City of South Pasadena

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 South Pasadena is the AHJ for residential solar. Its Community Improvement Department (City Hall Annex, 6940 Hibiscus Ave S; 727-343-4192; buildingdepartment@mysouthpasadena.com) issues building, electrical, zoning and floodplain permits and performs its own inspections with its own named staff. Pinellas County Building and Development Review Services states in writing that it serves only unincorporated Pinellas plus Belleair Beach, Belleair Shore, Indian Rocks Beach, Kenneth City, Oldsmar and Safety Harbor - South Pasadena is NOT on that list. Contractor LICENSING sits with the Pinellas County Construction Licensing Board (PCCLB) or DBPR: a licensing/permitting split, not delegation. 96% · department page + county service-area page
• What does this authority permit itself, and what does it delegate? Both, in-house. The Community Improvement Department holds building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, gas, roofing, zoning, site-plan and floodplain permitting, plan review and inspection. Nothing is delegated to another government. Fire alarm/sprinkler permits exist as separate types and the City has its own fire department (Public Safety). FS 553.791 private providers are permitted on individual jobs, and are heavily used (759 of 3,710 inspections in FY2025), but the City expressly retains zoning and flood review and inspections even when a private provider is used. 95% · city form + portal type catalogue
• Is a permit required for a residential rooftop PV system? Yes. The City's Tyler EnerGov configuration carries a dedicated permit type 'Photovoltaic System', and 40+ real records exist under it from 2009 to 2025. The 'Permit or no permit?' handout (Rev. 4/2026) does not name solar but requires a permit for 'Electrical system - new or replacement' and 'Electrical work such as: new or replacement of service panels, add new wiring or circuit breaker'. 95% · permit portal type catalogue + issued records
• Is there a separate electrical permit, or is it combined? Combined under one 'Photovoltaic System' permit. Recovered PV permits since 2024 carry the ELEC- prefix (e.g. ELEC-0825-0140, ELEC-0525-0116, ELEC-0924-0041), i.e. the PV permit IS the electrical permit rather than a building permit with an electrical sub-permit. The general permit application has subcontractor tick boxes for Electrical / Plumbing / HVAC / Gas / Roofing and notes 'Fire or Pool under separate permit'; there is no solar tick box. 88% · issued permit records + permit application
• Is a HOA or architectural approval required first? Not required by the City, and there is no municipal architectural-review gate. The permit application places the burden on the owner: 'IT IS THE PROPERTY OWNER'S RESPONSIBILITY TO COMPLY WITH ANY HOMEOWNER'S ASSOCIATION REQUIREMENTS OR DEED RESTRICTIONS THAT MAY APPLY.' The Land Development Regulations (Ch. 130) have six Parts - Land Use, Concurrency Management, Stormwater Runoff Control, Signs, Comprehensive Plan Amendments, Subdivision of Land - and none is an architectural or design-review article, and there is no design-review board. Note that much of South Pasadena is condominium and mobile-home-park property where a private association gate will exist in fact. 88% · land development regulations + permit application
• Is there a historic-district review? No. There is no historic-preservation chapter, no historic district, no certificate of appropriateness and no historic board anywhere in the Code. Chapter 130 has no historic article and the general legislation chapter list (53 chapters) contains none. The only 'historic' language that touches a PV job is the standard carve-out in the floodplain chapter excluding alterations of historic structures from the substantial-improvement definition. 90% · code of ordinances table of contents
• Is a wind or windstorm certification required? No separate windstorm certification, but wind is a real submittal item. Products must come with Florida Product Approval or Notice of Acceptance sheets plus installation instructions (the City publishes a Florida Product Approval NOA form, rev. 2026). The governing wind speed is the PCCLB local technical amendment to FBC 8th Ed. (2023) Sec. 1609.3: all incorporated and unincorporated Pinellas County, ASCE 7-16 with interpolation permitted - Risk Cat I 135 / Risk Cat II 145 / Risk Cat III 155 / Risk Cat IV 157 mph Vult. South Pasadena is NOT in the HVHZ (Miami-Dade and Broward only) but is in the wind-borne debris region. 92% · county local technical amendment + city NOA form
• Is a Specific Use Permit or Council approval ever required? No special exception or Commission approval for a roof-mounted residential PV system. Solar is not a listed use anywhere in the zoning articles and is not in any use table. A GROUND mount would be an accessory structure under Sec. 130-38 and would have to meet the district's yard setbacks; relief from those would need a variance to the Planning and Zoning Board ($250 residential, nonrefundable, Sec. 130-46) under the Sec. 130-47 criteria. 80% · land development regulations
• Is there a system-size cap on residential generation? No system-size cap. Nothing in the Code or on any City form limits residential generation size. The only size ceiling that bites is the utility's: FL PSC Rule 25-6.065 sets Tier 1 at 10 kW or less, Tier 2 above 10 kW to 100 kW, Tier 3 above 100 kW to 2 MW. Real permits here run from 7.4 kW to 18.9 kW DC, so Tier 2 jobs are routine in this city. 88% · FL PSC rule + issued permit records

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 holding the appropriate Florida or PCCLB licence, or the property owner under the FS 489.103 owner-builder exemption. Since 24 June 2024 the contractor's insurance carrier must submit proof of General Liability and Workers' Compensation (or a WC exemption certificate) naming the City of South Pasadena, 6940 Hibiscus Avenue S, as Certificate Holder before any permit will be issued. 95% · department page + checklist
• Must the contractor be registered with this authority before applying? Yes in substance, no as a form. The City requires proof of state/county licence and carrier-submitted COIs with the City as certificate holder before issuing a permit. PCCLB itself states that state-certified contractors 'DO NOT have to register or renew their registrations with PCCLB' but must prove licence and valid insurance to every building department in the county. 93% · county licensing board page + city page
• Is a homeowner permitted to self-install and self-permit? Yes, for one- and two-family dwellings. The City publishes a 2024 Owner/Builder Affidavit reciting the FS 489.103 disclosure in full: owner may build or improve a one-family or two-family residence (commercial only up to $75,000), must be for own use, must provide direct on-site supervision, and a sale or lease within one year after completion raises the statutory presumption of violation. 95% · owner-builder affidavit

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? Completed permit application (notarised, FS 713.135); completed sub-contractor application if applicable; written scope of work; cost valuation; certified recorded Notice of Commencement for contracted work over $5,000; TWO sets of code-compliant scaled plans for residential; flood-zone information including flood zone, BFE + 2 ft freeboard, elevation of lowest floor or lowest horizontal member, and 'elevation of machinery'; Florida Product Approval / NOA sheets with installation instructions where products are involved; sealed survey and site plan for new construction, additions, pools and accessory structures. If the FEMA 50% rule is in play, the Substantial Improvement/Damage Cost Breakdown Worksheet plus notarised contractor and owner Project Value Affidavits. 90% · permit submittal checklist
• How many copies, and in what format? Residential: two (2) sets of code-compliant scaled plans. Commercial: three (3) sets, all signed and sealed by a design professional. Submission may be by the online portal (account required), by email to buildingdepartment@mysouthpasadena.com, or in person; documents must be printed and posted on the jobsite. 95% · permit submittal checklist
• Is a site plan required, and what must it show? Yes, for new construction, additions, pools, accessory structures and driveways: 'Site plan detailing placement of structure within required setbacks', plus a copy of a sealed survey. For a roof-mounted PV retrofit the checklist does not name a site plan; what it demands instead is flood-zone information (zone, BFE + 2 ft freeboard, elevation of lowest floor / lowest horizontal member, elevation of machinery). A GROUND mount would be an accessory structure and would draw the site-plan and survey requirement. 75% · permit submittal checklist
• Is a structural PE stamp required, and at what threshold? No City threshold. The checklist requires signed and sealed plans only for COMMERCIAL projects ('All commercial projects must be signed and sealed by a design professional'). For one- and two-family residential the City states no structural PE requirement; the attachment is judged against the FBC 8th Ed. (2023) Residential/Building wind provisions as amended by the PCCLB local technical amendment (Risk Category II Vult 145 mph, ASCE 7-16, Exposure by site). 85% · permit submittal checklist
• Is an electrical PE stamp required, and at what threshold? No local threshold published. FS 471.003(2)(h) applies unstated. 55% · codified building chapter

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? Tyler Technologies EnerGov Civic Self Service, at https://southpasadenafl-energovweb.tylerhost.net/apps/SelfService (branded 'South Pasadena FL Civic Access'). Public Information search is open without login. 95% · permit portal
• Can the whole application be completed online? Yes, but not exclusively. 'All permits can be uploaded to the portal, submitted to the Community Improvement Department office or sent by email.' A portal account is required to apply online or to book inspections online. Payment by credit card online, by phone or in person by check or card; no cash and no American Express; card transactions carry a convenience fee of $3.00 or 3%, whichever is higher. A notarised application and a recorded Notice of Commencement over $5,000 still have to be produced. 92% · department page
• What does a residential solar permit cost? Valuation-based, with no solar line. Codified Appendix A198-1 (Sec. 83-37): base permit fee $70 plus 2% of project value in excess of $1,000. Plan review adds 50% of the building permit fee (Ch. 83, Ord. No. 2022-01, 8 Mar 2022). Two state surcharges each 1.5% of the permit cost or $2 minimum (FS 468.631 and FS 553.721). On a $20,000 residential array that is roughly $70 + $380 = $450 permit, $225 plan review, about $14 of surcharges - order of $690 all in. NOTE A CONFLICT: the Permits & Licenses web page states the fee as '$70.00 for the first $1,000.00 and then $20.00 for each additional $1,000.00. This base fee is then multiplied by 2.5%', which is internally incoherent and does not match the codified text. 80% · codified fee schedule + department page
• How is the fee calculated? Valuation. 95% · codified fee schedule
• Is there a separate plan-check fee? Yes. 50% of the building permit fee, payable on all new construction and renovations, codified in Chapter 83 by Ord. No. 2022-01 and restated on the Permits & Licenses page. 93% · codified building chapter

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 plan-review clock is published. PROVED ABSENT across the department pages, the Permits & Licenses page, the Inspection Procedures sheet, the Permit Submittal Checklist and all 142 crawled City web pages. The only business-day commitment anywhere in the code is a 20-business-day decision window for telecommunication TOWER need determinations (Sec. 130-36F), which does not reach a PV permit. The portal's own records are the only evidence: for 12 issued Photovoltaic System permits, apply-to-issue ran min 2 / median 18.5 / mean 21.3 / max 64 days. 85% · department documents + portal records
• How long is an issued permit valid before it expires? 180 days. The permit application states 'THE PERMIT ISSUED UNDER THIS APPLICATION IS INVALID AFTER 180 DAYS IF THE PROJECT IS NOT STARTED AND THERE WILL BE NO REFUND.' Recovered PV permits bear expiration dates about six months after issue. Extension of a building permit is codified at $100 for 90 days (Appendix A198-1) and the City publishes a Permit Extension Form. 92% · permit application + fee schedule
• Which utility handles interconnection here? Duke Energy Florida, LLC d/b/a Duke Energy - an investor-owned utility, so FL PSC Rule 25-6.065 binds it. Proved from the City's own codified franchise: Chapter A197, Electric Franchise, adopted 8 June 2021 by Ord. No. 2021-01, Sec. A197-1: 'granting Duke Energy Florida, LLC, d/b/a Duke Energy ("Company" or "Grantee"), permission to occupy the rights-of-way in the City for the purpose of providing electric services.' The franchise fee is 6% of the Company's base revenues. The repealed predecessor chapter (Ord. No. 2011-06) named Progress Energy Florida, Duke's former name. ONE investor-owned utility, no municipal electric utility and no co-op: the City sells water/sewer/reclaimed and garbage only. 96% · codified electric franchise
• Where does the utility sit in the sequence? Parallel, with two hard sequencing rules from FL PSC Rule 25-6.065. (5)(a): customer-owned renewable generation 'must be inspected and approved by local code officials prior to its operation in parallel' - so the City's final inspection comes before PTO. (5)(b): the customer notifies the utility at least 10 days before placing the equipment in service. (7)(b) utility acknowledges a complete application within 10 business days; (7)(c) the standard interconnection agreement is executed within 30 calendar days; (7)(d) the customer returns it at least 30 calendar days before parallel operation and within one year. The City publishes nothing that sequences Duke against its own permit. 90% · FL PSC Rule 25-6.065

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

• Which NEC edition is in force? 2020, effective 31 December 2023 (statewide adoption). The City's own Sec. 83-4 adopts 'National Electrical Code (NFPA 70)' by reference with NO edition year and adopts the Florida Building Code and Florida Fire Prevention Code 'as amended from time to time' - a floating adoption. WATCH THIS: three of the City's own issued PV permit descriptions say the work is 'PER MANUFACTURING AND NEC 2023 STANDARDS' (ELEC-0825-0140 and ELEC-0525-0116, both 2025). That is contractor-written text on the permit record, not an adoption, and it conflicts with the statewide NEC 2020. 88% · codified adoption + issued permit records
• Which building code edition is in force? Florida Building Code 8th Edition (2023). The Permits & Licenses page says 'All work must comply with Florida Building Code 2023 8th Edition'; the permit application masthead prints 'Applicable Building Code: FLORIDA BUILDING CODE EIGHTH (8TH) EDITION (2023)'; the Inspection Procedures sheet dates it: 'As of December 31, 2023, all work must comply with Florida Building Code 2023 8th Edition.' Codified adoption is floating (Sec. 83-4). 96% · department page + permit application
• Which fire code edition is in force? Florida Fire Prevention Code, current edition (8th Ed., 2023), adopted as a floating reference at Sec. 83-4 together with NFPA 101 Life Safety Code. Chapter 106 Fire Prevention is a live chapter and prices a $100 re-inspection after an uncorrected fire/life-safety violation. Fire protection is provided by the City's own fire department. 85% · codified adoption
• Are there local amendments to any of the above? Yes - but they are COUNTY amendments adopted board-wide, not City amendments. The Pinellas County Construction Licensing Board publishes Local Technical Amendments to FBC 8th Ed. (2023) at pcclb.com/amendments.htm covering all incorporated and unincorporated Pinellas. Two matter to a PV job: (a) Building Ch. 27 Sec. 2701.1 amends NEC Article 250.96(A) to add 'All raceways shall contain an equipment-grounding conductor sized in accordance with Table 250.122' - stated need 'assures a positive return path for faults', fiscal impact minimal 'since this requirement has been in effect in Pinellas County since 1987'; and (b) Building Ch. 16 Sec. 1609.3 fixing the ultimate design wind speeds. The City itself publishes no technical amendment of its own. 95% · county local technical amendment
• What is the installation judged against? FBC 8th Edition (2023) - Building, Residential, Plumbing, Mechanical, Existing Building, Fuel Gas, Energy Conservation and Accessibility - plus NFPA 70 (NEC), the Florida Fire Prevention Code, NFPA 101 and the International Property Maintenance Code, all adopted by reference at Sec. 83-4, as modified by the PCCLB local technical amendments. Practically: NEC 2020 with the Pinellas 250.96(A) raceway-EGC amendment, and ASCE 7-16 wind at 145 mph Vult for a Risk Category II dwelling. 92% · codified adoption

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.

Nothing recorded for City of South Pasadena on this step yet — 1 question checked and found unpublished. The guidance above is general.

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 through the adopted NEC. Statewide that is NEC 2020 Art. 690.12, effective 31 December 2023. The City adopts NFPA 70 without an edition year (Sec. 83-4), so there is no local edition to argue about; but two of the City's own 2025 PV permit records describe the work as built to 'NEC 2023 STANDARDS', which would be 690.12 as revised. No local rapid-shutdown text exists. 80% · codified adoption + issued permit records

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 AHJ specifies none of its own. What is required comes from two other places: (a) the adopted NEC - 690.13/690.56/705.10 labelling at the service equipment; and (b) Duke Energy, whose White Book (Florida Service Area, revised 1 April 2026) Section VI requires generator warning and generator-isolation labels at the meter base, the disconnect switch and utility equipment - and states 'Signs and labels are installed by Duke Energy' and 'Install signs and labels on all KW sizes of Distributed Generation sites.' 88% · utility construction standard
• Does the authority specify placard wording of its own? No. The City specifies no placard wording of its own anywhere in the Code or on any form. It does not even ask to see the labels - unlike some neighbouring cities whose solar checklists demand a 'detail of all required warning labels'. South Pasadena has no solar checklist at all. 88% · city document centre
• Does it specify letter height, colour or material? Not specified by the AHJ. Duke's White Book fixes the physical spec for the utility's own labels by catalogue part number and size: 1505316 Electric Generator Warning 3"x2" on the meter base/primary meter, lower left; 1505322 6"x4" on a pad-mounted transformer, above the lock; 1505691 9"x6" sign on an overhead transformer pole, 5-6 ft above ground; 1505328 Generator Isolation Device 3"x2" on a small disconnect switch, near the OFF position; 1505332 6"x4" on a large disconnect switch; 4205529 9"x6" sign on a recloser/pole disconnect, 5-6 ft above ground. 90% · utility construction standard
• Does the UTILITY specify placards beyond the AHJ's? Yes. Duke fits its own placards at the meter base, the disconnect and utility apparatus (six catalogued part numbers, Section VI of the White Book), and requires the generation disconnect itself to carry a Generator Isolation Device label near the OFF position. This is beyond anything the AHJ asks for, because the AHJ asks for nothing. 90% · utility construction standard
• Where must the labels be placed? Per Duke's White Book: lower left of the meter base or primary meter; near the OFF position of the disconnect switch; above the lock on a pad-mounted transformer; 5-6 ft above ground on pole-mounted signs. NEC-required labels go where the adopted NEC puts them. The City specifies no placement. 88% · 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? Duke requires a generation disconnect and requires it to be within sight of the meter base. White Book Fig. 48A, 'NET GENERATION METERING SINGLE OR THREE-PHASE, SELF-CONTAINED METERED SERVICE, RESIDENTIAL/SMALL COMMERCIAL' (rev. 3, 31 Mar 2024), notes verbatim: '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 [sic] OF METERBASE AND READILY ACCESSIBLE.' PSC Rule 25-6.065(6)(a) exempts an inverter-based Tier 1 system from PAYING for the manual disconnect unless it is installed at the utility's expense - it does not exempt it from HAVING one, and Duke's own residential figure requires one regardless. Do not carry FPL's 'Tier 1 needs no disconnect' answer into a Duke city. The City itself specifies no disconnect location. Sec. 130-38(C) is the zoning counterpart: machinery may encroach up to three feet into side and rear yard setbacks, and the clause expressly covers 'any platforms constructed for the sole purpose of elevating any of the above-referenced equipment above the floodplain'. 94% · utility construction standard + PSC rule + zoning
• Must equipment be on a specific approved list? Yes, for products. Florida Product Approval or Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance documentation plus installation instructions must be submitted for products used, on the City's own Florida Product Approval NOA form (rev. 2026). There is no separate approved-equipment list for inverters or modules beyond the NEC's listing requirements. 85% · city NOA form
• Are batteries permitted, and under what conditions? Not addressed locally. Batteries are permitted by the adopted FBC/FFPC; the City's code, forms and portal permit-type list contain no ESS or battery provision and no battery permit type. 55% · portal type catalogue + city forms
• Is there a separate ESS permit or inspection? No. There is no separate ESS permit type and no separate ESS inspection in the City's published inspection code list. 70% · portal type catalogue + inspection code list
• Is a ground mount treated as a structure? Yes, as an accessory structure. Sec. 130-38 opens 'All buildings, including all accessory structures, shall conform to the minimum yard setback regulations established in Article III, except as permitted below', and the exceptions are satellite antennas (signal-based), one shed per lot in a side yard (max 7 ft high), machinery, roof overhangs, and parking-lot/pedestrian lighting. Solar is not among the exceptions, so a ground-mounted array must meet the full district setbacks. Relief needs a variance. 85% · land development regulations
• Is there a local rule on service upgrades or busbar sizing? No local rule on service upgrades or busbar sizing. The City's inspection code list does carry a distinct 'ELECTRIC SERVICE UPGRADE' inspection type and a 'PRE-POWER' inspection, so a service change on a PV job draws its own inspection, but no sizing rule is published. The only local electrical technical amendment in the county is the 250.96(A) raceway-EGC requirement. 75% · city inspection code list
• Is a specific mounting system or attachment spacing required? No mounting or attachment-spacing rule is published. The attachment is judged against the FBC and Florida Product Approval / NOA documentation for the racking, at the PCCLB wind speeds. 50% · city NOA form

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

• How is an inspection booked? Email or portal. 'Inspection requests will be accepted by e-mail at inspections@mysouthpasadena.com or through the online portal (you must have an online account).' The request must carry the date wanted, the permit number, the project address, the contractor's name and phone number, and the inspection type. 96% · inspection procedures sheet
• How much notice is required? By 2:30 p.m. the day before. 'Inspections shall be requested by 2:30 PM the day before. There will be no same day inspections.' (The Permits & Licenses page prints the same rule as 'by 2:30 P.M. for next day inspection.') 96% · inspection procedures sheet
• Are same-day or AM/PM windows offered? No AM/PM windows and no same-day service. Inspectors are in the field between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.; no appointment times are offered. The City also states 'We will no longer be accepting affidavits and photographs', so there is no remote or photo-based inspection route. 93% · inspection procedures sheet

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, and it is genuinely in-house. The FY2025 Building Permit and Inspection Utilization Report (FS 553.80(7)(b), 1 Oct 2024 - 30 Sep 2025) records 6 personnel dedicated to enforcing the Florida Building Code, personnel services $659,481 against operating expenses $151,291 (81% of spend on the personnel side), 2,797 applications, 2,083 permits issued and 3,710 inspections conducted. The FY2027 budget narrative says the City provides 'community improvement through our in-house building department'. BUT 759 of those 3,710 inspections (20.5%) were conducted by private providers, with 150 City audits of them. 95% · FS 553.80(7)(b) utilization report
• If delegated, to whom? Nothing delegated to another government. Where an owner elects FS 553.791, plan review and inspections go to a registered private provider - and the City's own form imposes a package rule: 'If Plans Review is being performed by Private Provider, Inspections must also be done by Private Provider. The City of South Pasadena will still perform Zoning and Flood review and inspections.' One recovered PV permit (ELEC-0825-0140, 721 Oleander Way S, issued 2 Sep 2025) is flagged in the register as '***PRIVATE PROVIDER INSPECTIONS***'. 93% · private provider application + permit record

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

• Which inspections are required, and in what order? No published solar sequence. The City's Inspection Codes sheet lists the available types; a PV job would draw from ELECTRICAL (TEMP SERVICE, STEEL BOND, UNDERGROUND, ELECTRIC ROUGH, LOW VOLTAGE, PRE-POWER, ELECTRIC SERVICE UPGRADE, ELECTRICAL FINAL) and BUILDING (ROOF IN-PROGRESS, ROOF FINAL, BUILDING FINAL). There is no PV or solar inspection type. Two general sequence rules are published: 'ALL SUB-TRADE(S) ROUGHS MUST BE COMPLETED PRIOR TO REQUESTING YOUR FRAMING INSPECTION' and 'ELEVATION CERTIFICATE AND TIE-IN SURVEY MUST BE SUBMITTED AND APPROVED BEFORE THE NEXT INSPECTION'. Also 'FINAL INSPECTIONS INVOLVING THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WILL AUTOMATICALLY BE NOTIFIED BY THIS DEPARTMENT.' 75% · city inspection code list
• Is a rough-in or mid-roof inspection required? No rough-in or mid-roof inspection is specified for solar. ELECTRIC ROUGH and ROOF IN-PROGRESS exist as types and would be used where the work warrants; nothing requires them on a PV retrofit. 60% · city inspection code 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? No. There is no published inspection checklist of any kind. What the City publishes is an Inspection Codes sheet (the catalogue of inspection types) and an Inspection Procedures sheet (how to book), neither of which is a checklist of what is checked. 85% · city document centre
• What must be on site at inspection? The permit and approved documents. 'DOCUMENTS MUST BE PRINTED AND POSTED ON THE JOBSITE.' A certified copy of the recorded Notice of Commencement must be recorded and posted on the job site before the first inspection where the contracted value exceeds $5,000 (FS 713.135). Subcontractors must be current with the City or 'cannot schedule their respective inspections' - the practical effect being that the electrician cannot book even if the permit has issued. 88% · inspection procedures sheet + 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? Final inspection, and for work that creates or changes occupancy a Certificate of Occupancy. The portal's status vocabulary is the clearest evidence of what 'pass' looks like: permits move Submitted / In Review / Issued / Complete, and every recovered PV permit that passed carries a Finalized Date and a status of 'Complete'. Certificate of Occupancy and Temporary Certificate of Occupancy exist as their own permit types in the portal. 80% · permit portal records
• Who notifies the utility for PTO? Not published by the City. By rule the customer (or the installer acting for them) notifies Duke: PSC Rule 25-6.065(5)(b) requires the customer to notify the utility at least 10 days before placing the equipment in service, and (7)(d) requires the signed interconnection agreement back at least 30 calendar days before parallel operation. (5)(a) makes local-code approval a precondition of parallel operation, so the City's final has to be in hand first, but the City takes no step toward Duke itself. 80% · FL PSC Rule 25-6.065
• Is there a re-inspection fee? Yes, and the codified schedule contradicts itself. Appendix A198-1 under Sec. 83-37 says 'an additional fee of $25 shall be charged for each partial inspection or reinspection'; three pages later, under Sec. 83-43 Inspection fees, the same schedule says 'an additional fee of $50 shall be charged for each partial inspection or reinspection'. Both passages are live in the same adopted document. Fire re-inspection after an uncorrected violation is $100 (Sec. 106-9). 85% · codified fee schedule
• How are corrections issued and cleared? Not found as a published procedure. Plan review comments are recorded on the permit application's office-use block ('DENIED (see plan review comments)') so written comments clearly exist, but how corrections are issued and cleared is not published. A stop-work order carries a $50 fee and the application asks 'IS THIS APPLICATION THE RESULT OF A STOP WORK ORDER OR NOTICE OF VIOLATION'. 50% · permit application