City of Mulberry

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 Mulberry Building Department is the AHJ for residential solar inside the city limits. It runs its own Accela tenant (aca-prod.accela.com/MULBERRY), its own contractor registration, its own adopted Schedule of Building Permit Fees (Res. RES-2024-15), and 27 live 'Solar Permit' (BSOL-) records issued 2025-2026. Polk County Building Division has no jurisdiction inside the city. 96% · permit portal + department page + adopted fee resolution
• What does this authority permit itself, and what does it delegate? Both — the City issues and inspects building and electrical work itself. Solar is filed as its own record type, 'Solar Permit' (record-type value Building/Solar/NA/NA, permit prefix BSOL-), alongside separate Electrical, Mechanical, Plumbing, Re-Roof and Residential Accessory types. 93% · permit portal record-type list + Code of Ordinances ch. 6 art. III
• Is a permit required for a residential rooftop PV system? Yes. A permit is required, and Mulberry has a dedicated 'Solar Permit' type for it. Code Sec. 6-106 additionally makes a permit mandatory for 'any electrical construction of any character ... or make any extensions or changes to existing systems of wiring'. Note: the new FS 553.79(1)(g) $7,500 no-permit exemption (s. 8, ch. 2026-63, eff. 1 Jul 2026) can NEVER reach a PV job — (g)2.b excludes any electrical work on a single-family property, and (g)2.a excludes any property partly or wholly in a flood hazard area. 95% · enrolled session law + live permit portal
• Is there a separate electrical permit, or is it combined? Combined in practice — one 'Solar Permit' (BSOL-) record per job covers the installation; the city does not open a companion Electrical permit for the PV work on the records examined. The Code's separate electrical-permit machinery (Sec. 6-106 et seq.) is administered through that record. 78% · live permit record
• Is a HOA or architectural approval required first? No HOA or architectural approval is required by the City. The Code contains no architectural review board and no covenant-compliance gate on a building permit. New for 2026: FS 720.3035(1)(c), added by s. 11 of ch. 2026-63 effective 1 Jul 2026, bars an association or its architectural committee from requiring a building permit to have been issued as a prerequisite for the association's own review. A private HOA covenant may still apply as between owner and association, limited by FS 163.04. 82% · Unified Land Development Code (searched)
• Is there a historic-district review? Yes, but only on an individually designated historic site — Mulberry has designated sites, not a historic district. ULDC 2.02.01(B): 'No demolition, alteration, or relocation of a historic structure shall be permitted except as provided below', and the exceptions are (1) work not requiring a construction permit, (2) work approved by the Building Director that restores the structure's original appearance, and (3) work approved by the CITY COMMISSION, on Planning Board recommendation, that will not preserve or re-create the original appearance. A rooftop array on a designated historic structure requires a permit and does not restore original appearance, so it falls in (3). Designation is by City Commission on Planning Board recommendation; National Register and Florida Master Site File properties are presumed to qualify. 84% · ULDC 2.02.01
• Is a wind or windstorm certification required? No separate local wind or windstorm certification. Mulberry is inland Polk County — outside the HVHZ (Miami-Dade and Broward only) and outside the coastal wind-borne debris region. Compliance runs through Florida Product Approval, which the Accela application asks for by name as part of the permit packet. 85% · code search (absence) + live application field
• Is a Specific Use Permit or Council approval ever required? Not for a rooftop array. One codified trap for a GROUND mount: ULDC 2.05.00(A) forbids an accessory structure on a parcel that has no principal structure except where the CITY COMMISSION approves it case by case, on findings about height, size and location, a plot plan, principal-structure setbacks, and common ownership of an adjacent parcel holding the principal structure. 80% · ULDC 2.05.00
• Is there a system-size cap on residential generation? No local system-size cap. The operative tiers are the utility's: PSC Rule 25-6.065(4)(a) and TECO SESR — Tier 1 is 10 kW or less, Tier 2 is over 10 kW to 100 kW, Tier 3 is over 100 kW to 2 MW, and the gross power rating may not exceed 90% of the customer's utility distribution service rating. For inverter-based systems AC nameplate is computed as DC nameplate x 0.85. 88% · FL PSC Rule 25-6.065(4) + TECO SESR

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 contractor holding an appropriate Florida licence and registered with the City. The live record for BSOL-26-0004 names a CERTIFIED SOLAR CONTRACTOR (CVC56923). The Accela licence-type list carries CERTIFIED SOLAR, CERTIFIED SOLAR CONTRACTOR, CERTIFIED ELECTRICAL, Master Electrician and Owner - Builder. For the electrical work itself Code Sec. 6-61(a) requires an electrical contractor, supervised by that contractor or a master electrician, with a journeyman on the job at all times. 88% · live permit record + Code Sec. 6-61
• Must the contractor be registered with this authority before applying? Yes — registration with the City of Mulberry Building Department is required before a permit will be issued. The published checklist is: a current Business Tax Receipt from a Florida county or city; a General Liability certificate and a Workers' Comp certificate or exemption in the licence holder's name, with the certificate holder shown as 'City of Mulberry Building Department, P.O. Box 707, Mulberry, FL 33860'; the State Certified Registration Form; and optionally an Accela Associated User Form. Codified at Sec. 6-82 (electrical, $5.00 annual registration fee, $5,000 bond, $25,000/$50,000 public liability, $10,000 property damage) and at the Standard Building Code Sec. 106.2(g) amendment ($20.00 annual for building contractors). 93% · department page + Code Sec. 6-82 / SBC 106.2 amendment
• Is a homeowner permitted to self-install and self-permit? Yes. Code Sec. 6-61(b) lets a bona fide owner wire an EXISTING single-family dwelling he occupies, on four conditions: submit plans and specifications to the senior electrical inspector for approval; make application and secure an electrical permit before starting; file an affidavit that he is a bona fide owner, will do the work himself and will not hire anyone for any part of it; and pay the fees. The Standard Building Code Sec. 106.7 amendment adds owner-builder rights for a new single-family home (one per three years). An 'Owner/Builder Affidavit' and an 'Owner Builder-Contractor Pre-Power Request' are published, and 'Owner - Builder' is a live Accela licence type. 90% · Code of Ordinances ch. 6 art. III

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? Submitted through Accela. The live BSOL application collects: the permit packet (plans, supporting documents, Florida Product Approval) submitted electronically; total value of work; size of property and of building; parcel number; owner and licensed professional; and answers to gate questions — gate code required, result of a code violation, applicant is the owner, preliminary submittal, Florida Statute 119 exempt/non-exempt, Flood Plain Y/N, Wetlands Y/N, 'Will a Private Provider be doing Plan Review or Inspections?', and Power Provider. A Notice of Commencement is published as a required form. No solar-specific checklist is published. 85% · live permit record application data
• How many copies, and in what format? Electronic, through the Accela Citizen Access portal — no copy count is published. The application itself records 'How is the permit packet (plans, supporting documents, FL product approval, etc.) submitted?: Electronically'. 82% · live permit record
• Is a structural PE stamp required, and at what threshold? No local structural PE-stamp threshold is published. The state floor applies: the FBC governs, and the application asks only for Florida Product Approval. Two of four BSOL records examined were run through a private provider (FS 553.791), which requires a Chapter 471 PE, Chapter 481 architect or Chapter 468 building code administrator/inspector to sign the plan-compliance affidavit. 55% · department page + code search (absence)
• Is an electrical PE stamp required, and at what threshold? No local electrical PE-stamp rule. FS 471.003(2)(h) sets the state exemption at $125,000 / 600 amps; some older local documents statewide still cite a $50,000 trigger, and Mulberry publishes neither. 50% · state statute + local absence

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? Accela Citizen Access, the City's own tenant: aca-prod.accela.com/MULBERRY. Modules: Building, Planning, Enforcement, Business Tax. Phone on the portal masthead is (863) 425-1125. 96% · permit portal
• Can the whole application be completed online? Yes. The department page says 'Apply here for a permit (in Accela)', the application records the packet as submitted 'Electronically', and an Accela Associated User Form lets a licence holder delegate portal access to staff. 92% · department page + live permit record
• What does a residential solar permit cost? Valuation-based, from the adopted Schedule of Building Permit Fees (Res. RES-2024-15 Exhibit A, effective 1 Oct 2024). Worked examples off the table: $10,000 valuation = $117.15; $15,000 = $161.10; $20,000 = $203.69; $25,000 = $247.63; $30,000 = $290.22. A plan review fee of ONE-HALF the permit fee is added for all permits over $1,000 requiring review, so a real $27,000 rooftop job is about $264.92 + $132.46 = $397.38. Revised Plan Review Fee $100.00; Re-stamp Plan Fee $55.00; Permit Renewal Fee $25.00. All fees rise automatically 5% every two calendar years on 1 October. Real BSOL job valuations seen: $10,000, $18,325.86, $23,000, $27,923.75, $29,716, $29,810, $32,000, $40,000, $41,231. 90% · adopted fee schedule (Res. RES-2024-15 Exh. A)
• How is the fee calculated? Valuation — a per-$1,000 sliding table to $100,000 ($39.95 at $1,000 rising to about $797 at $98,000), then $814.74 plus $8.11 per additional thousand to $500,000, then $4,056.09 plus $3.48 per additional thousand. Valuation of new construction uses the current ICC 'Building Valuation Data' sheet; otherwise 'generally accepted industry standards'. 94% · adopted fee schedule
• Is there a separate plan-check fee? Yes — Section 2(c)(i): 'PLAN REVIEW FEE FOR ALL PERMITS OVER $1,000.00 & REQUIRING REVIEW, COMMERCIAL-INDUSTRIAL-RESIDENTIAL: Plan Review Fee: One-half (1/2) of building permit fee.' A Revised Plan Review Fee of $100.00 applies to resubmittals. 93% · adopted 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? No locally published plan-review turnaround. The statutory floor governs: FS 553.792(1)(a)1 (as amended by s. 10, ch. 2026-63, eff. 1 Jul 2026) gives 5 business days for an electrical or other single-trade permit on an EXISTING single-family dwelling where the value of the work is under $15,000, and 30 business days for a residential permit where the structure is under 7,500 sq ft. FS 553.792(1)(e) cuts the permit fee by 10% for each business day late (20% per day on a revision round under (1)(g)). Most Mulberry PV jobs are valued above $15,000, so the 30-business-day track is the realistic one. 88% · Florida Statutes 553.792
• How long is an issued permit valid before it expires? Six months for the electrical permit — Code Sec. 6-108(a): 'The permit shall be valid for six months unless extended by the administrator.' A 'Permit Renewal Request for Expired Permits' form is published and the fee schedule prices a Permit Renewal Fee at $25.00. CONFLICT WORTH CARRYING: FS 553.79(1)(c), as amended by s. 8 of ch. 2026-63 effective 1 Jul 2026, provides that 'A building permit issued by a local government for a single-family dwelling expires 1 year after the issuance of the permit or on the effective date of the next edition of the Florida Building Code, whichever is later.' The codified six months is below that floor. 88% · Code Sec. 6-108 + FS 553.79(1)(c)
• Which utility handles interconnection here? Tampa Electric Company (TECO). The City is NOT an electric utility. 92% · live permit records (Power Provider field) + adopted budget + code
• Where does the utility sit in the sequence? Parallel, with a hard gate at the end. PSC Rule 25-6.065(5)(a) requires that customer-owned renewable generation 'must be inspected and approved by local code officials prior to its operation in parallel'; TECO's own interconnection package (SESR Drawing 7.52 note 1) requires a COPY OF THE AHJ APPROVED ELECTRICAL PERMIT, an engineered one-line in PDF, the enrollment application, the tier interconnection agreement, insurance, a photo of each disconnect close enough to read the placarding, and a pull-back photo showing the meter can and all disconnects together. Rule 25-6.065(5)(b) puts a 10-day pre-energization notice on the customer. SESR 7.52 note 11: operating before PTO is prohibited and may cause service disconnection. 90% · FL PSC Rule 25-6.065 + TECO SESR 2025

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 through the Florida Building Code 8th Edition (2023), effective 31 December 2023. WATCH THIS: Mulberry's own codified electrical code, Sec. 6-36, still adopts 'The National Electric Code, 1993 Edition' (Ord. 7.96, 6 Feb 1996). That is a fossil superseded by the state-adopted FBC, and it is the third-oldest codified NEC found in this survey after Callaway (1984) and Hialeah Gardens (1990). 92% · FBC effective dates + Code Sec. 6-36
• Which building code edition is in force? Florida Building Code, 8th Edition (2023), effective 31 December 2023, enforced by the City as the state-adopted code. The codified local building code, Sec. 6-16, still adopts 'The Standard Building Code, 1994 Edition' (Ord. 1.96, 6 Feb 1996) with local amendments at Sec. 6-17 — a second fossil. 92% · FBC effective dates + Code Sec. 6-16
• Which fire code edition is in force? Florida Fire Prevention Code, 8th Edition (2023), based on NFPA 1 (2021) and NFPA 101 (2021) with Florida amendments, adopted by the State Fire Marshal under ch. 633 F.S. Mulberry has its own Fire Department. Its codified adoption, Sec. 7-1, is a floating adoption by reference to FS 633.0215 that then names 'the Florida Fire Prevention Code Handbook, 20xx Edition' — the placeholder was never filled in. 85% · State Fire Marshal + Code Sec. 7-1
• Are there local amendments to any of the above? Yes. Mulberry carries real local electrical amendments that survive in the codified text: Sec. 6-37 (the 50%-of-system rule and the service-entrance review), Sec. 6-147 (minimum service sizes), Sec. 6-148 (separate main disconnect per dwelling unit), Sec. 6-128(c)-(e) (contractor decal and stencilling), Sec. 6-126 (inspection notice timing), Sec. 6-82 (contractor registration), and the Standard Building Code amendments at Sec. 6-17. 90% · Code ch. 6 arts. II-III
• What is the installation judged against? The Florida Building Code 8th Ed. (2023) and NEC 2020, plus the surviving local electrical amendments in Code ch. 6 art. III. Mulberry's electrical article carries a CITED AUTHORITY THAT DOES NOT EXIST: the art. III footnote reads 'State Law reference - Adoption of certain minimum electrical standards required, F.S. 553.19', and the Statutory Reference Table maps 553.19 to Ch. 6 Art. III. leg.state.fl.us returns 'The statute you have selected cannot be found' for 553.19 in the 2026 Florida Statutes. This is the third Florida authority in this survey adopting an electrical code on a non-existent citation — a copied Municode template. 90% · Florida Statutes lookup (negative) + Code ch. 6 art. III footnote

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 ridge-setback or access-pathway amendment. The Florida Fire Prevention Code 8th Ed. (2023) and FBC provisions apply as adopted. Mulberry's fire chapter regulates burning permits, Knox-Box installations, hazard inspections and the fire services assessment; it contains no PV article and no rooftop access provision. 80% · Code ch. 7 (searched)

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

• Is rapid shutdown required, and to which NEC edition? Rapid shutdown applies as NEC 2020 Article 690.12, through the FBC 8th Ed. (2023). Mulberry does not restate it, does not amend it, and does not publish a PV inspection checklist that references it. 78% · FBC/NEC edition + proved local absence

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? Two layers. UTILITY (binding on every TECO job): SESR Section II requires a placard AT THE METER identifying the location of the isolation means; SESR Drawing 7.52 (effective 7-21-25) requires, on the FRONT COVER of the customer-provided utility disconnect, a placard identifying the presence of an on-site power generation source (Detail J, reading ON-SITE GENERATION UTILITY DISCONNECT SWITCH); where multiple disconnects are required, placards numbered sequentially, e.g. 1 OF 3 (Detail K, note 6); where approved, a METER CAN VARIANCE / DISCONNECT LOCATION placard stating, facing the meter can, the distance in feet and the direction right/left/behind to each disconnect, compass points not acceptable (Detail L, note 8); and, where pre-approved, a DISCONNECT LOCATION MAP PLACARD (Detail M, note 13). CITY: Code Sec. 6-128(c) requires the electrical contractor to stencil or decal contractor name, address and phone on the main switch or panel; (d) requires all circuits to be properly identified before a final is accepted; (e) requires, on multimeter installations, the location served stencilled on each meter base or panel in letters at least two inches high. 93% · TECO SESR 2025 (Section II + Drawing 7.52, OCR)
• Does the authority specify placard wording of its own? Yes — but the wording comes from the utility, not the AHJ. TECO specifies the placard legends verbatim: 'ON-SITE GENERATION UTILITY DISCONNECT SWITCH' (Detail J); the same with a sequential suffix such as '1 OF 3' (Detail K); the variance placard in the form 'ON SITE GENERATION UTILITY DISCONNECT LOCATED 27 FEET TO THE RIGHT OF UTILITY METER' (Detail L); and the map placard 'CAUTION! POWER TO THIS BUILDING IS ALSO SUPPLIED FROM ROOF MOUNTED SOLAR ARRAY ON ADJACENT STRUCTURE WITH SAFETY DISCONNECTS AS SHOWN PER NEC 705.10' (Detail M). The City specifies its own wording only for the condemned-wiring notice (Sec. 6-56(f)) and requires the contractor decal content at Sec. 6-128(c). 90% · TECO SESR Drawing 7.52 Details J-M (OCR)
• Does it specify letter height, colour or material? Yes. TECO SESR note 5 and Section II: non-ferrous metal or poly-plastic plates; engraved or stamped lettering a MINIMUM OF ONE QUARTER INCH HIGH; WHITE LETTERING ON A RED BACKGROUND; permanent, durable, UV resistant; EPOXY GLUED OR RIVETED to the mounting surface. Expressly NOT acceptable: duplication, peel-and-stick labels, paint, marking pens, or scratching. City: Code Sec. 6-128(e) requires two-inch minimum letters for the multimeter location stencil; Sec. 6-3 requires address numbers not less than three inches high in a contrasting colour. 94% · TECO SESR Section II + Drawing 7.52 note 5
• Is a site plan / facility map placard required, and what must it show? Yes, at utility level, and this BREAKS the seven-authority NEC 705.10 silence. TECO SESR Drawing 7.52 Detail M is a DISCONNECT LOCATION MAP PLACARD whose specimen legend reads 'CAUTION! POWER TO THIS BUILDING IS ALSO SUPPLIED FROM ROOF MOUNTED SOLAR ARRAY ON ADJACENT STRUCTURE WITH SAFETY DISCONNECTS AS SHOWN PER NEC 705.10'. Note 13 makes it conditional: map placards are used only where approved after discussion with Tampa Electric, and they do not replace the meter-can variance or disconnect-location placard. The City of Mulberry itself specifies no facility map placard. 88% · TECO SESR Drawing 7.52 Detail M (OCR)
• Does the UTILITY specify placards beyond the AHJ's? Yes, decisively — everything in Q38-Q41 is the utility's, not the AHJ's. Mulberry publishes no PV placard requirement of any kind; TECO publishes five placard types with a full material, colour, letter-height and fixing specification, plus a photographic proof requirement (SESR 7.52 note 1: a photo of each disconnect close enough to read the placarding, and a pull-back photo showing the meter can and all disconnects in one frame). 93% · TECO SESR 2025
• Where must the labels be placed? Utility disconnect placard: on the FRONT COVER of the customer-provided utility disconnect switch. Isolation-means placard: AT THE METER. Meter-can variance placard: on the meter can. The disconnect itself: mounted adjacent to the utility meter socket enclosure, within a maximum of 6 feet, in the line of sight, with the centreline of the throwable handle 4 feet 6 inches to 5 feet above final grade and a 3-inch minimum / 6-foot maximum offset from the meter per Details G and H. City: contractor decal on the main switch or panel; multimeter stencil on each meter base or panel. 92% · TECO SESR Drawing 7.52 Details G, H, J + Section II

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? TECO requires a manual load-break disconnect switch giving a LOCKABLE VISIBLE BREAK between the utility grid and the AC output of the RGS or ESS, customer-provided, mounted ADJACENT TO THE UTILITY METER SOCKET ENCLOSURE WITHIN A MAXIMUM DISTANCE OF 6 FEET AND IN THE LINE OF SIGHT, with the handle centreline 4 feet 6 inches to 5 feet from final grade, grounded per NEC/AHJ, lockable open with a single utility padlock. A circuit breaker, molded case switch or push-stop button does NOT provide a visible break and is not acceptable. If the 6-foot/line-of-sight rule cannot be met, permission must be requested from Tampa Electric BEFORE installation. THE TENSION TO CARRY: PSC Rule 25-6.065(6)(a) says '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.' TECO's SESR states the requirement flatly for all RGS with no Tier 1 carve-out, so on a Tier 1 (<=10 kW inverter-based) Mulberry job the switch is required but the rule puts the cost on TECO. 91% · FL PSC Rule 25-6.065(6) + TECO SESR Section II and Drawing 7.52
• Must equipment be on a specific approved list? Yes — Florida Product Approval. The Accela application asks in terms whether the permit packet includes 'plans, supporting documents, FL product approval'. Beyond that, PSC Rule 25-6.065(4)(b)-(c) requires the generating equipment to have been tested and listed by a nationally recognized testing laboratory for continuous interactive operation, and to include a utility-interactive inverter certified to UL 1741 (2005), IEEE 1547 (2003) and IEEE 1547.1 (2005). 88% · live permit application + PSC Rule 25-6.065(3)-(4)
• Are batteries permitted, and under what conditions? Yes, batteries are permitted and are being permitted. BSOL-25-0012 (24 Nov 2025, 1020 Aruba Ave, $41,231) is described as 'solar electric panels plus battery' and is Closed - Complete. There is no Mulberry ESS ordinance and no local battery condition. The operative conditions are TECO's: SESR Drawing 7.52 treats RGS/ESS combinations, RGS-only, ESS-only and battery add-ons as separate configurations, each requiring a utility disconnect and placarding, and note 12 provides that ELECTRIC VEHICLES SHALL BE CONSIDERED A STANDARD ESS and must be connected electrically behind a disconnect. Note 1 requires a fresh enrollment application and tier agreement for a battery added to an existing array. 87% · live permit record + TECO SESR Drawing 7.52
• Is there a separate ESS permit or inspection? No. There is no ESS or battery record type in the Accela Building module — the types are Civil Plan, Commercial Fire, Commercial Multi-Family, Commercial New, Commercial Renovation, Commercial Roofing, Commercial Sign, Commercial Tent, Demolition, Electrical, Fence-Wall, Gas, Mechanical, Mobile Home (double/single), New Single Family Residence, Plumbing, Pool, Re-Roof, Residential Accessory, Residential Driveway, Residential Renovation-Addition, Solar, and Window and Door. A battery is permitted inside the Solar Permit, as BSOL-25-0012 shows. 90% · permit portal record-type list
• Is a ground mount treated as a structure? Yes. ULDC Art. 9 defines Structure as 'Anything constructed or installed which is rigidly and permanently attached to the ground or to another object which is rigidly and permanently attached to the ground ... including but not limited to supporting walls, signs, screened or unscreened enclosures covered by a permanent roof, swimming pools, POLES, and pipelines.' A pier- or footing-mounted array is squarely inside that. It is then an accessory structure under ULDC 2.05.00 and must: be in the SIDE OR REAR YARD and not in a required landscape buffer (C); sit at least FIVE FEET from any interior lot line (H); be separated at least five feet from other structures and from the principal structure (G); be no larger than the principal structure (F); comply with the FBC (B); be counted in impervious-surface and stormwater calculations (D); and be shown on a site development plan where one is required (E). There is no clause exempting residential mechanical or electrical equipment from setbacks — ULDC 2.02.12(D) allows mechanical equipment to project no more than three feet into a setback and no further. 83% · ULDC Art. 9 definitions + ULDC 2.05.00
• Is there a local rule on service upgrades or busbar sizing? Yes, and it is unusually specific. Code Sec. 6-37: (a) where MORE THAN 50 PERCENT of the electrical system is remodeled or changed as determined by the electrical inspector, the ENTIRE electrical system must meet current code; and when wiring for any added load is installed, 'the service entrance shall also be reviewed and sizes increased to carry the new total load, as necessary'; (b) additional circuit-breaker capacity shall be added to protect any added load, and a new panel must have at least one spare circuit; (d) on a service change, an old panel reused as a subpanel must be fed with approved rigid conduit, IMC, EMT or a four-conductor cable. Sec. 6-147(a) sets a 100 amp minimum residential service; Sec. 6-148 requires a separate main disconnect per dwelling unit. 91% · Code Secs. 6-37, 6-147, 6-148
• Is a specific mounting system or attachment spacing required? No local mounting or attachment-spacing rule. The binding site rule comes from the utility: TECO SESR Drawing 7.52 Detail G requires NO PANELS CLOSER THAN A 3-FOOT RADIUS FROM THE SERVICE MAST, and requires access to the meter to be maintained per SESR Section II.E.2. 84% · TECO SESR 2025 Drawing 7.52 (OCR of image-only page)

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? By notice to the inspection office. Code Sec. 6-126(a) requires notice of readiness giving permit number, owner name, electrical contractor name, and the date and time the job will be ready. The portal is Accela, which normally carries inspection scheduling for a registered user; the anonymous view does not expose it, and the city publishes no scheduling page. 62% · Code Sec. 6-126 + portal
• How much notice is required? Notice must reach the inspection office NOT LATER THAN 5:00 P.M. ON THE DAY PRIOR to the day inspection is desired. Code Sec. 6-126(b) then commits the city: 'Inspections will be performed on the day desired if at all possible, and shall be COMPLETED BY THE END OF THE SECOND WORKING DAY after proper notice has been received.' 86% · Code Sec. 6-126

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 electrical inspector and building official, unless the applicant elects a private provider under FS 553.791. Both routes are live: of four BSOL records examined, two answered 'Will a Private Provider be doing Plan Review or Inspections?' with No and two with Yes. 90% · live permit records + FS 553.80(7)(b) report
• If delegated, to whom? Where a private provider is elected, to a licensed private provider firm chosen by the fee owner — Nobility Inspections appears on BSOL-26-0002 and BSOL-25-0014. The City requires, at permit application: a signed Notice to the Building Official; the private provider's Chapter 471 PE, Chapter 481 architect or Chapter 468 Standard Building Code Administrator/Standard Inspector licences; a signed and notarised Duly Authorized Representatives' Employment Affidavit; a signed and notarised Private Provider Plan Compliance Affidavit; a signed and notarised Affidavit for Building Code Inspection Services; and certificates of insurance. All forms are provided by the City and no substitutions are accepted unless Florida law requires it. Inspection reports must be completely filled out and signed. 91% · department page + published private-provider forms + live records

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? Rough-in, then final, plus a utility power step. Code Sec. 6-127(a): 'A rough-in inspection will be required for all wiring installations', and nothing may be sealed or concealed until inspected and approval posted on the job. Sec. 6-128: on passing final, the electrical inspector issues a final certificate of approval. Sec. 6-60: no power company may connect without a written release from the electrical inspector. The published 'Owner Builder-Contractor Pre-Power Request' form (rev. 6/6/25) exists for connecting power BEFORE all finals pass. Live BSOL records show a single workflow moving 'Inspection Phase' to 'Closed - Complete'. 84% · Code Secs. 6-126 to 6-128, 6-60 + pre-power form
• Is a rough-in or mid-roof inspection required? Yes — 'A rough-in inspection will be required for all wiring installations' (Sec. 6-127(a)), and all wiring in conduit must be inspected before switches, panel fronts, receptacles or covers are installed unless the electrical inspector approves otherwise. For a rooftop retrofit the practical effect is that concealed conductor runs must be inspected before they are closed up. 82% · Code Sec. 6-127

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. Mulberry publishes no inspection checklist of any kind, and no solar or PV checklist. The published document set for the Building Department is 18 items and is entirely affidavits, registration forms, cancellations, contractor changes, a Notice of Commencement, a re-roof affidavit, residential pool safety requirements, a demolition instruction sheet, a permit renewal request and the private-provider forms. 88% · department forms list + document library enumeration
• Does the inspector verify labels and listings? Partly, and it is codified. Sec. 6-128(d): 'No job of wiring for light, heat or power will be accepted on a final inspection unless the proper protective devices have been installed and ALL CIRCUITS HAVE BEEN PROPERLY IDENTIFIED.' Sec. 6-128(c) requires the contractor decal on the main switch or panel. There is no codified duty to verify equipment listings, and no published PV labelling checklist. The utility, not the city, is the one that photographically verifies PV placards. 80% · Code Sec. 6-128

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

• What is issued on pass? A final certificate of approval, plus a release for power. Code Sec. 6-128(a): on passing final the electrical inspector 'shall issue a final certificate of approval certifying that the installation has been inspected and found to comply', with the proviso that 'release for power shall not be given on any job known to be in violation of one or more other city ordinances'. In the portal a completed job shows as 'Closed - Complete'. A Certificate of Occupancy is not issued for a PV retrofit to an occupied dwelling. 87% · Code Sec. 6-128 + live permit records
• Who notifies the utility for PTO? Split, and Mulberry is codified on the city side — this is the 'power release' pattern, not the usual installer-only answer. Code Sec. 6-60: 'It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation furnishing electrical current ... to connect his, their or its distribution system with any installation of wiring ... within the city without having first received a RELEASE FROM THE ELECTRICAL INSPECTOR. The release shall be given by the electrical inspector immediately after the certificate ... has been issued. The electrical inspector may give verbal release for expedience and shall immediately attach a proper indication of approval on the job site and ISSUE A WRITTEN RELEASE TO THE POWER COMPANY.' On the interconnection side the duty is the customer's: PSC Rule 25-6.065(5)(b) requires the customer to notify the utility at least 10 days before initially placing the equipment in service, and TECO requires the customer/installer to file the enrollment application, tier agreement, engineered one-line, insurance, disconnect photographs and a COPY OF THE AHJ-APPROVED ELECTRICAL PERMIT. So: the City releases power to TECO; the installer drives PTO. 89% · Code Sec. 6-60 + PSC Rule 25-6.065(5)(b) + TECO SESR
• Is there a re-inspection fee? UNASCERTAINABLE FROM THE ADOPTED INSTRUMENT — and that is the finding. Schedule of Building Permit Fees Section 2(d) reads: 'A re-inspection may be scheduled in the same manner as an inspection using the INSPECTION PROCEDURE AND FEES provision of Section 1 of this Schedule. The fee for a re-inspection shall be the same as that announced for an inspection in the INSPECTION PROCEDURE AND FEES provision of Section 1 of this Schedule.' Section 1 of the Schedule contains only three provisions — WHEN REQUIRED, a sentence on electrical/mechanical/plumbing valuations, and FEES TO BE PAID IN FULL. There is NO 'INSPECTION PROCEDURE AND FEES' provision in Section 1. The cross-reference is dangling, in both directions, in the currently effective schedule. Separately, Code Sec. 7-6(b) prices FIRE hazard re-inspections at $30.00 first and $55.00 each additional — a different subject. 86% · adopted fee schedule Sections 1 and 2(d)-(e)