City of Wauchula

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? SPLIT, AND THE CITY IS NOT THE BUILDING AHJ. Inside the corporate limits of Wauchula the BUILDING AND ELECTRICAL PERMIT/INSPECTION authority is exercised by the HARDEE COUNTY BUILDING DEPARTMENT (401 W Main Street, Wauchula FL 33873; Building Official Tom Fisher; Inspector Bobby Green). The City of Wauchula is the land-use/zoning authority (Planning & Zoning performs 'Building Permit Sign-Offs'), the historic-preservation authority, the floodplain administrator (the City Manager), and the ELECTRIC UTILITY and interconnecting party. The City's own Code Ch. 5 Art. VI (Ord. 2008-22) does establish a City Building Department and Building Official, but that article appears unexercised: the City publishes no building department page, no permit application, no fee schedule and no permit portal, and its audited financial statements carry no building/permitting expenditure function. 86% · meeting minutes (sworn testimony)
• What does this authority permit itself, and what does it delegate? CITY KEEPS: zoning and land-use review ('Building Permit Sign-Offs', variances, special exceptions, rezonings, sign permits - Planning & Zoning Department); Certificates of Appropriateness in the historic district (Historic Preservation Board); floodplain administration (ULDC 5.01.03.01 designates THE CITY MANAGER as Floodplain Administrator) and substantial-improvement/substantial-damage determinations 'in coordination with the Building Official'; and the electric utility, including net-metering and interconnection approval (Code Sec. 22-35). DELEGATED/HELD BY HARDEE COUNTY: building, electrical, plumbing, mechanical and gas permits and inspections; contractor competency licensing (the Hardee County Construction Industry Licensing Ordinance 87-09 is adopted by reference at Wauchula Code Sec. 5-26(2), and Sec. 5-28 requires all persons doing regulated work to be 'certified as competent to do such work by either the County or the State'). 85% · codified ordinance + department page
• Is a permit required for a residential rooftop PV system? YES. A permit is required. Wauchula Code Sec. 5-161: 'Any owner or authorized agent who intends to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish or change the occupancy of a building or structure, or to erect, install, enlarge, alter, repair, remove, convert or replace any electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing system, the installation of which is regulated by the building code... shall first make application to the Building Official and obtain the required permit.' Rooftop PV is not on the Sec. 5-162 exempt list (which covers floor covering, painting, like-for-like window replacement, test borings, seawalls/docks, construction trailers, roof covering of 500 sq ft or less, stucco/siding of 500 sq ft or less, above-ground pools, and maintenance/minor electrical work by a commercial building's own maintenance supervisor). Hardee County's Building Department page restates FBC 105.1 under the heading 'Do I need a permit? Yes!' 94% · codified ordinance
• Is there a separate electrical permit, or is it combined? SEPARATE, AND SEQUENCED SECOND. Sec. 5-173(a) charges a fee 'on buildings, structures, electrical, gas, mechanical, and plumbing systems' - each its own permit. Sec. 5-163(c)(3): 'Electrical, plumbing, gas, roofing and mechanical permits shall not be issued until a building permit has been obtained, on projects where a building permit is required.' The City's own FAQ page also says 'All electrical, plumbing and mechanical work needs a separate permit for each trade' - but see the caveat in `why`. 88% · codified ordinance
• Is there a historic-district review? YES, AND IT IS A PUBLIC HEARING WITH APPLICANT-POSTED SIGNS - unless the array is invisible from the street. ULDC 2.05.04(A): 'Activities that include renovation, ALTERATION, new construction, demolition, or relocation affecting a landmark, a landmark site, or a property in a historic district zone shall require the issuance of a certificate of appropriateness before such activity commences.' The Board holds a public hearing at its next regular meeting after a completed application filed at least 14 days before, and decides within 30 days (2.05.04(G)). The applicant must post 8.5in x 11in LIGHT BLUE signs 'at intervals of not more than 200 feet along all street sides' within five days of filing and maintain them until final determination, or 'the public hearing notice will be deemed inadequate and no action shall be taken' (2.05.04(I)). THERE IS NO APPLICATION FEE (2.05.04(D)). *** THE ESCAPE HATCH, AND IT IS VISIBILITY-KEYED: ULDC 2.05.07(D) - 'Any exterior alteration or new construction WHICH IS NOT VISIBLE FROM ANY STREET OR ROADWAY may receive IMMEDIATE APPROVAL FROM THE DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR WITHOUT A PUBLIC HEARING when an applicant complies with the design guidelines of the Board.' *** The closest listed analogue in the routine-approval list is 2.05.07(C)(9), 'Installation of skylights not visible from any street front'. So a rear-slope array is staff-approved; a street-facing array goes to the Board. 90% · codified land development code
• Is a wind or windstorm certification required? NO WINDSTORM CERTIFICATION AS SUCH - the word 'windstorm' returns ZERO across the whole codified corpus - but the roof-assembly documentation rule reaches a PV job. Sec. 5-169(b)(2): 'For roof assemblies required by the code, the construction documents shall illustrate, describe, and delineate the type of roofing system, materials, FASTENING REQUIREMENTS, flashing requirements and WIND RESISTANCE RATING that are required to be installed. Product evaluation and installation shall indicate compliance with the wind criteria required for the specific site OR A STATEMENT BY AN ARCHITECT OR ENGINEER FOR THE SPECIFIC SITE must be submitted with the construction documents.' Otherwise the statewide regime applies: Hardee County is inland, is NOT in the High Velocity Hurricane Zone (Miami-Dade and Broward only) and standard Florida Product Approval governs. 80% · codified ordinance
• Is a Specific Use Permit or Council approval ever required? NOT FOR A ROOFTOP RETROFIT. Rooftop PV is not a listed use anywhere in the ULDC - 'solar' and 'photovoltaic' return ZERO across all nine ULDC articles - so no special exception, conditional use or Commission approval attaches to it. Commission/Board involvement arises only through the historic Certificate of Appropriateness route (q25) or, for a ground mount, through the accessory-structure rules (q47), where ULDC 2.04.00(C) requires Planning and Zoning Board approval if an accessory structure is built before the principal structure. 84% · codified land development code
• Is there a system-size cap on residential generation? YES - FOUR SEPARATE CAPS, AND TWO OF THEM CONTRADICT EACH OTHER IN THE SAME SECTION. Code Sec. 22-35: (i) TIER STRUCTURE - 'Tier 1 = 10 kW or less; Tier 2 = greater than 10 kW and less than or equal to 100 kW' (22-35(c)(2)); (ii) HARD SYSTEM CAP - gross power rating 'does not exceed 100 kilowatts (100 kW)'; (iii) SERVICE-RATING CAP - 'the gross power rating of a customer-owned renewable generation system SHALL BE LIMITED IN SIZE TO 90 PERCENT OF THE UTILITY DISTRIBUTION SERVICE RATING' (22-35(d)); and (iv) TWO DIFFERENT AGGREGATE CAPS: 22-35(b) says interconnection 'is subject to diminution and/or rejection in the event the total amount of customer-owned renewable generation systems exceeds TEN PERCENT OF THE CITY'S SYSTEM ENERGY REQUIREMENTS', while 22-35(g)(7) says it is subject to diminution or rejection where the total delivered 'from all participating city customers, exceeds THREE PERCENT OF THE AGGREGATE CUSTOMER PEAK DEMAND on the City's electric system'. Different numbers, different denominators (energy vs demand), one section. Against FMPA's 13.58 MW peak, 3% is roughly 400 kW CITY-WIDE. GPR for inverter-based systems = total DC nameplate x 0.85. 92% · codified ordinance

Several authorities require the electrical permit to be pulled by a licensed electrician, or require the contractor to be registered with them BEFORE applying. Registration is not same-day. This is second on the list rather than fourth because it is the step most likely to stop the job before the drawings matter.

• Who is allowed to pull the electrical permit? A contractor certified as competent by HARDEE COUNTY or by the STATE (Wauchula Code Sec. 5-28: 'All persons doing work regulated by this chapter or by any of the codes or standards adopted by this chapter shall be certified as competent to do such work by either the County or the State'), or a bona fide owner under the Sec. 5-165 owner-permit exemption. The Hardee County Construction Industry Licensing Ordinance 87-09 is adopted into the Wauchula Code by reference (Sec. 5-26(2)) and Hardee County staffs a 'Permitting/CILB Technician'. Hardee County ULDC 2.09.06(E) is explicit for the trade that matters here: 'Any electrical service shall be installed by a licensed electrical contractor and approved by the County Building Department.' 88% · codified ordinance
• Must the contractor be registered with this authority before applying? YES - competency certification is required, and it is a COUNTY function, not a City one. Sec. 5-28 requires certification 'by either the County or the State'; Sec. 5-155(c) empowers the Building Official to issue a cease-and-desist to 'any person not certified or registered by the appropriate regulatory board' and to any person who 'assists the unlicensed practice of contracting'. There is no separate City-of-Wauchula contractor registration: the City publishes no contractor registration form and holds no licensing board. The county's published mechanics are a registration/renewal rather than a county examination: 'STATE REGISTERED CONTRACTOR APPLICATION FEE - Renewal Fee on or before 9/3 $50 each - Late Renewal 10/1 to 12/31 $75.00 - Contractors who do not renew comp card by 12/31 must reapply and be approved by CILB' (archived county fee schedule). Working unlicensed is penalised under 'Ord. 1987-09' at up to $2,500. Hardee County ULDC 2.09.06(E): 'Any electrical service shall be INSTALLED BY A LICENSED ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR AND APPROVED BY THE COUNTY BUILDING DEPARTMENT.' The county budgets only $375 a year for 'BLDG Contractor Licenses' (actuals $448, $400, $750), i.e. a handful of registrations annually. 82% · codified ordinance
• Is a homeowner permitted to self-install and self-permit? YES, but gated. Sec. 5-165(b): a building, electrical, plumbing or mechanical permit may issue to a bona fide owner of real property on which a one- or two-family dwelling exists or is to be constructed 'for his own use and in which he resides or intends to immediately reside', on these conditions: (a) the owner must 'furnish satisfactory evidence to the Building Official that he has sufficient practical knowledge to perform such work'; (b) laborers may be hired only with workers' compensation, insurance and payroll taxes; (c) 'Not more than one such permit shall be issued to the same person in any 12-month period'; (d) the owner 'must personally appear and sign the building permit application'; and (e) the statutory disclosure statement must be provided. 93% · codified ordinance

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 codified package is: a written application on a form furnished by the Building Department complying with FS 713.135(6)-(7) (Sec. 5-163); construction documents in two or more sets (Sec. 5-169(a)); a description of the character of the work, location, ownership, occupancy and use, plus 'plans, specifications or drawings and such other information as [the Building Official] may deem necessary and pertinent' (Sec. 5-163(a)); proof of workers' compensation coverage (Sec. 5-163(g)); and, where the direct contract exceeds $2,500, a certified copy of the recorded Notice of Commencement filed BEFORE the first inspection (Sec. 5-168) - without it 'the issuing authority shall not perform or approve subsequent inspections'. In a flood hazard area a substantial-improvement determination is also triggered (ULDC 5.01.03.04). 82% · codified ordinance
• How many copies, and in what format? TWO OR MORE SETS, paper by default; electronic accepted only with permission. Sec. 5-169(a): 'Construction documents, special inspection and structural observation programs, and other data shall be submitted in two or more sets with each application for a permit.' Sec. 5-169(b): 'Electronic-media documents are permitted to be submitted when approved by the Building Official.' One reviewed set is returned to the applicant stamped 'Reviewed for Code Compliance' and must be kept at the site; the other is retained by the Building Official for not less than 180 days from completion (Sec. 5-170(a)). 92% · codified ordinance
• Is a site plan required, and what must it show? NOT SPECIFIED FOR PV. A site plan is required only at the Building Official's discretion for a building permit (Sec. 5-163(a): 'may require plans, specifications or drawings and such other information as he may deem necessary'); Sec. 5-167 then requires the 'approved building/site plans' to be posted on site. Separately, ULDC 2.04.00(B) requires accessory structures to be 'shown on a site development plan when required under Section 7.05.00'. The City publishes no content requirements for a PV site plan. 62% · codified ordinance
• Is a structural PE stamp required, and at what threshold? NO LOCAL THRESHOLD. Sec. 5-169(a): 'The construction documents shall be prepared by a design professional WHERE REQUIRED BY THE FLORIDA BUILDING CODE. Where special conditions exist, the Building Official is authorized to require additional construction documents to be prepared by a design professional.' The City sets no dollar or size trigger of its own, so the FBC/state rule governs, with a discretionary override for 'special conditions'. Sec. 5-169(b)(2) separately requires roof-assembly documents to show wind-resistance rating and site-specific wind criteria compliance, 'or a statement by an architect or engineer for the specific site must be submitted'. 84% · codified ordinance
• Is an electrical PE stamp required, and at what threshold? NO LOCAL ELECTRICAL PE THRESHOLD. Sec. 5-169(a) defers to the Florida Building Code. Statewide, FS 471.003(2)(h) sets the electrical PE-stamp exemption at $125,000 / 600A. Nothing in the Wauchula Code, the ULDC or any City document sets a different figure. 70% · codified ordinance + state statute

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? THE CITY OF WAUCHULA HAS NO PERMIT PORTAL. Its only online transaction system is wauchulafl.municipalonlinepayments.com, which is UTILITY BILL PAYMENT ONLY. Every external link on the entire City website was enumerated: the only government-service systems are that payments portal, wauchula-fl.municodemeetings.com (agendas), library.municode.com (the code), member.everbridge.net (AlertHardee), orangedata.com (lien searches) and requests.detailkommander.com (police records). No Accela, no iWorQ, no Cloudpermit, no MyGovernmentOnline, no BS&A, no SolarAPP+. Hardee County's Building Department page directs applicants to email building.department@hardeecountyfl.gov. *** AND THE COUNTY'S PORTAL IS DEAD TOO. Hardee County's archived 2021 Building page offered 'Submit an Online Request for a Permit' (talktomycity.com/search/Har01) and 'Search Online for Permit Status' (an IWorQ instance, cityid=1350). talktomycity.com now fails to connect at all; the IWorQ URL returns a 19-byte empty stub. The current county page has dropped all four of those links and offers a single intake channel: 'To contact the building department, please send an email to building.department@hardeecountyfl.gov'. THERE IS NO WORKING PERMIT PORTAL ON EITHER SIDE OF THIS JURISDICTION. *** 86% · site enumeration
• Can the whole application be completed online? NO. Nothing of the permit application can be completed online with the City - there is no portal and no fillable permit form. The City's FormCenter offers only: Application & Agreement for Services (utility connection), Application for Employment, Citizens Complaint, five Report-A-Problem forms, Records Request, Police Services survey and Employee Recognition. The County route is email/paper. The county route is email or walk-in; its two former online systems are dead (see q20). Archived paper application forms (Building, Electrical, Mechanical, Plumbing, Roofing, Demolition, Pool, Gas, Contractor Registration, Owner Builder, Notice of Commencement) all now 404 on the live county domain. 86% · site enumeration
• What does a residential solar permit cost? NO CURRENT SCHEDULE IS PUBLISHED BY EITHER GOVERNMENT. The City of Wauchula publishes no building permit fee schedule at all (Code Sec. 5-160(a): fees are 'as established by the City Commission BY RESOLUTION' and no such resolution is published). Hardee County, which actually issues the permit, has also taken its building fee schedule offline - its live Community Development fee PDF is Appendix H (planning fees only: site development, subdivision, rezoning, variance, comp-plan, mining) with no building, electrical, plan-review or surcharge line, and the Building Department page carries no document links at all. THE MOST RECENT OBTAINABLE COUNTY SCHEDULE IS APPENDIX A AS ARCHIVED 26 JAN 2022 (PDF created 11 Jan 2022): ELECTRICAL PERMIT = base permit fee $50.00, PLUS $15.00 for the first $1,000 of installation value and $10.00 for each additional $1,000, PLUS $25.00 residential up to 200 amps ($0.20 per amp above 200), PLUS $0.10 per square foot. BUILDING PERMIT = $50 up to $1,000 of value; $30 for $1,001-$50,000 plus $6.00 for each additional $1,000 of value. PLANS EXAMINATION is charged separately on its own scale (see q17). Residential valuation basis $75 per square foot. So a modest residential PV electrical permit on that schedule lands in the low hundreds of dollars, before plan review. *** TREAT THESE NUMBERS AS INDICATIVE ONLY: the county budget carries two revenue lines - 'BLDG Same Day Inspection Fee' ($9,450 actual FY2024-25) and 'BLDG After Hours Inspection Fee' ($3,300) - that DO NOT EXIST in the 2022 schedule, which proves a newer fee resolution has been adopted and not published. *** 55% · archived county fee schedule (Appendix A)
• How is the fee calculated? BY CONSTRUCTION VALUE, with the valuation method itself set by Commission resolution. Sec. 5-160(c): 'For the purpose of calculating the fee for the permit or other fees for construction, the property will be valued in a manner to be established by the commission by resolution.' Penalty for starting work first: Sec. 5-160(b) 'double the amount otherwise charged for the permit, or $100.00, whichever is greater'; Sec. 5-173(b) states the same penalty as '200 percent of the usual permit fee', with a three-business-day grace for genuine emergency work and a discretionary waiver 'for just cause and in cases involving extreme circumstances and unusual hardship'. Refunds: Sec. 5-160(d) retains one-third of the fee or $50, whichever is greater, on written request within six months, with no refund of a plan submittal fee or once construction has begun - but Sec. 5-173(d) says fees 'are not refundable' except for a permit issued by mistake of fact or law, to the wrong address, or to the wrong person. THOSE TWO REFUND RULES CONTRADICT EACH OTHER and sit eleven sections apart in the same article. ON THE COUNTY SIDE, which is where the permit is actually issued, the valuation basis in the archived Appendix A is 'Residential $75 per sq. ft.', with the building permit fee then stepped by value ($50 up to $1,000; $30 for $1,001-$50,000 plus $6.00 for each additional $1,000). Hardee County ULDC 12.03.03.03(A): 'A permit shall not be issued until fees, ESTABLISHED BY RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS, have been paid. Said fees shall be those authorized under F.S. Section 553.80.' The county's FY2026-27 budget names the authorizing instruments as 'County Ordinance 88-07 and County Resolution 05-22, 05-41'. 80% · codified ordinance
• Is there a separate plan-check fee? YES - a separate plans-examination fee exists in the code. Sec. 5-163(c)(1): 'Applications for site plan and building plan review shall be subject to SEPARATE PLANS EXAMINATION FEES as established by the commission of the City. Such fees shall accompany the first submittal of plans for review.' Sec. 5-173(c) lists the chargeable fee types: permits (including renewal, reissuance and extensions), plans examination, reinspections, administrative fees, variance requests, administrative appeals, violations, conditional certificates of occupancy, and preliminary plan review consultations. Sec. 5-163(b) prices an optional pre-application 'preliminary plan review conference' at 'the fee... as stated in the fee schedule'. NONE of these amounts is published. ON THE COUNTY SIDE THE PLAN-REVIEW FEE IS PUBLISHED AND STEPPED (archived Appendix A): 'CONSTRUCTION PLANS EXAMINATION - up to $1,000.00 $25; $1,001-$10,000 $50; $10,001-$50,000 $100; $50,001-100,000 $125; $100,001-$250,000 $250... (Plus $0.10 per square foot).' A private provider under FS 553.791 gets '25% off all other fees except surcharge'. NO DBPR/DCA STATE SURCHARGE RATE IS PUBLISHED BY EITHER GOVERNMENT - the county collects one (budget line 'BLDG Training Surcharge', $1,412 actual FY2024-25) but never states the rate. 70% · codified ordinance

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? 30 WORKING DAYS for a single-family residential dwelling, codified. Sec. 5-163(f): 'A building permit for a single-family residential dwelling MUST BE ISSUED WITHIN 30 WORKING DAYS of application unless unusual circumstances require a longer time for processing the application or unless the permit application fails to satisfy the Florida Building Code or the City's Code of Ordinances.' Separately, an application is 'deemed to have been abandoned 180 days after the date of filing' unless pursued in good faith, with one 180-day extension available in writing for justifiable cause (Sec. 5-163(d)). Hardee County publishes no numeric turnaround but does state an expedited-processing duty: 'If an applicant believes they are entitled to expedited processing... the applicant shall advise the County (upon submission of the application) of the statutory basis entitling them to expedited processing. The County shall give applications... that are entitled to expedited processing first priority.' 88% · codified ordinance
• How long is an issued permit valid before it expires? SIX MONTHS, TWICE OVER. Sec. 5-164(a): 'Every permit issued shall become invalid unless the work authorized by the permit is commenced within six months after its issuance, or if the work authorized by such permit is suspended or abandoned for a period of six months after the time the work is commenced.' 92% · codified ordinance
• Which utility handles interconnection here? THE CITY OF WAUCHULA ITSELF - a MUNICIPAL electric utility, and therefore OUTSIDE FL PSC Rule 25-6.065. 'The City of Wauchula, Florida owns and operates a NON-GENERATING municipal electric utility system and currently receives its wholesale power from FLORIDA POWER & LIGHT (FPL).' It is an FMPA member (est. 1922; 2,859 customers; 13.58 MW peak). FPL is the WHOLESALE supplier only and sells no retail customer in Wauchula. *** THE UTILITY'S TERRITORY IS FOUR TIMES THE AHJ'S: 'The service territory of the electric utility includes the entire City Limits of the City of Wauchula (approximately 2.3 square miles and growing) and EXTENDS INTO UNINCORPORATED HARDEE COUNTY, for a total area of approximately 10.0 square miles.' *** So a Wauchula Electric customer may sit outside the city entirely. Elsewhere in Hardee County the providers are Peace River Electric Cooperative and Duke Energy Florida. 93% · utility department page + FMPA member list
• Where does the utility sit in the sequence? THE UTILITY IS THE CITY, AND IT SITS BOTH BEFORE AND AFTER THE BUILDING PERMIT. Before: Code Sec. 22-35(c)(4) requires the customer to provide 'an executed Standard Interconnection Agreement for Customer-Owned Renewable Generation', and Sec. 22-35(e) requires a written agreement with the City 'providing the terms and conditions thereof'; Sec. 22-35(d) requires written notice and a NEW interconnection application for any increase in gross power rating. After: no connection may be energised until the Building Official releases it - Sec. 5-177(a): 'No person shall make connections from a utility source of energy, fuel or power to any building or system which is regulated by the technical codes for which a permit is required, UNTIL RELEASED BY THE BUILDING OFFICIAL, indicating that the work had a final inspection and was found to comply... and a certificate of occupancy or completion is issued. PRIOR TO RELEASE OF ELECTRICAL POWER... ALL FEES DUE TO THE CITY MUST BE PAID.' Sec. 22-115(e) adds that 'The City reserves the right to inspect the customer's installation prior to rendering service, and from time to time thereafter.' 90% · codified ordinance

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

• Which NEC edition is in force? NEC 2020, effective 31 December 2023, as incorporated in the Florida Building Code 8th Edition (2023). Wauchula adopts the FBC by floating reference twice: Sec. 5-26(1) adopts 'The Florida Building Code, F.S. sec. 553.73, AND ALL SUBSEQUENT REVISIONS, amendments, and/or additions thereto', and Sec. 5-153 adopts it 'as promulgated by the State building commission', adding that 'Revisions, amendments or additions to the Florida Building Code shall only be made and become effective as provided for by State law'. There is no free-standing local electrical code. *** FOSSIL: Sec. 6-75(h), still on the books from Ord. No. 729 (9 Sep 1991), makes it unlawful to work without permits 'under the applicable edition of the Standard Building Code, Standard Plumbing Code, Standard Mechanical Code, Standard Gas Code, NATIONAL ELECTRICAL CODE, Standard Fire Code' - a code family superseded by the FBC in 2002. It has no float clause and names no edition. *** 92% · codified ordinance
• Which building code edition is in force? Florida Building Code 8th Edition (2023), floating. Sec. 5-26(1) and Sec. 5-153, quoted at q29. 'At least one copy of the Florida Building Code along with any amendments or revisions thereto... shall remain on file in the office of the City clerk for public use and inspection as well as the office of the Building Official' (Sec. 5-153). 93% · codified ordinance
• Which fire code edition is in force? Florida Fire Prevention Code 8th Edition (2023), reaching Wauchula only INDIRECTLY. Sec. 5-153: 'as provided by State law, the applicability of the Florida Fire Prevention Code and the Life Safety Code are also incorporated herein THROUGH THE INCLUSION BY REFERENCE IN THE FLORIDA BUILDING CODE.' *** THE DIRECT ADOPTION IS A THIRTY-TWO-YEAR-OLD FOSSIL: Sec. 5-51 still reads 'The Standard Fire Prevention Code, 1994 EDITION, and the Code for Safety to Life from Fire in Buildings and Structures, NFPA 101, 1994 EDITION, are hereby adopted in their entirety... as the Fire and Safety Code for the City of Wauchula, Florida' - with NO float clause. *** The Standard Fire Prevention Code ceased to exist as a maintained document; state law has preempted it since 2002. Net effect: FFPC 8th Ed. governs, but the City's own direct fire-code adoption is dead text. 88% · codified ordinance
• Are there local amendments to any of the above? NO LOCAL AMENDMENTS TO THE FBC, and the code says so. Sec. 5-153: 'Revisions, amendments or additions to the Florida Building Code shall only be made and become effective AS PROVIDED FOR BY STATE LAW.' What the City does layer on top is not an FBC amendment but a set of local administrative rules (Ch. 5 Art. VI), the ULDC flood article (5.01.00) and the historic Certificate of Appropriateness. Sec. 5-26(2) also adopts, conditionally, whatever the county adopts: 'So long as there is in effect an interlocal agreement between the county and the City, concerning enforcement of building codes, all subsequent revisions, amendments, and/or additions to all building codes and fire prevention codes adopted by the county shall be and are hereby adopted and incorporated herein as if set forth fully herein.' 87% · codified ordinance
• What is the installation judged against? FBC 8th Edition (2023) including NEC 2020 and the FFPC; plus, locally: the City's Unified Land Development Code (accessory-structure standards, historic Certificate of Appropriateness, and flood article 5.01.00); the City's electric-service rules in Code Ch. 22 Art. IV (minimum 100 amp three-wire residence service entrance, outdoor meter, City-designated meter location); and the City's net-metering terms in Sec. 22-35 (tiering, 100 kW cap, 90%-of-service-rating cap, insurance, interconnection agreement). Inspections and code enforcement are performed by Hardee County's Building Official. 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 Wauchula 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, by the state edition only: NEC 2020 Article 690.12 rapid shutdown applies through the FBC. The term 'rapid shutdown' returns ZERO across the entire Wauchula codified corpus and ZERO across all 110 City web pages - there is no local restatement, and no local amendment either way. 84% · codified ordinance

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

• Which placards does this authority require at the service equipment? NONE. THE CITY OF WAUCHULA REQUIRES NO PLACARD OF ANY KIND AT THE SERVICE EQUIPMENT. Proved across the whole codified corpus: 'placard' returns exactly three hits, all of them the INSPECTION placard that must be posted on site during construction (Sec. 5-167); 'label' returns 49 hits and every one of them is in the synthetic-drug ordinance (Ch. 12) about product packaging; 'solar' returns two hits and both are the synthetic-cannabinoid brand name 'Solar Flare'; 'photovoltaic', 'energy storage', 'rapid shutdown' and 'product approval' all return ZERO. The operative placards are therefore NEC 2020 Article 690/705 and whatever the Hardee County inspector enforces. *** BOUNDED: Sec. 22-35 requires 'an executed Standard Interconnection Agreement for Customer-Owned Renewable Generation' and a City 'written policy designating procedures for the interconnection and net metering'. NEITHER DOCUMENT IS PUBLISHED ANYWHERE. If Wauchula has a placard requirement of its own, that is where it lives. *** 88% · codified ordinance
• Does the authority specify placard wording of its own? NO. The City specifies no placard wording of its own - see q38 for the proof and its bound. 85% · codified ordinance
• Does it specify letter height, colour or material? NO. No letter height, colour, material or durability specification appears anywhere in the City's codified text or published documents. The only lettering specification in the whole Code that is not about signage is in the historic article - Certificate of Appropriateness notice signs must be 'eight and one-half inches wide, 11 inches in height and LIGHT BLUE' (ULDC 2.05.04(I)) - and that governs a public-notice sign in the yard, not an electrical placard. 85% · codified ordinance
• Does the UTILITY specify placards beyond the AHJ's? THE UTILITY IS THE CITY, AND IT PUBLISHES NO PLACARD REQUIREMENT - BUT ITS OWN RULEBOOK IS UNPUBLISHED. Code Sec. 22-35 (the entire net-metering and interconnection ordinance) specifies no label, placard, sign or marking. Neither does Ch. 22 Art. IV (electric service regulations), the Utility Fee Schedule, the Application & Agreement for Services, or the Utilities Customer Service Guide. *** BUT Sec. 22-35(a) requires the City to have established 'a WRITTEN POLICY designating procedures for the interconnection and net metering of customer-owned renewable generation systems', and Sec. 22-35(c)(4) requires 'an executed STANDARD INTERCONNECTION AGREEMENT for Customer-Owned Renewable Generation'. NEITHER IS PUBLISHED - not on any of the 110 City pages, not in the DocumentCenter, not in any linked document. Any utility-side placard requirement would live in those two documents and can only be obtained by asking the City directly (863-773-3131). *** 87% · codified ordinance

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? NOT SPECIFIED - AND THAT IS THE OPPOSITE OF THE NEIGHBOURING MUNICIPAL. The City of Wauchula requires NO manual AC disconnect switch and specifies no location relative to the meter. Sec. 22-35, the complete net-metering and interconnection ordinance, was read in full: it covers tiers, gross power rating, metering, charges, credits, fees and insurance, and says NOTHING about a disconnect switch. 'Disconnect' appears 25 times across the whole Code and every occurrence is about the City disconnecting service for non-payment, tampering or unsafe conditions. What the code DOES fix is meter placement: 'The meter location shall be as designated by the City... Meters for residents shall be outdoors' (Sec. 22-112(f)). *** BOUNDED, AND THIS IS THE BOUND THAT MATTERS: the disconnect requirement, if one exists, will be in the unpublished Standard Interconnection Agreement that Sec. 22-35(c)(4) requires the customer to execute. Fort Meade, the FMPA municipal 30 miles up the Peace River, puts a customer-paid lockable visible-load-break switch at TIER 1 in exactly that document. DO NOT ASSUME WAUCHULA IS LENIENT BECAUSE ITS CODE IS SILENT - outside PSC 25-6.065 means unconstrained, not lenient. Ask for the agreement. *** 80% · codified ordinance
• Are batteries permitted, and under what conditions? NO LOCAL RULE EITHER WAY. 'Energy storage' returns ZERO across the whole codified corpus; all 29 'battery' hits are irrelevant (vehicle repair definitions, criminal offences, 'battery or otherwise' in a lighting clause). Batteries are therefore permitted on the same footing as any other regulated electrical equipment, governed by FBC/NEC 2020 Article 706 and FFPC as enforced by Hardee County. One City-side condition does reach a battery-backed PV system: Code Sec. 22-1(d) - 'There shall be no resale of, transmission, distribution, or delivery of electrical energy or water to another person by any customer of the City' - which constrains third-party PPA and shared-storage arrangements. 78% · codified ordinance
• Is a ground mount treated as a structure? BY INFERENCE YES - AND THE ACCESSORY-STRUCTURE RULES WOULD BITE HARD, THOUGH THE CITY HAS NEVER SAID SO. Solar is not a named use anywhere in the ULDC, so a ground mount falls to ULDC 2.04.00 General regulations for accessory uses: (A) must comply with the local building code; (B) must be shown on a site development plan when required under 7.05.00; (G) minimum 5 ft separation from other structures and from the principal structure in residential districts; (H) setback at least 10 FT FROM THE REAR LOT LINE AND 5 FT FROM THE SIDE (in R1A, 10 ft from BOTH; in R4, 5 ft from both); (I) never forward of the front building line, and on a corner lot never within either front yard setback; (J) NO MORE THAN TWO accessory structures per residential lot, rear or side yards only, and accessory structures are PROHIBITED ON RESIDENTIAL LOTS OF LESS THAN 5,000 SQUARE FEET; (K) accessory structures in residential districts are 'LIMITED TO A CUMULATIVE TOTAL OF 500 SQUARE FEET' (pools, screen enclosures, carports and garages excluded). A 500 sq ft cumulative cap is roughly 9 kW of modules, shared with any shed the owner already has. FOR CONTEXT ON THE COUNTY SIDE (which matters for the ~7.7 square miles of Wauchula Electric territory that lie OUTSIDE the city): Hardee County's ULDC does regulate solar, but only at utility scale - Sec. 4.02.46 'Solar Power Generation Facility' requires that 'The solar panels shall be ground mounted and may be fixed mount or solar tracker', with setbacks, fencing, glare and abandonment rules, and Article 14 defines 'Photovoltaic (PV) Systems' and 'Solar Energy System'. THERE IS NO ROOFTOP OR RESIDENTIAL PV PROVISION IN THE COUNTY CODE EITHER. 66% · codified land development code
• Is there a local rule on service upgrades or busbar sizing? YES - three utility-side rules that bear directly on a service upgrade. (a) Sec. 22-116(b): 'NO RESIDENCE SERVICE ENTRANCE SHALL HAVE SMALLER THAN 100 AMP THREE-WIRE CAPACITY.' (b) Sec. 22-112(f)(3): 'The City will provide meter and meter base for single-phase services of 200 AMPS OR LESS. Charges will apply for meter, meter base and instrument transformers, if required, on all single-phase service above 200 amps and all three-phase services regardless of service size' - so upgrading past 200 A moves the metering hardware cost onto the customer. (c) Sec. 22-114: 'In order to insure that capacity is available in City equipment to provide satisfactory service to the customer, LOAD DATA MUST BE SUBMITTED WITH THE APPLICATION FOR SERVICE. Load data should include the anticipated connected load and the anticipated maximum demand.' Also Sec. 22-112(f): 'The meter location shall be as designated by the City... Meters for residents shall be outdoors,' and if a meter area is later enclosed the customer must move it at their own expense. Sec. 22-115(a) allows the City to require cash in advance for any distribution extension beyond a service drop. NO busbar rule and no 120% rule appear locally - NEC 705.12 governs. 89% · codified ordinance

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 NOTIFYING THE BUILDING OFFICIAL - and that means Hardee County, not the City. Sec. 5-174(g): 'It shall be the duty of the holder of the building permit or their duly authorized agent to NOTIFY THE BUILDING OFFICIAL WHEN WORK IS READY FOR INSPECTION. It shall be the duty of the permit holder to provide access to and means for inspections of such work that are required by the code.' Sec. 5-174(c) opens 'The Building Official, UPON NOTIFICATION FROM THE PERMIT HOLDER OR HIS AGENT, shall make the following inspections'. No method (phone, portal, form, email) is prescribed in the Code and the City operates no inspection-booking system. Hardee County Building Department: building.department@hardeecountyfl.gov, (863) 773-3236, 401 W Main Street, Wauchula. Hardee County publishes NO booking method, form or portal: its Building page gives only the office phone and email, and its WordPress site search returns zero results for 'inspection'. Its own Land Development Code has no inspection-scheduling section at all - ULDC Article 12 'Code Compliance' runs 12.01 Buildings and Construction, 12.02 Building Official Powers and Duties, 12.03 Permits, 12.04 Service Utilities, and defers wholly to the FBC. 84% · codified ordinance
• Are same-day or AM/PM windows offered? SAME-DAY AND AFTER-HOURS INSPECTIONS BOTH EXIST AND BOTH ARE PRICED - but the prices are not published. Neither government publishes a scheduling window, an AM/PM slot system or a same-day policy. The evidence that the services exist at all is financial: the Hardee County adopted budget carries two revenue accounts, 'BLDG Same Day Inspection Fee' ($9,450 actual FY2024-25) and 'BLDG After Hours Inspection Fee' ($3,300 actual FY2024-25). NEITHER LINE APPEARS IN THE MOST RECENT PUBLISHED FEE SCHEDULE (Appendix A, 2022), so both were created by a later fee resolution that has never been published. 62% · adopted county budget (revenue detail)

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? NO. The City of Wauchula does not perform the final solar inspection. The building and electrical inspections inside the corporate limits are performed by the HARDEE COUNTY BUILDING DEPARTMENT - proved by the County Building Official's sworn testimony at the City's own code-enforcement hearing that he 'had personally inspected this building' at a city address (see q1). What the CITY does inspect is UTILITY work: Sec. 22-115(e) - 'The City reserves the right to inspect the customer's installation prior to rendering service, and from time to time thereafter'; Sec. 22-123 gives City employees entry 'for the purposes of inspection and observation of electric supply wires and electric meters'; and the Utility Fee Schedule states of temporary and permanent electric service that 'Both temporary and permanent service MUST BE INSPECTED BEFORE CONNECTING'. So expect TWO inspecting bodies: County for code, City for the service connection. 85% · fee schedule + codified ordinance
• If delegated, to whom? HARDEE COUNTY BUILDING DEPARTMENT. Named staff, from the County's own department page: Tom Fisher - Building Official (tom.fisher@hardeecountyfl.gov); Bobby Green - Building Inspector; Guadalupe Flores - Office Manager; Leeanna Castanon - Permit Specialist; Felise Skinner - Permitting/CILB Technician. Address 401 West Main Street, Wauchula FL 33873; (863) 773-3236; fax (863) 767-0360; building.department@hardeecountyfl.gov. Hours Mon-Thu 8am-5pm, Fri 8am-4pm. Note the department is physically located INSIDE the City of Wauchula. Separately, contractor competency licensing runs through the County (Hardee County Construction Industry Licensing Ordinance 87-09, adopted by Wauchula Code Sec. 5-26(2)) - hence the CILB technician post. This is a real in-house department, not a contracted one, and it is growing: the adopted county budget shows Buildings and Inspections (General Fund 001, function 524) at 6.0 FTE in FY2025-26 rising to 8.30 in FY2026-27, after three years at 4.5. Personnel services $716,188 against Professional Services of just $10,000 and no contractual services at all - a 72:1 ratio. Professional Services actuals were $0, $800, $0 and $2,145 across FY2021-22 to FY2024-25. The department runs at a surplus on permit fees: 'PERCENTAGE OF BUDGET GENERATED' is recorded as 132%, 172%, 168%, 91% and 106% across those years. 92% · county 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? FOR AN ELECTRICAL PERMIT: THREE, in this order - Underground, Rough-in, Final (Sec. 5-174(c), 'Electrical'): (1) 'Underground inspection. To be made after trenches or ditches are excavated, conduit or cable installed, and before any backfill is put in place.' (2) 'Rough-in inspection. To be made after the roof, framing, fire-blocking and bracing are in place and prior to the installation of insulation and wall or ceiling membranes.' (3) 'Final inspection. To be made after the building is complete, all required utilities and electrical fixtures are in place and properly connected or protected, and the structure is ready for occupancy.' The Building permit carries its own 14-item list (foundation, slab, foundation survey, flood elevation, tie-beam, framing, insulation, fire-resistant protection, sheathing, roofing, final, pool, demolition, modular). Sequencing is discretionary: 'The Building Official shall determine the timing and sequencing of when inspections occur and what elements are inspected at each inspection' (Sec. 5-174(c)). Sec. 5-174(h): 'Work shall not be done beyond the point indicated in each successive inspection without first obtaining the approval of the Building Official.' HARDEE COUNTY, which performs these inspections, publishes NO required-inspection list of its own: its ULDC Article 12 'Code Compliance' has no inspection-scheduling section, no sequence and no reinspection provision, and defers wholly to the Florida Building Code. So the sequence an installer will actually meet is the FBC's, applied at the County inspector's discretion. 84% · codified ordinance
• Is a rough-in or mid-roof inspection required? A ROUGH-IN INSPECTION IS ON THE BOOKS BUT ITS TRIGGER USUALLY WILL NOT FIRE ON A ROOFTOP RETROFIT. The electrical rough-in is defined by what it precedes: 'To be made after the roof, framing, fire-blocking and bracing are in place and PRIOR TO THE INSTALLATION OF INSULATION AND WALL OR CEILING MEMBRANES' (Sec. 5-174(c), Electrical (2)). A retrofit array conceals nothing behind new membranes, so in practice the job is usually a single final. There is NO mid-roof or mounting-attachment inspection anywhere in the list. The general concealment rule still applies: 'Any portions that do not comply shall be corrected and such portion shall not be covered or concealed until authorized by the Building Official' (Sec. 5-174(h)), and 'Construction or work for which a permit is required shall be subject to inspection... and such construction or work shall remain accessible and exposed for inspection purposes until approved' (Sec. 5-174(a)). 72% · codified ordinance

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 PERMIT CARD, THE APPROVED BUILDING/SITE PLANS, AND THE INSPECTION PLACARD - posted, protected from the weather, and kept there until sign-off. Sec. 5-167: 'Work requiring a permit shall not commence until the permit holder or his agent POSTS THE PERMIT CARD AND APPROVED BUILDING/SITE PLANS AND INSPECTION PLACARD in a conspicuous place on the premises. The permit, building/site plans and inspection placard shall be PROTECTED FROM THE WEATHER and located in such position as to allow access by the Building Official or representative to conveniently review the plans and make the required entries thereon. This permit card, approved building/site plans and inspection placard shall be maintained in such position by the permit holder UNTIL THE CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY OR COMPLETION IS ISSUED.' Also required on site: the set of construction documents stamped 'Reviewed for Code Compliance' (Sec. 5-170(a)); and, where the direct contract exceeds $2,500, the certified copy of the recorded Notice of Commencement must be on file with the issuing authority BEFORE the first inspection or 'the issuing authority shall not perform or approve subsequent inspections' (Sec. 5-168). The permit card itself must carry, in 18-point capitalised boldface, the FS 713.135 'WARNING TO OWNER' notice. 91% · codified ordinance

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

• What is issued on pass? A CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION - not a certificate of occupancy - for a retrofit on an existing house. Sec. 5-176: 'Upon satisfactory completion of construction of a building or structure and installation of electrical, gas, mechanical and plumbing systems in accordance with the technical codes, a CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION may be issued. A certificate of completion is proof that a structure or system is complete and for certain types of permits is RELEASED FOR USE AND MAY BE CONNECTED TO A UTILITY SYSTEM.' Sec. 5-176(c) covers exactly a solar retrofit: 'Any construction project involving the repair, remodeling, renovation or ALTERATION of an existing residential or commercial building or structure which is not part of a change of occupancy... may be issued a certificate of completion. UPON SPECIFIC REQUEST, the certificate of completion shall be issued when all permits associated with the construction project have been granted final approval and all fees have been paid.' A Certificate of Occupancy under Sec. 5-175 is for new buildings and changes of occupancy. 88% · codified ordinance
• Who notifies the utility for PTO? THE BUILDING OFFICIAL RELEASES THE POWER; THE CITY, AS THE UTILITY, IS THE PARTY RELEASED TO. Sec. 5-177(a): 'No person shall make connections from a utility source of energy, fuel or power to any building or system which is regulated by the technical codes for which a permit is required, UNTIL RELEASED BY THE BUILDING OFFICIAL, indicating that the work had a final inspection and was found to comply with the requirements of the technical codes, and a certificate of occupancy or completion is issued. PRIOR TO RELEASE OF ELECTRICAL POWER and issuance of a certificate of occupancy by the official, ALL FEES DUE TO THE CITY MUST BE PAID.' Because the AHJ and the utility are two different governments here, the release travels from the HARDEE COUNTY Building Official to the CITY OF WAUCHULA electric utility. On the utility side the gate is the executed Standard Interconnection Agreement (Sec. 22-35(c)(4), (e)) and the City's own meter change, metering equipment being 'installed at the point of delivery AT THE EXPENSE OF THE CITY' (Sec. 22-35(f)). Sec. 5-177(b) allows the Building Official to authorise a temporary connection for testing. 86% · codified ordinance
• Is there a re-inspection fee? YES - A REINSPECTION FEE IS AUTHORISED, BUT NO AMOUNT IS PUBLISHED BY THE CITY. Sec. 5-174(e): 'Reinspection fee/penalty. Failure to be found in compliance during any requested inspection MAY RESULT IN A REINSPECTION AND ASSOCIATED FEE AND/OR A PENALTY FEE FOR EACH VIOLATION of the technical codes observed.' Sec. 5-173(c)(3) lists 'Reinspections' among the chargeable fee types. The amount sits in the unpublished Commission fee resolution (Sec. 5-160(a)), and in practice the operative schedule is Hardee County's. HARDEE COUNTY'S NUMBERS, from the archived Appendix A (2022): 'INSPECTION FEES - Pre Inspection $100 each - First Re-inspection $25 each - Subsequent Re-inspection $50 each - (Plus 0.58 per mile after 30 miles one way).' These are live and rising fast: the county budget records 'BLDG Re-inspection Fee' actual revenue of $53,231 in FY2024-25 against $23,590 in FY2022-23. A $100 'Pre Inspection' charge is unusual and worth confirming before it lands on a quote. 70% · codified ordinance
• How are corrections issued and cleared? WRITTEN NOTIFICATION OF VIOLATIONS, THEN A HARD STOP AT THAT STAGE. Sec. 5-174(c): the Building Official 'shall either release that portion of the construction or shall NOTIFY THE PERMIT HOLDER OR HIS AGENT OF ANY VIOLATIONS WHICH MUST BE CORRECTED in order to comply with the technical codes.' Sec. 5-174(h): 'Work shall not be done beyond the point indicated in each successive inspection WITHOUT FIRST OBTAINING THE APPROVAL of the Building Official... Any portions that do not comply shall be corrected and such portion shall not be covered or concealed until authorized by the Building Official.' For plan-stage rejections, Sec. 5-166(a): the Building Official 'shall return the contract documents to the applicant with his refusal to issue such permit. Such refusal shall, WHEN REQUESTED, BE IN WRITING and shall contain the reason for refusal' - note the refusal is only put in writing ON REQUEST. Changed work must be resubmitted as an amended set of construction documents (Sec. 5-171), and it is the permit holder's duty to notify the Building Official if the scope of work changes (Sec. 5-172(a)(1)). 86% · codified ordinance