City of North Bay Village

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 North Bay Village (a Miami-Dade County municipality of three islands - North Bay Island, Harbor Island and Treasure Island) is the AHJ for residential rooftop PV inside its limits. Its own Building Department receives applications, reviews plans, issues permits and performs inspections. The Village lies entirely within the High Velocity Hurricane Zone. 95% · adopting ordinance
• What does this authority permit itself, and what does it delegate? Both, and neither is delegated to another government - but the whole building function is performed by a private firm under contract. C.A.P. Government, Inc. holds the Professional Service Agreement dated 14 October 2021 arising from RFP 2021-009 'Building Services', and supplies the Building Official, Assistant Building Official/Chief Building Code Inspector, Plan Examiners and Inspectors. Planning & Zoning is separately staffed by Calvin, Giordano & Associates. Contractor LICENSING is Miami-Dade County (CTQB Certificate of Competency) plus annual Village registration - a licensing split, not delegation. 90% · RFP / procurement document
• Is a permit required for a residential rooftop PV system? Yes, always. The Village's fee schedule sets a $500 threshold for building permits but carves PV straight back in: 'Exception: Any construction activities, regardless of the value, that include structural, electrical, plumbing, or mechanical work, shall require a permit.' 95% · fee schedule
• Is there a separate electrical permit, or is it combined? SEPARATE. Every residential PV job carries two permits - a BLDR (Building - Residential) and an ELER (Electrical - Residential) - applied for and issued on the same day, each with its own valuation, fee and inspection sequence. 95% · permit records
• Is a HOA or architectural approval required first? No. The Village expressly declines to enforce private covenants: 'The Village recommends, although does not require, that the owner secure any required approvals from Homeowner/Condominium Association prior to submitting this building permit application... the Village does not enforce any non-governmental deed restrictions or Homeowner/Condominium restrictions upon this property.' But ULDC Sec. 8.25.C.1 makes the owner ACKNOWLEDGE at application that 'If the property is within a homeowners' association, condominium association, or otherwise subject to restrictive covenants, the property may be subject to additional regulations or requirements despite the issuance of a permit by the Village'. A condominium approval letter IS required where the work is in a common area. 92% · department form
• Is there a historic-district review? No. North Bay Village has no historic district, no historic preservation board, no local register and no certificate-of-appropriateness process. Code Ch. 32 creates only two standing boards - the Civil Service Board and the Planning and Zoning Board - with other advisory boards created by resolution and purely advisory. The only occurrence of 'historic structure' in the ULDC is the FEMA definition inside the flood chapter, used for flood variances. 88% · adopting ordinance
• Is a wind or windstorm certification required? No separate windstorm certification is issued, but the Village is wholly inside the HVHZ and says so in its own documents, so FBC High Velocity Hurricane Zone provisions govern. The PV submittal requires Structural Calculations and roofing details; the Village's roofing permit type requires Uniform Roofing Application, Hurricane Mitigation Retrofit Forms, Owner's Notification for Roofing Considerations and Product Approvals. The Village itself states NO design wind speed anywhere - 'mph', 'wind speed' and '175' return zero hits across the Code, the ULDC, the fee schedule, the permit application and the 131-page plan-review document. 70% · RFP / procurement document
• Is a Specific Use Permit or Council approval ever required? No. ULDC Sec. 8.25.A deems rooftop PV 'permitted accessory equipment to conforming and nonconforming buildings in all zoning categories and Districts', and states that 'Nothing contained in this Chapter, including design standards or guidelines included or referenced herein, shall be deemed to prohibit the installation of rooftop photovoltaic solar systems'. One caveat worth carrying to a job: the Village's plan-review sheet for Photovoltaic - Residential Alteration carries the residual line 'May require Land Use Board approval if visible from ROW', which sits awkwardly against Sec. 8.25 and appears to be inherited from the document's un-localised source. 75% · ordinance
• Is there a system-size cap on residential generation? No local cap. The Village imposes no size limit on residential generation. The binding cap is FPL's: Tier 1 requires a Gross Power Rating of 10 kW AC or less, not exceeding 90 percent of the customer's utility distribution service rating, and with AC generating capacity less than 115 percent of the customer's previous 12 months' kWh usage. At or above 10 kW FPL's current Electric Service Standards route the job to a Large Generation Interconnection Agreement. 85% · 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 electrical contractor - either state-certified, or holding a Miami-Dade County CTQB Certificate of Competency with state registration - who is registered with the Village. A homeowner may pull it as an owner-builder under Fla. Stat. 489.103(7) on a one- or two-family primary residence. 85% · department form
• Must the contractor be registered with this authority before applying? Yes. Annual Contractor Registration with the Village runs 1 October to 30 September. The contractor must file a certificate of general liability insurance and workers' compensation (or an exemption certificate) naming NORTH BAY VILLAGE as certificate holder; if an exemption certificate is used, the property owner must sign a Hold Harmless Agreement. State-certified contractors pay no registration fee; Certificate of Competency holders pay $25.00 a year. The form is notarised. 92% · department form
• Is a homeowner permitted to self-install and self-permit? Yes, with two restrictions the Village states itself: the owner-builder route is 'Only applicable if subject property is owner's primary residence' and is 'Not available for condominium units'. A notarised Owner-Builder Affidavit reciting the Fla. Stat. 489.103(7) disclosure must accompany the application. 90% · published checklist

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? Six general items plus a PV-specific drawing set. General (Permit Package Requirements): (1) completed and NOTARISED permit application - all trade applications submitted together with the master permit, plus Owner-Builder Affidavit or Workers Comp Hold Harmless where applicable; (2) proof of ownership (Property Appraiser printout or deed; articles of incorporation and agent ID if an entity); (3) one set of plans, digitally signed and sealed if job value is $25,000 or more; (4) executed Construction Cost Affidavit; (5) condominium approval letter if work is in a common area; (6) $125.00 minimum upfront processing fee per application. A recorded Notice of Commencement is required for any work over $5,000. PV-specific (Plan Review and Inspection Requirements, 'Photovoltaic - Residential Alteration'): signed and sealed topographic/boundary survey dated no more than one year old showing BFE and grade elevation; architectural plans; structural plans; electrical plans 'to include listing of equipment'; plumbing plans; proposed roof plan showing height of solar panels above the main roofline and setbacks of equipment/panels to the edge of roof; site plan with property lines and adjacent right-of-way; structural calculations; roofing details; and a section/detail measured from finish roof material. 88% · published checklist
• How many copies, and in what format? One set, PDF only, submitted digitally by email to buildingclerk@nbvillage.com. The Village states: 'In an effort to streamline the permitting process, effective April 1st, 2022, the Building Department will only be accepting applications digitally.' The plan-review document's standing rule is 'Electronic Review requires 1 Set of Digitally or Electronically signed and sealed drawings; In-person Review requires 2 Sets of signed and sealed drawings.' 92% · department page
• Is a site plan required, and what must it show? Yes. The PV submittal requires a site plan with property lines showing the adjacent right-of-way, and separately a signed and sealed topographic/boundary survey, dated no more than one year from submittal, that 'must provide: BFE, and grade elevation in NGVD or NAVD values'. If the array is on grade, a fuller site plan is required showing existing and proposed setbacks, property lines, lot dimensions, grade elevation per survey, and all proposed structures (fences/walls, accessory buildings, pool, decks, walkways, mechanical equipment). 75% · published checklist
• Is a one-line / three-line diagram required? Not in those words. The Village requires 'Electrical plans to include listing of equipment' for Photovoltaic - Residential Alteration; it never uses the terms one-line or three-line diagram for PV. FPL does: its Electric Service Standards Section XIII requires meter numbers associated with the interconnecting premise to be included in Single Line Diagrams and/or plans, and where a System Impact Study applies, 'All relaying, protection and metering shall be provided in a one-line diagram... in some cases a three-line diagram may be required.' 60% · published checklist
• Is a structural PE stamp required, and at what threshold? Yes in effect, and by two different thresholds that the Village's own documents state differently. All PV drawings are submitted as 'Digitally or Electronically signed and sealed drawings', and 'Structural Calculations' are a listed supporting document. Code Sec. 151.10(A) requires plans for any work over $1,000 or involving structural design to 'bear the signature of an architect or engineer registered under the laws of the Village, unless waived by the Building Official. However, in no circumstances may the certification be waived for any construction valued at $10,000.00 or more, including labor and material.' The current Permit Package Requirements sheet instead says plans must be 'digitally signed and sealed if job value is $25,000+'. Both are live; the $10,000 figure is in the codified ordinance, the $25,000 figure on the operative counter handout. 80% · adopting ordinance
• Is an electrical PE stamp required, and at what threshold? No electrical-specific threshold is published. The Village applies one seal rule across all disciplines - see Q13 ($10,000 non-waivable in Code Sec. 151.10(A); $25,000 on the Permit Package Requirements sheet) - and the PV checklist requires the electrical plans in the same signed-and-sealed set as the rest. The state floor is Fla. Stat. 471.003(2)(h), which is not a North Bay Village instrument and was not re-verified in this run. 60% · adopting ordinance

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? None that is public-facing. Applications and plans go by email to buildingclerk@nbvillage.com as PDFs. Behind the counter the Village runs a 'Village-owned permitting software' (its record numbering is BLDR-/ELER-/IBLD-/IELE- and its reports carry an 'Applied Online' column - 'No' on every one of the six solar permits). The FY2026 adopted budget sets a goal to 'Implement an online permit and plan submission portal, achieving 70% adoption by June 2026', so this is expected to change. 85% · department page
• Can the whole application be completed online? Digitally yes, self-service no. Since 1 April 2022 the Building Department accepts applications only digitally, by email, as PDFs - but the permit application must be notarised (separate notary blocks for owner and contractor), so the package cannot be completed entirely online without notarisation, and there is no public portal to submit into or track status. 80% · department page
• What does a residential solar permit cost? On the current schedule (Res. 2025-119, adopted 16 December 2025): $125.00 non-refundable upfront application fee per application; building permit for an alteration to a single-family home = estimated value x 1.5 percent; electrical permit = estimated value x 5.0 percent; minimum permit fee for all disciplines $125.00; plus a 5 percent information-technology surcharge (minimum $5, maximum $500) and a Building Department Training and Education surcharge of $0.25 per $1,000 of construction cost. Crucially, 'Applicants are entitled to receive a 50% discount of base permit fees for these permit types: impact windows and doors, shutters, roofs, generators, SOLAR INSTALLATIONS, and living seawalls' - the discount expires 31 December 2026 unless the Commission renews it. Real totals actually charged, before that discount existed: $611.74, $1,189.38, $1,307.68, $1,588.57, $1,878.03 for ordinary rooftop arrays (building + electrical combined), and $14,475.62 for a Tesla Solar Roof permitted as a roof at $90,265.73 valuation. 88% · fee schedule
• How is the fee calculated? Valuation - a percentage of the estimated value of the work, per discipline, with a $125.00 minimum permit fee for all disciplines and a $125.00 non-refundable upfront application fee on top. Not flat, not per kW, not per panel. 95% · fee schedule
• Is there a separate plan-check fee? Yes, and it is payable up front. 'Base Permit Fee Exceeds $400.00: Non-refundable plan review fee equal to one-third of the base building permit fee (including electrical, plumbing, and mechanical) paid at the time of submittal of the building permit application. This fee shall be applied to the total fees at the time of issuance of the building permit. Should a building permit not be issued, this fee shall not be refunded.' A separate revised-plan processing fee is 33 1/3 percent of the original building permit fee or $100/hour for staff review, whichever is less. 95% · 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? Contractually 10 business days for a residential alteration. RFP 2021-009 Sec. 3.2.H.1 binds the building-services contractor to: Major Permits (Commercial or Residential) Additions, Alterations, Demolition or New Construction - 10 business days; Specialty Permits (Pool or Sign) - 5 business days; Minor Permits (all others) - 2-3 business days. The FY2026 adopted budget sets department goals of reviewing 90 percent of applications within five business days and approving 95 percent of compliant plans within seven business days by June 2026. What actually happened on the six real PV jobs: 7, 10, 29, 31, 45 and 49 calendar days from application to issue, median about 30 days. 80% · RFP / procurement document
• How long is an issued permit valid before it expires? The application is valid 180 days: 'THIS APPLICATION IS VALID FOR 180 DAYS FROM DATE APPROVED. APPLICATION AND ALL ATTACHMENTS WILL BE DESTROYED AFTER THAT DATE IF PERMIT IS NOT ISSUED.' Once issued, the permit runs on the FBC 180-day inspection clock: in all six real PV permits the recorded expiration date falls almost exactly 180 days after the last inspection (e.g. BLDR-000122-2023 finaled 16 May 2023, expiry 13 Nov 2023). Expired permits can be reactivated - two of the six were, by written revision with a new expiration date. 78% · department form
• Which utility handles interconnection here? Florida Power & Light Company, by codified franchise. Table VII of the Code records Ord. 2013-06, adopted 16 July 2013, 'Granting to Florida Power & Light Company an electric franchise, imposing provisions and conditions relating thereto, providing for monthly payments to North Bay Village'; the predecessor was Ord. 83-15 of 24 August 1983, a 30-year grant. The Village bills only water, sewer and stormwater itself. 95% · adopting ordinance
• Where does the utility sit in the sequence? After the permit and after the local final inspection. FPL's filed Tier 1 agreement Sec. 3.4: 'The Customer 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 requires the customer to notify FPL at least 10 calendar days before initially placing the equipment in service, and FPL has the right to have personnel present on the in-service date. Sec. 3.6 requires FPL to execute the agreement within 30 calendar days of a completed application. There is no application fee for Tier 1. 92% · utility tariff

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, effective 31 December 2023, as part of the Florida Building Code 8th Edition (2023). The Village adopts the FBC wholesale and publishes no NEC edition of its own. 85% · department page
• Which building code edition is in force? Florida Building Code 8th Edition (2023), effective 31 December 2023, with the High Velocity Hurricane Zone provisions applying because the Village is in Miami-Dade County. Code Sec. 151.01 adopts the FBC and renames it 'Building Code of North Bay Village'. 95% · department page
• Which fire code edition is in force? Florida Fire Prevention Code, by operation of state law - the Village adopts no fire code of its own. Code Ch. 93 'FIRE PREVENTION' is a fossil: it regulates explosive waste in sewers, outdoor fires, bonfires, fireworks and Knox boxes, and contains zero references to NFPA, the Florida Fire Prevention Code, a fire code edition or a fire marshal. The Village has no fire department; Miami-Dade Fire Rescue serves it, and the Knox-box ordinance is administered by the Village's Chief of Police rather than a fire chief. 80% · adopting ordinance
• Are there local amendments to any of the above? Yes - a substantial set, several of which bite on a PV job. Code Ch. 151: Sec. 151.10(A) seal thresholds (see Q13); Sec. 151.10(E) $75 re-inspection charge; Sec. 151.10(G) doubles permit fees for day-labour work supervised by anyone the Building Official has not certified as skilled; Sec. 151.10(H) doubles fees plus $200 for work started without a permit, escalating to +$300, +$600 for repeat offences; Sec. 151.15(H) 'Miscellaneous electrical standards. Orange colored wire shall be used on all appliances and motor circuits'; Sec. 151.03 classifies the entire Village as fire zone 2A; Sec. 151.16 residential minimum floor elevation 16 inches above the crown of the abutting street; Sec. 151.19 off-duty police officer required throughout construction of any structure over three stories. ULDC: Ch. 10 flood provisions with a two-foot freeboard and a cumulative ten-year substantial-improvement rule; Sec. 8.17.G.2 solar height exception; Sec. 8.25 solar access. 92% · adopting ordinance
• What is the installation judged against? The Florida Building Code 8th Edition (2023) including its High Velocity Hurricane Zone provisions, NEC 2020 as adopted by the state, the Village's own Ch. 151 amendments, and the Unified Land Development Code. RFP 2021-009 states the reviewing authority chain precisely: the contractor performs Building Official duties 'as defined in Section 103 of the Florida Building Code and Miami-Dade County Board of Rules and Appeals in accordance with Chapter 8 Article II of the Code of Miami-Dade County', and coordinates with the Miami-Dade County Board of Rules and Appeals and the Florida Building Commission as needed. 88% · RFP / procurement document

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 ridge setback or access pathway dimension is published by the Village. What it does require is that they be SHOWN: the PV submittal calls for a 'Proposed roof plan including height of solar panels above the main roofline, provide setbacks of equipment / panels to edge of roof'. The dimensional rule therefore comes from the Florida Fire Prevention Code as adopted by the state, enforced through Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, not from any North Bay Village instrument. 65% · published checklist

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, by state adoption of NEC 2020 Article 690.12 - not by any local instrument. The words 'rapid shutdown' appear zero times in the Code of Ordinances, zero times in the Unified Land Development Code, and zero times in the 131-page Plan Review and Inspection Requirements document. 70% · ordinance

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 Village requires none of its own. The placards that actually have to go on a North Bay Village job come from FPL and from NEC 690/705 as adopted. FPL, first-party: (a) filed Tier 1 tariff Sec. 5.3 - where the manual disconnect is located away from the meter socket, 'the customer shall install a permanent weather-proof plaque adjacent to FPL's meter socket indicating the location of the manual disconnect switch or switches'; (b) Electric Service Standards Section XIII B.1 (battery storage) - 'A placard must be permanently affixed to the meter enclosure stating battery storage utilized in this facility'; (c) Electric Service Standards Section XIII g (labeling) - 'All labels should be permanent and weatherproof / UV resistant placard with engraved letters. The customer is responsible for all labeling requirements. The following labels must be installed at the interconnecting meter can and the Disconnect Switch.' 85% · utility standards manual
• Does the authority specify placard wording of its own? No. North Bay Village specifies no placard wording of its own. The only prescribed wording that reaches the job is FPL's battery placard, which must state that battery storage is utilized in this facility. 85% · ordinance
• Does it specify letter height, colour or material? The Village specifies nothing. FPL does, and it is a material specification rather than a dimensional one: labels must be a 'permanent and weatherproof / UV resistant placard with engraved letters', and the same formula is used elsewhere in FPL's standards for meter identification ('permanent and weatherproof/UV resistant placard with engraved letters'). No letter height and no colour is specified by either the Village or FPL. 80% · utility standards manual
• Is a site plan / facility map placard required, and what must it show? Not required by the Village. No North Bay Village instrument requires a site plan or facility map placard; NEC 690.56 / 705.10 apply through the state's adoption of NEC 2020. What the Village does require is a roof plan in the SUBMITTAL showing panel heights above the main roofline and setbacks to the roof edge - a drawing requirement, not a placard. 55% · published checklist
• Does the UTILITY specify placards beyond the AHJ's? Yes - on a North Bay Village job every placard requirement is FPL's. See Q38 for the three: the disconnect-location plaque (filed tariff Sheet 9.051 Sec. 5.3), the battery-storage placard permanently affixed to the meter enclosure (Electric Service Standards Section XIII B.1), and the general labeling standard requiring permanent, weatherproof/UV-resistant placards with engraved letters at the interconnecting meter can and the disconnect switch (Section XIII g). 85% · utility standards manual
• Where must the labels be placed? At the meter. FPL's labeling rule places them 'at the interconnecting meter can and the Disconnect Switch'; the battery placard is 'permanently affixed to the meter enclosure'; and the disconnect-location plaque goes 'adjacent to FPL's meter socket'. The Village prescribes no placement. 80% · utility standards manual

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? FPL's two current documents give different answers, and an installer needs to know both. THE FILED TARIFF (which governs legally): Sheet No. 9.051 Sec. 5.1 - 'U.L.1741 Listed, inverter-based Tier 1 customer-owned renewable generation systems do not require a customer-installed manual disconnect switch.' Where one IS required (non-UL1741 systems), Sec. 5.2 - a manual disconnect of the visible load break type, 'mounted separate from, but adjacent to, the FPL meter socket', readily accessible to FPL and capable of being locked open with a single FPL utility padlock; Sec. 5.3 - if that is impractical, it may be relocated by agreement with a permanent weather-proof plaque next to the meter socket giving its location. THE CURRENT ELECTRIC SERVICE STANDARDS (which the field crew uses), Section XIII: 'An FPL approved visually open disconnect is required to allow safe restoration of FPL system. The disconnect switch must be installed according to FPL instruction and must remain accessible to FPL at all times. The disconnect switch shall be connected on the load side of the meter to the approved inverter and the line side of the disconnect switch shall be connected to FPL power grid. This device will vary depending on the configuration, voltage and generation capacity.' Section XIII also prohibits line-side connection: 'Customer shall interconnect their DER system behind customer main panel; the customer shall not interconnect in FPL equipment or on a line side tap.' No distance figure appears in either document. 75% · utility tariff
• Must equipment be on a specific approved list? Yes, two lists on two axes. Electrical: FPL requires the generating equipment to be certified by a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory to the latest version of IEEE 1547 and UL 1741, and states 'Equipment that does not meet these certification requirements will not be approved for interconnection'; the filed Tier 1 agreement Sec. 3.1 requires listing 'for continuous interactive operation with an electric distribution system in compliance with the applicable codes and standards of IEEE 1547, IEEE 1547.1, and UL 1741', and Sec. 3.2 requires a utility-interactive inverter that automatically isolates on loss of grid. Structural: because the Village is in the HVHZ, roof-borne components carry a Florida Product Approval or a Miami-Dade NOA - and the Village has demonstrably accepted FLORIDA PRODUCT APPROVAL rather than requiring an NOA. Its own permit record for BLDR-000149-2022 reads 'REVISION #1- REVISE PLANS TO CURRENT TESLA SOLAR ROOF AND POWERWALL(S) APPROVED FLORIDA PRODUCT APPROVAL 41923.' The Village's PV submittal separately requires 'Electrical plans to include listing of equipment'. 88% · permit records
• Are batteries permitted, and under what conditions? Yes, and the Village has already permitted them. BLDR-000401-2022 / ELER-000402-2022 at 7512 W Treasure Dr was 'INSTALLATION OF PV SOLAR SYSTEM TO ROOFTOP PLUS 2 BATTERIES', valued at $94,668, issued 12 Sep 2022 and finaled 1 Dec 2022; BLDR-000149-2022 was revised to a 'TESLA SOLAR ROOF AND POWERWALL(S)'. Conditions come from FPL, first-party: battery storage installed behind the customer's meter must be certified by a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory to the current UL safety standard; a battery that is not so certified must be DC-coupled behind a listed device; energy stored is for the customer's use only and may not at present be exported to the grid; battery storage for small (sub-10 kW) systems is reviewed in the fast-track study; and stand-alone storage is not renewable energy under FAC Rule 25-6.065 and is not net metered. The ULDC treats PV with back-up battery storage as a green-building option worth 8 or 10 points. 85% · permit records
• Is there a separate ESS permit or inspection? No. The battery job went through exactly the same two permits and the same inspection stages as an ordinary array: BLDR-000401-2022 and ELER-000402-2022, with Electrical Service (22 Sep 2022), Electrical Rough/Fire (15 Nov 2022), Final Electrical and Final Building (both 1 Dec 2022). No ESS permit type, no fire-department sign-off and no separate ESS inspection appears anywhere in the record or in the Village's own permit-type list. 82% · inspection records
• Is a ground mount treated as a structure? The Village has no ground-mount PV rule - Sec. 8.25 is expressly about ROOFTOP systems only - but a grade-mounted array falls into the equipment rules. The plan-review sheet branches: 'If located on grade, provide: Site Plan (with setbacks - existing and proposed, property lines, lot dimensions, grade elevation as per survey)', so it is reviewed against setbacks like a structure. ULDC Sec. 8.17 allows, in single-family districts only, 'Ground mounted mechanical equipment, including air conditioning equipment, pool equipment, heat pumps, water heaters, generators, and other similar equipment' to be placed in a side yard setback area provided the unobstructed side setback is not reduced by more than 50 percent of the district requirement and the equipment does not operate above 70 decibels; and Sec. 9 requires ground-mounted mechanical equipment to be screened from public view at a minimum to the height of the equipment. 65% · ordinance
• Is there a local rule on service upgrades or busbar sizing? No local rule on busbar sizing. Changes to electrical service are expressly treated as ordinary permit work - the fee schedule's valuation rule covers 'miscellaneous permit activity not otherwise provided for in this section, including but not limited to repair, or alterations, or changes to electrical service', valued by the applicant and approved by the Building Official. The only local electrical amendment in the whole Code is Sec. 151.15(H): 'Orange colored wire shall be used on all appliances and motor circuits.' On the real jobs an 'Electrical Service' inspection is a distinct stage, run where the service is touched (2 of the 6 PV projects had one). 65% · fee schedule
• Is a specific mounting system or attachment spacing required? No mounting system or attachment spacing is specified locally. The requirement is evidential rather than prescriptive: the PV submittal calls for Structural Calculations, roofing details, and a 'section/detail measured from finish roof material', and roof products go through Florida Product Approval or a Miami-Dade NOA under the HVHZ regime. The Village's PV checklist does not itself name product approval; its A/C checklist requires a 'Tie Down NOA (if applicable)' and its roofing checklist requires 'Product Approvals'. 65% · 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? By email. The Building Department page's own 'Schedule an Inspection' control is a mailto link to buildingclerk@nbvillage.com. The contract standard is broader: 'Customers may schedule inspections in-person, via telephone, online through the Village-owned software, or via email.' Department phone (305) 754-6740; office hours Monday-Friday 8:00 am - 4:00 pm. 88% · department page
• How much notice is required? No notice period is published. The contract requires the Village's building-services contractor to answer consumer inquiries within one business day, to respond to hazards or code violations within one business day, and to provide personnel able to respond within one hour, 24/7, to an emergency call-out. The FY2026 adopted budget sets a goal to 'Complete 95% of scheduled inspections within 24 hours of request by May 2026'. On the real record, every one of the solar inspections shows Scheduled Start Date equal to Actual Start Date, so once booked they were performed on the day scheduled. 70% · RFP / procurement document
• Are same-day or AM/PM windows offered? Yes to AM/PM, and the working window is narrow. RFP 2021-009 Sec. 3.2.C.2: 'Contractor as requested by the Village shall inform the customer of the date and time period (morning or afternoon) during which the inspection will occur.' Sec. 3.2.D.9: 'Generally perform inspections between 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM Monday - Friday, except on an as-needed basis'. After-hours inspections are available 'when requested and scheduled with prior notice by the permit holder', compensated at the rates in the Village code. 80% · RFP / procurement document

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 Village performs its own final solar inspections - a Final Building and a Final Electrical on every one of the six real PV projects, all passed, all recorded in the Village's own inspection reports under Village inspection numbers (IBLD-/IELE-). 95% · inspection records
• If delegated, to whom? Not delegated to another government. The Village remains the AHJ and issues in its own name; the inspection is physically performed by C.A.P. Government, Inc.'s certified inspectors under the Professional Service Agreement of 14 October 2021. The contract requires 'a minimum of one plans reviewer/inspector for each discipline (i.e., structural, plumbing, electrical and mechanical) with all applicable certifications required pursuant to Florida Statutes and the Miami-Dade County Board of Rules and Appeals', each with at least five years' experience in their discipline, all fluent in English with at least one person fluent in English and Spanish. 85% · RFP / procurement document

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? Recovered from the real record rather than from a published list. For a residential rooftop PV retrofit the sequence is, per permit: BUILDING - 'In Progress', then 'Final Building'. ELECTRICAL - 'Electrical Service' where the service is touched, then 'Electrical Rough/Fire', then 'Final Electrical'. Final Building and Final Electrical fell on the same day in four of the six projects. For an integrated PV roof (the Tesla Solar Roof) the building permit instead ran 'Roofing In-Progress' then 'Final Roofing', under a Roofing Inspector. Inspector identities are recorded only as roles - Building Inspector, Electrical Inspector, Roofing Inspector. 90% · inspection records
• Is a rough-in or mid-roof inspection required? Yes. An 'Electrical Rough/Fire' inspection was performed and passed on all six projects, and a building 'In Progress' inspection on five of the six (the sixth being the Tesla roof, which took 'Roofing In-Progress' instead). There is no separate mid-roof inspection type. 88% · inspection records

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? Partly, and the gap matters. The Village publishes a 131-page 'PLAN REVIEW AND INSPECTION REQUIREMENTS' document, permit type by permit type, which sets out plan reviews, inspections, drawings and supporting documents. It has dedicated entries for Photovoltaic - Residential Alteration and Photovoltaic - Residential New. But for every Photovoltaic category - unlike A/C, Electrical, Roofing and the rest - the 'Plan Reviews:' and 'Inspections:' lines are LEFT BLANK. So the checklist exists, the drawing list is real and usable, and the review-and-inspection half of the PV entries was never filled in. 80% · published checklist
• What must be on site at inspection? Two things are inferable from what the Village charges to replace them: the permit inspection card ('If the permit inspection card for which a permit has been issued is lost and research has to be conducted for replacement of the card, a charge of $30.00 per hour will be charged up to a maximum total cost of $100.00 for residential properties') and an approved field copy of the plans ('When plans for which a permit was issued is lost by the owner, contractor, applicants, or any other representatives of the project, a recertification fee will be required to review, stamp and approve a new set of plans as a field copy'). A recorded Notice of Commencement is required for any work over $5,000. 60% · adopting ordinance

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 inspection closing the permit - the permit status moves to 'Complete'. All six PV projects ended that way, with Final Building and Final Electrical passed and no certificate issued. No certificate of occupancy is involved in a retrofit: the fee schedule prices a 'Certificate of occupancy, temporary or final, fee per unit $180.00' and a separate 'Certificate of completion $180.00', neither of which appears on any of the solar permits. The Village does not issue a green tag or PTO letter. 75% · permit records
• Who notifies the utility for PTO? The customer or installer, not the Village. FPL's Tier 1 agreement puts the obligation on the customer twice over: Sec. 3.4, 'The Customer agrees to provide Local Building Code Official inspection and certification of installation', and Sec. 3.5, 'The Customer shall notify FPL at least ten (10) calendar days prior to initially placing Customer's equipment and protective apparatus in service and FPL shall have the right to have personnel present on the in-service date.' No North Bay Village document places any notification duty on the Village. 88% · utility tariff
• Is there a re-inspection fee? $75.00, but not on the first failure. The fee schedule: '(a) First inspection and first re-inspection included as part of the permit fee, no additional charge. Second re-inspection and each subsequent re-inspection, $75.00. (b) Repairs or corrections not made when inspection is called $75.00. (c) Work not ready for inspection when called, $75.00. (d) The payment for re-inspection fees, correction of workmanship or violations, shall be made before any further permits will be issued to the person responsible for or owing same.' Code Sec. 151.10(E) states the same $75.00 figure. 95% · fee schedule
• How are corrections issued and cleared? Through the Village-owned permitting software, with the result recorded against the inspection record: 'All inspection data/reports shall be logged in the Village-owned permitting software after completing an inspection.' The statuses actually used in the Village's reports are Passed, Partial Pass, Canceled and Re-inspection. A real worked example from the solar set: the Tesla Solar Roof at 7623 Beach View Dr took a 'Roofing In-Progress' Partial Pass on 31 Oct 2023, passed Roofing In-Progress on 9 Nov 2023, then failed Final Roofing re-inspections on 25 Jan 2024 and 2 Feb 2024 before passing Final Roofing on 13 Mar 2024. The contractor must also give the Village Manager monthly activity updates including a report of ALL expired permits. 70% · inspection records