Zone A 0.09%), with a further 1.71% in the 0.2% band, so the 'greater of' figure is 8.15%. A 3.7x factor between the two. Static BFEs on the AE polygons are 88.0, 91.0, 91.8, 92.2, 93.1, 94.2, 94.3 and 94.8 ft. The City has its OWN NFIP CID, 120183, distinct from Orange County's 120179, Belle Isle's 120181 and Orlando's 120186. FIRM panels over the City are 12095C0245F, 0265F, 0410F and 0430F, ALL effective 25 September 2009, while Code Sec. 106-23 adopts the Flood Insurance Study 'dated June 20, 2018... and any subsequent amendments and revisions' - the adopted study is NEWER than the effective panels, the inverse of the usual staleness problem, and the trailing clause saves it either way. FREEBOARD: the word appears ZERO times in the 1.96 MB Edgewood code and zero times in Orange County's flood chapter, and Edgewood's own design flood elevation is BFE with no additive. BUT the building code administered inside the City imports one: Orange County Code Sec. 9-35(b)(C) - Article II, which the interlocal makes apply inside the City - amends FBC-R R322.1.4 to read 'The design flood elevation... shall be established in accordance with Chapter 19, Article I, Division 5 and Section 34-228 of the Orange County Code', and Sec. 34-228(a)(2) requires 'Set the minimum lowest floor elevation at least one (1) foot above the elevation of the base flood.' Where no BFE is published - and unnumbered Zone A is present here - Code Sec. 106-93 lets the floodplain administrator 'Specify that the base flood elevation is two feet above the highest adjacent grade at the location of the development, provided there is no evidence indicating flood depths have been or may be greater than two feet.' The clause that actually reaches PV hardware is Code Sec. 106-371, 'General requirements for other development': anything for which no specific provision exists must be located and constructed to minimise flood damage, anchored to prevent flotation, collapse or lateral movement under design-flood hydrostatic loads including buoyancy, built of flood damage-resistant materials, and must '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 the ground-mount inverter, combiner and disconnect. SUBSTANTIAL IMPROVEMENT - TWO CONFLICTING DEFINITIONS IN ONE JURISDICTION: Edgewood Code's own definition is 50% of market value with NO dollar floor and NO cumulative window, but Orange County Code Sec. 9-35(b)(B), which applies inside the City by the interlocal, redefines it in FBC-R R202 as 'any combination of repair, reconstruction, rehabilitation, alteration, addition or other improvement... the CUMULATIVE cost of which equals or exceeds 50 percent of the market value... The period of accumulation begins when the first improvement or repair of each building or structure is permitted subsequent to September 25, 2009', and makes two flood events in 10 years averaging 25% count as substantial damage. Edgewood Code Sec. 102-26 adds FBC 107.6.1 withholding the FBC 105.14 affidavit route from 'the flood load and flood resistance construction requirements', so a PE cannot certify past it. TREES: Ch. 130 requires a permit to remove any non-exempt tree, with fees set by resolution (budgeted tree-permit revenue for FY2025-26 is $0). There is NO solar-shading relief - the only three 'solar' hits in the entire code are two tree-chapter recitals about 'the natural control of solar heat' and one 'solar easement' clause that sits inside Sec. 134-485(b), the COMMERCIAL height special exception, and so never reaches a house. Mitigation is replacement trees rather than a dollar-per-inch rate; removal without a permit requires replacement, and historic or specimen trees removed without a permit must be replaced 'with a tree of comparable size and type or with four trees for every one tree removed'. A certified-arborist or licensed-landscape-architect letter that the tree is a danger removes the permit, approval and fee requirement altogether. 90% · codified ordinance
• Is there a local rule on service upgrades or busbar sizing? No local rule. 'Busbar', 'service upgrade' and 'ampacity' all return zero hits in the Edgewood code and in Orange County Code ch. 9; sizing is left to the 2020 NEC. The only local consequence of a service upgrade is financial: Orange County Fee Directory Electrical (B) charges 'the applicable permit fee for the difference between the new service amperage and the previous service amperage, if positive' (e.g. 0-150 A single-phase 240 V = $75.00, 151-200 A = $91.00, 201-400 A = $117.00). 85% · fee schedule
• Is a specific mounting system or attachment spacing required? Yes, in unusual detail, and all of it must be sealed by a Florida engineer: 'Roof plan showing module location, Support rail and module dimensions, weights, materials, and methods of attachment (may be supplemented by product cut sheets)'; 'Fastener type, material, diameter, length, and spacing (may be supplemented by product cut sheets)'; 'Penetration flashing and waterproofing as applicable'. No specific product or spacing is mandated - the requirement is that the engineer specify and seal it. 95% · published checklist

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

• How is an inspection booked? Portal, or phone. 'How can inspections be scheduled? Online: https://fasttrack.ocfl.net/OnlineServices/default.aspx ; By phone: 407-836-5550.' A recorded Notice of Commencement must be filed with the Division of Building Safety before the FIRST inspection can be scheduled where one is required. 95% · published checklist
• How much notice is required? No minimum notice period is published. Inspections are booked on Fast Track or by phone with no stated lead time and no cut-off hour; after-hours, weekend and holiday inspections must be requested in writing at least twenty-four hours in advance. 75% · department page
• Are same-day or AM/PM windows offered? No. 'We do not schedule specific times for in-person inspections.' There are no AM/PM windows. Two partial substitutes exist: remote video-call inspections are offered in 30-minute intervals between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. (with a preferred time window selectable) - but the offered remote types are Building windows and doors final, Mechanical AC change-out final, and Plumbing irrigation/water-heater change-out/re-pipe, so NO solar inspection is remote-eligible; and Fast Track lets you track the inspector's routed work to see where you are in the queue. After-hours by request: $212.00 for a four-hour minimum plus $51.00/hour thereafter. 95% · 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? Delegated. Orange County's Division of Building Safety performs every inspection inside the City: interlocal paragraph 3, 'The Orange County Building Division shall administer and enforce the Building and Construction Regulations within the City.' The City performs no building or electrical inspection. The City DOES retain a final inspection of its own on projects that go through its zoning review - the SFR process places a 'zoning hold' released only after impact fees, a final as-built survey and 'a final City inspection' - but a solar sub-permit that goes straight to the County never enters that process. 90% · interlocal agreement
• If delegated, to whom? Orange County Division of Building Safety (formerly Division of Building Safety / Building Division), 201 South Rosalind Avenue, PO Box 2687, Orlando FL 32802-2687, phone 407-836-5550, permittingservices@ocfl.net. Appeals and variances go to the Orange County Building Codes Board of Adjustments and Appeals, which the interlocal gives jurisdiction inside the City. 95% · published checklist

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 a ROOFTOP system, two, in order: 'Electrical Rough' and 'Electrical Final' - 'See the back of the Inspection Record card for inspection code numbers.' A GROUND MOUNT adds the building-permit inspections for the structure before the electrical sub-permit's inspections. A property in a mapped floodplain with active building construction also draws a '135 Inspection', the County's FEMA Elevation Certificate inspection. 90% · published checklist
• Is a rough-in or mid-roof inspection required? Yes - 'Electrical Rough' is the first of the two required inspections, so the DC and AC rough work must be inspected before it is covered. The County is explicit that this is not negotiable: 'All inspections must be performed prior to any insulation or coverings being installed' and 'Orange County Division of Building Safety does not accept pictures in lieu of inspections.' 90% · published checklist

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 published inspection checklist. Orange County's answer to 'What inspections are required for my project?' is 'Required inspections vary depending on the scope of work. A list of required inspections are on the back of the Inspection Record provided to you when the permit is issued' - a document issued with the permit and not published online. The solar submittal checklist names the two inspection types but publishes no pass/fail criteria. 90% · department page
• What must be on site at inspection? A recorded Notice of Commencement, posted on the job site, before the first inspection where the direct contract price exceeds $5,000 (FS 713.13; the County's own application warns 'A NOTICE OF COMMENCEMENT MUST BE RECORDED AND POSTED ON THE JOB SITE BEFORE THE FIRST INSPECTION' and 'Permit valuation greater than $2500 requires a notarized Page 2, and Notice of Commencement prior to the first inspection'); safe access to the site and the permit documents ('If safe access to the site and the permit documents are provided we will perform the inspection'); and installation details - the County's residential requirements state 'Installation details must be on site for inspections.' A responsible person aged 18 or over must be present only where the inspector needs interior access to an occupied structure. 90% · permit application form

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 passed FINAL inspection, not a certificate. 'In order to close out any permits, a final inspection is required' - for a solar sub-permit the deliverable is the finaled permit record on Fast Track, viewable at the permit-status page, and no certificate of occupancy is issued. Results are posted to Fast Track: 'Plan review status, inspection results, and other permit information can be viewed on our Fast Track website... Click on Building permits and input the Electrical permit number.' 85% · department page
• Who notifies the utility for PTO? The customer, not the AHJ and not the utility. FAC 25-6.065(5)(b) requires the Standard Interconnection Agreement to provide that 'The customer shall notify the investor-owned utility at least 10 days prior to initially placing customer equipment and protective apparatus in service, and the investor-owned utility shall have the right to have personnel present on the in-service date.' (7)(d) requires the customer to return the executed agreement at least 30 calendar days before beginning parallel operation. Duke's tariff Rule 8.08 then applies net metering to customers 'that have executed an interconnection agreement with the Company'. Nothing in the City's or Orange County's process notifies Duke. 90% · state rule
• Is there a re-inspection fee? $38.00. Orange County Fee Directory, Inspection Fees (A) Re-inspection Fees $38.00, with the note that 'Reinspection fees that remain unpaid longer than sixty days will be assessed a $11.00 collection fee per account in addition to the reinspection fee due'. Pair this with FS 553.79(7)(a): the local enforcement agency MUST refund 10 percent of the permit AND inspection fees if the work fails an inspection and the inspector or building code administrator fails to give a code-based reason within 5 business days of the inspection. 95% · fee schedule
• How are corrections issued and cleared? 'The inspector will leave written notification on site and if you provided your e-mail address at time of permitting, you will also receive e-mail notification.' The written notice is a Job Site Corrections Notice and it 'includes contact information for your inspector' - the County's instruction is 'You should always talk to your inspector first. They will be able to explain the code deficiency(s) and go over the code reference(s).' Where the fix needs a plan change: submit revised plans electronically, structural sheets signed and sealed as applicable and electrical sheets FSEC-approved or PE-certified, accompanied by a Revision Request Sheet or letter, and 'The Revision must be approved by plan review.' Then re-book the inspection on Fast Track and pay the $38 re-inspection fee. 95% · department page