City of Key Colony Beach

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 Key Colony Beach Building Department is the AHJ for residential building and electrical permitting, plan review and inspection inside the city limits, including rooftop PV 92% · department page + municipal code
• What does this authority permit itself, and what does it delegate? Both - the City permits and inspects building AND electrical itself, and also performs its own fire-safety plan review and fire inspections through the Building Official, who is separately certified as the City's fire safety inspector. Nothing is delegated to Monroe County. 85% · municipal code
• Is a permit required for a residential rooftop PV system? Yes - a permit is required. Sec. 6-6(1)(d) requires a building permit for 'any electrical, plumbing or mechanical addition or alteration', and the codified fee schedule carries a named line 'Permit fee for Solar Panel Installation'. 88% · municipal code
• Is there a separate electrical permit, or is it combined? Combined - the City issues one building permit; electrical is carried inside it as a named subcontractor line with its own stated cost, and the fee schedule prices 'ELECTRICAL' inside the same additions/alterations fee table rather than as a separate permit type 65% · permit application form + fee schedule
• Is a HOA or architectural approval required first? No - HOA or architectural-association approval is not a City permitting prerequisite. Land Development Regulations Sec. 101-30 says expressly: 'It is not the responsibility of the city (including the building official) to enforce compliance with any deed restrictions.' Separately, Fla. Stat. 163.04(2) bars any deed restriction, covenant or declaration from prohibiting solar collectors, and bars an approving entity from denying permission - it may only specify location on the roof within an orientation to the south or within 45 degrees east or west of due south, and only where that does not impair effective operation. 78% · land development regulations + state statute
• Is there a historic-district review? No - there is no historic-district review in Key Colony Beach. The city has no historic preservation ordinance, no historic district, and no historic preservation board. 72% · municipal code (absence proved by full-text search)
• Is a wind or windstorm certification required? No windstorm certification in the Texas/TDI sense. What is required instead is Florida Product Approval: the City's own Building Application & Inspection Procedure requires NOAs (Notices of Acceptance / product approvals) to be submitted with the application. Key Colony Beach sits in the wind-borne debris region but NOT in the High Velocity Hurricane Zone (HVHZ is Miami-Dade and Broward only). Sec. 6-3(9) requires hurricane shutters on all new construction and on existing structures undergoing remodelling, designed to a minimum 150 mph 3-second gust per ASCE 7 and to SSTD 12-97 large-missile impact, with fasteners physically verified before the certificate of occupancy. 70% · municipal code + published procedure
• Is a Specific Use Permit or Council approval ever required? Yes - and this is the most consequential local overlay in this file. Land Development Regulations Sec. 101-28 (Architecture): 'In the event that an application is made for a building permit for construction of a one or two unit dwelling, or the performance of work on such an existing building, that, in the opinion of the building official, does not meet the criteria cited above [architectural style and materials harmonious in character and appearance with existing buildings in the neighborhood, appropriate to their surroundings], such permit shall not be issued except after recommendation by the planning and zoning committee and approval by the city commission.' Code Sec. 6-3(2)(b) mirrors this. So a single official's aesthetic judgement can convert a rooftop PV permit into a Planning & Zoning recommendation plus a City Commission vote. 80% · land development regulations
• Is there a system-size cap on residential generation? No cap in City law. The caps that bite are the utility's: FKEC Tier 1 covers systems 10 kW AC or less; the Gross Power Rating must not exceed 90% of the member's utility distribution service rating; and FKEC's net-metering policy states 'Member generation shall be no larger than required to achieve yearly net zero usage', sized on the average peak consumption of the three highest months in the last 12. FKEC reviews production against consumption at an annual January true-up and can require export limiting (inverter power limiting) within 90 days, with physical disconnection for non-compliance. Tier 2 is >10 to 100 kW, Tier 3 >100 kW to 1 MW. 82% · utility net-metering page + interconnection agreement

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

• Who is allowed to pull the electrical permit? Either - Sec. 6-6(2)(a): the application 'must be submitted by a person certified or licensed by either the State of Florida or Monroe County to do the work for which the permit is desired', with an exception for the owner of a single-family dwelling building or improving it for the owner's own use 88% · municipal code
• Must the contractor be registered with this authority before applying? Yes - contractors must register with the City's Building Department before applying. The Contractor Registration Form requires business and qualifier details plus up-to-date copies of every licence pertaining to the work (State of Florida, Monroe County), an occupational licence or business tax receipt, a general liability certificate naming the City of Key Colony Beach as certificate holder, and workers' compensation or an exemption affidavit. 88% · department form
• Is a homeowner permitted to self-install and self-permit? Yes, but tightly restricted. Sec. 6-6(2)(c) allows an individual to alter or repair his own residence or build a new one under Fla. Stat. 489.103(7), (9); the owner/builder is limited to ONE permit in five years for a new single-family dwelling, must be present on the job site whenever work is in progress and during every inspection, and anyone assisting other than a 'common labourer' must be state-licensed or Monroe County certified. A notarised Owner/Builder Disclosure Statement must be completed before the permit issues. 90% · municipal code + department 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 the City's own Building Application & Inspection Procedure: 'Submit complete application including contract, drawings, NOA's [Florida/Miami-Dade product approvals] with permit fee for review and approval.' Sec. 6-6(3)-(4) adds: written application at the office of the city clerk giving the full legal description (lot, block, subdivision), three complete sets of plans, and drawings showing building locations, elevations and setbacks from a recent survey, and 'plans and elevations showing structural design and diagrams for electrical, mechanical, plumbing and roofing installations', plus the names of the electrical and roofing subcontractors. A recorded Notice of Commencement is required before the first inspection, and registered contractors must file Subcontractor Sign-On forms. 80% · published procedure + municipal code
• How many copies, and in what format? Three (3) complete sets of plans - Sec. 6-6(3): 'Said application must be accompanied by three (3) complete sets of plans.' No page size or digital-format requirement is published. 60% · municipal code
• Is a site plan required, and what must it show? Yes. Sec. 6-6(4) requires drawings showing the location of all buildings with front, side and rear elevations and heights, the distance of all setbacks from property lines 'as determined from a recent survey', driveways with finished elevations, lot perimeter walls and fences, and for residential work the elevation of the lowest supporting member and lowest finished habitable floor relative to mean sea level. A lot survey by a registered surveyor is required specifically before construction of a seawall, a new building or an external addition to one, or a boundary fence. 70% · municipal code
• Is a one-line / three-line diagram required? Yes in substance, though not by that name. Sec. 6-6(4)(j) requires 'Plans and elevations showing structural design and diagrams for electrical, mechanical, plumbing and roofing installations.' Neither 'one-line' nor 'three-line' appears anywhere in the Code (searched the full codified text of both the Code of Ordinances and the Land Development Regulations). 65% · municipal code
• Are string and conductor calculations required? No - string and conductor calculations are not called for by any published City document. Sec. 6-6(4) sets out the complete list of required drawing contents and asks only for 'diagrams for electrical ... installations'; the Building Application & Inspection Procedure asks for application, contract, drawings and NOAs. 60% · municipal code
• Is a structural PE stamp required, and at what threshold? No PV-specific threshold is published. What the Code does require: Sec. 6-3(1)(b) and Sec. 6-6(4)(h) oblige a registered professional engineer to seal the plans and write to the City certifying that supports are designed and anchored for base-flood loads and that the structure is designed to remain standing against wind without shielding. Sec. 6-6(1)(b) leaves 'what constitutes major structural repair' to the building official. So whether a rooftop PV attachment needs a sealed structural letter is at the Building Official's discretion, not at a stated kW or square-foot threshold. 55% · municipal code
• Is an electrical PE stamp required, and at what threshold? Not required by any published City document. The Code's engineering-seal requirements (Sec. 6-3(1)(b), 6-6(4)(h), 6-6(4)(i)) are all structural, flood or grading; no electrical PE seal is mentioned anywhere. 58% · municipal code

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? Citizenserve (www2.citizenserve.com), installation ID 326, branded 'KEY COLONY BEACH, FL'. It covers permitting, licensing, development projects and code enforcement. 92% · portal landing page
• Can the whole application be completed online? Yes, per the portal's own description: 'Learn when you need a permit, submittal requirements, apply online, view review status, pay permit fees and schedule inspections all from your home, office or mobile device.' Caveat: the codified Sec. 6-6(3) still says 'An application for a building permit shall be made in writing at the office of the city clerk', and the City has not reconciled the two. 70% · portal landing page
• What does a residential solar permit cost? CONFLICT, both sources current and first-party. (a) The CODIFIED fee schedule at Sec. 1-10 of the Code of Ordinances carries a named line: 'Permit fee for Solar Panel Installation $500.00' plus an additional 2.5% State surcharge. (b) The Building Department's own current fee schedule, Resolution 2026-01 adopted 19 February 2026, contains NO solar line at all and prices the work generically: 'ELECTRICAL, PLUMBING, MECHANICAL ADDITIONS OR ALTERATIONS - Costs of up to $2,500 flat fee $100; Costs greater than $2,500, per $1,000 or any part thereof $35', plus a Building Surcharge of 2.5% of the permit fee (minimum $4.00) and a Fire Safety Plan Review fee of $125 for single-family. On a $15,000 residential PV job route (b) computes to roughly $525 plus surcharge, so the two routes happen to land close - but they are different instruments and I am not resolving them. 70% · codified fee schedule (conflicting with department fee resolution)
• How is the fee calculated? Both bases are live, depending which instrument you read: FLAT $500 under the codified Sec. 1-10 solar line, or VALUATION ($100 flat up to $2,500 of job cost, then $35 per $1,000 or any part thereof) under Building Department Resolution 2026-01. A 2.5% state surcharge applies on top either way. 65% · fee schedule + codified fee schedule
• Is there a separate plan-check fee? No separate building plan-check fee - Resolution 2026-01 prices plan review inside the permit fee. There IS a separate FIRE SAFETY PLAN REVIEW fee: minimum $75.00, single-family $125.00, duplex $225.00. A 10% discount on the building permit fee is available where an approved private inspection provider is used and this is raised during the application process or before the first City inspection. 78% · 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? The City publishes no turnaround of its own. The binding figure is statutory: Fla. Stat. 553.792(1)(a)1 requires a local government to approve, approve with conditions or deny within 30 BUSINESS DAYS of a complete and sufficient application for a residential or electrical permit where the structure is under 7,500 sq ft; 553.792(1)(c) requires written notice within 5 business days saying what is missing, failing which the application is automatically deemed complete; 553.792(1)(e) cuts the permit fee by 10% for each business day the deadline is missed. 72% · state statute
• How long is an issued permit valid before it expires? 15 months maximum from the date granted. The City's Application for Building Permit form carries the notice in capitals: 'THIS PERMIT IS VALID FOR A 15 MONTH PERIOD MAXIMUM FROM DATE GRANTED.' For remodel/alteration work (which is the category a rooftop PV job falls in) Sec. 6-8 adds a separate control: work must not be discontinued for more than 30 days - evidenced by failure to call an inspection within 30 days of the last one - and such a discontinuance results in an indefinite extension of the permit coupled with a $3.00 per day fee until the work is completed and approved. 75% · permit application form + municipal code
• Which utility handles interconnection here? Florida Keys Electric Cooperative (FKEC) - a member-owned rural electric cooperative headquartered at 91630 Overseas Highway, Tavernier FL. 92% · municipal code + utility page
• Where does the utility sit in the sequence? Parallel, with a hard city-side gate at the end. FKEC's Tier 1 agreement requires: a completed application to FKEC to start the process (no application fee for Tier 1); FKEC executes the interconnection agreement within 30 calendar days of a completed application; the Member 'agrees to provide Local Building Code Official inspection and certification of installation ... that the installation was permitted, has been approved, and has met all electrical and mechanical qualifications'; and the Member must notify FKEC at least 10 calendar days before first placing the equipment in service. Parallel operation must begin within one year of FKEC executing the agreement. 75% · utility 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? 2020 NEC. The Florida Building Code, 8th Edition (2023) references 'NFPA 70-20 National Electrical Code (NEC)' in its Chapter 35 referenced standards, and FBC-B 2701.1 makes NFPA 70 govern the design and installation of electrical systems. Locally, Code Sec. 6-2(a)(1)d adopts 'NEC (National Electric Code)' and Sec. 6-2(a)(2) adopts 'the latest editions, revisions and amendments of these codes'. 80% · state code referenced-standards table (secondary reproduction)
• Which building code edition is in force? Florida Building Code, 8th Edition (2023), effective 31 December 2023 - adopted statewide by F.A.C. Rule 61G20-1.001 ('The Florida Building Code, 8th Edition (2023), as updated by the Florida Building Commission on June 20, 2023, April 16, 2024, August 13, 2024, December 10, 2024, December 20, 2024, April 15, 2025, and December 9, 2025 ... is hereby adopted as the building code for the State of Florida'), rule version effective 18 March 2026. The 9th Edition (2026) exists only in draft on the Commission's site. Locally adopted through Code Sec. 6-2(a)(1)a, 'The Florida Building Codes'. 92% · state adopting rule
• Which fire code edition is in force? Florida Fire Prevention Code, 8th Edition - NFPA 1, the Fire Code, Florida 2021 Edition (F.A.C. Rule 69A-60.003) and NFPA 101, the Life Safety Code, Florida 2021 Edition (Rule 69A-60.004), both effective 31 December 2023. Locally, Code Sec. 6-2(a)(1)c adopts 'NFPA (National Fire Protection Association)' in its latest editions, and Sec. 6-6(7)(c) makes the City's Building Official the certified fire safety inspector. 88% · state adopting rule
• Are there local amendments to any of the above? Yes. Code Sec. 6-25 amends the Florida Building Code, Building (minimum plan review criteria 107.3.5 and required inspections 110.3, inserting a City of Key Colony Beach VE-Zone Certification form, FEMA Elevation Certificate submissions at foundation and final, and local SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE / SUBSTANTIAL IMPROVEMENT definitions); Sec. 6-26 amends the FBC, Existing Building with the same definitions; Sec. 6-27 amends the FBC, Residential Sec. R322 (enclosed areas below design flood elevation, breakaway walls, and a City V-Zone Certification form). Sec. 6-3 adds 22 further local construction specifications on top of the FBC. Sec. 6-2(b) states that where the adopted codes differ, 'the most restrictive code shall apply.' NONE of these amendments touches photovoltaics, electrical signage, rapid shutdown, batteries or roof access. 85% · municipal code
• What is the installation judged against? Florida Building Code, 8th Edition (2023) - Residential Sec. R324 for one- and two-family dwellings, plus NFPA 70 (2020 NEC) for the electrical work, plus the Florida Fire Prevention Code, plus the City's own Chapter 6 additional construction specifications and flood amendments. Where these differ, Code Sec. 6-2(b) makes the most restrictive govern. 80% · municipal code + state code

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? FBC-R R324.6, unamended locally. Pathways: not fewer than two pathways, on separate roof planes, from lowest roof edge to ridge, not less than 36 inches wide, on all buildings, at least 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. Pathways must be over areas capable of supporting firefighters and in areas with minimal obstructions. Ridge setback: not less than 18 inches clear on BOTH sides of a horizontal ridge where the array occupies not more than 33% of the plan-view total roof area; not less than 36 inches on both sides where it occupies more than 33%. With an NFPA 13D or P2904 sprinkler system in the dwelling, those thresholds move to 66%. Panels may not be placed on the portion of a roof below an emergency escape and rescue opening, and a 36-inch pathway must be provided to that opening. Exceptions: detached non-habitable structures; where the code official determines rooftop operations will not be employed; and roofs with slopes of 2:12 or less. 85% · state code

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 to the 2020 NEC (NFPA 70-2020 Article 690.12), which applies through FBC-B 2701.1 and FBC-R R324.3 ('Photovoltaic systems shall be designed and installed in accordance with Sections R324.3.1 through R324.7.1, NFPA 70 and the manufacturer's installation instructions'). The City adds nothing and subtracts nothing. 78% · state code

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 of Key Colony Beach specifies NO placards of its own - none at the service equipment, none at the array, none anywhere. What applies is the 2020 NEC as adopted through the Florida Building Code. The one extra requirement in the chain comes from the utility, not the AHJ: FKEC Tier 1 Sec. 5.3 requires a permanent weather-proof placard adjacent to FKEC's meter socket indicating the location of the manual disconnect switch, but only where FKEC and the member have agreed to site that switch somewhere other than adjacent to the meter. 70% · municipal code (absence proved) + utility agreement
• Does the authority specify placard wording of its own? No - the City specifies no placard wording of its own. 80% · municipal code (absence proved by full-text search)
• Does it specify letter height, colour or material? The City specifies no letter height, colour or material. The only material specification anywhere in the chain is FKEC's: its disconnect-location placard, where required, must be 'permanent weather-proof'. No dimension, colour or font is given by either body. 75% · municipal code (absence proved) + utility agreement
• Is a site plan / facility map placard required, and what must it show? Nothing required by the City. A site-plan / facility-map placard, if required, comes solely from the 2020 NEC as adopted through the Florida Building Code, not from any Key Colony Beach instrument. 55% · municipal code (absence proved by full-text search)
• Does the UTILITY specify placards beyond the AHJ's? Yes - exactly one, and it is conditional. FKEC Tier 1 Sec. 5.3: where FKEC determines that siting the manual disconnect adjacent to its meter socket 'would not be practical from a safety perspective and/or design considerations', and FKEC and the member agree an alternative location, 'the member shall install a permanent weather-proof placard adjacent to FKEC's meter socket indicating the location of the manual disconnect switch or switches.' Note the upstream condition: Sec. 5.1 makes the manual disconnect itself discretionary for UL 1741-listed inverter-based Tier 1 systems ('may require a member-installed manual disconnect switch based on system interconnection'), and only Sec. 5.2 - non-UL-1741 systems - makes it mandatory. So for a normal UL 1741 rooftop PV system the placard requirement is two conditions deep. 85% · utility interconnection agreement
• Where must the labels be placed? The City specifies no placement. FKEC's one placard goes adjacent to the FKEC meter socket. Where a manual disconnect IS required, it must be 'mounted separately from, but adjacent to, the FKEC meter socket', remain readily accessible to FKEC, and be capable of being locked in the open position with a single FKEC utility padlock. 75% · utility interconnection agreement

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? Where required, adjacent to the meter. FKEC Tier 1 Sec. 5.2: a manual disconnect switch 'of the visible load break type to provide a separation point between the AC power output of the Member-owned renewable generation and any member wiring connected to FKEC's system. The manual disconnect switch shall be mounted separately from, but adjacent to, the FKEC meter socket', readily accessible to FKEC and lockable in the open position with a single FKEC utility padlock. Sec. 5.3 permits an alternative agreed location where adjacency is impractical for safety or design reasons, with the weather-proof locating placard described in Q42. CRITICAL QUALIFIER: Sec. 5.1 makes the switch CONDITIONAL for UL 1741-listed inverter-based Tier 1 systems - FKEC 'may require' one 'based on system interconnection' - and Sec. 5.2's mandatory language is written for Tier 1 systems that are NOT UL 1741 inverter based. 88% · utility interconnection agreement
• Must equipment be on a specific approved list? Yes, on two tracks. (1) FBC-R R324.3.1: photovoltaic panels and modules shall be listed and labelled in accordance with UL 1703; inverters listed and labelled to UL 1741; grid-connected systems shall use inverters listed for utility interaction; mounting systems listed and labelled to UL 2703 shall be installed per the manufacturer's instructions and their listings. (2) Florida Product Approval / Miami-Dade NOAs - the City's own Building Application & Inspection Procedure requires NOAs to be submitted with the application, which for a Monroe County wind-borne-debris-region roof is where racking approval is proved. FKEC adds a third, overlapping demand: Tier 1 Sec. 3.1 requires certification to IEEE 1547, IEEE 1547.1, NEC 690, NEC 705, NEC 706 and UL 1741, with the manufacturer's specification sheets accepted as the written report. 80% · state code + published procedure + utility agreement
• Are batteries permitted, and under what conditions? Permitted, under FBC-R Sec. R328 with no local amendment. R328.2: ESS shall be listed and labelled to UL 9540. R328.3.1: individual units separated by not less than 3 feet unless smaller distances are documented by large-scale fire testing per the Florida Fire Prevention Code. R328.4 locations: detached garages and detached accessory structures; attached garages separated per R302.6; outdoors or on the exterior side of exterior walls at least 3 feet from doors and windows entering the dwelling; enclosed utility closets, basements, storage or utility spaces with finished or non-combustible walls and ceilings (unfinished wood framing needs 5/8-inch Type X gypsum). Not in sleeping rooms, nor in closets or spaces opening directly into them. R328.5 ratings: 20 kWh maximum per unit; aggregate not exceeding 40 kWh in utility closets, basements and storage/utility spaces, or 80 kWh in garages, detached accessory structures, on exterior walls, or outdoors on the ground - above which the Florida Fire Prevention Code governs. R328.7: smoke alarms per R314 plus an interconnected heat detector where smoke alarms cannot be sited. Exempt from R328 entirely: ESS listed to UL 9540 and marked 'For use in residential dwelling units' installed per the manufacturer's instructions and NFPA 70, and ESS under 1 kWh. 78% · state code
• Is a ground mount treated as a structure? Yes, in effect. FBC-R R324.7: 'Ground-mounted photovoltaic systems shall be designed and installed in accordance with Section R301' - the building-planning design-criteria section, i.e. treated as a structure for load and wind design. R324.7.1 then leaves fire separation distances to be 'determined by the local jurisdiction', and Key Colony Beach has published no such determination. Locally, Land Development Regulations Sec. 101-26 (accessory structures and uses) and the district setback tables would also apply to anything placed in a yard. Practical note: Key Colony Beach is a small, fully built-out island city of narrow canal-front lots, so ground mount is unlikely to arise. 60% · state code + land development regulations
• Is a specific mounting system or attachment spacing required? No City-specific PV mounting or attachment-spacing rule exists. The governing requirement is FBC-R R324.4.1.2: 'Rooftop-mounted photovoltaic panel or module systems and their supports shall be designed and installed for wind loads in accordance with ASCE 7', with R324.4.1.1 requiring the covered roof portions to be designed for dead load including panel weight, and R324.4.3 requiring roof penetrations to be flashed and sealed per FBC-R Chapter 9. Racking must additionally carry Florida Product Approval / NOA, which the City demands at intake. Code Sec. 6-3's detailed fastening specifications (hurricane straps, roof sheathing, six nails per shingle, two #10 screws per roof tile) govern the building's own construction, not PV racking. 62% · state code

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. The City's own Building Application & Inspection Procedure says 'Call or email to schedule inspection, please allow 24 hours'; the Citizenserve portal separately advertises scheduling inspections online. Code Sec. 6-9(b)(2) says requests are made to the building official, who records the date ready, the address and legal description, the name of the party calling and the type of inspection. 82% · published procedure + portal + municipal code
• How much notice is required? 24 hours - one full working day. The procedure says 'please allow 24 hours'; Code Sec. 6-9(a) puts it as 'The builder shall notify the building official when work is ready for inspection, and allow one (1) full working day for completion of the inspection.' 85% · published procedure + municipal code

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's own Building Official performs the inspections (Code Sec. 6-4(2)(d), 'Make field inspections and issue inspection reports to contractor'; Sec. 6-9(a), the building official establishes the inspection schedule and 'shall inspect all permitted work at least once every thirty (30) days'). There is a statutory alternative the City actively supports: a private provider under Fla. Stat. 553.791, for which the City publishes a Notice to Building Official packet and gives a 10% discount on the building permit fee where it is raised during the application process or before the first City inspection. One local determination worth knowing: the City's Building Official has determined that 'the use of private plan review requires the use of the private provider for both private plan review and private inspection services' - you cannot split them. 85% · municipal code + department form
• If delegated, to whom? Not delegated. The City Building Official inspects. The only alternative inspector is a Florida-licensed or certified private provider engaged and paid by the fee owner or the fee owner's contractor under Fla. Stat. 553.791, whose scope is expressly limited to building-code compliance and 'does not include review for fire code, land use, environmental or other codes'. 80% · department form

A rough-in or mid-roof inspection, where one is required, has to happen before the work it covers is closed up. Missing a stage means opening something back up, and it is the most expensive kind of correction.

• Which inspections are required, and in what order? Not published as a list. Code Sec. 6-9(a) puts it entirely in the Building Official's hands: 'The building official shall establish a schedule of building inspections and approvals shall be granted in accordance with the schedule during the course of construction or alteration' - and that schedule is not published anywhere on the City's site. What IS fixed: a recorded Notice of Commencement before the first inspection; requests may be made only by the builder or by the plumbing, electrical, mechanical or roofing subcontractor (Sec. 6-9(b)(1)); the building official must inspect all permitted work at least once every 30 days; and Code Sec. 6-25's amendment to FBC 110.3 lists foundation through final for building work. No PV-specific sequence exists. 60% · municipal code

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 - the City publishes no inspection checklist. Code Sec. 6-11(b) refers to 'satisfactory completion of the certificate of occupancy check list', but that checklist is not among the fifteen Building Department forms published on the department page or the twelve on the Forms page, and no PV or electrical checklist exists at all. 70% · department page (absence proved)
• What must be on site at inspection? Per the City's own procedure: 'For Inspection, have paperwork on-site for inspector to review and approve work.' Code Sec. 6-6(9) additionally requires the building permit to be permanently displayed at the site from start to completion of construction, clearly visible from the street, encased in plastic and affixed to a display board on a separate post, on the temporary power pole, or on an existing building - and the building official uses that display board as the location for signed inspection slips. A recorded Notice of Commencement must be in place before the first inspection. 85% · published procedure + municipal code

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 alteration: an approved inspection ticket left in the permit package (effectively a green tag / final). A Certificate of Occupancy is a separate instrument reserved by Sec. 6-11 for new construction and changes of use, requiring a sealed elevation certification, a contractor or owner certification that the building was built to the approved plans, cleanup-bond satisfaction, a signed sewer tie-in certificate and correct address numbers - none of which maps to a rooftop PV job. 70% · published procedure + municipal code
• Who notifies the utility for PTO? Installer (the FKEC member, in practice the contractor acting for them). FKEC Tier 1 Sec. 3.4: 'The Member agrees to provide Local Building Code Official inspection and certification of installation. The certification shall reflect that the local code official has inspected and certified that the installation was permitted, has been approved, and has met all electrical and mechanical qualifications.' Sec. 3.5: 'The Member shall notify FKEC at least ten (10) calendar days prior to initially placing Member's equipment and protective apparatus in service and FKEC shall have the right to have personnel present on the in-service date.' The City does not notify the utility. 85% · utility interconnection agreement
• Is there a re-inspection fee? No flat building re-inspection fee is published. Code Sec. 6-6(7)(b) instead authorises the building official to charge additional inspection fees, at his determination, for: work not ready for inspection when called; condemned work resulting from faulty construction; work not in accordance with plan; the builder's request for on-job advice; excessive time spent at the office with the builder or his representative; and engineered deviations approved by the city engineer. Resolution 2026-01 carries a '$25.00' inspection charge for sub-threshold work and a 'Safety re-inspection fee' of $0.00 within 30 days / $100.00 after 30 days, but that line sits under BUSINESS TAX ADMINISTRATIVE AND INSPECTION FEES, not under building permits. 70% · municipal code + fee schedule
• How are corrections issued and cleared? Per the City's own procedure: 'For a passed inspection, an approved ticket will be left in permit package. Failed inspections will be notified by ticket and a phone call.' The permit display board is the designated place for signed inspection slips (Sec. 6-6(9)). Code Sec. 6-9(a) adds that if the builder fails to call a required inspection, the building official may at his option require a letter of compliance from the applicant's engineer or require the builder to tear down the work done since the last completed inspection, appealable to the city commission within ten working days. Sec. 6-9(c) provides for stop orders posted on site. 80% · published procedure + municipal code