City of St. Augustine Beach

A city address is usually permitted by the city, not the county — but not always, and some authorities keep building and hand electrical to someone else. Getting this wrong costs the whole submittal, because every requirement below belongs to whoever actually holds jurisdiction. Check the overlays in the same pass: an HOA, a historic district, a windstorm certification or a system-size cap can reshape the design, and all of them are cheaper to find now than after the array is laid out.

• Is this authority the AHJ for residential solar at this address? Yes. The City of St. Augustine Beach Building Department is the AHJ for residential solar inside the city limits (the city occupies roughly 2-3 miles of Anastasia Island; St. Johns County jurisdiction begins at the city border). 95% · department page
• What does this authority permit itself, and what does it delegate? Both. The city permits and inspects building, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, gas, roofing and solar itself. It delegates only fire review and fire-safety-system permitting to the St. Johns County Fire Marshal's Office. 92% · department page
• Is a permit required for a residential rooftop PV system? Yes. A permit is required. Solar is not among the exemptions in the locally adopted FBC Chapter 1 section 105.2, and the current fee resolution carries a dedicated 'F. SOLAR PERMIT FEES' section. 92% · adopting ordinance exhibit
• Is there a separate electrical permit, or is it combined? UNRESOLVED and it matters. The fee schedule places 'F. SOLAR PERMIT FEES' as its own section, separate from 'E. ELECTRICAL PERMIT FEES', which reads as a single combined solar permit. But the city's Building Permit/Clearance Sheet Application states on its face: 'I understand that a separate permit shall be secured for electrical work, plumbing, signs, wells, pools, furnaces, boilers, heaters, tanks and air conditioners, etc.' The two instruments point different ways and no published document reconciles them. 55% · fee resolution + permit application
• Is a HOA or architectural approval required first? No. The city requires no HOA or architectural approval for a residential rooftop array. The only design/appearance review in the code - LDR Sec. 12.02.07.F and Appendix A 'Supplemental Criteria for Community Appearance Standards' - applies expressly and only to 'final development plans for commercial structures'. Private HOA covenants are a separate matter and are limited by FS 163.04, which the city does not restate. 88% · codified ordinance (LDR Art. XII and Appendix A)
• Is there a historic-district review? No. There is no historic-district review of any kind in this city. No certificate of appropriateness, no designation procedure, no historic preservation board, no alteration trigger, no design guidelines, no dollar-value ladder. The only historic-preservation text in the entire code is LDR Sec. 5.07.01 (added by Ord. No. 24-11, 6 November 2024), a two-sentence policy commitment: the city 'shall protect significant archaeological and historic sites by identifying sites... included in the Florida Bureau of Historic Resources' Master Site File and shall pursue the designation of those historic resources that may be nominated for inclusion on the National Register', plus a stop-work-and-evaluate clause for artefacts found during development ON PUBLIC PROPERTY. Neither limb reaches a privately owned dwelling. 90% · codified ordinance (LDR Sec. 5.07.00-5.07.01, Art. II definitions, Art. XI Boards and Agencies)
• Is a wind or windstorm certification required? No separate windstorm certification. Florida Product Approval is required: the Building Permit/Clearance Sheet Application has a single-product block and the city publishes its own multi-product 'Product Approval Specification Sheet for the City of St. Augustine Beach, Florida', cited to FS 553.842 and FAC 9B-72, and asking for the approval number including the decimal. This is NOT an HVHZ jurisdiction (HVHZ is Miami-Dade and Broward only), but the city is in the ASCE 7 wind-borne debris region - the city's own Re-roof Mitigation form points installers to the St. Johns County wind-borne region map. 85% · permit form
• Is a Specific Use Permit or Council approval ever required? No. LDR Sec. 12.01.03.C expressly excepts 'The alteration of an existing building or structure so long as no change is made to its gross floor area, its use, or the amount of impervious surface on the site' from the requirement for a final development order - which is exactly a rooftop retrofit. A development permit is then issued by the building and zoning department on a departmental form and 'may be acted upon by the department without public hearing or notice' (Sec. 12.04.01). The only route to the City Commission is Sec. 6.01.04.b.1, for items forced above the height limit by other state law or the Federal Telecommunications Act. 88% · codified ordinance (LDR Sec. 12.01.03, 12.04.01)
• Is there a system-size cap on residential generation? No city cap. The caps are FPL's: Tier 1 up to 10 kW AC, Tier 2 >10 to 100 kW, Tier 3 >100 kW to 2 MW; the system must be estimated to produce less than 115% of the customer's annual kWh consumption; customer generation is limited to 90 percent of the FPL distribution service rating, and systems exceeding 90% of existing service capacity 'may incur additional expense'. AC rating = DC array rating x 0.85. Any NEM system 50 kW or greater must interconnect at 120/208V or 277/480V wye three-phase. 88% · utility interconnection guidelines

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, or a qualifying owner/builder. The Electrical Permit Application requires the electrical contractor's printed name, signature, STATE LICENSE # and CITY LICENSE #, and must be notarised (physical presence or online notarisation). 88% · permit application form
• Must the contractor be registered with this authority before applying? Yes. Every contractor must register with the city before working inside the city limits: proof of state or St. Johns County licence, proof of liability and workers' compensation insurance naming the City of St. Augustine Beach as certificate holder, and an $80 city licence fee, biennial. Replacement cards $20. A solar contractor also needs a local business tax receipt: Code Sec. 12-x contractor schedule item (pp) 'Solar installation .....$77.18'. 95% · registration form + fee resolution + codified business tax schedule
• Is a homeowner permitted to self-install and self-permit? Yes. The city publishes an Owner/Builder General Information and Permitting page and an Owner-Builder Disclosure Statement, while warning at length against being pushed into an owner/builder permit by an unlicensed contractor. 90% · department page + form

Almost everywhere wants a site plan, a one-line or three-line electrical diagram, equipment cut sheets with listings, and a structural attachment detail. Build it against the published checklist rather than the last jurisdiction you worked in — the checklist is what the reviewer marks against.

• What documents make up a complete submittal? No solar-specific submittal list is published. The general residential package is: completed and notarised Building Permit/Clearance Sheet Application (owner AND contractor signatures both notarised); current warranty deed or property card; site plan per FBC 107.2.6; signed and sealed plans; Florida Product Approval Specification Sheet (FS 553.842 / FAC 9B-72); Owner Authorization Form where an agent applies; recorded Notice of Commencement before the first inspection. Electrical work adds the separate notarised Electrical Permit Application. 70% · published checklist
• How many copies, and in what format? Digital: one set, emailed to onlinepermitting@cityofsab.org, broken into separate PDF attachments each labelled by what it is (e.g. 'Site Plan', 'Energy Sheets'); anything over 25 MB must be split across multiple emails. Paper: two sets of plans and specs ('We no longer require 3 copies'), each sheet signed and sealed by the design professional - printed copies of digitally certified signatures are NOT accepted. 92% · department handout
• Is a site plan required, and what must it show? Yes, a site plan is required (FBC-Building 107.2.6). Published contents: building dimensions and all setbacks from property lines; north arrow, A/C pad, pool, fencing, driveway, sidewalks, accessory buildings; finished floor elevation, mid-lot and all lot-corner elevations; direction of surface stormwater flow; protected trees to remain (and, on in-fill lots, protected trees to be removed); septic and private well locations; area of impervious surface. Nothing solar-specific (no array outline, no module count, no equipment location requirement). 75% · published checklist
• Is a structural PE stamp required, and at what threshold? No PV-specific structural PE threshold. But a discretionary one reaches every property in this city: Coastal Construction Code Sec. 6-75 requires that applications for building permits for all construction in the coastal building zone and on coastal barrier islands, 'if not of normal or usual design as determined by the building official', be certified by a Florida-registered architect or professional engineer stating that the design complies with the article. Sec. 6-72 defines the coastal building zone on a barrier island as 5,000 feet landward of the CCCL or the entire island, whichever is less - and St. Augustine Beach sits entirely on Anastasia Island, about one mile wide. Sec. 6-74(a)(1) applies the article to 'improvement to major structures', and a dwelling is a major structure. 70% · codified ordinance (Ch. 6 Art. VII, Ord. No. 147, 2-3-86)
• Is an electrical PE stamp required, and at what threshold? Electrical PE seal required only where the system's value exceeds $125,000 AND the aggregate service capacity exceeds 600 amperes at 240V on a residential electrical system (800A commercial/industrial). Cited to FS 471.003(2)(h). 92% · adopting ordinance exhibit

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? Edmunds GovTech 'CPSS' - Construction Permit Self-Service, at https://broker.edmundsassoc.com/CPSS/?municipalId=SAUGFL. Payments run through Edmunds WIPP at https://wipp.edmundsgovtech.cloud/home?wippId=SAUG. Guest Access is open with no login and no captcha. 95% · permit portal
• Can the whole application be completed online? No, and the city says so emphatically. 'To submit applications/plans online, email onlinepermitting@cityofsab.org. We ask that you do not upload attachments through the portal, as they will not be deemed "submitted" to our office. We are not alerted to uploads; the attachments are for approved, reviewed documents only.' The portal handles records lookup, inspection requests and payment; intake is by email or in person. 95% · department page
• What does a residential solar permit cost? $185 base: permit issuance $35.00 plus 'Photovoltaic/thermal permit (per building/unit)' $150.00, under section F. SOLAR PERMIT FEES of Resolution 26-05 (adopted 13 July 2026). Add plan review at 50% (see Q17), the state surcharges of 1% under FS 553.721 and 1.5% under FS 468.631 (each minimum $2.00), and a 2% City of St. Augustine Beach technology surcharge. A private provider takes 25% off the inspection fee and 25% off the plan review fee if disclosed before permit issuance. 92% · fee schedule (Resolution 26-05, 13 July 2026)
• How is the fee calculated? Flat, per building/unit ($150) plus a flat issuance fee ($35), with a percentage plan-review component and percentage surcharges on top. Not valuation-based, not per kW, not per panel. 90% · fee schedule
• Is there a separate plan-check fee? Yes. Under F. SOLAR PERMIT FEES item 3, plan review is '50% of permit value'. Note the wording differs from every neighbouring section: B.2.c, B.3.e, B.5.c, B.6.d and E.11 all say '50% of permit fee'. 'Permit value' and 'permit fee' are not the same quantity and the resolution never defines the former. Also: B.1.b requires the plan review fee to be paid at submittal, before review, and it is non-refundable but credited to the final permit fee. 85% · 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.

• How long is an issued permit valid before it expires? 180 days, twice over. An application is 'deemed to have been abandoned becoming null and void 180 days after the date of filing' unless pursued in good faith or a permit issued (building official may grant extensions of up to 90 days each). An issued permit becomes null and void if work is not commenced within 180 days or is suspended/abandoned for 180 days; work is 'in active progress' when the permit has received an approved inspection within 180 days. Extension fee $53.00; permit-application extension and issued-permit extension forms are both published. 92% · adopting ordinance exhibit + permit application
• Which utility handles interconnection here? Florida Power & Light (FPL). Not JEA, not a municipal utility, not a co-op. 95% · permit application form + budget + FMPA member list
• Where does the utility sit in the sequence? Parallel, wrapping the permit on both sides. FPL: 'All interconnection applications must be approved prior to installation and operation of the renewable energy system' and the customer 'must complete an application, interconnect agreement, obtain a building permit'. After construction, FPL requires a copy of the approved permit or a screen print from the local authority's website showing electrical and mechanical inspection signed off, description of work, address, permit number and building department name, before the bi-directional meter is set. Operating before the bi-directional meter is installed is 'strictly prohibited'. 88% · utility interconnection guidelines

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 by state adoption with an effective date of 31 December 2023, as referenced by the Florida Building Code 8th Edition (2023). The city adopts no NEC edition of its own. 90% · permit application form + state adoption
• Which building code edition is in force? Florida Building Code 8th Edition (2023). Code Sec. 6-1: 'The 2023 edition of the Building Officials Association of Florida (BOAF) Model Administrative Code Chapter 1 for the 8th Edition (2023) of the Florida Building Code, entitled "Scope and Administration", as modified in attached Exhibit "A", is adopted by reference' (Ord. No. 20-16, 1-4-21; Ord. No. 23-10, 1-8-24). The city publishes both the 2020 and 2023 locally adopted Chapter 1 PDFs. 95% · adopting ordinance + published exhibit
• Which fire code edition is in force? Florida Fire Prevention Code (currently 8th Edition, 2023) by operation of state law, referenced by LDR Sec. 6.07.09 (Ord. No. 18-08, 7-2-18): 'For provisions related to fire prevention, refer to the Florida Fire Prevention Code.' THE CODIFIED FIRE CHAPTER IS A FOSSIL AND CONTRADICTS THIS: Code Sec. 9-16, still on the books and last touched in 1995, reads 'There is adopted by reference the 1994 edition of the Standard Fire Prevention Code, as promulgated by the Southern Building Code Congress' - a model code that ceased to exist. Chapter 9 contains nothing else; Secs. 9-1 to 9-15 are Reserved. 80% · codified ordinance (Ch. 9 Art. II and LDR Sec. 6.07.09)
• Are there local amendments to any of the above? Yes. (a) FBC Chapter 1 is adopted 'as modified in attached Exhibit A' - the local modifications include a city-specific permit-exemption list (e.g. fences over 6 ft other than masonry are exempt EXCEPT on the A1A Beach Boulevard right-of-way boundary; sheds under 120 sq ft and wooden decks under 12 inches are exempt only if NOT in a special flood hazard area). (b) A 1986 Coastal Construction Code (Ch. 6 Art. VII) applies to the whole barrier island. (c) LDR Sec. 6.01.04.b caps rooftop equipment at 10 feet above the structure. (d) LDR Sec. 5.01.01.C.5 is a solar-specific tree-removal provision. (e) LDR Sec. 5.03.07 is the state model floodplain ordinance adopted by Ord. No. 18-01. 85% · adopting ordinance exhibit + codified ordinance
• What is the installation judged against? FBC 8th Edition (2023) and NEC 2020, plus - for any construction in the coastal building zone, which on this barrier island is the whole city - the city's own Coastal Construction Code, Ch. 6 Art. VII. Sec. 6-73 provides that where this article conflicts with other codes, 'the requirements resulting in more restrictive design shall apply'. 85% · codified ordinance

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 St. Augustine Beach 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? Required, to NEC 2020 Article 690.12, by operation of the Florida Building Code. Neither the city code nor any city form restates or amends rapid shutdown - a whole-code search for 'rapid shutdown' returned zero hits with controls passing. 80% · adopted code edition

The NEC sets a baseline for permanent markings at the service equipment and the disconnecting means. On top of that, an authority may specify its own wording, and the utility may specify more again. Where any of them writes its own text, a generic off-the-shelf label set will not pass — this is the detail most often fixed on a return visit.

• Which placards does this authority require at the service equipment? The city specifies no placards at all. FPL does, and its Electric Service Standards Section XIII (revision dated 10-30-25) gives the exact wording. AT THE INTERCONNECTING METER CAN: 'WARNING / MULTI POWER SOURCES / [enter sources here] / RATED AC OUTPUT CURRENT ** AMPS / NOMINAL OPERATING VOLTAGE ** VOLTS'. AT THE DER DISCONNECT SWITCH: 'GENERATION SYSTEM AC DISCONNECT / RATED AC OUTPUT CURRENT ** AMPS / NOMINAL OPERATING VOLTAGE ** VOLTS'. BATTERY: 'A placard must be permanently affixed to the meter enclosure stating "Battery storage utilized in this facility."' Plus, for tier 2/3, a sign at the meter noting the location of the disconnect switch and a warning sign on the switch indicating that both sides may be energized. NEC 2020 Article 690/705 labels apply on top by code. 90% · utility electric service standards, Section XIII rev. 10-30-25
• Does the authority specify placard wording of its own? No. The City of St. Augustine Beach specifies no placard wording of its own, for solar or for anything else. 85% · codified ordinance + published forms
• Does it specify letter height, colour or material? City: nothing. FPL: 'All labels must be permanent and weatherproof/UV resistant placard with engraved letters. The customer is responsible for all labeling requirements.' No letter height and no colour are specified anywhere in FPL Section XIII. 88% · utility electric service standards
• Does the UTILITY specify placards beyond the AHJ's? Yes, decisively. Every placard on a St. Augustine Beach solar job comes from FPL, not from the AHJ - the city requires none. See Q38 for the wording and Q40 for the material spec. 90% · utility electric service standards
• Where must the labels be placed? FPL: at the interconnecting meter can, and at the DER disconnect switch. The battery placard goes on the meter enclosure. For tier 2/3, a sign noting the disconnect switch location goes at the meter, and a 'both sides may be energized' warning goes on the switch itself. 88% · utility electric service standards

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? Depends on tier AND on tap point, and for a normal residential job the answer is NO DISCONNECT. FPL ESS Section XIII (rev. 10-30-25): 'All tier 2 and tier 3 systems require an FPL approved visually open Distributed Energy Resource (DER) disconnect switch... mounted separate from but adjacent to the FPL meter socket within 10 feet and must always remain accessible to FPL. Plans must show dimensions between the location of the meter socket and the DER disconnect switch. There shall be no locked gates, doors or fences between the meter socket and the DER disconnect switch.' Tier 1 is 10 kW AC and below, so a typical residential array is exempt. THE REAL DOMESTIC TRIGGER IS THE TAP POINT: 'FPL recommends that all interconnections will be performed on the load side of the customer's main electrical panel. If the interconnection is performed on the line side of the customers main electrical panel (per NEC) a manual AC disconnect is required between AC generation output and the point of interconnection to FPL facilities' - again separate from but adjacent to the meter socket, within 10 feet. Switch spec: visible open (blades, jaws and air gap visible, not obscured by a dead-front or arc-shield), lockable open, must accept a 3/8-inch FPL padlock shank on the cover hasp, must not be modified to accept the lock, enclosure grounded, blades de-energized when open per NEC 404.6(C). 92% · utility electric service standards, Section XIII rev. 10-30-25
• Must equipment be on a specific approved list? Yes, on two separate lists. (1) Florida Product Approval - FS 553.842 / FAC 9B-72 - evidenced by the city's own Product Approval Specification Sheet, which asks for the 'Florida / Miami Dade Product Approval Number (including decimal number)'. (2) FPL requires a UL 1741 SA and IEEE 1547 certified grid-interactive inverter: 'Inverters that have not been certified to UL Standard will be denied interconnection'; the 2025 ESS prefers UL 1741 SB. Battery equipment must be NRTL-certified to UL 1741, or DC-coupled behind a UL 1741 listed device. 88% · permit form + utility guidelines
• Are batteries permitted, and under what conditions? Permitted, under FPL's policy; the city code is completely silent (zero hits for 'battery' or 'energy storage' in 1.5 MB of code, controls passing). FPL: NRTL certification to UL 1741; placard on the meter enclosure; energy stored by a PV-coupled battery is for the customer's use only and 'at this time the customer may not export power from the battery to the grid'; a battery installed WITHOUT renewable generation and intended as emergency backup may be charged from the grid and needs NO interconnection agreement, but the customer must ensure no back-feed; a battery designed to charge from the grid and operate interconnected must be notified to FPL, currently via a Small Generator Interconnection Application. 85% · utility electric service standards
• Is a ground mount treated as a structure? No solar-specific ground-mount provision exists. A ground-mounted array would be handled as an accessory structure under LDR Sec. 7.01.01 (general standards for accessory structures) and, if in the special flood hazard area, as 'other development' under LDR Sec. 5.03.07(c)(5), which requires it to be located and constructed to minimise flood damage, anchored against flotation, built of flood damage-resistant materials, and to have its mechanical and electrical systems above the design flood elevation. 65% · codified ordinance (LDR Art. VII, Sec. 5.03.07)
• Is there a local rule on service upgrades or busbar sizing? No local service-upgrade or busbar rule. The city prices electrical permits by ampere band (0-150A $85, 151-400A $125, 401-1000A $175, 1001A+ $0.175/amp) and has a 'Service change per meter/unit $65.00' line, but imposes no technical rule. The operative constraint is FPL's: customer generation limited to 90 percent of the FPL distribution service rating, with FPL upsizing facilities at the customer's expense. 70% · fee schedule + utility guidelines

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

• How is an inspection booked? Portal, phone or email - all three. CPSS ('log into our online portal'), or call 904-471-8758, or email the completed Inspection Request Form to onlinepermitting@cityofsab.org. 95% · department page + form
• How much notice is required? Next business day. The CPSS login page carries the standing notice: 'PLEASE ALLOW UNTIL THE NEXT BUSINESS DAY FOR SCHEDULING AND RESULTS OF ALL INSPECTIONS.' One exception found: the reroof 'In Progress' inspection 'must be scheduled prior to 8:00 a.m. on the day the inspection is needed.' 85% · permit portal notice + published form
• Are same-day or AM/PM windows offered? No AM/PM windows are offered. The city's own language for an in-progress inspection is: 'The inspector will arrive and inspect your work at any stage. You are not required to wait for the inspector or leave any area exposed to the weather.' If no access is provided, or the approved job-copy plans are not available, a $20.00 fee is assessed to the permit. After-hours inspections requiring overtime need the Building Official's approval and cost $200.00, paid before the inspection. 78% · published form + fee schedule

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. FS 553.791 private providers are accepted as an alternative, at a 25% discount on the inspection fee and 25% on plan review, applied 'only when the private provider is disclosed prior to permit issuance'; the city publishes a full private-provider pack (firm application, licence-holder registration, Notice to Building Official, plan compliance affidavit, inspection log). 92% · FS 553.80(7)(b) utilization report + fee schedule
• If delegated, to whom? Not delegated. The only function that leaves the city is fire review and fire-safety-system permitting, which goes to the St. Johns County Fire Marshal's Office (FirePrevention@sjcfl.us, 904-209-1740) - and that does not touch residential rooftop PV. 88% · department page

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 solar-specific sequence is published. The city's Inspection Request Form ('Inspections are as per section 110 of the 8th Edition (2023) FBC') lists the full taxonomy by trade. ELECTRICAL: Temp Pole, Under Slab, Rough Wiring, Meter Can, Service Change, Energize Bldg., Informational, Final. BUILDING: Foundation/Footers, Fill Cells, Framing, Siding/Soffits, Beams & Columns, Windows & Doors, Fire Wall, Roof & Wall Sheathing, Flashing, Drywall, Roof Deck & Tie, Partial RD&T, InProgress, Tree Removal, Lot Grading, Stucco Lathe, Informational, Final. ROOF: In Progress, Flashing, Informational, Final. Observed in practice: a live electrical permit in CPSS (P2601412, applied 09/02/2026, 'ELECTRIC - PANEL CHANGE') auto-scheduled exactly three inspections - ELECTRIC ROUGH, ELECTRIC INFORMATIONAL, ELECTRIC FINAL. 78% · published form + permit portal record
• Is a rough-in or mid-roof inspection required? Yes for electrical work generally - 'Rough Wiring' is a standing inspection type and a real panel-change permit in the portal carries ELECTRIC ROUGH. There is also a generic 'InProgress' building inspection and an 'In Progress' roof inspection. Whether a rooftop PV retrofit is routed through a rough-in is not published. 65% · published form + permit portal record

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 published INSPECTION checklist. The city does publish plan-review instruments: a two-page Residential Plan Review Checklist keyed to FBC 8th Edition (2023), a one-page Residential Sufficiency Checklist and a Commercial Sufficiency Checklist. All three are intake/plan-review documents, not inspection checklists, and none mentions solar or PV. 82% · department forms index
• What must be on site at inspection? The approved job-copy plans must be on site - 'Upon a scheduled inspection if no access is provided or the approved job copy plans are not available there shall be a fee of $20.00 assessed to the permit that the inspection was scheduled for.' A recorded Notice of Commencement must be recorded AND posted on the job site before the first inspection. 90% · fee schedule + permit application

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

• What is issued on pass? A passed Final inspection, recorded against the permit in CPSS. A Certificate of Occupancy is issued for new construction, not for a retrofit - the Building Department's stated remit is 'the issuance of permits, Inspection of completed work, and the issuance of Certificates of Occupancy for new construction'. Residential early-power release additionally requires an approved Insulation inspection and an approved Meter Can inspection including meter base connections (commercial requires an approved 'Energize Building' inspection). 80% · department page + published form
• Who notifies the utility for PTO? The customer/installer, not the AHJ. FPL: 'Once construction is complete, a customer should provide a copy of the approved permit or a screen print from the local authority's website indicating the permit has been approved', showing electrical and mechanical inspection signed off by the local inspector, the description of work, the address, the permit number and the building department name. The city has no PTO notification role. Convenient here: CPSS Guest Access renders permit status publicly, so the 'screen print from the local authority's website' route works without a login. 90% · utility interconnection guidelines
• Is there a re-inspection fee? $80.00. Resolution 26-05 B.19 'Reinspection Fee $80.00', and item A.2 explains the mechanism: the permit fee entitles the holder to an initial and one follow-up inspection for each mandatory inspection type, and '$80.00 dollars for each additional inspection required to assure compliance'. Beyond that, FS 553.80(2)(c) is restated in the schedule: for any inspection after an initial inspection and one subsequent reinspection for the SAME code violation, the fee is FOUR TIMES the initial or first reinspection fee, whichever is greater. Stormwater reinspections are separately priced at $53.00, with extra inspections for uncorrected items at 2x that. 90% · fee schedule
• How are corrections issued and cleared? The inspector inspects and notes deficiencies; partially complete work is inspected on the completed portions where compliance can be determined. Corrections are cleared by re-inspection ($80 after the free follow-up). Plan corrections go through a published Revision Request form; revision fees are billed at $53.00 per hour with a one-hour minimum. On the plan-review side the city restates FS 553.80(2)(b): a local government may not request additional information more than three times unless waived in writing, must respond within 15 days after a first resubmittal and 10 days after a second, must offer a meeting before a third request, and after a third rejection for the same continuously-noted violation must charge four times the plan-review proportion of the permit fee. 82% · fee schedule + adopting ordinance exhibit