City of Inverness

A city address is usually permitted by the city, not the county — but not always, and some authorities keep building and hand electrical to someone else. Getting this wrong costs the whole submittal, because every requirement below belongs to whoever actually holds jurisdiction. Check the overlays in the same pass: an HOA, a historic district, a windstorm certification or a system-size cap can reshape the design, and all of them are cheaper to find now than after the array is laid out.

• Is this authority the AHJ for residential solar at this address? Yes. The City of Inverness is the AHJ for residential solar inside the city limits; building and electrical permitting and inspection sit in the Community Development Department, 212 W. Main Street. 95% · department page
• What does this authority permit itself, and what does it delegate? Both. The City issues and inspects building AND electrical permits itself. Fire plan review and fire inspections are the City of Inverness Fire Department. Nothing is delegated to Citrus County. 90% · permit portal application form
• Is a permit required for a residential rooftop PV system? Yes. A permit is required. There is no PV-specific statement anywhere in the City's published material, but PV is not within any exemption: Code Sec. 7-3 SECTION 104 requires a permit for building and electrical work, and the City's amendments add no exemption list of their own, so FBC 105.2 applies unamended. 80% · adopting ordinance (FBC Ch.1 local amendments)
• Is there a separate electrical permit, or is it combined? Either. A separate ELECTRICAL permit exists and is priced separately ($120 minimum), but electrical work can also ride on a building permit as subcontracted work — the application has a 'Subcontractor Work on Project: Electrical' checkbox with a Subcontractor List attachment. 70% · permit application
• Is a HOA or architectural approval required first? Yes where the property is caught. Architectural: a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Architectural/Aesthetic Review Committee is a hard pre-condition — 'The Building Division shall not issue the building or demolition permit until a certificate of appropriateness has been issued by the committee' — for any building permit affecting the exterior architectural appearance of a property within the Central Business District OR of a historic structure anywhere within the city limits. HOA: the City's Generator Permit Checklist requires written HOA approval where the equipment is within an HOA; the Electrical Permit Checklist carries no equivalent line. 85% · land development code
• Is there a historic-district review? Yes — and this is the strongest historic gate recorded in this survey, because all three of the usual escape hatches are closed. (1) NOT limited to designated properties: LDC Sec. 2.11.B.4.i reaches 'a property within a Central Business District or historic structure within the city limits', and Sec. 2.11.B.4.g.4 gives the committee power over 'proposed or designated historic structures'. (2) Designation is NOT voluntary: the historic district IS the Central Business District, 'as designated by the Inverness Land Development Code which has been established as an historic district' — an ordinance designation, not an owner election. (3) The trigger list DOES include ALTERATION, expressly defined as 'any act or process that changes one (1) or more of the exterior architectural features of a structure, including, but not limited to, the painting, erection, construction, reconstruction, or removal of any structure'. Committee decides within 15 days; written notice within 5 days; denial appealable to City Council within 30 days; a COA is void if work has not begun one year after issuance. 90% · land development code
• Is a wind or windstorm certification required? No windstorm certification instrument exists. Inverness is not HVHZ (Miami-Dade and Broward only). Code Sec. 7-3 101.4.15 fixes a local figure — 'Basic Wind Speed Line. The Basic Wind Speed for the City of Inverness shall be 110 mph' — which dates from Ord. No. 2003-616 and is a stale local number against the current FBC/ASCE 7 mapped values. The Product Approval Specification Sheet (Florida Product Approval) is demanded for roofing, underlayment, windows, doors, garage doors, soffits, truss fasteners and steel lintels; it is NOT asked for PV. 75% · adopting ordinance
• Is a Specific Use Permit or Council approval ever required? Not for rooftop PV. Special exceptions under LDC Sec. 2.5 go to the Zoning Board of Adjustment (fee $1,000); variances go to the ZBA (fee $750, or $150 administrative); the only route to City Council is an appeal from a denied Certificate of Appropriateness, within 30 days. 70% · fee schedule + land development code
• Is there a system-size cap on residential generation? None imposed by the City. The caps are the utility's. SECO Energy: net metering limited to Tier 1 (10 kW or less), Tier 2 (>10 to 100 kW) and Tier 3 (>100 to 1,000 kW), the system 'shall be rated at no more than 1,000 kilowatts (kW) alternating current power output', and 'The rating of the system cannot exceed 90% of the customer's utility distribution service rating.' Duke Energy Florida runs the standard PSC Rule 25-6.065 tiers. 88% · utility filed tariff

Several authorities require the electrical permit to be pulled by a licensed electrician, or require the contractor to be registered with them BEFORE applying. Registration is not same-day. This is second on the list rather than fourth because it is the step most likely to stop the job before the drawings matter.

• Who is allowed to pull the electrical permit? Licensed electrical contractor or the homeowner. The Electrical Permit Checklist allows an owner to pull it with a notarised Owner/Builder Disclosure Statement — EXCEPT that item 12 states: 'if the property is listed as a company name, corporation or an LLC on the property appraiser card/deed, a licensed contractor is required to submit permit for electrical.' 85% · published checklist
• Must the contractor be registered with this authority before applying? No — registration is voluntary, but the paperwork is not. The Voluntary Registration Program costs $30.00 a year and expires every 30 September; the form states: 'This program is voluntary... If you choose not to participate in this program all items in section 11 and this form will be required per each building permit. There will be no exceptions.' 95% · registration form
• Is a homeowner permitted to self-install and self-permit? Yes, with a completed, signed and notarised Owner/Builder Disclosure Statement — except where the property is titled to a company, corporation or LLC, in which case a licensed contractor must pull the permit. 90% · published 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? No solar submittal checklist exists. The nearest applicable instrument is the ELECTRICAL PERMIT CHECKLIST: (1) notarised Building Permit Application; (2) proof of property ownership; (3) explanation of proposed work on the application; (4) building layout plan showing the location of the electrical panel; (5) 'Include the power company on the permit and electrical panel needs to be marked'; (6) notarised Owner/Builder Disclosure if the owner is pulling it; (7) Contractor Registration pack; (8) recorded Notice of Commencement if the job is $5,000 or more. 75% · published checklist
• How many copies, and in what format? Submitted online through the iWorQ portal with file uploads (.docx, .jpeg, .jpg, .png or .pdf), or in person. The only hard count published is for new single-family construction — '3 sets of engineered/sealed building plans' — and that checklist does not apply to a PV retrofit. 70% · permit portal application form
• Is a site plan required, and what must it show? No full site plan is required for an electrical permit — the Electrical Permit Checklist asks only for a 'Building layout plan, showing the location of the electrical panel'. (By contrast the Generator Permit Checklist requires a scaled site plan showing the equipment location with measurements.) Code Sec. 7-3 104.2.4 lets the Building Official require a boundary-line survey where property lines cannot be determined in the field. 65% · published checklist
• Is a one-line / three-line diagram required? Not by the City — no City document requires a one-line or three-line diagram. The UTILITY does: SECO Energy requires a one-line diagram with its interconnection application and publishes a sample. 70% · utility published form
• Are string and conductor calculations required? Not required by any City document. The only calculation requirement published is 'electrical energy calculations' on the Single-Family Residential Permit Checklist, which applies to new house construction, not to a PV retrofit. 55% · published checklist
• Is a structural PE stamp required, and at what threshold? No published threshold. The City publishes no structural PE requirement for rooftop PV. Two discretionary hooks exist: Code Sec. 7-3 104.2.1.2 (the Building Official may require 'details, computations, stress diagrams and other data'), and Residential Roofing Permit Checklist item 12 ('The Building Official, at his discretion, may require an engineer sealed letter stating the roof was installed according to the current building code'). 55% · published checklist
• Is an electrical PE stamp required, and at what threshold? Nothing local. The governing threshold is state: FS 471.003(2)(h) exempts electrical work from the PE-stamp requirement below $125,000 and 600 amperes. No City document cites any figure. 55% · state statute (city silent)

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? iWorQ — invernessfl.portal.iworq.net/portalhome/invernessfl. It carries permit application, existing-permit search, pre-July-2021 permit search, inspection requests, contractor registration, business tax receipts, fire inspection invoice payment and citizen code complaints. 95% · permit portal
• Can the whole application be completed online? No — not completely. The online application has an E-Signature field but also a hard required upload headed 'Notarized Signature', and the City's Permitting page states for both routes that 'The Building permit application must be submitted with the property owner and contractor signatures when using the portal.' Both the owner's and the contractor's signatures must be notarised. 90% · department page + portal form
• What does a residential solar permit cost? No solar fee line. A rooftop PV job is priced on the general schedule: Residential Permit $120.00 minimum plus 1.25% of cost of construction; or Electrical Permit $120.00 minimum, covering the first $7,500 with $10.00 for each added $1,000 of value. Florida State Surcharge 3.50% of permit value (minimum $4.00) on top. Worked example on a $25,000 system taken as a residential permit: $312.50 + $10.94 surcharge = about $323. 85% · fee schedule (undated)
• How is the fee calculated? Valuation, with a minimum. Residential and Pool permits are a percentage of cost of construction (1.25%); Commercial, Sign and Communication Tower permits are 1.5%; Electrical, Mechanical, Plumbing, Gas, Demolition, Shed, Fence, Generator and Window/Door permits are a flat minimum covering the first $7,500 plus $10.00 per added $1,000 of value; Roofing is the minimum plus $5.00 per $1,000 of contract price. 90% · fee schedule (undated)
• Is there a separate plan-check fee? No separate plan-check fee is published on the fee schedule. CONFLICT: the City's own permit application has a 'Plan Review $' field in its office-use fee box, and a 'Fire Plan Review $' field beside it, so a plan review charge can evidently be raised even though no line exists for it. 60% · 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? 'Please allow 2-3 days for processing the permit.' That line appears identically on the Electrical, Generator, Roofing and Single-Family checklists. There is no published plan-review service standard, and the City does not publish or reference the FS 553.792 statutory timeframes anywhere. 75% · published checklist
• How long is an issued permit valid before it expires? A permit becomes invalid unless work is commenced within six months of issuance, and failure to obtain an approved inspection within 180 days of the previous approved inspection constitutes suspension or abandonment. An unissued APPLICATION is void 180 days after filing (permit application) / six months after filing (Code Sec. 7-3 104.1.6). Demolition permits expire in 60 days. CONFLICT ON EXTENSIONS: Code Sec. 7-3 104.5.1 allows extensions 'for periods not more than 180 days each' with no cap, while the fee schedule prices 'Permit Extensions: $50.00 (two maximum permitted up to 90 days each)'. 85% · adopting ordinance + fee schedule
• Which utility handles interconnection here? TWO electric utilities serve the City: SECO Energy (Sumter Electric Cooperative, Inc. — a Seminole Electric Cooperative member) and Duke Energy Florida, LLC. The City's own Street Lights page splits its instructions into 'Sumter Electric Customers' and 'Duke Energy Customers'. Which one serves a given address has to be established per address. 88% · department page
• Where does the utility sit in the sequence? Parallel, with a hard utility gate at the end. SECO's published 10-step process puts the Interconnection Agreement at step 4, BEFORE the permit at step 5; installation is step 6, City/County inspection step 7, document and photo upload step 8, bi-directional meter step 9. The Interconnection Agreement then requires, before the system may operate, 'written certification that the RGS installation has been inspected by the local code official who has certified that the installation was permitted and has been approved', plus at least ten days' notice of the in-service date. 88% · utility process page + filed interconnection agreement

The NEC edition a jurisdiction enforces is often a cycle behind the newest one published, and local amendments sit on top of it. Rapid shutdown, conductor sizing and labelling all change between editions, so the edition in force is the first thing to establish, not the last.

• Which NEC edition is in force? NEC 2020, as adopted statewide by the Florida Building Commission, effective 31 December 2023, under FBC 8th Edition (2023). LOCAL CONFLICT WORTH KNOWING: Code Sec. 7-4(4) still adopts by reference 'The National Electric Code, 2002 Edition, including all chapters and revisions' (Ord. No. 2003-616). That frozen local adoption is 23 years out of date and is superseded by the state code; it is not a live alternative. 90% · adopting ordinance
• Which building code edition is in force? Florida Building Code, 8th Edition (2023). CONFLICT: the City's paper permit application (revised 5-14-2020 / 6-8-2020) says '8th Edition (2023)', but the LIVE iWorQ online application still says 'the Florida Building Code, 7th Edition (2020), the Inverness Land Development Code, and the Inverness Code of Ordinances'. 88% · permit application vs portal form
• Which fire code edition is in force? Florida Fire Prevention Code, 8th Edition (2023). Code Sec. 9-1 adopts 'the Florida Fire Prevention Code as amended from time to time and as adopted by the Florida State Fire Marshal pursuant to F.S. Ch. 633' — a floating adoption that tracks the State Fire Marshal, so it cannot diverge from the state edition. 88% · adopting ordinance
• Are there local amendments to any of the above? Yes, extensive — but none of them touch PV. Code Sec. 7-3 rewrites FBC Chapter 1 (department, powers, permits, fees, valuations, inspections, certificates, tests, violations, flood variances) and adds local definitions including the 110 mph basic wind speed; Sec. 7-4 adopts additional codes; Secs. 7-5 to 7-5.11 are a local Unsafe Building Code; Sec. 7-7 adopts a Property Maintenance Code; Ch. 9.5 is the local floodplain management ordinance. 92% · adopting ordinance
• What is the installation judged against? Florida Building Code 8th Edition (2023) including FBC-Residential and FBC-Existing Building; NEC 2020 as adopted by the Florida Building Commission; the Inverness Building Code local amendments at Code Ch. 7; the Inverness Land Development Code; and FFPC 8th Edition (2023). Code Sec. 7-3 101.4.14.2 sets the tie-breaker: 'In case of a conflict between different parts of this chapter; conflicts within the same code; or conflicts between codes; the more stringent requirements shall be applicable.' 85% · adopting ordinance

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

• What ridge setback and access pathways are required? No local amendment. Ridge setbacks and roof access pathways are whatever the Florida Fire Prevention Code, 8th Edition (2023) requires by state adoption — the City adopts the FFPC as the State Fire Marshal adopts it and adds nothing. The City of Inverness Fire Department's published fee schedule prices fire safety inspections but sets no PV standard. 60% · adopting ordinance (state default)

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 — required by NEC 2020 Article 690.12 as adopted statewide. The City says nothing: 'rapid shutdown' returns zero hits in the Code of Ordinances index, zero in the Land Development Code index and zero on the City's own site search. 82% · adopting ordinance + NEC 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 City requires no PV placards of its own. The only City marking requirements are generic and pre-PV: 'Include the power company on the permit and electrical panel needs to be marked' (Electrical Permit Checklist item 5); 'Meter boxes must be marked' (Inspection Guideline, Rough Electric); 'Panel labeled with electrician's name and address. All circuits identified and spare breakers must be marked accordingly' (Electrical Final Checklist, Enclosures item 1). The real placard regime here is the utility's — see Q42. NEC 2020 690/705 labelling applies by code adoption. 90% · published checklist
• Does the authority specify placard wording of its own? No. The City specifies no placard wording of its own anywhere. 85% · code index search (absence)
• Does it specify letter height, colour or material? Not by the City. SECO ENERGY DOES, in detail: 'THE PERMANENT AND DURABLE PLACARD SHALL BE NON-FERROUS METAL OR POLY-PLASTIC PLATES, UV RESISTANT, EPOXY GLUED OR RIVETED TO THE FRONT COVER OF THE DISCONNECT SWITCH WITH ENGRAVED OR STAMPED LETTERING A MINIMUM OF 1/4" HIGH, WHITE LETTERS ON A RED BACKGROUND. THE USE OF PEEL-AND-STICK LABELS, PAINT, OR MARKING PENS TO LABEL THE PLATES IS NOT ACCEPTABLE.' Duke Energy Florida instead specifies six catalogued label part numbers with fixed sizes (3"x2", 6"x4", 9"x6") and fits them itself. 92% · utility published standard
• Is a site plan / facility map placard required, and what must it show? Not required by the City. NEC 2020 Section 705.10 (directory of all electric power sources at the service equipment) applies by code adoption. Neither utility requires a site plan or facility map placard: SECO requires two specific placards on the disconnect and the meter enclosure, and Duke requires only its own catalogued warning and isolation labels. 60% · code adoption + utility standards
• Does the UTILITY specify placards beyond the AHJ's? Yes — and in this city the utility placards are the entire placard regime, because the AHJ requires none. SECO ENERGY: a placard on the front cover of the utility AC disconnect switch identifying the on-site power generation source (Detail A, 'ON-SITE GENERATION UTILITY DISCONNECT SWITCH'), and a permanent placard on the front cover of the meter enclosure indicating DUAL POWER SOURCE (Detail B). On a 400 A split-breaker service, two disconnects, plus Detail C (dual power source) and Detail D ('ON-SITE GENERATION UTILITY AC DISCONNECT 1 AND 2 MUST BE OPENED TO ISOLATE THE SOLAR SYSTEMS') on the meter enclosure. DUKE ENERGY FLORIDA: six catalogued items, installed by Duke itself — 1505316 Electric Generator Warning label 3"x2" at the meter base/primary meter, lower left; 1505322 same 6"x4" above the lock on a pad-mounted transformer; 1505691 sign 9"x6" on an overhead transformer pole 5-6 ft above ground; 1505328 Generator Isolation Device label 3"x2" near the OFF position of a small disconnect switch; 1505332 same 6"x4" on a large disconnect switch; 4205529 sign 9"x6" on a recloser/pole disconnect 5-6 ft above ground. Duke's notes: '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.' 92% · utility construction standard
• Where must the labels be placed? SECO customers: Detail A placard on the front cover of the utility AC disconnect switch; Detail B placard on the front cover of the meter enclosure. The disconnect itself must be mounted 48 inches minimum to 72 inches maximum above grade and within 5'-0" maximum of the utility meter enclosure, in line of sight. Duke customers: at the meter base (lower left) and near the OFF position of the disconnect switch, fitted by Duke. The City specifies no placement of its own. 90% · utility published 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? Per utility, and they differ. SECO ENERGY (co-op): 'A MANUAL LOAD BREAK AC DISCONNECT SWITCH PROVIDING A LOCKABLE VISIBLE BREAK SEPARATION... SHALL BE PROVIDED. A CIRCUIT BREAKER OR MOLDED CASE SWITCH DOES NOT PROVIDE AN ACCEPTABLE VISIBLE BREAK AND IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. THE UTILITY AC DISCONNECT SWITCH SHALL BE MOUNTED ADJACENT TO THE UTILITY METER ENCLOSURE WITHIN A 5'-0" MAXIMUM DISTANCE, WITHIN LINE OF SIGHT, AND SHALL BE ACCESSIBLE AT ALL TIMES TO SECO ENERGY.' Mounting height 48" minimum to 72" maximum. No size exemption of any kind, and where an existing array is being added to, 'THE EXISTING MANUAL AC DISCONNECT SHALL BE REMOVED AND A NEW UTILITY AC DISCONNECT MUST BE INSTALLED'. Co-ops sit outside PSC Rule 25-6.065 substantively (Fla. Stat. 366.91). DUKE ENERGY FLORIDA (IOU): White Book Figure 48A, 'NET GENERATION METERING SINGLE OR THREE-PHASE, SELF-CONTAINED METERED SERVICE, RESIDENTIAL/SMALL COMMERCIAL' (rev 3 dated 3/31/24, DEF column ticked) — 'GENERATION DISCONNECT REQUIRED AT ALL CONNECTION POINTS A, B, C, OR D'; 'MUST BE LOAD-BREAK RATED, INCORPORATE A LOCKABLE OPEN POSITION, AND PROVIDE A VISIBLE OPEN'; 'MUST BE WITHIN SITE [sight] OF METERBASE AND READILY ACCESSIBLE'. PSC Rule 25-6.065(6)(a) provides that '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' — that is an exemption from PAYING for the switch, not from having one; Duke's own published spec still requires it. Where the rule governs placement it says 'mounted separate from, but adjacent to, the meter socket... capable of being locked in the open position with a single investor-owned utility padlock'. 92% · utility construction standard + PSC rule
• Must equipment be on a specific approved list? Not by the City for PV. Florida Product Approval via the Product Approval Specification Sheet is required for roofing, underlayment, windows, mullions, skylights, exterior doors, garage doors, soffits, truss fasteners and steel lintels — PV is not on that list. The utilities do impose listing requirements: SECO requires the system, inverters and associated equipment to adhere to IEEE-1547, UL-1741, the NEC and, where applicable, FSEC Std. 203-10, with the inverter submitted to an OSHA-approved NRTL; Duke requires the generation system to be 'CERTIFIED AS UL 1741 AND IEEE 1547 COMPLIANT'. 80% · utility filed interconnection agreement
• Are batteries permitted, and under what conditions? The City has no battery or ESS provision of any kind — no permit type, no inspection type, no code section. FBC-Residential and FFPC 8th Ed. (2023) apply by adoption. SECO Energy does address storage: its standards carry a dedicated sheet, 'ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEM WITH RENEWABLE GENERATION SYSTEM UTILITY AC DISCONNECT REQUIREMENTS' (Detail D), and on a split service each AC disconnect 'MUST ISOLATE BOTH THE RGS AND THE ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEMS IF APPLICABLE'. 70% · utility standard + portal type lists
• Is there a separate ESS permit or inspection? No. The iWorQ Permit Type list (BUILDING, CHANGE OF USE, DEMOLITION, ELECTRICAL, FIRE, GAS, MECHANICAL, OTHER, PLUMBING, RIGHT OF WAY, SIDEWALK CAFE, SIGN, SITE, TREE REMOVAL, ZONING VERIFICATION) has no ESS or battery type, and the 60-entry inspection-type list has none either. 75% · permit portal type list
• Is a ground mount treated as a structure? Yes, by inference — a ground-mounted array is a detached accessory structure. The LDC defines 'Accessory building or structure' as 'a detached building or structure... customarily clearly incidental and subordinate to that of the principal building', and the historic ordinance defines 'Structure' as 'anything constructed or erected, the use of which requires permanent or temporary location on or in the ground'. LDC Sec. 2.8.C then applies: no detached structure in any part of the front yard; one accessory structure may sit in the side yard behind the front setback with the principal building's setbacks, screened on front and side by a six-foot wood privacy fence or masonry wall; not closer to a side lot line than half the principal building's minimum; not closer than five feet to the rear lot line; maximum 15 feet in height in a residential district; not more than 30 percent of the rear yard; not more than three accessory buildings per residential lot. 65% · land development code
• Is there a local rule on service upgrades or busbar sizing? No local rule on service upgrades or busbar sizing. What the City does publish on enclosures is generic and predates PV: the Inspection Guideline's Rough Electric stage requires 'Meter boxes must be marked', and the Electrical Final Checklist requires 'Panel labeled with electrician's name and address. All circuits identified and spare breakers must be marked accordingly.' Nothing on the 120% rule, feeder taps or supply-side connections. 70% · published checklist
• Is a specific mounting system or attachment spacing required? Nothing published. No mounting system, attachment spacing, flashing or racking requirement exists in the Code, the LDC or any City checklist. The Product Approval Specification Sheet (Florida Product Approval numbers, manufacturer, product description) is required for roofing and underlayment on a roofing permit but is not asked for PV racking or modules. 65% · published form

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. Inspections are requested through the iWorQ portal's 'Request An Inspection' form, which requires the contractor's ACCESS CODE (obtainable by email from the portal), an inspection type from a fixed list and a date from a published calendar. Phone is the fallback: (352) 726-3401. 88% · permit portal
• How much notice is required? No stated notice period, but a hard constraint: 'Inspections are scheduled only on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.' The portal's live availability calendar at the time of checking offered the next weekday from the following day onward, i.e. roughly one business day. Fire inspections: 'PLEASE ALLOW UP TO 5 DAYS FOR FIRE INSPECTIONS.' 80% · department page + portal
• Are same-day or AM/PM windows offered? Not offered. The portal books a day, not a window, and no AM/PM or same-day option is published. The only scheduling variable published is the Monday/Wednesday/Friday restriction. 65% · permit portal

Some authorities inspect their own solar work; some delegate it, and a few do not inspect the PV equipment itself at all. Who is coming determines what they will look at.

• Does this AHJ perform its own final solar inspection? Yes — the City performs its own inspections, through its Building Official. But there is NO solar inspection type: the portal's 60-entry inspection-type list contains ELECTRIC 1ST ROUGH, ELECTRIC 2ND ROUGH, ELECTRIC ABOVE-CEILING, ELECTRIC DISCONNECT, ELECTRIC FINAL, ELECTRIC METER POWER-UP, ROOF IN-PROGRESS, ROOF FINAL, ROOF SHEATHING, ROOF TIE-IN, STRUCTURAL and FINAL — and nothing headed solar or PV. 82% · permit portal inspection type list
• If delegated, to whom? Not delegated. Fire safety inspections are the City of Inverness Fire Department's, priced on the City's own fire fee schedule. NOTE ON HOW THE FUNCTION IS STAFFED: the City has a named Building Official (Jimmy Strickland, Community Development, ext. 1102) but the post is NOT a budgeted FTE — the FY2027 Adopted Budget's personnel schedule shows Community Development at 3.00 FTE across FY2026 and FY2027 (CDD Director, Development Review Coordinator, Code Compliance Technician) against Contractual Services of $212,000 (FY2026 budget) and $217,000 (FY2027 proposed), set against Building Permits revenue of $450,000. The building-inspection function is therefore substantially contracted while the City remains the legal AHJ. 75% · adopted budget line-item appendix (FY2027 Tentative)

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? No published PV sequence. Derived from the portal's own inspection types and the City's Inspection Guideline, a rooftop retrofit would run: ELECTRIC FINAL, then FINAL; with ROOF IN-PROGRESS and ROOF FINAL added if the roof covering or deck is opened, and ELECTRIC METER POWER-UP where a new meter or service is set. The Inspection Guideline's general rule is that 'the building official shall determine the timing and sequencing of when inspections occur and what elements are inspected at each inspection' (Code Sec. 7-3 105.6). 65% · published inspection guideline + portal type list
• Is a rough-in or mid-roof inspection required? Not for a PV retrofit — nothing is published. For roof work it is: 'Partial roof or Roof in Progress... Do not start shingling until after the partial roof inspection has passed. A ladder must be on-site for the Building Official use for this inspection.' For new electrical work the Rough Electric stage comes 'Before framing inspection... All conductors pulled (Including low voltage) and home runs complete. Meter boxes must be marked.' 60% · published inspection guideline

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 — 21 published inspection checklists plus a two-page Inspection Guideline, including Electrical Final, Electrical Rough, Electrical In-Ground, Building Final, Roof, Rough Framing, T-Pole and Change of Use. NONE of them is solar-specific, and none mentions PV. 95% · department page
• What must be on site at inspection? A recorded Notice of Commencement, posted on the job site 'BEFORE THE FIRST INSPECTION' (required where the job is $5,000 or more, recorded at the Citrus County Clerk of Courts, 120 N. Montgomery Avenue); the permit card, which the inspector signs and dates on pass; the approved plans, which must be returned to their original location; and a ladder where roof or attic access is needed — 'Ladders must be provided for the Building Officials for inspections.' The Generator checklist additionally requires site plans and equipment specifications to be on site, which is the nearest analogue for PV. 80% · published inspection guideline + permit application
• Does the inspector verify labels and listings? Yes for listings and panel labelling generally. The Electrical Final Checklist's first General item is '1. All fixtures must be listed and suitable for location used', and its Enclosures section requires 'Panel labeled with electrician's name and address. All circuits identified and spare breakers must be marked accordingly.' There is no PV-specific label verification, because the City requires no PV labels. 80% · published checklist

Passing gives you a final or an equivalent sign-off. That is not the same as permission to operate: PTO comes from the utility, and who tells the utility the inspection passed varies. A system left switched off for weeks is usually waiting on this handover.

• What is issued on pass? For a PV retrofit, a passed final inspection recorded on the signed and dated permit card, and a Certificate of Completion ($30.00 on the fee schedule). A Certificate of Occupancy ($30.00) is the instrument for a building — Code Sec. 7-3 106.1.2 issues it 'Upon completion of construction of a building or structure and installation of electrical, gas, mechanical and plumbing systems... and after the final inspection'. 65% · fee schedule + adopting ordinance
• Who notifies the utility for PTO? The installer or the member — not the City. SECO Energy's filed Interconnection Agreement clause 2: 'The Member agrees to provide the Cooperative with written certification that the RGS installation has been inspected by the local code official who has certified that the installation was permitted and has been approved and has met all electrical and mechanical requirements. Such certification shall be delivered to Cooperative prior to the operation of the RGS.' Clause 5 requires at least ten days' notice before the in-service date. The published process then has the contractor or member upload documents and system photos (5-7 business days for SECO approval) before SECO sets the bi-directional meter. Duke customers go through Duke's own interconnection application process. The City notifies nobody. 85% · utility filed interconnection agreement
• Is there a re-inspection fee? Yes. Re-Inspections Fees: First $50.00, Second $75.00 (Building Permit Fee Schedule). The checklists put it more bluntly: 'Failed inspections will be charged $50.00; and must be paid prior to final inspection', and the Inspection Guideline adds 'The reinspection fee is required to be paid prior to the re-inspection taking place.' The fire re-inspection fee for an unnecessary or information-only trip is $35.00. 88% · fee schedule (undated)
• How are corrections issued and cleared? The inspector either releases that portion of the work or 'shall notify the permit holder or his agent of any violations which must be corrected in order to comply with the technical codes' (Code Sec. 7-3 105.6). In practice, per the Electrical Final Checklist: 'Return plans to original location, sign and date permit card, or leave correction notice with items listed.' A correction notice is cleared by paying the re-inspection fee and booking RE-INSPECTION, which is its own type on the portal. Revision Fees are $100.00. 80% · adopting ordinance + published checklist