City of Umatilla

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 Umatilla (Lake County, pop ~3,685) is the AHJ for residential rooftop PV inside its ~3.8 sq mi limits, and it runs building and electrical permitting and inspection in-house rather than through the County or a private firm. The Development & Public Services department at 1 South Central Avenue takes applications 8:00 am-12:00 pm Monday-Friday; permits are not issued after 4:30 pm. The City has its own Building Official and its own Fire Department (1 Cassady Street, 352-669-1711, staffed 24/7). CAPACITY IS THE REAL CONSTRAINT, NOT JURISDICTION: the adopted FY2026-27 budget's manpower analysis for Community Development - Building shows 0.5 FTE - one part-time Building Inspector - for 2025, 2026 and 2027, against a total building-services budget of $128,519, and the Inspections page says in terms that 'Building inspections are completed based on availability.' The City is NOT an electric utility; it sells water, wastewater, sanitation and stormwater only. 95% · city department page + adopted budget
• What does this authority permit itself, and what does it delegate? Both building and electrical, in-house, with a City planning gate in front and County involvement only at the edges. The City issues Building, Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and Gas permits on one application form and inspects them with its own part-time inspector (plus a 'Contract Inspections' budget line, 001-524-340, $13,347 actual FY2025, $2,800 estimated FY2026, $0 budgeted FY2027). It does NOT delegate to Lake County. What is genuinely split off: (a) contractor competency licensing, which may be a Florida state certificate OR a Lake County Certificate of Competency / Contractor Registration card; (b) addressing, where the City collects a fee and forwards it to Lake County Growth Management under the Interlocal Service Boundary Agreement adopted 3 May 2011 (Code Sec. 10-3(1)c); (c) County impact fees, which the City collects and remits monthly with a $100 City overhead charge (Sec. 10-8); and (d) appeals under the International Property Maintenance Code, which Sec. 10-247 sends to the Lake County Board of Building Examiners or the Lake County Code Enforcement Board. The City retains floodplain administration and land-development review. 90% · permit application + code + budget
• Is a permit required for a residential rooftop PV system? Yes. A building/electrical permit is required, and the statewide $7,500 exemption cannot reach a solar job. LDR Ch. 11 Sec. 4 is flat: 'No building or other structure shall be erected, moved, demolished, added to, or structurally altered without a permit therefore, issued by the Building Official.' HB 803 (Ch. 2026-63, s. 8) inserted FS 553.79(1)(g), which requires local governments to exempt work under $7,500 on a single-family dwelling - but subparagraph 2.b excludes 'any electrical, plumbing, structural, mechanical, or gas work performed on property containing a single-family dwelling,' and adds that 'a construction project may not be divided into more than one project for the purpose of evading the requirements of this paragraph.' Rooftop PV is electrical work, so it is excluded outright. Subparagraph 2.a separately excludes property 'partially or entirely located in a flood hazard area as defined by the Florida Building Code,' which on FEMA's current maps catches roughly a quarter of Umatilla (see Q47). THE CITY PUBLISHES NOTHING ABOUT HB 803 AT ALL: the site search returns five hits for '803' and every one is a false positive ('803 KB', page numbering); there is no exemption flyer, no form, and no procedure for the written request that FS 553.79(1)(g)3 requires. 92% · Florida Statutes + city LDR
• Is there a separate electrical permit, or is it combined? Separate in form, combined in practice, and the City says both things. One 'Building Permit Application' form carries five checkboxes - BUILDING / MECHANICAL / ELECTRICAL / PLUMBING / GAS - so one sheet can start either. But the same form's owner affidavit states: 'I understand that a separate permit must be secured for ELECTRICAL, PLUMBING, SIGNS, POOLS, WELLS, FURNACES, BOILERS, HEATERS, TANKS AND AIR CONDITIONS, ETC.' The fee schedule reinforces separateness by pricing 'Solar System' and 'Electrical' as two distinct residential lines. LDR Ch. 11 Sec. 5(a) also treats them separately: building permits take 2 sets of construction plans + a certified survey + a site development plan, while 'Electrical, Plumbing, and Mechanical' permits take 2 sets of plans showing the proposed work. Expect a solar permit plus an electrical permit unless the Building Official combines them. 80% · permit application + fee schedule
• Is a HOA or architectural approval required first? No City architectural or HOA gate, and state law caps what a private covenant can do. Umatilla has no design-review board for single-family dwellings and no City architectural approval step; the LDR's design review (Ch. 6) runs on site plans and commercial elevations through the City Manager or designee. Where a deed restriction or homeowners' association exists, FS 163.04(2) applies: a covenant 'may not prohibit or have the effect of prohibiting solar collectors... from being installed on buildings erected on the lots or parcels covered by' it, and an approving entity 'may determine the specific location where solar collectors may be installed on the roof within an orientation to the south or within 45 degrees east or west of due south if such determination does not impair the effective operation of the solar collectors.' FS 163.04(3) awards costs and reasonable attorney's fees to the prevailing party. 85% · Florida Statutes + LDR
• Is there a historic-district review? No. The City's own Comprehensive Plan states twice that 'The City contains no historic landmarks listed on the National Register of Historic Places.' There is no historic district and no certificate-of-appropriateness process. LDR Ch. 19 (Historic and Archaeological Resource Protection) creates a petition-driven designation route administered by the City Clerk, not a district: Sec. 2 makes it unlawful to 'damage, alter, destroy, deface, renovate, relocate, excavate or otherwise disturb any KNOWN OR DESIGNATED historic or archaeological resource without prior and appropriate authorization from the City of Umatilla, City Clerk'. The Building Permit Application does carry a 'Historic District Property:' field, so the counter asks the question even though no district exists. If a particular parcel has been designated on petition, City Clerk authorisation would be required before altering it. 86% · comprehensive plan + LDR
• Is a wind or windstorm certification required? No local windstorm certification. Lake County is NOT in the High Velocity Hurricane Zone - the HVHZ is Miami-Dade and Broward only - so the route is ordinary statewide Florida Product Approval for the modules, racking and attachments under the Florida Building Code, 8th Edition (2023). The City requires 'Material Used' on the Zoning Clearance and inspects 'wind load ties' at the framing stage (LDR Ch. 11 Sec. 7(b)(5)), but publishes no windstorm certificate, no local wind-speed figure and no product-approval submittal list. THE SPECIFIC ULTIMATE DESIGN WIND SPEED FOR UMATILLA WAS NOT VERIFIED IN THIS RUN and should be taken from the FBC wind maps for the address rather than assumed. 72% · Florida Building Commission + LDR
• Is a Specific Use Permit or Council approval ever required? No. A rooftop retrofit does not need Council, a conditional use or a development order. LDR Ch. 3 Sec. 2(b) lists the activities for which 'a development permit may be issued in the absence of a development order', and (b)(3) covers 'the alteration of an existing structure which does not enlarge the effective size or capacity of the structure' - a roof array. Concurrency does not bite either: LDR Ch. 4 Sec. 2(b) applies concurrency review only to 'applications for site development plan or subdivision development plan approval', and Sec. 2(b)(2)C exempts 'construction of accessory buildings and structures which do not create additional public facility demand' - so the $500 Concurrency Review fee on Resolution 2024-04 is not engaged. What IS engaged is the Zoning Clearance under Code Sec. 10-18, which is administrative and issued by staff. Note also FS 163.04(1): a local ordinance 'which prohibits or has the effect of prohibiting the installation of solar collectors... is expressly prohibited'. 86% · land development regulations
• Is there a system-size cap on residential generation? No City cap; the caps are the utilities' and they differ. DUKE Tier 1 covers systems '10 kilowatts or less in total' and requires that 'the total capacity of the Customer generation system(s) does not exceed 90% of the rating of service currently provided to the customer (based on service size, transformer rating, etc.)'; above 10 kW the customer moves to the Tier 2 agreement. SECO's net-metering tariff covers Tier 1 (10 kW or less), Tier 2 (>10 to 100 kW) and Tier 3 (>100 kW to 1,000 kW), with 'The RGS must have a GPR that does not exceed ninety percent (90%) of the Member's utility distribution service rating at the Member's location. If the GPR does exceed that ninety percent (90%) limit, the Member shall be responsible to pay the cost of upgrades'. SECO computes gross power rating for inverter systems as installed DC nameplate x 0.85. Both require a new application at least 30 days before any modification that increases the rating. 92% · utility tariffs

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 Florida state-certified/registered contractor, OR a holder of a Lake County Certificate of Competency / Lake County Contractor Registration card, OR the property owner under the state owner-builder exemption. LDR Ch. 11 Sec. 5(b): 'Each applicant for any permit shall be properly licensed and insured in accordance with current State of Florida laws and regulations and shall have a current, valid state certified contractor's license or a Lake County Contractor Registration card.' The Building Permit Application carries the field 'Contractor's State License No ____ OR Lake County Certificate of Competency NO. ____'. Sub-contractors are named on a Sub-Contractor Information Sheet and the City warns: 'if your chosen subcontractor(s) do not have their current information (such as their business license, competency license, workers compensation etc.) in our files then we are unable to issue a permit for said subcontractor.' 92% · land development regulations + permit application
• Must the contractor be registered with this authority before applying? Yes, and with insurance conditions. The City publishes a one-page Contractor Registration Form requiring business name, qualifier, contractor type, FEI/EIN, licence number and expiry, and attached copies of the State License, a General Liability Certificate of Insurance and a Workers Compensation Certificate or Exemption. It adds: 'All Insurance Certificates should list the City of Umatilla as the Certificate Holder or Additional Insured if applicable.' Registration is filed by email to permitting@umatillafl.org. There is a $100 'Change of Contractor' fee on the adopted fee schedule. Sub-contractors must also be on file before a permit will issue for them. 94% · contractor registration form
• Is a homeowner permitted to self-install and self-permit? Yes, under the Florida owner-builder exemptions, and the City has the paperwork for it including the electrical one. The City publishes an 'Owner Builder Disclosure Statement' combining the FS 489.103(7) building/plumbing/mechanical disclosure with the FS 489.503(6) ELECTRICAL INSTALLATION DISCLOSURE - the latter being the one that matters for PV: 'The exemption allows you, as the owner of your property, to act as your own electrical contractor even though you do not have a license. You may install electrical wiring for a farm outbuilding or a single-family or duplex residence... The home or building must be for your own use and occupancy. It may not be built for sale or lease.' The form states: 'To qualify for exemption under any of the following subsections, an owner must personally appear and sign the building permit application. A power of attorney cannot be accepted,' and 'This Disclosure Statement must be signed in front of and notarized by a member of the staff of the City of Umatilla.' The form is a 12-point initialled affidavit ending in a Lake County notary block. ARTEFACT WORTH KNOWING: item 12 still reads 'I agree to notify Lake County Building Division immediately of any additions, deletions, or changes' - the City's form is a Lake County template with the County's name left in. 92% · 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? A two-stage package, and the zoning stage comes first. STAGE 1 - Zoning Clearance. Code Sec. 10-18 makes it a condition precedent: 'As a condition precedent to the issuance of a building permit, the building permit applicant shall submit a zoning clearance application... A zoning clearance shall expire six (6) months after the date of its issuance.' The Zoning Clearance Application asks for Alt. Key and Parcel ID, description of proposed work with measurements, owner and contractor details, Property Zoned, Material Used, FLOOD ZONE, lot area, impervious surface area and ISA ratio, front/side/rear setbacks, FINISHED FLOOR ELEVATION, lot grade type, and whether trees will be removed. STAGE 2 - Building Permit. Building Permit Application + Sub-Contractor Information Sheet + recorded Notice of Commencement + plans. LDR Ch. 11 Sec. 5(a)(1) requires, for building permits, two complete sets of construction plans, one certified property survey and one site development plan; Sec. 5(a)(2) requires, for electrical/plumbing/mechanical permits, two complete sets of plans 'in sufficient detail and clarity to allow for a thorough plan examination', which the Building Official may waive if the work is 'relatively minor in scope, routine in nature'. A notarised owner's affidavit is required if the applicant is not the owner. NOTE THE FORM IS UNFINISHED: the Zoning Clearance's Impervious Surface Ratio Worksheet prints 'Maximum ISR Allowed [PENDING PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR'S INSTRUCTION]'. 88% · zoning clearance form + code + LDR
• How many copies, and in what format? Two complete sets of plans, on paper, at the counter. LDR Ch. 11 Sec. 5(a): building permits take 'two (2) complete sets of construction plans, one (1) certified property survey for the subject property, and one (1) site development plan'; electrical/plumbing/mechanical permits take 'two (2) complete sets of plans'. The Development Application (the planning-side form) asks for electronic copies and says 'Submit ALL documents in pdf; those that are generated as CAD files should be submitted in pdf and dwg formats,' but that form is for annexations, rezonings, site plans and plats, not building permits. The Permitting page says applications are 'accepted and processed Monday-Friday: 8:00 am to 12:00' and the online permit portal is out of service. Note FS 553.79(1)(b) requires a local enforcement agency to allow electronic submission including by e-mail in PDF, so an e-mail submittal to permitting@umatillafl.org is available as of right even while the portal is down. 82% · LDR + city permitting page
• Is a site plan required, and what must it show? Yes for the building-permit stage, and the zoning stage adds its own site data. LDR Ch. 11 Sec. 5(a)(1) requires 'one (1) site development plan showing the proposed improvements to the property' and a certified property survey, with an express exception: the site development plan 'may be omitted if the proposed improvement is completely interior to an existing structure and does not alter any exterior dimensions of any improvement on the site' - a roof array is not interior, so the exception does not apply. Separately the Zoning Clearance Application requires setbacks front/side/rear, lot area, total impervious surface area and ISA ratio, flood zone, finished floor elevation and lot grade type. The City publishes no list of what a solar site plan in particular must show. 80% · land development regulations
• Is a one-line / three-line diagram required? Not by the City - by the utility. Nothing in Umatilla's code, LDR or forms mentions a one-line or three-line diagram; the City's only plan requirement is 'two (2) complete sets of plans showing the proposed work in sufficient detail and clarity to allow for a thorough plan examination' (LDR Ch. 11 Sec. 5(a)(2)). SECO Energy, which serves part of the City, publishes a SAMPLE ONE-LINE DIAGRAM for a residential rooftop system as part of its solar material - a real drawing showing 22 modules in 2 strings of 11 with optimisers, an SMA inverter with internal GFDI and integrated DC disconnect, the AC disconnect, the bi-directional utility meter, and a written busbar calculation ('120% RULE - NEC 690.64(D)(2) ... 200A + 40A = 240A ... 200A x 120% = 240A'). Duke Energy Florida's Tier 1 agreement does not itself demand a diagram but requires equipment specifications and certification of compliance. STALE CITATION ON SECO'S OWN SAMPLE: NEC 690.64 was relocated to Article 705 in the 2014 NEC; under the 2020 NEC in force in Florida the governing rule is 705.12(B)(3). 85% · utility sample drawing + LDR
• Are string and conductor calculations required? Not required by the City for residential, and the only load-calculation language it publishes is on the commercial sheet. The 'COMMERCIAL SCOPE OF WORK' page inside the City's Building Permit Application packet says 'Electric: Changes or additions will require current load calculations and for proposed new load.' There is no equivalent residential requirement anywhere in the code, the LDR or the forms. String and conductor sizing is therefore governed by the NEC as adopted through the Florida Building Code (NEC 690.7, 690.8, 705.12), not by a local rule. Both utilities impose a system-size arithmetic instead: gross power rating must not exceed 90% of the service rating, and for inverter-based systems SECO computes GPR as installed DC nameplate x 0.85. 78% · permit application packet
• Is a structural PE stamp required, and at what threshold? No local threshold is published; the state floor governs. Nothing in Umatilla's code, LDR or forms sets a dollar or scope trigger for a structural engineer's seal on a residential re-roof-scale alteration. The only City-side engineering language is generic - the Development Application has an 'Engineer Name' block, and the LDR requires signed and sealed estimates by a Licensed Civil Engineer for public-infrastructure inspection fees. Practically, a roof-load/attachment analysis is required when the Building Official cannot otherwise find the plans compliant with FBC structural provisions, and Florida Product Approval covers the racking and attachment components. Note the City has a Technical Review Committee (LDR Ch. 3 Sec. 8) whose membership 'may include... City Engineer' on the City Clerk's request, but it reviews development applications, not building permits. 62% · inference from LDR + state code
• Is an electrical PE stamp required, and at what threshold? No local rule; FS 471.003(2)(h) is the operative threshold and a normal residential PV job sits well under it. A licensed electrical contractor may design and fabricate the electrical system he or she installs where the project 'requires an electrical... system with a value of $125,000 or less' AND 'requires an aggregate service capacity of 600 amperes (240 volts) or less on a residential electrical system'. Above either figure a Florida PE seal is needed. Some Florida local documents still print an older $50,000 trigger; Umatilla prints neither figure anywhere. 90% · Florida Statutes

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 & Associates, in two pieces, and the permitting half is down. The Permitting page links 'Click here for Permit Portal' to broker.edmundsassoc.com/CPSS/ (Edmunds Cloud Permitting & Code Enforcement) and carries the notice: 'Please be patient as we work through some technical difficulties with the permit portal. We will have it up and available as soon as possible.' Permit payments go to a second Edmunds product, wipp.edmundsassoc.com/Wipp/?wippid=UMAT. Utility billing and general invoice payments run on a third vendor entirely, Tyler Technologies' Municipal Online Payments (umatillafl.municipalonlinepayments.com/umatillafl), whose only services are 'Invoice Payments' and 'Utility Billing' - no permit search. There is no public permit-record search anywhere. 92% · city permitting page + vendor portals
• Can the whole application be completed online? No, not at present. The City's own portal notice says the permit portal is out of service; the fee schedule offers a 5% discount for 'residential electronic permitting' that therefore cannot currently be earned; applications are taken over the counter 'Monday-Friday: 8:00 am to 12:00' and permits 'are not issued after 4:30 P.M.'; and two steps are physically in-person by design - the Notice of Commencement must be recorded and posted on the job site before the first inspection, and the Owner Builder Disclosure Statement 'must be signed in front of and notarized by a member of the staff of the City of Umatilla.' FS 553.79(1)(b) nonetheless requires the City to accept complete applications including payments and attachments electronically, e-mail in PDF expressly included, so e-mail to permitting@umatillafl.org is available as of right. 88% · city permitting page + Florida Statutes
• What does a residential solar permit cost? About $225-$235 all in for a typical $25,000 residential array - and roughly half of that is a rider, not the permit. Resolution 2024-04 (adopted 19 March 2024) carries a DEDICATED RESIDENTIAL LINE: 'Solar System: $5 per $1,000 (min $100)'. On the same schedule a 'Residential Administrative Fee' of '$100 min or 20% of permit fee (new construction or alteration)' is added, and the Fire Fee Schedule adds 'Fire Residential Plan Review: 0.5% of Building Permit Fee'. Worked on $25,000: solar permit $125 + administrative fee $100 (the floor, since 20% of $125 is only $25) + fire plan review $0.63 = about $226. Add $40 if the City files the Notice of Commencement for you (Code Sec. 10-9) and a zoning-clearance charge if one is levied. THE $100 ADMINISTRATIVE FLOOR IS THE DOMINANT COST ON A SMALL JOB: on a $20,000 system the base permit is exactly $100 and the rider is another $100, i.e. 50% of the bill. DISCOUNTS ON THE SAME SHEET: 31% off for using a private inspection service, 6% off for a private plan review service, and 5% off for residential electronic permitting - the last being unavailable in practice because the permit portal is out of service. AND THE CODIFIED FEE SCHEDULE IS FIFTEEN YEARS STALE AND DISAGREES: Code Sec. 10-3(9)f still reads 'Solar heater: $65.00 plus $5.00 per panel' (last amended Ord. 2011-J, 5 July 2011). The resolution is the current instrument - Sec. 10-2 authorises it ('All permit fees required under this chapter and not provided for herein shall be adopted from time to time by resolution of the city council') - but the codified appendix has not been conformed. 88% · adopted fee resolution
• How is the fee calculated? By declared project value, at $5 per $1,000 with a $100 minimum, plus a percentage-or-floor administrative rider. The 'Solar System' line is value-based; the schedule elsewhere says values are 'based on ICC tables or signed contract', and the Building Permit Application has a 'Job Cost' field. Note the tension with FS 553.79(1)(f), which says a local government 'may not require a contract between a builder and an owner, any copies of such contract, or any associated document... for the issuance of a building permit', and that 'inspection fees may not be based on the total cost of a project and may not exceed the actual inspection costs incurred by the local enforcement agency.' The residential administrative fee is 'the greater of $100 or 20% of permit fee'; the commercial equivalent is 'the greater of $300 or 5% of permit'. After-the-fact work is double fee, minimum $100. 85% · adopted fee resolution + Florida Statutes
• Is there a separate plan-check fee? Not as a separate building plan-check line - plan review is inside the permit fee - but fire plan review is charged separately and there is a codified discount if you bring your own reviewer. Resolution 2024-04 has no standalone building plan-review fee for residential; it has 'Fee reduction for utilizing a private plan review service: 6%', which is only coherent if plan review is otherwise bundled. The Fire Fee Schedule charges 'Fire Residential Plan Review: 0.5% of Building Permit Fee' plus, where applicable, Site Plan Review $75, Modification/Resubmission $50, Final Plans $50 and Site Inspection $50. Under FS 553.80(7)(a) a fee structure 'must include consideration for refunding fees due to reduced services based on services provided as prescribed by s. 553.791, but not provided by the local government' - Umatilla's 31%/6% reductions are that consideration, and the City is unusual in publishing both figures. 84% · fire fee schedule + building 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? Two clocks, and the City's own is the one nobody counts. THE CITY'S: the Zoning Clearance Application says 'Approval by the Planning & Zoning Dept. may take up to 7 to 10 business days. The full submittal package will then be sent to the Building Department, including the completed Building Permit Application and appropriate plans and paperwork, as well as the approved Zoning Clearance.' THE STATE'S: FS 553.792(1)(a)1 requires a decision within 5 BUSINESS DAYS for an electrical, structural or accessory-structure permit on an existing single-family dwelling where the value of the work is LESS THAN $15,000, and (a)2 within 30 BUSINESS DAYS otherwise for a structure under 7,500 sq ft - so most residential PV jobs, being above $15,000, sit on the 30-business-day clock. The local government must also give written notice within 5 business days of what is missing, failing which the application is 'automatically deemed... properly completed and accepted', and must reduce the permit fee by 10% for each business day it misses the deadline (20% per day after a resubmittal). FS 553.792 was itself amended by Ch. 2026-63, s. 10. 86% · city form + Florida Statutes
• How long is an issued permit valid before it expires? Three different answers are on the books and the state one wins. CODE Sec. 10-17: 'Every permit issued shall become invalid unless the work authorized by such permit is commenced within ninety (90) days after its issuance, or if the work authorized by such permit is suspended or abandoned for a period of ninety (90) days after the time the work is commenced', with written extensions of up to 90 days each by the Building Official. LDR Ch. 11 Sec. 6(b) instead says time limits 'shall be as stated in the Standard Building Code Appendix a-103.15' - a code repealed by the Florida Building Code decades ago. FS 553.79(1)(c): 'A building permit issued by a local government for a single-family dwelling expires 1 year after the issuance of the permit or on the effective date of the next edition of the Florida Building Code, whichever is later,' and a local government may extend beyond that. The state provision preempts the 90-day rule for single-family work. Fee schedule: Permit Extension Fee $75, Permit Renewal Fee $150, Permit Revision Fee $0.25 of permit (min $100); the codified schedule prices extensions at $50 with a maximum of two, and re-permitting at the full permit fee except $100 where only a final inspection is outstanding. 85% · code + LDR + Florida Statutes
• Which utility handles interconnection here? TWO SELLERS, AND WHICH ONE YOU GET DECIDES THE HARDWARE. Umatilla has no municipal electric utility - Public Works lists water, wastewater and stormwater only, and the FY2026-27 budget has Water & Sewer, Sanitation, Stormwater, Airport and Capital Projects funds and no electric fund. The Comprehensive Plan's Intergovernmental Coordination Element names both franchisees in terms: 'Progress Energy - The City maintains a franchise agreement with Progress Energy for the provision of electrical power within its corporate limits' and 'Sumter Electric Company - SECO - The City maintains a franchise agreement with Sumter Electric Company for the provision of electrical power within its corporate limit', and the Intergovernmental Coordination narrative explains the split: 'Besides the franchise agreement with Progress Energy, there is also a franchise agreement with Sumter Electric Company (SECO), due to a SMALL PORTION OF THE CITY THAT FALLS WITHIN SECO'S SERVICE AREA.' Progress Energy Florida (formerly Florida Power Corporation, which the same plan's revenue narrative names) is today DUKE ENERGY FLORIDA, LLC. CURRENT CORROBORATION ON BOTH SIDES: a City Agenda Item Staff Report of 14 February 2023 asks Council to grant Duke 'a 10-ft wide utility easement to accommodate the new overhead electric service and transformer' at the Budd Street/Orange Street public parking lot in the middle of town, and a 13 April 2021 staff report describes 'DUKE Energy LED Lighting' on the FDOT SR19 3-R project at Umatilla Blvd/Ocala Street; on the SECO side, both the FY2025-26 and FY2026-27 budgets carry revenue line 001-366-300 'SECO Energy Grant' ($21,010 in FY2025 actual), and Seminole Electric Cooperative's member profile for SECO lists 'Counties Served: Citrus, Hernando, Lake, Levy, Marion, Pasco, Sumter'. THE REGULATORY CONSEQUENCE: Duke is an investor-owned utility bound by FL PSC Rule 25-6.065; SECO is a member-owned cooperative under Fla. Stat. 366.91 and sits outside it. One of the two sellers is investor-owned - so on a Duke parcel the PSC floor applies and on a SECO parcel it does not. 90% · comprehensive plan + council packets + budget
• Where does the utility sit in the sequence? The utility is a parallel track that must close before the system may run, and the City's inspection is an input to it, not the other way round. Neither utility will authorise parallel operation until the local building official's inspection and certification is in hand. DUKE Tier 1 (10 kW or less), clause 7: '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.' Clause 29: the executed agreement and application must be returned 'at least thirty calendar days prior to beginning parallel operations'; clause 12: 10 days' notice before connection so Duke may inspect and have personnel present on the in-service date. SECO clause 2: 'The Member agrees to provide the Cooperative with written certification that the RGS installation has been inspected by the local code official who has certified that the installation was permitted and has been approved... Such certification shall be delivered to Cooperative prior to the operation of the RGS'; clause 5: at least 10 days' notice of the in-service date; clause 13: SECO notifies within 10 business days after receiving the documentation and seeing the manual switch demonstrated. SECO's published 10-step process puts the order beyond doubt: 4. Interconnection Agreement - 5. Obtain Permit ('Each county or city determines its processes... Allow five days') - 6. Installation - 7. City/County Inspection ('Local county/city officials require a final inspection after installation. Allow five days') - 8. Document and Photo Upload/Approval (5-7 business days) - 9. Meter installation (4 days) - 10. Go. 92% · utility interconnection agreements

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 through the Florida Building Code, 8th Edition (2023), effective 31 December 2023. DO NOT READ THE LOCAL CODE FOR THIS: Umatilla Code Sec. 10-46 still adopts 'The National Electrical Code, 1984 edition... as published by the Southern Standard Building Code Congress International', and LDR Ch. 11 Sec. 1(b)(8) adopts the 'National Electrical Code, 1990 edition or subsequent editions'. Both are dead letters - FS 553.79(3) provides that the Florida Building Code 'shall supersede all other building construction codes or ordinances in the state, whether at the local or state level'. Three different Florida things carry the number 2023 and conflating them is the standing trap here: the NEC edition in force is 2020; 31 December 2023 is the EFFECTIVE DATE of that adoption; and 'FBC 8th Edition (2023)' is the building-code cycle, not the NEC year. 88% · Florida Building Commission + local code
• Which building code edition is in force? Florida Building Code, 8th Edition (2023), effective 31 December 2023, statewide. The codified local adoptions are again decades dead: Code Sec. 10-16 adopts the 'Standard Building Code, 1985 edition, with 1986 amendments'; Sec. 10-61 the 1985 Standard Plumbing Code; Sec. 10-91 the 1985 Standard Mechanical Code; Sec. 10-121 the 1986 Standard One- and Two-Family Dwelling Code; Sec. 10-136 the 1985 Standard Housing Code; Sec. 10-151 the 1985 Standard Unsafe Building Abatement Code; and Sec. 10-31 adopts by reference 'the Lake County Energy Efficiency Building Code, Ordinance No. 1979-3'. LDR Ch. 11 Sec. 1(b) restates the same family at 1991 editions 'or subsequent editions'. The only currently meaningful local adoption in that chapter is the International Property Maintenance Code (Sec. 10-246), amended by Sec. 10-247 so that 'All references to International Code(s)... shall mean the Florida Building Code.' 92% · local code + Florida Building Commission
• Which fire code edition is in force? Florida Fire Prevention Code, 8th Edition (2023), adopted statewide by the State Fire Marshal, enforced by the City's own Fire Department. The codified local fire adoptions are as stale as the building ones: Code Sec. 26-16 adopts 'The Standard Fire Prevention Code, 1985 edition, with 1986 amendments' and Sec. 26-31 'The Life Safety Code, 1985 edition'; LDR Ch. 11 Sec. 2 restates them at 1991 and 1988 editions respectively. Chapter 26 in its entirety consists of those two sections plus reserved ranges - there is no local fire amendment, no PV provision and no residential fire-review requirement. Fire fees exist (Fire Residential Plan Review 0.5% of the building permit fee, Site Inspection $50, Firesafety Inspection $35) but the City requires contracted fire inspections only for 'all new commercial construction' (Sec. 10-10). 82% · local code (with statewide floor)
• Are there local amendments to any of the above? Yes - two unrepealed local electrical amendments that would bite a solar job, and both survive in two places. Code Sec. 10-46 adopts the NEC 'except the use of aluminum wiring in construction in this city shall be prohibited. Wire smaller than number twelve (12) wire is prohibited for use in construction in this city.' LDR Ch. 11 Sec. 1(b)(8) repeats both as amendments (B) and (C) and adds (A): all conductors carrying lighting or power current over 50 volts AC must be in 'a listed and approved raceway' - with the express carve-out 'This requirement shall not apply to single and two-family dwellings or their accessory structures.' Amendment (D) is the electrical-disconnect rule at Q48. THE ALUMINIUM BAN IS THE ONE TO WATCH ON A PV JOB: aluminium feeders and AC conductors are ordinary practice on larger residential arrays and service upgrades. WHETHER THESE ARE ENFORCEABLE IS A SEPARATE QUESTION: under FS 553.73(4) and 553.79(3) local amendments to the Florida Building Code require a specific local-findings procedure, and none of these 1985-1993 ordinances went through it. 86% · local code + LDR
• What is the installation judged against? The Florida Building Code, 8th Edition (2023) and the NEC 2020 it carries, administered by the City's Building Official, plus the City's own unrepealed local electrical amendments (Q32) and its outside-disconnect rule (Q48), plus whichever utility's standards apply at the address. LDR Ch. 11 Sec. 3 puts enforcement squarely on the City: 'It shall be the duty of the Building Official to enforce this chapter.' On the utility side the judging documents differ by parcel: Duke's Tier 1 agreement requires the system to be 'submitted by a manufacturer to a nationally recognized testing and certification laboratory... in compliance with the applicable codes and standards of IEEE 1547, IEEE 1547.1 and UL 1741'; SECO's standards require UL 1741 and IEEE 1547 certification, compliance with NEC Article 690, protection 'by a breaker or fusible disconnect - per NEC 705.30-705.31', and the equipment certification in agreement clause 3 also cites 'if applicable... the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC Std. 203-10)'. 88% · LDR + utility standards

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 Umatilla 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? Yes - NEC 690.12 of the 2020 NEC, through the Florida Building Code, and the City restates nothing. Anchored searches return ZERO hits for 'rapid shutdown', '690.12', '690.13' and '705.10' across the complete Municode harvest, all 30 LDR chapter PDFs and the Comprehensive Plan, with positive controls passing (electrical 55, building permit 72) and the fabricated control 'zzqqxvv' at zero. Neither utility restates it either: 'rapid shutdown' is absent from Duke's OCR'd Tier 1 agreement and from SECO's standards and tariff. The requirement therefore reaches the job entirely through the state code cycle, which means the City's own printed codes (1984 and 1990 NEC) predate the concept altogether. 85% · proved absence in local code + state code cycle

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

• Which placards does this authority require at the service equipment? None of its own for PV - the only signage rules Umatilla codifies are for something else entirely, and the utility placards are the ones that matter. Code Sec. 10-13 requires a bright-red reflective 8-inch Maltese cross marked R, F or RF for light-frame truss construction, placed within 24 inches to the left of the main entry door with the bottom of the symbol 4 to 6 feet above the walking surface - but it applies only to 'any commercial or industrial structure, or any multiunit residential structure of three (3) units or more', so a house is out. Sec. 10-193 governs building numbers. 'Placard' returns exactly one hit in the whole code and it is the definition of a temporary sign in the sign chapter. So at the service equipment: NEC 690/705 marking applies through the FBC, and on a SECO parcel the utility's own two placards apply (Q39-Q43). NEC 705.10 is unrestated here - this authority does not break that run. 88% · proved absence in local code + utility standards
• Does the authority specify placard wording of its own? The City specifies no wording. SECO does, and it is on the drawing rather than in the notes: Detail 'A' is the 'ON-SITE GENERATION UTILITY DISCONNECT SWITCH' placard for the front cover of the utility AC disconnect, and Detail 'B' is the 'DUAL POWER SOURCE' placard for the front cover of the meter enclosure. Note 2: 'THE FRONT COVER OF THE UTILITY AC DISCONNECT SWITCH SHALL CONTAIN A PLACARD IDENTIFYING THE ON-SITE POWER GENERATION SOURCE. SEE DETAIL A.' Note 5 carries the second one. Duke Energy Florida specifies no placard at all: 'placard', 'plaque' and 'label' all return zero across the OCR'd Tier 1 agreement, with 'disconnect' (12), 'meter' (13) and 'inspect' (9) as positive controls and the fabricated control at zero. 90% · utility standards drawing
• Does it specify letter height, colour or material? SECO does, in the most specific placard spec in this survey; the City does not. SECO standards Note 3: 'THE PERMANENT AND DURABLE PLACARD SHALL BE NON-FERROUS METAL OR POLY-PLASTIC PLATES, UV RESISTANT, EPOXY GLUED OR RIVETED TO THE FRONT COVER OF THE DISCONNECT SWITCH WITH ENGRAVED OR STAMPED LETTERING A MINIMUM OF 1/4-inch HIGH, WHITE LETTERS ON A RED BACKGROUND. THE USE OF PEEL-AND-STICK LABELS, PAINT, OR MARKING PENS TO LABEL THE PLATES IS NOT ACCEPTABLE.' That is material, fixing method, minimum letter height, colours and three expressly barred methods in one note, repeated on every sheet. Duke specifies nothing. The City's only lettering specification anywhere is for building numbers and the truss Maltese cross, neither of which reaches a PV system. 93% · utility standards
• Does the UTILITY specify placards beyond the AHJ's? Yes, decisively, and only on the SECO side. SECO requires TWO placards where the City requires none: Detail 'A' on the front cover of the utility AC disconnect and Detail 'B' on the front cover of the meter enclosure, both to the Note 3 material/lettering spec. Duke Energy Florida requires none. So the signage on an Umatilla job is a function of which side of an unpublished territory boundary the house sits on: a Duke parcel gets NEC 690/705 marking only; a SECO parcel gets NEC marking plus two engraved non-ferrous or poly-plastic plates in white-on-red. SECO's energy-storage sheet applies the same two placards where a battery is present, and its 400-amp split-service sheet requires a placard on each of two disconnects. 92% · utility standards
• Where must the labels be placed? CITY: outside the building, within 7 feet of the meter, between 4 and 7 feet above grade - see Q48, which is a disconnect rule that carries its own accessibility and locking requirements. SECO: the utility AC disconnect 'SHALL BE MOUNTED ADJACENT TO THE UTILITY METER ENCLOSURE WITHIN A 5 FEET 0 INCHES MAXIMUM DISTANCE, WITHIN LINE OF SIGHT, AND SHALL BE ACCESSIBLE AT ALL TIMES TO SECO ENERGY', with the dimensioned elevation on the drawing giving 48 inches MINIMUM to 72 inches MAXIMUM; placard Detail 'A' goes on the front cover of that disconnect and placard Detail 'B' on the front cover of the meter enclosure. DUKE: where Duke elects to install a disconnect, it 'shall be mounted separate from, but adjacent to the Company's meter socket', readily accessible and lockable open with a single Duke utility lock - no distance figure and no placard. NOTE THE TWO DIMENSIONS DO NOT AGREE: the City allows 7 feet from the meter, SECO allows 5 feet. On a SECO parcel build to 5 feet and both are satisfied. 90% · local code + utility 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? THE CITY HAS ITS OWN CODIFIED OUTSIDE-DISCONNECT RULE, IT IS TRIGGERED BY PULLING AN ELECTRICAL PERMIT ON AN EXISTING HOUSE, AND IT IS STRICTER THAN DUKE'S. Code Sec. 10-47(b): 'If the electrical meter is replaced, repaired or modified OR IF AN ELECTRICAL PERMIT IS OBTAINED ON AN EXISTING STRUCTURE after the effective date of this section it shall be required to have installed an electrical disconnect located outside of the structure and easily accessible by the utilities department and/or fire department.' Sec. 10-47(c)(2) specifies it: 'a fused electrical disconnection or circuit breaker that will terminate the electrical current flow to the structure... The disconnect shall be a minimum of one hundred (100) amp capacity and shall be installed on the outside of the building NOT MORE THAN SEVEN (7) FEET OR LESS THAN FOUR (4) FEET FROM THE GROUND AND WITHIN SEVEN (7) FEET OF THE METER.' Sec. 10-47(a) adds that it 'may be locked with a lock approved by the fire chief'; violation is a second-degree misdemeanour. The identical rule appears independently in LDR Ch. 11 Sec. 1(b)(8)(D). THEN THE UTILITY LAYER, AND THE TWO DISAGREE: DUKE, Tier 1 clause 15 - 'IN THE EVENT THE COMPANY ELECTS to install a manual disconnect switch, IT SHALL BE AT THE COMPANY'S EXPENSE... visible load break type... mounted separate from, but adjacent to the Company's meter socket... readily accessible to the Company and be capable of being locked in the open position with a single Company utility lock.' Discretionary, Duke-installed, Duke-paid, no distance figure. SECO, Note 1 - a manual load-break AC disconnect giving a LOCKABLE VISIBLE BREAK is mandatory with no size exemption, 'A CIRCUIT BREAKER OR MOLDED CASE SWITCH DOES NOT PROVIDE AN ACCEPTABLE VISIBLE BREAK AND IS NOT ACCEPTABLE', mounted 'ADJACENT TO THE UTILITY METER ENCLOSURE WITHIN A 5 FEET 0 INCHES MAXIMUM DISTANCE, WITHIN LINE OF SIGHT', 48-72 inches above grade, at the member's expense. On a SECO parcel the 5-foot rule satisfies the City's 7-foot rule; on a Duke parcel the City's rule may still put a switch on the wall even though Duke would not. 90% · local code + LDR + utility standards
• Must equipment be on a specific approved list? Yes, by two routes, neither of them a City list. STATEWIDE: Florida Product Approval under the Florida Building Code covers modules, racking and attachment hardware; Umatilla publishes no local approved-products list and no NOA requirement (it is not in the HVHZ). UTILITY: Duke Tier 1 clause 5 - the generation 'shall be considered certified for interconnected operation if it has been submitted by a manufacturer to a nationally recognized testing and certification laboratory, and has been tested and listed by the laboratory 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 clause 6 requires a utility-interactive inverter that automatically isolates on grid loss. SECO standards Note 5 (commercial sheet): 'THE RGS SHALL BE CERTIFIED AS UL 1741 AND IEEE 1547 COMPLIANT'; SECO agreement clause 3 requires written certification that the system 'adhere[s] to the latest version of (1) IEEE-1547 Standards, (2) UL-1741 Standards, (3) the National Electric Code, and, (4) if applicable, has been approved by the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC Std. 203-10)', and clause 6 requires the inverter to have been submitted to an OSHA-approved NRTL under the latest UL 1741. 90% · utility agreements + state product approval
• Are batteries permitted, and under what conditions? Permitted, with nothing said locally and a real rule on one utility side. Umatilla's code, LDR and Comprehensive Plan contain no energy-storage provision at all: 'energy storage' 0, 'ESS' 0, and every one of the 15 'battery' hits in the LDR is generator or lift-station equipment in the Water & Sewer Standard Specifications. So batteries are governed by the Florida Building Code and Florida Fire Prevention Code as adopted, with NFPA 855 reaching the job through them. SECO publishes a DEDICATED ENERGY STORAGE SHEET (page 2 of its standards) applying the same requirements as a PV-only system, and on its retrofit sheet requires that 'EACH AC DISCONNECT MUST ISOLATE BOTH THE RGS AND THE ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEMS IF APPLICABLE' - one switch, both systems. SECO's tariff also defines a Renewable Generation System to include 'battery storage' as a qualifying source. Duke's Tier 1 agreement is silent on storage. 80% · proved absence + utility standards
• Is a ground mount treated as a structure? Treated as an accessory structure - and the LDR's accessory-structure chapter is a CLOSED LIST that does not name solar, which is the sharpest local obstacle on this job. LDR Ch. 8 Sec. 1(c): 'No accessory structure shall be authorized on any lot without the appropriate building permit.' Sec. 1(d)(3), the clause that bites: 'ANY SPECIFIC ACCESSORY USE OR STRUCTURE THAT IS NOT ADDRESSED WITHIN THIS CHAPTER SHALL NOT BE LOCATED ON ANY LOT.' Sec. 1(e): accessory buildings plus the principal structure together may not exceed 45% of the lot, and 'the height of the accessory structure shall not exceed the height of the principal structure.' Sec. 4's setback table names eight structure types - Antenna Dish, Carport/Garage (freestanding), Wood Deck, Swimming Pool, Screen Pool Enclosure, Screen Room, Storage Building, residential Tennis Court - with the footnote 'All setbacks not referenced must comply with principal structure'; Sec. 5's height table names four. SOLAR APPEARS IN NEITHER, AND THE WORD APPEARS NOWHERE USEFUL IN THE WHOLE LDR: only two hits in 2,268,913 characters, one an example inside the definition of a contractor's yard ('solar energy systems') and one 'solar rights' in the subdivision purposes clause. The counter-argument is statutory and strong: FS 163.04(1) expressly prohibits a local ordinance 'which prohibits or HAS THE EFFECT OF PROHIBITING the installation of solar collectors'. Expect to have to argue this, and expect a rooftop array to be the path of least resistance. 84% · land development regulations + Florida Statutes
• Is there a local rule on service upgrades or busbar sizing? No local rule at all - the busbar question is pure NEC, and the real local constraints are the two utilities' 90% service-rating caps and SECO's ban on where you may land. Anchored searches return zero for 'busbar', 'service upgrade', '705.12', 'load-side', 'line-side' and 'supply-side' across the whole City corpus (the only 'supply side' hits are backflow-preventer text in the water chapter). The governing rule is NEC 705.12(B)(3) under the 2020 NEC as adopted by the FBC; SECO's own published sample one-line does the arithmetic explicitly ('200A + 40A = 240A ... 200A x 120% = 240A') though it cites the pre-2014 section number 690.64(D)(2). SECO ADDS A HARD LIMIT THE NEC DOES NOT: standards Note 5 - 'ANY CONNECTIONS INSIDE THE METER ENCLOSURE IN ANY CONFIGURATION IS NOT ACCEPTABLE, NOR SHOULD IT BE USED AS A RACEWAY FOR OTHER CONDUCTORS' - and on its commercial sheet, 'THE RGS POINT OF INTERCONNECTION CANNOT BE AT ANY SECO ENERGY EQUIPMENT INCLUDING: METERING ENCLOSURES, CT METERING CABINETS, SWITCHING CABINETS, TRANSFORMERS, AND TRANSFORMER SECONDARY CABINETS. THE POINT OF INTERCONNECTION MUST BE MADE WITHIN CUSTOMER WIRING AND EQUIPMENT.' Both utilities cap gross power rating at 90% of the service rating, and SECO makes the member pay for the distribution upgrade if it is exceeded. 87% · utility standards + NEC via FBC

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 telephone or e-mail to the Building Department - there is no online booking. The City's Inspections page: 'To schedule an inspection or a meeting with the Building Official, contact the Building Department at (352) 669-3126 or email Julie Ayers. Please provide the address, permit number, type of inspection and the date you are requesting the inspection.' (Note the Building Department's direct number, 352-669-3126, differs from the City Hall number 352-669-3125.) LDR Ch. 11 Sec. 7(b) frames it as the contractor's duty: 'Upon notice from the contractor of record (permit holder), the following inspections shall be conducted.' FS 553.79(1)(d) separately entitles an applicant to submit inspection requests electronically, e-mail expressly included. 93% · city inspections page
• How much notice is required? Same-day-minus-one: 'The cut-off time to call for inspections is 3:30 pm the day prior to the scheduled inspection.' The page immediately qualifies it: 'Building inspections are completed based on availability.' Read that against the budget - 0.5 FTE of building inspector for FY2025, FY2026 and FY2027 - and the honest planning assumption is that a request made by 3:30 pm gets you into the queue, not necessarily onto the next day's list. 90% · city inspections page + budget

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 inspects its own work, with a part-time inspector and a private-provider alternative it actively prices. The Inspections page routes scheduling to the City's Building Department and the Building Official; LDR Ch. 11 Sec. 7 lists ten City inspection types ending in a Final Inspection; and the budget funds a 0.5 FTE Building Inspector plus a 'Contract Inspections' line (001-524-340) that carried $13,347 in FY2025 and $2,800 estimated in FY2026 but is budgeted at $0 for FY2027. The alternative is codified as a price: Resolution 2024-04 offers a '31%' fee reduction 'for utilizing a private inspection service' and '6%' 'for utilizing a private plan review service' - the FS 553.791 private-provider route, and the discount is unusually large. 90% · city inspections page + budget + fee schedule
• If delegated, to whom? Not delegated to another government. The only delegation route the City offers is the private-provider option under FS 553.791, which it encourages with a 31% inspection-fee reduction and a 6% plan-review reduction. The codified International Property Maintenance Code adoption (Sec. 10-247) sends IPMC APPEALS - not inspections - to the Lake County Board of Building Examiners or the Lake County Code Enforcement Board, 'provided, however, should the interlocal agreement between Lake County and the City of Umatilla pertaining to building services be terminated, all appeals filed under this Code shall be made to the City of Umatilla Code Enforcement Board or Special Master.' Lake County does maintain a Board of Building Examiners. No building-services interlocal agreement is published by the City and none appears in the FY2026-27 budget. 78% · local code + county site

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? Ten named inspections in a fixed order, from LDR Ch. 11 Sec. 7(b): (1) Electric Service - 'after the temporary or permanent service equipment is in place, with the meter socket open, main disconnect installed, grounding installed, bracing in place, and any non-weathertight equipment protected from rain'; (2) Footer; (3) First Rough Plumbing and Electric; (4) Slab; (5) Framing or Rough Structural - 'with wind load ties installed, all bracing installed, firestops in place, sub-sheathing attached'; (6) Electrical Second Rough - 'after all wiring, raceways, equipment, and device boxes that will be covered or concealed prior to the next inspection, is installed'; (7) Plumbing Second Rough; (8) Mechanical Rough; (9) Insulation (Florida Energy Code); (10) Final Inspection. Sec. 7(c) allows combination 'Rough-All' inspections wherever possible, and Sec. 7(a) lets the Building Official examine the building BEFORE the permit issues. ON A ROOFTOP PV RETROFIT ONLY TWO OF THE TEN NORMALLY ENGAGE - Electrical Second Rough where anything is to be concealed, and Final. There is no PV-specific inspection type anywhere in the catalogue. 84% · land development regulations
• Is a rough-in or mid-roof inspection required? There is an electrical rough but no mid-roof inspection for solar. LDR Ch. 11 Sec. 7(b)(6) requires an 'Electrical Second Rough Inspection... after all wiring, raceways, equipment, and device boxes that will be covered or concealed prior to the next inspection, is installed' - which reaches concealed PV conduit. There is no mid-roof or in-progress roofing inspection in the catalogue. Umatilla does run a separate re-roof process (a 'Re-Roof Permit' and a 'Re-Roof Inspection Affidavit' are among the City's eleven building forms), but neither is a mid-roof inspection and neither is engaged by a solar permit. Sec. 7(c) folds framing and the second roughs into a combination 'Rough-All' inspection 'whenever possible', which for a 0.5 FTE department is likely to be the norm. 78% · land development regulations + forms inventory

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.

• What must be on site at inspection? The recorded Notice of Commencement, posted, and the permit placard, posted - both before work is inspected. LDR Ch. 11 Sec. 6(d): 'No work requiring a permit shall commence until the issued permit placard is conspicuously posted on the job site adjacent to the parcel's road frontage in such manner and location that affords it protection from the weather and allows the inspector to conveniently make written entries. If the placard is lost or destroyed, a duplicate replacement shall be secured from the City on the first workday after such loss' - and the fee schedule prices a 'Replacement Permit Card' at $50 (the codified schedule says $25). The Building Permit Application's warning to owner: 'A NOTICE OF COMMENCEMENT MUST BE RECORDED AND POSTED ON THE JOB SITE BEFORE THE FIRST INSPECTION.' Code Sec. 10-9 lets the City record the NOC for you for $40. The City publishes no list of documents to have on site at a solar inspection. 85% · LDR + permit application + code

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? For a solar retrofit, a passed final inspection on the permit - not a certificate of occupancy. LDR Ch. 11 Sec. 8(a) limits the CO to new work and changes of use: 'No new building or addition shall be used or occupied in whole or in part, nor shall there be any change of occupancy, change in use, or change in nature of a use, until after the Building Official issues an appropriate certificate of occupancy.' A rooftop array on an existing house is none of those. What both utilities need is the inspection certification rather than a CO: Duke Tier 1 clause 7 requires 'Local Building Code Official inspection and certification of installation... 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', and SECO clause 2 requires 'written certification that the RGS installation has been inspected by the local code official who has certified that the installation was permitted and has been approved'. So the practical deliverable from the City is a signed-off final that can be sent to the utility. 80% · LDR + utility agreements
• Who notifies the utility for PTO? NOT THE CITY - the contractor or the customer does, and both utilities put it in writing. DUKE: the customer must execute and return the interconnection agreement and application 'at least thirty calendar days prior to beginning parallel operations' (clause 29); must 'provide Local Building Code Official inspection and certification of installation' (clause 7); and 'Prior to connection and parallel operation of the Customer's generation system with the Company's electric system, the Customer shall provide 10 days notice and permit the Company, if it should so choose, to inspect the system... and to have personnel present on the in-service date' (clause 12). Duke then installs the bi-directional meter at its own cost (clause 14). SECO: the member delivers the local code official's written certification 'prior to the operation of the RGS' (clause 2); gives 'at least ten (10) days prior to the in-service date' notice (clause 5); and then - the actual PTO - 'Once the Cooperative has received the Member's written documentation that the requirements of this Interconnection Agreement have been met AND THE CORRECT OPERATION OF THE MANUAL SWITCH HAS BEEN DEMONSTRATED to Cooperative, the Cooperative will, WITHIN TEN (10) BUSINESS DAYS, notify that parallel operation of the RGS may commence' (clause 13). SECO's published process assigns the upload: step 8, 'Contractor or member uploads all required documents and system photos. Allow five to seven business days for a qualified SECO employee to approve documents and photos after upload', then step 9, meter installation, four days. Nothing in Umatilla's code, LDR or forms says the City notifies anyone. 92% · utility interconnection agreements
• Is there a re-inspection fee? Yes, escalating, and the same ladder is printed twice on the current schedule. Resolution 2024-04 carries 'Reinspection Fees (each): First $50.00, Second $75.00, Third + $100.00' on its first page and 'Re-inspection Fees for Building and MEPs: First Re-inspection $50.00, Second Re-inspection $75.00, Third or subsequent $100.00' on its fifth - the same figures under two headings. The codified Sec. 10-3(10)a matches: $50 first, '$75.00 for the second re-inspection; $100.00 for each subsequent reinspection. All re-inspection fees shall be paid prior to re-inspection.' Fire re-inspections run on a separate, gentler ladder: first included, second $50, third or subsequent $75. NO HB 803 FLATTENING HERE: the ladder still escalates and the schedule still carries its March 2024 adoption date, so nothing in it has been revisited since Ch. 2026-63. 92% · adopted fee resolution + local code
• How are corrections issued and cleared? By a written 'corrective action notice', with re-inspection charged and the state supplying the timing discipline. Code Sec. 10-3(10)a prices 'all re-inspections that result from the work on a corrective action notice not being completed, inspection called for before the work is done, and other re-inspections', and escalates for 'further re-inspections... required for the same corrective action notice'. LDR Ch. 11 Sec. 5(d)(1) sets the plan-stage equivalent: if documents are not compliant 'the applicant shall be informed of the reason for disapproval, and shall maintain an ongoing dialogue with the Building Official to facilitate a resolution of the problem.' THE STATE ADDS TEETH THE CITY DOES NOT: FS 553.79(7)(a) requires a local enforcement agency to refund 10% of the permit and inspection fees where work fails an inspection and the inspector 'fails to provide, within 5 business days after the inspection, the permitholder or his or her agent with a reason, based on compliance with the Florida Building Code, Florida Fire Prevention Code, or local ordinance, for why the work failed'. FS 553.79(1)(a) and (2)(b) require the specific code chapters and sections to be identified in writing at both denial and post-issuance change. Appeals: LDR Ch. 3 Sec. 5 for Code decisions, and for IPMC matters the Lake County Board of Building Examiners under Sec. 10-247. 85% · local code + LDR + Florida Statutes