City of Everglades City

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 - not in the operating sense. The City of Everglades City is a municipality with its own Land Development Code, but since 5 July 2018 it does NOT run a building department. By interlocal agreement (recorded OR 5532 PG 2236, first amendment OR 5583 PG 668) Collier County administers the Florida Building Code inside the city limits and supplies the building official under FS 468.604. For residential rooftop PV the operating AHJ - permit issuance, plan review, inspection, contractor licensing, building-code enforcement - is Collier County Growth Management Community Development Department (GMCD), Building Plan Review & Inspection Division, 2800 N Horseshoe Dr, Naples. The City retains only: (a) plan review/inspection/enforcement of its own Land Development Code (zoning), (b) its Floodplain Management Ordinance for development EXEMPT from the FBC, and (c) fire plan review and inspections, which the County expressly defers to the City under interlocal 3)a)iii). 95% · interlocal agreement + both authorities' own department pages
• What does this authority permit itself, and what does it delegate? Delegated. Building, electrical and all other FBC trade permitting, plan review, inspection, contractor licensing and building-code code enforcement are delegated to Collier County. The City keeps zoning/Land Development Code review, floodplain administration for FBC-exempt development, and fire plan review/inspection. 95% · interlocal agreement, read in full
• Is a permit required for a residential rooftop PV system? Yes. A building permit (Collier permit type PRSO - Solar) is required for a residential rooftop photovoltaic system. Nothing in Collier's permit-exemption list (Ord. 2023-64 sections 105.2 and 105.2.4) exempts PV, and the new FS 553.79(1)(g) under-$7,500 exemption that Collier began operating on 1 July 2026 expressly excludes any work involving electrical and excludes property in a flood hazard area - both of which rule it out for a PV job in Everglades City. 92% · county permit-exemption notice + adopting ordinance
• Is there a separate electrical permit, or is it combined? Combined. One PRSO 'Solar' permit covers the job; on the portal you pick work item 'Photovoltaic-Roof-Mount' (or Ground Mount) and add the electrical subcontractor to the same application. The fee schedule then charges the application fee 'each trade', so a solar job with an electrical trade attracts a per-trade application fee inside the one permit rather than a second standalone permit. 80% · county submittal-requirements page + fee schedule
• Is a HOA or architectural approval required first? No. Neither the City nor Collier County requires HOA or architectural approval as a precondition of a permit, and Everglades City LDC section 2.01.06 states the Code 'shall not be affected by any deed restrictions or restrictive covenants' and that no person or agency administering the Code is responsible for enforcing them. Separately, FS 163.04(2) forbids any deed restriction or covenant from prohibiting solar collectors and forbids an approving entity from denying permission, though it may specify the location on the roof within an orientation south or within 45 degrees east or west of due south where that does not impair effective operation. 80% · city land development code + Florida Statutes
• Is there a historic-district review? Only inside the HP - Historic Preservation zoning district, and that district's permitted principal uses are commercial, civic and institutional (Village Commercial uses, bed and breakfast, churches, government buildings, museums, libraries, parks) rather than single-family homes. In HP, a development order 'must not alter the architectural and design elements that contribute to its historic character', detached accessory structures are treated as new construction, and demolition requires City Council approval. In the SF Residential Single-Family district there is no historic review. Note the tension with FS 163.04(1), which expressly prohibits any ordinance that prohibits or has the effect of prohibiting solar collectors. 70% · city land development code, section 2.02.02
• Is a wind or windstorm certification required? No - Florida has no separate windstorm certification analogous to a Texas TDI WPI-8. Wind resistance is handled inside the building permit: PRSO requires 'structural load and wind load' on the plans, FBC-R R324.4.1.2 requires rooftop PV panels and their supports to be designed for wind loads in accordance with ASCE 7, and Collier adopted updated local Wind Zone Maps (Categories 1-4, map date 6 Oct 2023) as Exhibit A to Ordinance 2023-64, with the note that 'wind speed used for designs shall be that of the highest adjacent line'. Where a parcel is in a coastal high hazard (V/VE) zone a V-Zone Design Certificate from a Florida licensed engineer or architect is a permit condition. 70% · county adopting ordinance + county submittal page
• Is a Specific Use Permit or Council approval ever required? No. Nothing in the Everglades City LDC makes a residential rooftop or ground-mounted solar installation a conditional use or a Council item. The only Council/conditional-use triggers found anywhere near this subject are demolition of a building in the HP district (City Council approval) and structures exceeding the height limit of 38 feet or BFE+28 feet, which 'may be approved as a part of the Conditional Use Permit'. 70% · city land development code, full-text searched
• Is there a system-size cap on residential generation? No cap in city or county code. The cap comes from the utility: LCEC net metering runs in three tiers - Tier 1 up to and including 10 kW, Tier 2 above 10 kW to 100 kW, Tier 3 above 100 kW to 1 MW - and separately limits RGS output to 90 percent of the nameplate rating of the serving transformer, with the customer bearing the cost of a transformer change if that is exceeded. For inverter-based systems the gross power rating is the total installed AC inverter capacity, except that where total DC capacity is less than the inverter AC output the GPR is total DC capacity x 0.85. LCEC also advises members to size at or below annual consumption because year-end banked excess is bought out at the avoided wholesale rate ($0.02875/kWh for 2025). 80% · utility service handbook + city code searched

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 licensed contractor. The portal's Primary Contractor picker shows 'only active contractors'. In Florida that means a DBPR state-certified or registered electrical contractor (EC/ER) or solar contractor (CVC), or the holder of a Collier County certificate of competency. Everglades City has by ordinance recognised the validity of County-issued contractor licences and County enforcement of them inside the city (Ord. 2018-4). An owner-builder route exists on the County side (see q7). 70% · county submittal page + contractor licensing page
• Must the contractor be registered with this authority before applying? Effectively yes. The contractor must already exist and be active in the Collier CityView portal before an application can name them, and must hold either a Collier County certificate of competency or a DBPR state licence; insurance must be on file with Collier. Everglades City recognises County-issued licences and County enforcement of them, so there is no separate City registration. 75% · county contractor licensing page
• Is a homeowner permitted to self-install and self-permit? Unclear, and this is a genuine Everglades City trap. Collier County does run an owner-builder route (an Owner-Builder Affidavit that must be signed in person and notarised by Collier County Growth Management staff, plus a Trust Affidavit variant). BUT City Ordinance 2018-4 adopted Collier's contractor-licensing ordinance 'with exception of paragraph 1.3. Owner-Builders', and interlocal 4)a)i)-ii) repeats that carve-out - so the County's owner-builder provisions are the one part of the County regime the City did NOT adopt. The statewide owner-builder exemption in FS 489.103(7) is unaffected. Confirm with the Building Division before promising a homeowner self-permit in Everglades City. 50% · city adopting ordinance + interlocal, against county form

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

• What documents make up a complete submittal? Per Collier's PRSO submittal requirements for Photovoltaic: construction plans reflecting the scope of work, including (a) certification of component listing plus specifications and technical sheets for ALL equipment, (b) a riser diagram showing all wire sizes and types, junction boxes and combiners, (c) fastening details, (d) structural load and wind load, (e) location of equipment. Plans must be signed and sealed if applicable. Ground-mount adds a proposed site plan. A recorded Notice of Commencement is a separate condition. If a private provider is used, the private-provider package is added. 92% · published submittal checklist
• How many copies, and in what format? Electronic upload through the Collier GMCD CityView portal (cvportal.collier.gov/cityviewweb) is the normal route, and FS 553.79(1)(b) requires the County to accept electronic submission. The only published paper-copy count is the 2014 Building Blocks A-126 performance standard, whose exception table lists 'Low Voltage Photovoltaic: 3 sets' for one- and two-family work. 55% · county performance standard (2014) + portal
• Is a site plan required, and what must it show? Only for ground-mount. PRSO: 'Site Planning Document: If ground-mounted: A proposed site plan.' It may need to be certified if new impervious area is over 400 sq ft, must be not older than 6 months, signed and sealed by a Florida licensed surveyor and mapper, architect or engineer, and must show property lines, setbacks, easements, water bodies and all existing and proposed structures. If the property is on septic, it must show the distance to the septic system - at least 5 feet per FAC 62-6.005(2). No site plan is called for on a roof-mount. 90% · published submittal checklist
• Is a one-line / three-line diagram required? Yes - a riser diagram 'showing all wire sizes and types, junction boxes, and combiners' is a required PRSO submittal item. LCEC separately requires 'an electric one-line diagram and spec sheet of the inverter and other installed equipment' with the interconnection application. 88% · published submittal checklist + utility interconnection procedure
• Are string and conductor calculations required? Partly. Conductor sizing information is required - the riser diagram must show 'all wire sizes and types' - and 'structural load and wind load' must be shown. The County does not separately name string voltage-drop or Isc/Voc temperature-corrected string calculations as a submittal item. 65% · published submittal checklist
• Is a structural PE stamp required, and at what threshold? No published numeric threshold. PRSO says only 'If applicable, plans must be signed and sealed', while requiring structural load and wind load to be shown for photovoltaic work. Collier's April 2025 notice directs staff to the Florida Board of Architecture and Interior Design 'Building Officials Guide to Design Professionals' for signature-and-seal questions, i.e. the trigger is the state practice acts, not a local threshold. 55% · published submittal checklist + county notice
• Is an electrical PE stamp required, and at what threshold? Generally not for a straightforward PV job. Collier's 8 April 2025 notice states that 'Electrical, plumbing, air-conditioning and mechanical contractors may be exempted from submitting Engineered signed and sealed plans if they meet the requirements of Florida Statute 471.003 (h)'. There is one published hard threshold on the electrical side: if a service change is greater than 600 amps, a Florida Registered Electrical Engineer must seal the drawings. 85% · county application-requirements page + county notice

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? Collier County GMCD CityView Public Portal - https://cvportal.collier.gov/cityviewweb. The address changed on 11 December 2025 from the old cvportal.colliercountyfl.gov host. Everglades City has no portal of its own; interlocal 10)b) has the County provide portal access at no cost to up to three City employees so City staff can do the LDC plan review inside the same system. 92% · county notices page + portal
• Can the whole application be completed online? Yes. Application, document upload, condition resolution, inspection scheduling, inspection results and fee payment are all available in the CityView portal, and FS 553.79(1)(b) obliges the County to accept complete electronic applications. In-person paper submission remains available at the building official's discretion. Two things still need a physical step: the Owner-Builder Affidavit must be signed in person and notarised by Collier GMD staff, and the Notice of Commencement must be recorded with the Clerk. 85% · county portal guide + application-requirements pages
• What does a residential solar permit cost? There is no single flat price. Building the job up from the adopted fee schedule (Resolution 2025-231, effective 1 January 2026): Photovoltaic permits = $100.00 application fee EACH TRADE, plus $110.00 PER INSPECTION; plus the planning plan review fee of $50.00 (no trade or one trade) or $75.00 (more than one trade) charged on all building permit applications; plus a $5.00 Notice of Commencement administrative fee. A typical single-trade roof-mount with one 526 Solar Electrical Final inspection therefore lands near $255-$265; add ~$110 for each extra inspection (e.g. a 503 Service Change) and a further $100 for a second trade. 80% · adopted fee schedule (Resolution 2025-231, eff. 1 Jan 2026)
• How is the fee calculated? Flat, in two parts: a flat application fee per trade plus a flat per-inspection fee. Not valuation-based, not per kW, not per panel. (Declared construction cost is collected on the application and drives impact-fee and substantial-improvement questions, not the permit fee.) 90% · adopted fee schedule
• Is there a separate plan-check fee? Yes. A separate planning plan review fee is charged on all building permit applications: $50.00 for a basic application (no trade or one trade) and $75.00 for a complex one (more than one trade); second review 50% of fee and third and subsequent 25%, for zoning-related re-reviews. 80% · adopted fee schedule + interlocal first amendment

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? Collier's published performance standard (Building Blocks A-126) is 5 business days for one- and two-family alterations and minor permits, with a 50% refund of building permit application review fees if the County misses it; the clock starts the next business day after a complete application and payment of fees, and applications or payments after 3:00 pm are entered the next business day. Fire plan reviews, Health Department, utility and transportation reviews are excluded from that clock. Over the top of that sits the statutory cap in FS 553.792(1)(a)1: 30 business days for residential/accessory/electrical permits on a structure under 7,500 sq ft. 65% · county performance standard (dated 2014) + Florida Statutes
• How long is an issued permit valid before it expires? 180 days. Bulletin #16 (amended 6 October 2025): under FBC 105.3.2-105.4.1.4 a permit expires if work is not commenced within six months of issuance or if suspended/abandoned for six months; work is in active progress only where an approved inspection has been obtained at least every 180 days. After 30 days in expired status the permit is voided for lack of process. An active permit can be extended up to 90 days for 10% of the original fee or $150, whichever is greater, capped at $750. 90% · county bulletin (amended 6 Oct 2025)
• Which utility handles interconnection here? LCEC (Lee County Electric Cooperative), a member-owned rural electric cooperative, not FPL. LCEC's 2026 Member Guide places 'Marco Island, Everglade City, Ochopee, Goodland, and unincorporated Collier County' in its District 1. LCEC buys all its wholesale power from FPL under an all-requirements contract but is the distribution utility and the interconnection counterparty here. 90% · utility's own member guide (2026)
• Where does the utility sit in the sequence? After permit AND after inspection. LCEC's published sequence: keep the manual disconnect open, review the guidelines and the tier-appropriate interconnection agreement, then submit the electronic Interconnection Agreement and Application and Compliance form with supporting documents - which must include a PASSED CITY/COUNTY INSPECTION, proof of insurance, and an electric one-line diagram plus inverter/equipment spec sheets. LCEC then installs the bidirectional meter and issues a Permission to Operate letter, and only then may parallel operation begin. Operating before the bidirectional meter is installed is prohibited and 'may result in meter tampering penalties'. 90% · utility net-metering procedure

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. NFPA 70 National Electrical Code (2020), applied in Florida as the Florida Electrical Code 2020, adopted without amendments, effective 31 December 2023 to present. 92% · county building codes page + county form
• Which building code edition is in force? Florida Building Code, 8th Edition (2023), effective 31 December 2023. Adopted for Collier County by Ordinance 2023-64 (which repealed Ordinance 2020-48 and the 7th Edition), and applicable in Everglades City as state law through FS 553.73 and through the interlocal, under which the County administers 'the Florida Building Code and related provisions of the Florida Statutes and Florida Administrative Code for and within the City'. 95% · county adopting ordinance + county building codes page
• Which fire code edition is in force? Florida Fire Prevention Code, 8th Edition (2021). Who applies it in Everglades City is the interesting part: interlocal 3)a)iii) says 'Consistent with section 553.79, Florida Statutes, the County shall defer to the City as it relates to fire plan review and inspections', so fire review inside the city limits is the City's, not the County's. Fire services in Everglades City are provided by Greater Naples Fire Rescue District, which operates Station 60 at 201 Buckner Ave N, Everglades City and an 'Everglades City Administrative Office' at 102 Copeland Ave N (City Hall). 75% · county building codes page + fire district locations page
• Are there local amendments to any of the above? Yes on the County side, but read the scope carefully. Collier Ordinance 2023-64 adopts the FBC 8th Edition 'to be enforced by Collier County in the unincorporated portions of the County' and adds administrative amendments: a permit-exemption list at 105.2 and an expanded detached-single-family list at 105.2.4, an amendment to 107.3.1 accepting approved DIGITAL construction documents kept at the site of work, and Exhibit A wind zone maps. On its face that ordinance does not extend into Everglades City. The amendment that demonstrably DOES apply in the city is the City's own Floodplain Management Ordinance 2023-22, which requires mechanical, plumbing and electrical systems to be elevated to or above base flood elevation plus one foot - a one-foot freeboard above the FBC/ASCE 24 baseline. 70% · city floodplain ordinance + county adopting ordinance
• What is the installation judged against? NFPA 70 (NEC) 2020 as the Florida Electrical Code, together with Florida Building Code Residential 8th Edition (2023) section R324 Solar Energy Systems, the manufacturer's installation instructions, and - for anything touching the service or the meter - the LCEC Electric Service & Meter Requirements Handbook. Collier's own inspection affidavit names 'the Florida Building Code 8th Edition (2023), NFPA 70 2020, & Florida Statute 377.705' as the standard the qualifier swears the installation meets. 85% · county-required inspection affidavit + code text

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

• What ridge setback and access pathways are required? Florida Building Code Residential (2023) R324.6, unamended locally. Pathways: not fewer than two pathways on separate roof planes from lowest roof edge to ridge, each not less than 36 inches wide, on all buildings; not fewer than one of them on the street or driveway side; and for each roof plane carrying an array, a 36-inch pathway from lowest roof edge to ridge on that plane, an adjacent plane, or straddling both. Ridge setback: 18 inches clear on both sides of a horizontal ridge where the array occupies not more than 33 percent of plan-view total roof area, 36 inches where it occupies more; with an NFPA 13D or P2904 sprinkler system those thresholds move to 66 percent. No panels below an emergency escape and rescue opening, and a 36-inch pathway to it. Exceptions: detached non-habitable structures, roofs at 2:12 slope or less, and where the code official determines rooftop operations will not be employed. 80% · code text (Florida Residential Code 2023, R324.6)

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

• Is rapid shutdown required, and to which NEC edition? Yes - rapid shutdown is required, to the 2020 NEC. The edition in force is NFPA 70 (2020), applied as the Florida Electrical Code 2020 and adopted without state amendments effective 31 December 2023, and neither Collier County nor Everglades City has amended Article 690. The functional requirement is therefore NEC 2020 690.12 as written. 70% · county building codes page (edition in force)

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 specifies no placard set of its own - Bulletin 4 requires only that the inspector find 'all equipment properly labeled' and that labelling meet code, i.e. whatever NEC 2020 requires. The specific, written placard requirements on this job come from the UTILITY. LCEC ESMR section XV.A.6: 'All labels must be permanent and weatherproof/UV resistant placard with engraved letters. The customer is also responsible for all labeling requirements to be compliant with the NEC.' Section XV.B adds, for any installation with energy storage: 'A placard must be permanently affixed to the meter enclosure stating “Battery storage utilized in this facility.”' 80% · utility service handbook + county bulletin
• Does the authority specify placard wording of its own? No for the AHJ; yes for the utility. Collier County and Everglades City specify no placard wording of their own. LCEC specifies wording for one placard: 'Battery storage utilized in this facility.' 75% · utility service handbook; AHJ absence proved against county and city documents
• Does it specify letter height, colour or material? Partly, and by the utility rather than the AHJ. LCEC requires labels to be a 'permanent and weatherproof/UV resistant placard with engraved letters'. That fixes material and method of marking. Neither LCEC nor Collier County nor Everglades City specifies a letter height or a colour. 80% · utility service handbook
• Does the UTILITY specify placards beyond the AHJ's? Yes, materially. LCEC, not the AHJ, is the source of the written placard requirements here: permanent, weatherproof/UV-resistant, engraved-letter placards for all labels (ESMR XV.A.6), plus a placard permanently affixed to the meter enclosure reading 'Battery storage utilized in this facility' wherever energy storage is present (ESMR XV.B), which LCEC says must also satisfy the net-metering labelling requirements. 90% · utility service handbook (2023 revision)
• Where must the labels be placed? Utility-side placements are specified: the battery placard goes permanently affixed to the METER ENCLOSURE; the manual AC disconnect is mounted separate from but adjacent to the LCEC meter socket, within 5 feet, and must remain accessible to LCEC at all times. Everything else follows NEC 2020 placement rules, which neither the County nor the City amends or restates. Collier's inspector verifies at the 526 Solar Electrical Final that all equipment is properly labeled. 82% · utility service handbook + county bulletin

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? Separate from but adjacent to the LCEC meter socket, within 5 feet. LCEC ESMR XV.A.4: 'All tier systems require an LCEC approved visually open AC disconnect to allow safe restoration of LCEC's system. The manual disconnect switch must be mounted separate from but adjacent to the LCEC meter socket within 5 feet and must remain accessible to LCEC at all times. The disconnect switch shall be connected in the applicable configuration from Figures 29A through 29D. The disconnect switch must be accessible, visible break, and lockable.' The net-metering guidelines add that it must disconnect only the renewable source and not the entire member service, and that it stays open until the bidirectional meter is installed. 92% · utility service handbook (DER section) + net metering guidelines
• Must equipment be on a specific approved list? Yes. FBC-R R324.3.1: photovoltaic panels and modules shall be listed and labeled to UL 1703; inverters listed and labeled to UL 1741; systems connected to the utility grid shall use inverters listed for utility interaction; mounting systems listed and labeled to UL 2703 installed per manufacturer instructions and their listings. PRSO requires 'certification of component listing and specifications and technical sheets for all equipment' as a submittal. LCEC goes further on inverters: 'The customer must utilize a certified UL 1741 SA and IEEE 1547 grid interactive inverter. Inverters that have not been certified to UL Standard will be denied interconnection.' 88% · code text + county submittal checklist + utility handbook
• Are batteries permitted, and under what conditions? Yes, with conditions that come almost entirely from the utility and the flood rules. LCEC ESMR section XV.B: storage devices must be certified to the applicable anti-islanding, energy storage and utility-interactive standards (IEEE 1547 or UL 1741, NEC 706 and others) or be DC-coupled behind a device that is; a placard reading 'Battery storage utilized in this facility' must be permanently affixed to the meter enclosure; and the device must have a readily accessible, visible-break, lockable disconnect that isolates it from the LCEC grid. Storage paired with customer-owned generation must be prevented from back-feeding the grid and its line drawings and manufacturer spec sheets must be submitted with the net-metering interconnection application for engineering review; storage paired with a Tier 3 system is reviewed in the fast-track study. A stand-alone BESS for backup, with no RGS, may be charged from the grid and needs NO interconnection agreement, but the customer is responsible for preventing back-feed. On top of that, Everglades City's floodplain ordinance requires electrical systems to sit at or above BFE plus one foot. 78% · utility service handbook + city floodplain ordinance
• Is there a separate ESS permit or inspection? No separate ESS permit type is published. Collier's Application Requirements index lists 46 permit types and none of them is batteries, energy storage or ESS - solar work is 'Solar Panels, incl. Photovoltaic, Domestic, and Pool - PRSO' and the electrical catch-all is PREL, whose named scopes are service change, temporary power pole, low voltage and generator. Storage therefore rides on the solar or electrical permit. Inspection-side, Bulletin 4 expressly includes batteries in the scope of the 526 Solar Electrical Final. 60% · county permit-type index, searched
• Is a ground mount treated as a structure? Yes. Everglades City LDC Article VII treats it as an accessory structure: it needs a permitted principal development on the parcel, must comply with the standards for the principal use, may NOT be located in a required buffer, landscaped area or minimum building setback area, must be included in impervious surface and stormwater run-off calculations, and must be shown on any concept development plan. A ground mount is not in the named accessory-structure table so it falls to 'Unlisted Accessory': front, rear and side setbacks calculated the same as the principal structure (SPS), and 10 feet structure-to-structure. On the building side Collier requires a proposed site plan, a 176 Solar Tie Down inspection and, where concrete footers are poured, a 100 Footing inspection; FBC-R R324.7.1 leaves fire separation distance for ground mounts to the local jurisdiction. 80% · city land development code Article VII + county bulletin
• Is there a local rule on service upgrades or busbar sizing? The one genuinely local rule is a flood rule, not a busbar rule: Everglades City Floodplain Ordinance 2023-22 requires mechanical, plumbing and electrical systems, including fixtures, to be elevated to or above base flood elevation plus one foot, and flood damage-resistant materials below BFE+1 ft - which governs where an inverter, rapid-shutdown gear, combiner or ESS may be mounted on a house in this town. On service upgrades: a service change is handled as its own work item with its own 503 Service Change inspection scheduled for the day the contractor energizes (Bulletin 4), and a service change greater than 600 amps requires load calculations and a riser diagram sealed by a Florida Registered Electrical Engineer. No local busbar or 120%-rule amendment was found. 75% · city floodplain ordinance + county application-requirements page
• Is a specific mounting system or attachment spacing required? No prescriptive local mounting system or attachment spacing. What is required is evidence: PRSO demands 'fastening details' and 'structural load and wind load' on the plans; FBC-R R324.4.1 requires the system and the roof beneath it to be designed for the imposed loads and R324.4.1.2 requires wind design to ASCE 7; R324.4.3 requires roof penetrations to be flashed and sealed per FBC-R chapter 9; and R324.3.1 requires mounting systems listed and labeled to UL 2703 to be installed per the manufacturer's instructions and their listings. For ground mounts the attachment itself is inspected - a 176 Solar Tie Down inspection is scheduled for the day the brackets are installed and before the panels go on, at which the inspector verifies materials and methods of attachment match the approved submittals and engineering. 78% · county bulletin + code text + submittal 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, phone or email. Collier uses AIRS (Automated Inspection Request System) with an IVR line on 239-252-3726 for scheduling, cancelling and results; the CityView portal has a 'Request an Inspection' function under the Building Department; cancellation on a date before the scheduled day can go to inspections@collier.gov or the Inspection Desk on 239-252-2406 (239-252-3726 after hours); cancellation on the day itself must go to the inspector directly. FS 553.79(1)(d) obliges the County to accept electronic inspection requests. 90% · county inspection scheduling page
• How much notice is required? Effectively one business day. 'Scheduling for next day inspections can be done until 4 p.m. All inspections scheduled after 4 p.m. will be scheduled for the subsequent business day' - the page gives the worked example that a request at 3:58 pm Friday is inspected Monday and one at 4:01 pm Friday is inspected Tuesday. Time-specific requests have a longer lead: 'All requests must be made by 1:00 PM the prior business day.' 88% · county inspection scheduling page
• Are same-day or AM/PM windows offered? No AM/PM windows are offered. Time-specific inspections exist but are restricted to a published list of concrete-pour inspections (100 Footings, 101 Pile Caps, 102 Grade Beam, 103 Floating Slab, 104 Tie Beam, 105 Shear Wall, 106 Columns, 118 Lintel Beam, 119 Fill Cells) - none of the solar inspection codes is on that list - and they are priced at $220 weekday/non-holiday and $440 weekend/holiday. What is available instead is a notification: when scheduling by IVR you can press 1 to be texted when the inspector is near your location. Note that Bulletin 4 in effect makes the solar final self-scheduling to the day rather than the hour: it must be booked 'for the day that the contractor energizes the system'. 80% · county inspection scheduling page + fee schedule

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. Everglades City does not inspect - Collier County does, under interlocal 3)a)ii), which obliges the County to provide a building code administrator or building official consistent with FS 468.604 to 'administrate, supervise, direct, enforce, and perform the permitting and inspection of construction... within the boundaries of the City'. A fee owner may alternatively use a registered private provider under FS 553.791; Collier maintains the registration roster and requires the private provider firm to register before contracting, with inspection results reported to the building official within 4 business days. 92% · interlocal agreement + county private provider page
• If delegated, to whom? Collier County Growth Management Community Development Department (GMCD), Building Plan Review & Inspection Division, 2800 North Horseshoe Drive, Naples FL 34104, 239-252-2400. Named staff published by Everglades City for its own building department are all County employees: Building Official Fred Clum (239-252-4232), Deputy Building Official Doug Sposito, Chief Structural Inspector Myron Jacobs, Chief Electrical Inspector Greg Hamm (239-252-2415), Structural Plans Reviewer William Craft. Permitting questions go to Daisy Delgado on 239-252-2625, and there is a County-staffed Everglades City office for building permits and inspections on 239-252-1433, open Monday, Wednesday and Friday 09:00-16:00. 92% · city building department page + county 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? Depends on mounting. NEW ROOF-TOP PV: a single 526 Solar Electrical Final, 'scheduled for the day that the contractor energizes the system' - a final of the entire system including the completed roof top assembly, mounting brackets and their method of attachment, micro processers, inverters, charge controllers, batteries, disconnects and all equipment properly labeled. If a service change is required, a 503 Service Change is added and also scheduled for the energizing day. NEW GROUND-MOUNT PV, in order: 100 Footing (before pouring any concrete footers, if applicable); 176 Solar Tie Down on the day the brackets are installed and BEFORE the panels go on; 527 Electric Rough on the day the panels and associated components and wiring are installed; then 526 Solar Electrical Final on the energizing day; plus 503 Service Change if needed. RE-INSTALLATION AFTER RE-ROOF: the roofing contractor must provide either an electrical subcontractor or a separate permit for re-installing the PV, and a completed notarized Solar Panel Installation Affidavit must be on site at the 170 Final Re-Roof inspection. 92% · county solar inspection bulletin
• Is a rough-in or mid-roof inspection required? No for roof-mount - the roof-top process is a single final, by design. Yes for ground-mount: a 176 Solar Tie Down before the panels are installed and a 527 Electric Rough on the day the panels and wiring go in. A 100 Footing inspection applies where concrete footers are poured. 90% · county solar inspection bulletin

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 for the process, no for a tick-box field checklist. Collier publishes Bulletin #4: Solar Photovoltaic Inspection Process, which names every inspection code, when it must be scheduled and what the inspector verifies, and publishes the PRSO Solar application-requirements page as the submittal checklist. It does not publish a line-item pass/fail inspection checklist for PV. 75% · county bulletin + submittal page
• What must be on site at inspection? A completed, NOTARIZED Solar Panel Installation Affidavit posted on site - this is the item that actually stops the inspection if it is missing, and Collier publishes the form. It is signed by the qualifier under penalty of perjury, gives permit number and property address, and declares that all components, electrical connections and structural attachments were installed per engineered and approved documents and per FBC 8th Edition (2023), NFPA 70 2020 and FS 377.705. Also on site: the approved construction documents stamped 'Reviewed for Code Compliance' - Collier's amendment to FBC 107.3.1 expressly accepts digital copies available at the site of work. A recorded Notice of Commencement is a separate permit condition. 82% · county-required form + county bulletin
• Does the inspector verify labels and listings? Yes, explicitly, and it is written into the bulletin: at the 526 Solar Electrical Final 'the inspector will verify that all solar panel components, electrical connections, and materials are listed and match approved submittals, and that the wiring and grounding methods meet code, confirmed, by a completed, notarized Solar Panel Installation Affidavit posted on site', and the final covers 'all equipment properly labeled'. At the ground-mount 527 Electric Rough the inspector likewise verifies 'that all components and materials are listed and match approved submittals'. 92% · county solar inspection bulletin

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 final approved inspection - the 526 Solar Electrical Final - which closes the permit; for work of this kind, with no change of occupancy, Collier closes out with a Certificate of Completion rather than a Certificate of Occupancy (the County's own documents consistently pair them as 'Certificate of Occupancy/Completion'). What the utility needs is proof of that passed inspection, not the paper form. 60% · county private provider page (phrasing) + county bulletin
• Who notifies the utility for PTO? The installer/member, not the AHJ. LCEC's published sequence puts the burden on the customer's side: complete the electronic Interconnection Agreement and Application and Compliance form and submit supporting documentation including a 'Passed city/county inspection', proof of insurance at the Tier 2/Tier 3 amounts, and an electric one-line diagram with inverter and equipment spec sheets; pay the interconnection fee ($35 Tier 1, $300 Tier 2, $1,000 application fee Tier 3); LCEC then installs the bidirectional meter and issues a Permission to Operate letter, and parallel operation begins on receipt of that letter. Collier County does not notify LCEC. 88% · utility net-metering procedure
• Is there a re-inspection fee? $110.00 per re-inspection. Fee schedule section AA.2: 'Re-inspections for any type of building permit shall result in an additional fee of $110.00 per re-inspection.' Section AA.1 charges the same $110.00 for all required and partial inspections, so a failed solar final costs the same again. 90% · adopted fee schedule
• How are corrections issued and cleared? Through 'Conditions' on the GMCD CityView portal. Plan-review corrections are issued as a comment/rejection letter - A-126 runs its clock 'until the issuance of a comment/rejection letter or a permit approval' - and FS 553.79(1)(a) obliges the reviewer to identify the specific plan or project features that do not comply and the specific code chapters and sections relied on. Each outstanding item appears as a named condition on the permit and is cleared by uploading the required document to that condition; conditions can be either inspection holds or CO holds. An inspection cannot be scheduled while the permit is on hold. Permit extensions, contractor changes and private-provider packages all clear the same way. 78% · county conditions page + performance standard