City of Mascotte

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 Mascotte Community Development / Building Department is the AHJ for residential rooftop PV inside the city limits - it reviews plans, issues the permit and performs the inspections, using contract staff from Willdan Engineering. Fire prevention and life safety plan review and inspection is the Chief of the Groveland Fire Department by codified designation; fire suppression is Lake County. 95% · department page
• What does this authority permit itself, and what does it delegate? Both, in-house (contract-staffed). Building, structural, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, gas, zoning clearance and floodplain all stay with the City. Delegated out: fire prevention/life safety plan review and inspection to the City of Groveland Fire Department; fire suppression and the fire rescue assessment to Lake County. Contractor licensing is partly county-level (Specialty Contractors 'Licensed by the County'). Private providers are permitted under FS 553.791 and are actually used - 71 private-provider inspections in FY2024-25 against 0 audits of private providers. 92% · FS 553.80(7)(b) permit utilization report
• Is a permit required for a residential rooftop PV system? Yes. There is a dedicated 'PV Solar' permit type with its own application, checklist, fee line and portal application route (portal.iworq.net/MASCOTTEFL/new-permit/600/5611). The Building Department page states 'A building permit is also required if you plan to install, alter, repair, remove, convert or replace any electrical ... system, provided the installation is regulated by the Florida Building Code.' The City's HB 803 / FS 553.7915 exemption form expressly cannot be used for work involving 'any structural, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, or gas systems', so a PV system never qualifies for the $7,500 exemption. 96% · published checklist
• Is there a separate electrical permit, or is it combined? Combined - the $500 'Solar PV' permit appears to cover the electrical work, with the electrical contractor captured on the Subcontractor List rather than on a separate permit. Three supports: the fee schedule header reads 'Fees include Plan Review, Building Permit, & Inspections'; the PV Solar Checklist itself requires 'an electrical schematic that complies with the NEC' as part of the solar submittal; and the separate Electrical Checklist enumerates its own scope - 'Generator, Low Voltage, Temporary Power Pole, Service Change, Breaker/Electrical Panel' - which does not include solar. COUNTER-EVIDENCE, recorded deliberately: the drafter knew how to say an electrical permit was included and did so on two other lines ('Pool (electric/plumbing permit included)', 'Manufactured Home (includes setup, electric, plumbing, & mechanical)') but did NOT say it on the Solar PV line. A service upgrade done alongside the array would in any case need the separate $110 Electrical permit. 65% · fee schedule
• Is a HOA or architectural approval required first? HOA yes, City architectural review no. The City's own Building Department FAQ answers 'Do I need approval from my HOA?' with a bald 'Yes.' Mascotte has many HOA subdivisions (the Community Development page lists 20+ under construction). There is NO City architectural or design review for a residential retrofit: LDC Sec. 5.13 Residential Architectural Design Standards binds 'each NEW single-family residential home', not an alteration, and contains nothing about rooftop equipment. Fla. Stat. 163.04 limits what an HOA may do about solar, and SECO's own solar page states it plainly: 'Florida law forbids any institution or homeowners' association from prohibiting the installation of solar panels. An association may require approval for solar installation. Restrictions may apply but must be reasonable and uniform for all residents.' 80% · department FAQ
• Is there a historic-district review? No. Mascotte has no historic district, no historic preservation ordinance, no certificate of appropriateness, no architectural review board and no design review board of any kind. 93% · full code search with controls
• Is a wind or windstorm certification required? No separate windstorm certification, but two hard numbers are imposed on the plans: 'WIND SPEED 140 MPH' and 'EXPOSURE C OR SHOW HOW IT'S SOMETHING ELSE'. The plan-review checklist repeats it: 'Plans show compliance with the current editions of the Florida Building Code. This includes wind zone and exposure category called out on the plans.' A Product Approval Specification Sheet is required per FS 553.842 / FAC 9B-72 for listed components. Lake County is not in the HVHZ (Miami-Dade and Broward only) and not on the coast. 88% · published checklist
• Is a Specific Use Permit or Council approval ever required? No for a rooftop system - no conditional use, special use permit or Council approval. For a GROUND MOUNT two things bite. First, LDC Sec. 5.7 (Environmental Preservation and Protection) creates a Shoreline Protection Zone in which 'No structures shall be constructed or placed within fifty (50) feet from the normal high water elevation of lakes, rivers, and creeks' and then names the prohibited items: 'Specifically prohibited are domiciles, pools, storage buildings, screen rooms, green houses, tents, patios, antennae, fueling facilities, satellite dishes, SOLAR PANELS, and other accessory structures.' That is the ONLY occurrence of the word 'solar' in the entire Code of Ordinances and Land Development Code, and it is a prohibition. Relief would be by variance (LDC Sec. 3.15). Fla. Stat. 163.04(1) preempts a local rule that 'prohibits or has the effect of prohibiting the installation of solar collectors', so the statute should win, but nothing in any City document says so. Second, a ground mount is an accessory structure not listed in the Accessory Structure Regulation Table 3.1, so its placement is an administrative determination. 78% · ordinance (LDC Sec. 5.7)
• Is there a system-size cap on residential generation? No City kW cap. The cap is at utility level and both utilities use the same 90% shape. SECO tariff, Net Metering sheet: 'The rating of the system cannot exceed 90% of the customer's utility distribution service rating', with tiers Tier 1 <=10 kW, Tier 2 >10 to 100 kW, Tier 3 >100 to 1,000 kW; Interconnection Agreement clause 11 adds that if GPR exceeds 90% 'the Member shall be responsible to pay the cost of upgrades for that distribution service'. Gross power rating for inverter systems = total installed DC nameplate x 0.85. Duke is bound by PSC Rule 25-6.065(4)(a): GPR must not exceed 90% of the customer's utility distribution service rating, Tier 1 10 kW or less, Tier 2 >10 to 100 kW, Tier 3 >100 kW to 2 MW. 90% · utility 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? A licensed contractor registered with the City - State Certified Contractor (copy of State Certification), State Registered Contractor (copy of State Registration), or Specialty Contractor (licensed by Lake County) - in every case with proof of Workers' Compensation insurance or a copy of the exemption and proof of General Liability insurance. A homeowner may alternatively pull it under the owner-builder route. 90% · department FAQ
• Must the contractor be registered with this authority before applying? Yes. 'Contractor Registration and Updates: To update or register, we must have a copy of the Qualifiers License, General Liability, and Workman's Compensation Insurance. Please submit all required document via email to Permits@CityOfMascotte.com in PDF form, Subject line "Contractor Registration/Update."' The portal enforces it: 'If you cannot find yourself in the search, please go back to the previous screen to complete the Contractor Registration'. A separate Subcontractor Registration form also exists. 95% · department page
• Is a homeowner permitted to self-install and self-permit? Yes, with conditions. FAQ: 'Can I obtain a permit as an owner-builder? Yes, if all the following apply: If applicant is the owner. If ownership is by an individual.' The City adds a warning that the homeowner then becomes the legally responsible party for all FBC, OSHA, IRS/FICA, liability-insurance and industry obligations. An Owner/Builder Affidavit form is published and the PV Solar Checklist accepts it. 92% · department FAQ

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 'Permit Checklist - PV Solar Permit': (1) completed permit application; (2) copies of license and insurance; (3) Notice of Commencement for jobs valued over $5,000; (4) property records card showing the owner matches the owner on the application; (5) a set of plans digitally signed by the engineer of record, submitted as ONE file, not one file per page, and unlocked to allow digital stamps; (6) plans addressing - (a) wind speed 140 MPH, (b) Exposure C or show how it's something else, (c) roof layout showing all panel locations, required structural connection locations, existing roof penetrations, fire department access location and fire department access pathways, (d) meter locations and any other equipment required as part of the installation, (e) any other information required to determine minimum compliance with the applicable codes. The signed PV Solar Plan Review Checklist must also be submitted: 'if this document is not submitted with the plans, a review will not be started.' Subcontractor List required before permit issuance; Product Approval Specification Sheet per FS 553.842 where applicable. 96% · published checklist
• How many copies, and in what format? Electronic only, one PDF file. 'All plan reviews are electronic, which require digital signatures from the design professional. Paper plans are no longer accepted.' Codified in the City's FBC amendment at Sec. 107.2.1: 'Documents must be submitted electronically in .PDF format. For smaller projects such as screen enclosures, documents can be submitted in 11x17 printable format. Houses and other projects of similar size must be submitted in 22x36 printable size. In all cases, the print must be legible for use in the field. Where possible, plans must be submitted as one (1) file that has been digitally signed by the design professional.' The PV checklist adds that plans must be unlocked so digital stamps can be applied. 95% · adopting ordinance (Code Sec. 5-28)
• Is a site plan required, and what must it show? For a rooftop retrofit, no lot survey or site plan is listed - the PV-specific drawing requirement is a ROOF LAYOUT showing all panel locations, required structural connection locations, existing roof penetrations, fire department access location and fire department access pathways, plus meter locations and any other equipment. The plan-review checklist repeats it as 'a roof plan with all roof penetrations (vents etc.) with panel overlay'. A certified survey IS required for a ground mount, because the City's FAQ requires surveys 'for any new construction, structures, or additions, fences, tree removals ... to verify that the proposed construction is wholly located on the owner's property and that it meets all setback requirements'. 85% · published checklist
• Is a one-line / three-line diagram required? Yes - 'Plans show an electrical schematic that complies with the NEC.' A discrete one-line or three-line is not named as such, and no separate riser diagram is demanded for solar (the Electrical Checklist demands riser diagrams only for temporary power poles and generators). 88% · published checklist
• Are string and conductor calculations required? Not called for by name. Inferred to be required only insofar as the electrical schematic must 'comply with the NEC' and the plans must show 'any other information required to determine the minimum compliance with the applicable codes'. No load-calculation item appears on the PV Solar Checklist, unlike the Electrical Checklist which does demand load calculations for a service change. 45% · published checklist
• Is a structural PE stamp required, and at what threshold? Effectively yes, with NO dollar threshold and one alternative. The checklist requires 'A SET OF PLANS DIGITALLY SIGNED BY THE ENGINEER OF RECORD', and the plan-review checklist restates it as 'Plans have been submitted as one file digitally signed by the engineer of record OR are approved by the FSEC.' Florida Solar Energy Center approval is therefore an accepted substitute for an engineer's seal on a Mascotte residential PV job. 90% · published checklist
• Is an electrical PE stamp required, and at what threshold? No Mascotte-specific electrical PE threshold exists. The state floor applies: FS 471.003(2)(h) exempts a licensed electrical contractor from the engineering-seal requirement below $125,000 / 600 amps. Some older Florida local documents still print a $50,000 trigger; nothing in Mascotte's material states either figure. 60% · state statute

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. Citizen portal at https://mascottefl.portal.iworq.net/portalhome/mascottefl ; the PV Solar application route is https://portal.iworq.net/MASCOTTEFL/new-permit/600/5611 . Permits from April 2023 onward are in the current system (org 600); permits from 2017 to March 2023 sit in a legacy view (org 602) where inspection requests are handled by email. Permit search is reCAPTCHA-gated and needs a contractor access code. 96% · permit portal
• Can the whole application be completed online? Yes. Application, document upload, fee payment, status checking and inspection scheduling all run through the portal; 'The City of Mascotte has gone digital!... online payments can be made. The online portal allows users to view the status of the permit, pay fees, view submittal requirements, and schedule inspections.' Cards are Visa or Mastercard only with a 3.25% processing fee; payment by check in person is the alternative. Contractor registration itself is still done by email to Permits@CityOfMascotte.com. 92% · permit portal
• What does a residential solar permit cost? $500.00 flat for the residential 'Solar PV' permit ($600 commercial), plus the City's standard add-ons: Administrative Fee 7.5% of the permit fee (minimum $7.50) = $37.50; Electronic Permitting Admin Fee 5% of the permit fee (minimum $5) = $25.00; State Fee BCA Surcharge 1.5% (minimum $2) = $7.50; State Fee DBPR Surcharge 1% (minimum $2) = $5.00. All-in a typical residential PV permit is about $575.00. A 20% reduction of permit fees applies if a Private Provider is used (50% commercial). Online payments carry a further 3.25% processing fee. 95% · fee schedule
• How is the fee calculated? Flat. 'Solar PV ... $500' is a single line with no valuation, per-kW or per-panel component - in a schedule that does use $/sq ft elsewhere (new SFR construction is Building $1.40/sq ft plus $0.15/sq ft each for Electric, Plumbing, HVAC and Gas). The percentage add-ons are calculated on the flat permit fee. 95% · fee schedule
• Is there a separate plan-check fee? No separate first-round plan-check fee. The fee schedule's own heading is 'Fees include Plan Review, Building Permit, & Inspections'. A resubmittal does cost: 'Revision / Re-Review $75 each' residential ($100 commercial). 92% · 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? 7-10 business days. The City's own permit portal states: 'Please allow for 7-10 business days before an initial plan review to be completed.' This is a published City turnaround, not the FS 553.792(1)(a) statutory default. 90% · permit portal
• How long is an issued permit valid before it expires? 180 days. Code Sec. 5-28(e), amending FBC Sec. 105.5: 'Every permit issued shall become invalid unless the work on the site authorized by such permit is commenced within one hundred eighty (180) days after its issuance ... The building official is authorized to grant, in writing, one (1) or more extensions of time, for periods not more than one hundred eighty (180) days each once any applicable fees are paid. The extension shall be requested in writing and justifiable cause demonstrated.' The fee schedule prices a 'Renewal of expired permit' at the original permit fee. 93% · adopting ordinance (Code Sec. 5-28)
• Which utility handles interconnection here? TWO retail electric sellers inside one small city, split by address: SECO Energy (Sumter Electric Cooperative, a Seminole Electric member co-op) and Duke Energy Florida (investor-owned). The City sells no electricity - Code Ch. 18 UTILITIES is water, sewer and stormwater only, and the City's own FAQ answers 'What services are provided by the City of Mascotte? A: Water, Storm Water, Sewer in some areas, Garbage and Recycling removal.' Mascotte is not an FMPA member (the only Lake County FMPA members are Leesburg and Mount Dora). Leesburg Electric does NOT reach Mascotte: its own Standard Interconnection Agreement recites its territory as 'the City of Leesburg, City of Fruitland Park and portions of unincorporated Lake County'. SECO's Seminole member page gives Counties Served as 'Citrus, Hernando, Lake, Levy, Marion, Pasco, Sumter'. By share of electric franchise revenue SECO is roughly three-quarters of the city. 93% · city utilities page + adopted budget
• Where does the utility sit in the sequence? Before AND after the permit, on both utilities. SECO's published 10-step process puts the Interconnection Agreement at step 4 and the building permit at step 5: the contractor submits the application online, SECO confirms with the member and bills the application fee to the account, then permitting and installation, then the city inspection, then document and photo upload for SECO approval (allow 5-7 business days), then SECO installs the AMI bi-directional meter (allow 4 days), then PTO. The SECO Interconnection Agreement requires the member to hand SECO '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', before operation. On the Duke side, PSC Rule 25-6.065(5)(a) requires an inspection certification of compliance with local codes and (7) requires Duke to complete physical inspections within 30 calendar days of receiving the executed Standard Interconnection Agreement. 88% · utility interconnection process page

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, in force statewide since 31 December 2023, under the Florida Building Code 8th Edition (2023). Mascotte adopts no NEC edition by year anywhere. The only routes into the code are Sec. 5-37, which maps 'International Electrical Code is National Electrical Code NFPA 70' inside the IPMC adoption and says 'All references to the International Model Codes shall be changed to the equivalent currently adopted edition', and the PV checklist's bare phrase 'complies with the NEC'. So the year floats to whatever the state has adopted. 88% · adopting ordinance (Code Sec. 5-37)
• Which building code edition is in force? Florida Building Code 2023 (8th Edition). Code Sec. 5-26(a): 'The provisions of the 2023 Florida Building Code, as it may be amended from time to time by the State, is hereby adopted by reference' - most recently amended by Ord. No. 2023-12-647, § 2, adopted 6 February 2024. The City's own technical amendments in Sec. 5-28 repeatedly name 'the 8th Edition of the Florida Building Code, Residential (2023)' and 'the 8th Edition of the Florida Building Code, Building (2023)'. The International Property Maintenance Code is separately adopted at Sec. 5-37. 96% · adopting ordinance (Code Sec. 5-26)
• Which fire code edition is in force? Floating to the current state edition - baseline Florida Fire Prevention Code 8th Edition (2023). Code Sec. 7-2(a): 'The State of Florida currently adopted edition of the Florida Fire Prevention Code (FFPC) NFPA 1 and 101 with Florida specific changes is adopted by reference as the Fire Prevention Code and the Life Safety Code of the City of Mascotte. Responsibility for implementation of these codes remains with the Chief of Groveland Fire Department.' The same section also adopts 'the current edition of the NFPA 1141, Standard for fire protection infrastructure for land development in wildland, rural and suburban areas.' 90% · adopting ordinance (Code Sec. 7-2)
• Are there local amendments to any of the above? Yes - Code Sec. 5-28 'Technical amendments to the Florida Building Code' runs to about 17,300 characters. None of it mentions solar, photovoltaics or the NEC, but four amendments reach a PV job: (a) FREEBOARD, R322.2.1 and a new 1612.4.2 - lowest floors and minimum elevations at 'the base flood elevation plus 1.5 feet or the design flood elevation, whichever is higher', AO zones at depth number plus 1.5 ft or 3.5 ft minimum; (b) Sec. 110.3.1 - a certified form board / foundation survey must be submitted and approved before a slab is poured (reaches a ground-mount concrete foundation); (c) Sec. 105.2 - a closed list of locally exempted work (accessible ramps without a deck; flag poles under 25 ft; sheds up to 144 sq ft; car shades within stated dimensions) which does NOT include solar; (d) Secs. 105.5 and 107.2.1 - the 180-day expiration and the electronic-PDF submission rules. No local amendment to the NEC or the FFPC was found. 95% · adopting ordinance (Code Sec. 5-28)
• What is the installation judged against? The 2023 Florida Building Code (8th Edition) as amended by Code Sec. 5-28, the currently adopted National Electrical Code (NFPA 70, no year stated locally - NEC 2020 statewide), and the currently adopted Florida Fire Prevention Code enforced by the Chief of the Groveland Fire Department. On the drawings specifically: 140 mph wind speed, Exposure C, an attachment detail with spacing of supports, a roof plan with penetrations and panel overlay, an NEC-compliant electrical schematic, and either an engineer's digital seal or FSEC approval. 88% · published checklist + adopting ordinances

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 numeric City standard, but access pathways are an explicit plan-review item: the roof layout must show 'FIRE DEPARTMENT ACCESS LOCATION AND FIRE DEPARTMENT ACCESS PATHWAYS'. The governing standard is the currently adopted Florida Fire Prevention Code (NFPA 1), and the official who decides is the Chief of the Groveland Fire Department, whom Code Sec. 7-2(b)(2) designates as the 'authority having jurisdiction' for the fire code in Mascotte. Fire questions on solar jobs route to Frank.Patterson@Groveland-FL.gov / 352-604-0782. 72% · published checklist + adopting ordinance

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

• Is rapid shutdown required, and to which NEC edition? Required by the NEC in force, not by anything Mascotte publishes - so NEC 2020 Sec. 690.12 rapid shutdown applies through the FBC/NEC adoption. The phrase 'rapid shutdown' appears nowhere in the City's code or on its website. 60% · full code search with controls

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? None from the City - the answer is entirely per-utility and the two utilities differ sharply. SECO Energy requires TWO engraved placards: Detail 'A' on the front cover of the utility AC disconnect switch identifying the on-site power generation source, and Detail 'B' on the front cover of the METER ENCLOSURE indicating DUAL POWER SOURCE. Duke Energy requires labels on all distributed generation sites but FITS THEM ITSELF: 'Duke Energy labeling on all distributive generator sites shall be applied by Duke Energy personnel ... Signs and labels are installed by Duke Energy ... Install signs and labels on all KW sizes of Distributed Generation sites.' Duke's items are #1505316 Electric Generator Warning 3"x2" on the meter base (lower left) and #1505328 Generator Isolation Device 3"x2" on a small disconnect switch (near the OFF position), with 6"x4" and 9"x6" versions for transformers and poles. 90% · utility construction standard
• Does the authority specify placard wording of its own? No. The City specifies no placard wording of its own. Searched the Building Department page, the PV Solar Application and Checklist, the Electrical Checklist, the 2026 fee schedule, the Community Development fee schedule, all 51 forms listed on the Applications-Forms-Checklist page, and the full codified text - 'placard' and 'label' return nothing relevant. 90% · full site and code search with controls
• Does it specify letter height, colour or material? Nothing from the City. From SECO, a full material specification: '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 supplies and fits its own labels, so no material spec falls on the installer. (Duke's White Book DOES carry a letter-height spec - non-ferrous metal or plastic, 5"x8", 1/2" letters, embossed or engraved, riveted - but that is Section VII.B, THREE-PHASE-TO-THREE-PHASE MODULAR METER CENTERS, and it is the wrong spec to quote for a house.) 92% · utility construction standard
• Does the UTILITY specify placards beyond the AHJ's? Yes, decisively - the utility placard regime is the ONLY placard regime here, because the AHJ requires nothing. And it differs by which side of the street you are on. SECO: two installer-fitted engraved placards, 1/4" white-on-red, one on the disconnect cover and one on the meter enclosure cover, on a disconnect that must sit within 5'-0" of the meter, in line of sight, mounted 48" minimum to 72" maximum. Duke: labels on all DG sites regardless of kW size, but supplied and installed by Duke's own personnel, so the installer fits nothing. On a retrofit to an existing SECO array there is a further cost: 'SECO REQUIRES A SINGLE MANUAL AC DISCONNECT TO ISOLATE THE ENTIRE RENEWABLE GENERATION SYSTEM. THE EXISTING MANUAL AC DISCONNECT SHALL BE REMOVED AND A NEW UTILITY AC DISCONNECT MUST BE INSTALLED.' 92% · utility construction standard
• Where must the labels be placed? SECO: Detail 'A' placard on the FRONT COVER OF THE UTILITY AC DISCONNECT SWITCH; Detail 'B' placard on the FRONT COVER OF THE METER ENCLOSURE (DUAL POWER SOURCE). The disconnect itself must be 'MOUNTED ADJACENT TO THE UTILITY METER ENCLOSURE WITHIN A 5'-0" MAXIMUM DISTANCE, WITHIN LINE OF SIGHT', at 48" minimum to 72" maximum height. Duke: Electric Generator Warning label lower left on the meter base / primary meter; Generator Isolation Device label near the OFF position on the disconnect switch; 6"x4" above the lock on a pad-mounted transformer; 9"x6" signs 5-6 ft above ground on poles. 92% · utility construction standard

Where the AC disconnect must sit relative to the meter is usually the utility's rule, not the building department's. Battery storage frequently carries its own permit, its own inspection and its own fire conditions.

• Where must the AC disconnect be, relative to the meter? Per utility, and they disagree. SECO (co-op, no PSC floor beneath it): 'A MANUAL LOAD BREAK AC DISCONNECT SWITCH PROVIDING A LOCKABLE VISIBLE BREAK ... 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 - it applies at every kW. The tariff adds it is at the member's expense, mounted separately from the meter socket, lockable open by SECO. DUKE: the White Book (rev. 1 April 2026) Figure 48A, rev 3 dated 3/31/24 with the DEF column ticked, states '1. GENERATION DISCONNECT REQUIRED AT ALL CONNECTION POINTS A, B, C, OR D. 2. GENERATION DISCONNECT REQUIREMENTS: MUST BE LOAD-BREAK RATED, INCORPORATE A LOCKABLE OPEN POSITION, AND PROVIDE A VISIBLE OPEN. 3. GENERATOR DISCONNECT LOCATION: MUST BE WITHIN SITE [sight] OF METERBASE AND READILY ACCESSIBLE.' Set against that, FL PSC Rule 25-6.065(6)(a) says an IOU 'may require customers to install, at the customer's expense, a manual disconnect switch of the visible load break type ... 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.' THE HONEST POSITION: the switch is required by Duke's own published spec; the rule's Tier 1 exemption is an exemption from PAYING for it, not from having it. 88% · PSC rule + utility construction standards
• Must equipment be on a specific approved list? Yes, at utility level. SECO Interconnection Agreement clause 3: the member must certify in writing that the RGS, inverters and associated equipment design, installation and operation adhere to the latest version of (1) IEEE-1547, (2) UL-1741, (3) the National Electric Code and (4) if applicable, has been approved by the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC Std. 203-10); clause 6 adds that the inverter is certified 'if it has been submitted by a manufacturer to a nationally recognized testing laboratory (NRTL) to comply with the latest version of UL 1741. The NRTL shall be approved by the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA).' Duke is bound by PSC Rule 25-6.065(4)(b), same UL 1741 / NRTL test. At City level a Product Approval Specification Sheet is required per FS 553.842 and FAC 9B-72, but its category list (doors, windows, panel walls, roofing products, structural components, skylights, shutters) contains no PV category. 88% · utility tariff
• Are batteries permitted, and under what conditions? Permitted, but the City is silent and the rules are the utility's. SECO's standards carry a DEDICATED ENERGY STORAGE SHEET (page 2 of 4, 'ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEM WITH RENEWABLE GENERATION SYSTEM UTILITY AC DISCONNECT REQUIREMENTS') applying the same manual load-break AC disconnect within 5'-0" of the meter, 48"-72" mounting, line of sight, and both engraved placards to a battery installation. SECO's Interconnection Agreement definition of a Renewable Generation System expressly includes 'battery storage'. Nothing in Mascotte's code, fee schedule, forms or portal mentions batteries or energy storage. 75% · utility construction standard
• Is a ground mount treated as a structure? Yes - a ground mount would be an accessory structure, and it is NOT one of the enumerated ones, which makes it a staff determination rather than an entitlement. LDC Sec. 3.13(A)(1) opens 'Accessory structures, INCLUDING:' and then lists antenna structures, playhouses, detached garages, carports, a single shed, gazebos, pools, doghouses, home occupations, boat docks, a two-horse stable, accessory apartments and car shades. Solar is absent, but 'including' makes the list open - unlike neighbouring Fruitland Park, whose accessory chapter says an unaddressed accessory structure 'SHALL NOT BE LOCATED ON ANY LOT'. Mascotte has no such catch-all, which is the good news. What does apply: Sec. 3.13(B) - 'uses accessory to residential uses must be located to the rear or side of the house and will be prohibited in the front yards. Uses accessory to residential uses must also MATCH OR BLEND WITH THE RESIDENCE USING THE SAME OR SIMILAR BUILDING MATERIAL'; Sec. 3.13(F) - all accessory structures must meet Table 3-1 zoning requirements; the Accessory Structure Regulation Table's closing note - accessory structures 'must not negatively impact adjoining properties, neighborhoods or business. They must also blend with existing structures'; a $50 Zoning Review Residential fee; a certified survey; and the 50-ft Shoreline Protection Zone prohibition at Sec. 5.7 (see Q27). A concrete foundation would also trigger the local FBC 110.3.1 amendment requiring a surveyor's form board survey approved before the pour. 80% · ordinance + published regulation table
• Is there a local rule on service upgrades or busbar sizing? No local service-upgrade or busbar rule. The code contains no standalone electrical chapter at all - and the Chapter 7 cross-reference to 'electrical code, § 5-51 et seq.' is a FOSSIL: Secs. 5-51 onward are now the Registration of Defaulted Mortgaged and Vacant Property article. A service change is its own $110 Electrical permit and the Electrical Checklist requires 'LOAD CALCULATIONS IF UPGRADING UNIT'. The binding rules are utility-side: SECO Note 5 - 'ANY CONNECTIONS INSIDE THE METER ENCLOSURE IN ANY CONFIGURATION IS NOT ACCEPTABLE, NOR SHOULD IT BE USED AS A RACEWAY FOR OTHER CONDUCTORS'; Duke White Book Fig. 48B/48C - 'CUSTOMER OWNED DEVICES OF ANY KIND ARE NOT ALLOWED BETWEEN THE COMPANY'S METER AND THE METER SOCKET', and Fig. 48A note 5 - a connection at point A requires a meterbase 'RATED/DESIGNED FOR DUAL LUG CONNECTORS' which 'MUST NOT BE MODIFIED TO ACCEPT DUAL LUG CONNECTORS'. 80% · utility construction standard
• Is a specific mounting system or attachment spacing required? No prescribed system or spacing value, but the detail and the proof are both demanded. Plan stage: 'Plans show an attachment detail for the panel to the roof with spacing of supports.' Inspection stage: 'The day of the final inspection, pictures must be provided showing the following: Roof with support system installed prior to panel placement (TAPE MEASURE SHOWING SPACING OF FASTENERS)'. The spacing itself is whatever the engineer of record (or FSEC approval) justifies against 140 mph / Exposure C. 88% · published checklist

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

• How is an inspection booked? Portal. 'To schedule inspections: Please use the online portal to schedule inspections.' The request form asks for a contractor access code, requester name, phone, email, requested date, inspection type and comments. For legacy permits issued 2017 to March 2023 the portal instead says 'Please EMAIL Inspection Requests'. 93% · department page + portal
• How much notice is required? Next business day, with an afternoon cut-off - and the City publishes two different cut-off times. Building Department page: 'The cut-off time for the next business day is 2:00pm.' The portal's own inspection request form: '***Next business day inspections must be requested by 2:55 pm.*** If you schedule the inspection for next day after 2:55 PM, it will not make the list.' Both recorded; work to 2:00pm to be safe. Weekends are not available ('Weekends are not available dates for inspections') and the portal publishes specific blackout dates (currently 2026-09-14, 2026-11-26, 2026-11-27, 2026-12-25, 2027-01-01). 78% · department page + portal
• Are same-day or AM/PM windows offered? No AM/PM or same-day window on the current system. The inspection request form for permits from April 2023 onward (org 600) collects a Requested Date only, with no time field. The legacy view for 2017 to March 2023 permits (org 602) does carry a 'Requested Time: AM PM' pair, so the option existed and was dropped. 60% · 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 is the AHJ and it schedules a dedicated 'FINAL PV SOLAR' inspection - it appears by name in the portal's own inspection-type list. The people performing it are contract staff: the published Plan Reviewers & Inspectors are Matt Fretwell (Building Official), Victor Otero, Tony Jetmore and James Hein, all on Willdan.com addresses, plus Dwayne Ausley on a personal address and Frank Patterson on Groveland-FL.gov for fire. A private provider may do the inspection instead under FS 553.791 - the City recorded 71 private-provider inspections in FY2024-25 and 30 in the first eight months of FY2025-26, with 0 audits of private providers in both periods. 90% · permit portal + FS 553.80(7)(b) report
• If delegated, to whom? Not delegated to another government for building or electrical - it is CONTRACTED OUT to Willdan Engineering, which supplies the Building Official and most of the plan reviewers and inspectors. The City retains a small in-house staff (a Building Permit Technician, Julian Trevino). Fire prevention and life safety plan review and inspection IS delegated to another government: the City of Groveland Fire Department, by codified designation in Code Sec. 7-2(b)(2), with Groveland's fee schedule adopted wholesale. Fire suppression and the fire rescue assessment go to Lake County. 95% · department page + adopting ordinance

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

• Which inspections are required, and in what order? For a rooftop retrofit, ONE dedicated inspection - 'FINAL PV SOLAR' - with the concealed stages proved by photographs rather than by separate site visits. The photo set required on the day of the final: (1) roof with the support system installed prior to panel placement, with a tape measure showing spacing of fasteners; (2) combiner boxes after all conductors are installed; (3) conductors run through the attic; (4) 'any other pictures that support the case that the system was installed per the approved plans.' A ground mount would additionally pick up the FOOTING/FOUNDATION sequence and the local FBC 110.3.1 form board survey approval before the pour. Other relevant inspection types that exist in the portal list: FINAL ELECTRIC, PRE-POWER, FINAL ZONING, FINAL FLOOD, FINAL FIRE, RE-INSPECTION, GREEN TAG INSPECTION. 82% · published checklist + portal inspection-type list
• Is a rough-in or mid-roof inspection required? No separately scheduled rough-in or mid-roof inspection for PV. The portal's inspection-type list contains ALL ROUGH, FRAMING, ROOF, DRY-IN, STRAP AND DECK and 2ND ROUGH ELECTRICAL COMMERCIAL, but the only solar type is FINAL PV SOLAR. The stage that would otherwise need a mid-roof visit - fastener spacing before the panels go on - is discharged by the required photograph 'Roof with support system installed prior to panel placement (tape measure showing spacing of fasteners)'. 82% · permit portal inspection-type list

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 - and it is unusually good for a city of this size. The 'PV Solar Plan Review Checklist' is bundled inside the PV Solar Application (4 pages, PDF created 6 Aug 2025) and published standalone as the 'PV Solar Checklist' (created 5 Aug 2025). It is a signed instrument: the applicant checks six boxes, signs, and gives name, email, phone and job address, and 'Please note that if this document is not submitted with the plans, a review will not be started.' It covers both plan review and the final-inspection photo evidence. 90% · published checklist
• What must be on site at inspection? The recorded Notice of Commencement, posted on site, where the job value exceeds $5,000: 'A NOTICE OF COMMENCEMENT MUST BE RECORDED AND POSTED ON THE JOB SITE BEFORE THE FIRST INSPECTION ... IF THE ESTIMATED COST OF THIS JOB IS GREATER THAN $5,000 A CERTIFIED COPY OF THE RECORDED NOTICE OF COMMENCEMENT MUST BE FILED WITH PERMITTING SERVICES PRIOR TO SCHEDULING YOUR FIRST INSPECTION.' Plus the photograph set for the final (see Q54). The approved plans are not separately named as an on-site requirement. 82% · permit application

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

• What is issued on pass? A passed FINAL PV SOLAR recorded in the portal, not a certificate. A Certificate of Occupancy under Code Sec. 5-34 attaches to a building 'erected, altered or repaired', which is the wrong instrument for a rooftop retrofit; the fee schedule prices only a Temporary Certificate of Occupancy ($250, commercial). The portal does carry a 'GREEN TAG INSPECTION' type, and 'PRE-POWER', so a green tag exists in this authority's vocabulary. What the utility needs is not a City certificate but a certification - SECO requires '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.' 55% · permit portal + ordinance
• Who notifies the utility for PTO? The installer, not the AHJ. On SECO: 'The contractor typically handles uploading all required documents and photos, which SECO will review for approval' and the member must deliver the local code official's written certification to SECO before operation; the member then gives SECO at least ten days' notice of the in-service date, and 'Once the Cooperative has received the Member's written documentation that the requirements of this Interconnection Agreement have been met and the correct operation of the manual switch has been demonstrated to Cooperative, the Cooperative will, within ten (10) business days, notify that parallel operation of the RGS may commence' - that notification is PTO. SECO then installs the AMI bi-directional meter (allow four days). On Duke: PSC Rule 25-6.065(5)(a) requires the interconnection agreement to contain an inspection certification of compliance with local codes, and (5)(b) requires the customer to notify the utility at least 10 days before placing equipment in service. Nothing puts the notification duty on the City of Mascotte. 90% · utility tariff
• Is there a re-inspection fee? $75.00 - 'Failed Inspection Fee (Re-Inspection) $75'. Separately, 'Failure to Schedule/Call for inspection $100'. Both are on the Other Fees block of the 2026 fee schedule, effective 1 July 2026. Fines from re-inspections and stop work orders raised $60,895 in FY2024-25. 95% · fee schedule
• How are corrections issued and cleared? Through the iWorQ portal. 'What are the results of my inspection? Please use the online portal to view inspection results.' A failed inspection is re-booked through the portal and 'If you need to pay for a failed inspection, this needs to be paid through the online portal.' For plan-review corrections, a rejected application generates an email: 'You will receive an email notifying you if the application has been received or denied. If your application has been denied, the reason for denial along with additional comments will be included.' A resubmittal goes in as a Revision at $75 each, using the published Revision Request form. 85% · department FAQ + portal