Clay County

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, for the unincorporated area of Clay County (and, via delegation, for the Town of Keystone Heights). NOT the AHJ for the City of Green Cove Springs or the Town of Orange Park, which run their own building divisions. 90% · City/county pages, cross-checked by name
• What does this authority permit itself, and what does it delegate? Both — the Building Division issues and inspects both Building and Electrical permits itself for unincorporated Clay County (fee schedule Sections 208.1 Building Permits and 208.2 Electrical Permits are both County-collected fees; Chapter 7 maintains a County Construction Trades Licensing Board and County electrical-craftsman certification). Not delegated to a separate agency; Planning & Zoning (a different County division) handles zoning/LDC review, not building/electrical. 85% · adopting ordinance + fee schedule
• Is a permit required for a residential rooftop PV system? Yes — a permit is required for construction/alteration of a structure, which a licensed installer would treat a PV mount and its electrical work as falling under (Sec. 6-36 'Required'). 75% · adopting ordinance
• Is there a separate electrical permit, or is it combined? Separate — the fee schedule prices Building Permits (§208.1, $100 minimum) and Electrical Permits (§208.2, $50 minimum) as distinct line items, and Chapter 7 certifies 'Building Contractors' (Div. 4) and 'Electrical Craftsman' (Div. 7) as separate trades. 60% · fee schedule + current how-to-guides list (inference)
• Is a HOA or architectural approval required first? No — not required as a legal matter. Florida Statute 163.04 bars any 'deed restriction, covenant, declaration, or similar binding agreement' (which includes HOA architectural-control documents) from denying a property owner permission to install solar collectors; an HOA/ACC may only regulate placement/orientation within limits that don't impair performance. 80% · state statute
• Is there a historic-district review? No — Clay County's Land Development Code, Article III (Zoning and Land Use), has no historic-district overlay provision at all; searching its full text (19,876 lines) for 'historic' returns only incidental uses of the word (comprehensive-plan cross-references), not a zoning overlay district. 70% · Land Development Code, Article III (zoning)
• Is a wind or windstorm certification required? No separate windstorm-certification submittal exists (this is not a Texas-TDI-style state); wind design is handled through the Florida Building Code's Figure 1609 wind-speed-line map, which Clay County has itself localized: Sec. 6-6 sets a 110 mph line along US-17/SR-15 and a 100 mph line along the county's west boundary, per Ch. 2000-141, Laws of Florida. 65% · adopting ordinance
• Is a Specific Use Permit or Council approval ever required? Generally no for rooftop or small accessory-scale ground-mount PV. The LDC's only solar-specific approval trigger is for a 'Solar Facility (Solar Farm)' — a distinct, larger-scale use requiring conditional/special-use review in specified districts — not applicable to a residential accessory PV installation. 60% · Land Development Code, Article III (zoning)
• Is there a system-size cap on residential generation? No County zoning cap specific to residential PV was found. The practical governing cap comes from the utility side: Clay Electric Cooperative's tariff limits an RGS to no more than 90% of the member's utility service-entrance rating or 90% of the co-op's transformer kVA rating at that location (whichever is less), and systems of 20 kW DC or more require Clay Electric pre-approval. 70% · utility interconnection agreement + LDC (zoning)

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? Either — application must come from a certified/licensed contractor or master craftsman (Sec. 6-38(b), Ch. 7 Div. 7 Electrical Craftsman), or the property owner may apply as owner ('the owner, lessee, or builder' — Sec. 6-38(a)), consistent with Florida's statewide owner-builder exemption (F.S. 489.103(7)). 60% · adopting ordinance (general permit chapter)
• Must the contractor be registered with this authority before applying? Yes — the contractor must hold a Clay County Certificate of Competency (local trade licensing board, Ch. 7) or, if state-certified, must at minimum register with the County and supply proof of liability insurance before pulling permits. 80% · adopting ordinance
• Is a homeowner permitted to self-install and self-permit? Yes, in principle — Sec. 6-38(a) lets 'the owner' apply for a building/other permit, and Florida's statewide owner-builder statute (F.S. 489.103(7)) lets a homeowner permit and perform work on their own residence. No PV-specific owner-builder statement was found. 55% · adopting ordinance (general)

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 checklist is published. The general building-permit application (Sec. 6-37) requires: plans/drawings showing the plumbing and electrical layout; a site plan showing the building/structure location, distances to property lines and other structures, and off-street parking; a legal description of the property; and (for lots under 1 acre) a foundation survey by a registered surveyor before final inspection (waivable). All applications go through the Tyler Technologies EPL Citizens Access Portal (CAP). 55% · adopting ordinance (general) + how-to-guides page
• How many copies, and in what format? Electronic, through the Citizens Access Portal (CAP) — a Tyler Technologies EnerGov 'EPL' self-service instance; the Building Division's own page states 'All permit applications must be submitted through the Citizens Access Portal (CAP)'. 75% · department page
• Is a site plan required, and what must it show? Yes, per the general application requirement (Sec. 6-37(a)(2)): a site plan showing the location of the building/structure on the property, distances to property lines and other buildings/structures, and off-street parking spaces with adequate access/maneuvering space. 55% · adopting ordinance (general)
• Is a structural PE stamp required, and at what threshold? No PV-specific threshold is published. General provision: Sec. 6-37(b) requires signed/approved 'construction plans and specifications' only for 'commercial, industrial, or similar uses'; residential work is not named, so a structural PE stamp is not routinely required for a standard residential roof PV attachment under the County's general provision. 50% · adopting ordinance (general, inference)

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? Citizens Access Portal (CAP), running on Tyler Technologies EnerGov 'EPL' self-service software, at claycountyfl-energovpub.tylerhost.net/apps/SelfService. 90% · department page
• Can the whole application be completed online? Yes — apply, search records, and check permit status are all listed as available online through CAP; new users must register an account first. 80% · department page
• What does a residential solar permit cost? No dedicated PV fee line exists. Building the general fee schedule: Building Permit minimum $100 (§208.1, includes amendments) plus, for larger jobs, valuation-based fee per the current ICC Building Valuation Table; Electrical Permit minimum $50 (§208.2.2, Existing Residential Units). A typical straightforward residential PV job would run at least $150 (Building $100 + Electrical $50) before any ampere-service-upgrade or reinspection add-ons. A 25% discount applies to the building-permit fee when a private provider plan reviewer/inspector is used. 55% · fee schedule (Resolution 2023/2024-97)
• How is the fee calculated? Tiered/mixed — Building Permit fee is valuation-based above the $100 minimum (per current ICC Building Valuation Table); Electrical Permit fee is a flat minimum ($50) unless the job matches one of the itemized ampere-service or sub-feed categories. 55% · 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? 30 business days for a typical residential PV permit. The County's own ordinance (Sec. 6-41) commits to examining applications 'within a reasonable time... not to exceed thirty (30) days'; state law (F.S. 553.792, as most recently amended by 2026's HB 803) separately requires a decision within 30 business days for residential/accessory structures under 7,500 sq ft (the bracket almost all residential PV falls in), or 5 business days only for existing single-family electrical work under $15,000 (rare for a full PV system). 70% · state statute + local ordinance
• How long is an issued permit valid before it expires? The County's own codified text (Sec. 6-43) says 90 days from issuance, renewable in further 90-day increments 'for just cause' — but this is now superseded, for single-family dwellings, by the state-law floor: F.S. 125.56(4)(d) (as amended by 2026's HB 803, in force 1 Jul 2026) provides 'a building permit issued by a county 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.' Sec. 6-43 has not been amended since Ord. 2015-4, so it has not caught up with the new state floor. 75% · adopting ordinance (stale) + superseding state statute
• Which utility handles interconnection here? Split. Clay Electric Cooperative, Inc. (member-owned co-op headquartered in Keystone Heights, in the county) serves most of the county and is the co-op whose own interconnection tariff this survey pulled from. JEA (Jacksonville Electric Authority) separately holds a nonexclusive electric-utility franchise for the unincorporated area of Clay County under Ordinance 93-31 (still codified as Code Appendix D, Article IV — 'Electric Utility Franchise' — granted to JEA, 'its successors and assigns'), so parts of the county (generally areas nearer the Duval County line) are JEA territory, not co-op territory. I did not independently verify JEA's residential-PV interconnection rules this run. 75% · adopting ordinance (franchise) + co-op's own site
• Where does the utility sit in the sequence? After permit (with the application to the utility able to run in parallel to permitting, but energization gated on it) — Clay Electric's Interconnection Agreement requires the member to certify, before the RGS is put into service, that 'the RGS installation has been inspected by the local code official who has certified that the installation was permitted and has been approved and has met all electrical and mechanical requirements.' 75% · utility interconnection agreement (tariff sheet)

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

• Which NEC edition is in force? 2020 NEC — adopted statewide via the Florida Building Code, 8th Edition (2023), Chapter 27 (Electrical). Clay County's own Code (Sec. 6-40) still names only 'National Electrical Code' without an edition (last touched by Ord. 2022-1), so the edition-in-force is the statewide-adopted one, not a locally stated figure. 60% · adopting ordinance (names the document, not the edition) + redirect to state-published code
• Which building code edition is in force? Florida Building Code, 8th Edition (2023). Clay's own ordinance lists 'Clay County Building Code' and (stale) 'Standard Building Code' by name (Sec. 6-40(a)(1)-(2)) but the operative statewide code is the FBC, which the County's own 'Florida Building Codes' page redirects straight to (ICC's public Florida code collection) rather than hosting a local copy. 55% · adopting ordinance (stale list) + state mandate
• Which fire code edition is in force? Florida Fire Prevention Code, 8th Edition (2023, based on NFPA 1 2021) governs statewide — but Clay County's own local Fire chapter (Ch. 6, Art. VI, 'Life Safety') explicitly does not apply to single-family residential property at all: 'This article shall apply to all property within the unincorporated areas of the county with the exception of single-family residential property' (Sec. 6-106). 65% · adopting ordinance
• Are there local amendments to any of the above? Yes, but the local amendments on file (Ch. 6, Art. VII, 'Local Amendments to the Florida Building Code', Sec. 6-141 to 6-143) are all flood-hazard/coastal-construction related (affidavit permits in flood zones, Section 117 flood-hazard variances, and Residential R322.2.1 elevation requirements) — none amend anything solar/PV/electrical-specific. 90% · adopting ordinance
• What is the installation judged against? The Florida Building Code (8th ed., 2023) and NEC (2020, via FBC Ch. 27), plus Clay's own local flood-hazard amendments (Sec. 6-141–6-143) where a site sits in a flood zone; no solar-specific local standard exists. 55% · adopting ordinance (inference)

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 Clay County 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 state-code default — the 2020 NEC (adopted via FBC 8th ed., 2023, Ch. 27) requires rapid shutdown under NEC 690.12 for PV systems on or in buildings. No Clay-specific rapid-shutdown statement was found; this is a statewide-code inference, not a County-published rule. 55% · adopting ordinance (edition) + NEC 690.12 (inference)

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

• Which placards does this authority require at the service equipment? The AHJ (County) publishes no PV placard/signage requirement of its own (confirmed absent — see q39/q40/q41). The utility side is split: Clay Electric Cooperative requires only an unlabeled 'manual, single-throw, lockable disconnect' between inverter and the home's electrical service (no specific wording mandated) plus, if a battery is installed, a label reading exactly 'Battery storage utilized in this facility' permanently affixed to the meter enclosure. JEA separately holds an electric franchise for part of unincorporated Clay County (see q22) but I did not independently verify JEA's own placard spec this run. 65% · ordinance (absent) + utility interconnection agreement
• Does the UTILITY specify placards beyond the AHJ's? Yes, in part — Clay Electric Cooperative specifies exact wording for a battery-storage label ('Battery storage utilized in this facility,' permanently affixed to the meter enclosure) though not for the PV disconnect switch itself, which it requires but does not word. JEA also franchises part of the county but its placard practice was not independently checked this run. 70% · utility interconnection agreement
• Where must the labels be placed? Per Clay Electric: the manual RGS disconnect switch must be 'mounted separately from the meter socket,' located outside, and 'readily accessible at all times to the Cooperative' (preferably next to the utility meter); the battery-storage label must be affixed to the meter enclosure itself. No AHJ-level placement rule beyond this was found. 75% · utility page + interconnection agreement

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? Outside, mounted separately from the meter socket, and readily accessible to Clay Electric — the co-op's stated preference is immediately next to the utility meter. 85% · utility interconnection agreement + utility page
• Are batteries permitted, and under what conditions? Batteries are permitted by the utility subject to conditions, not separately addressed by the County: Clay Electric requires UL 1741-certified battery equipment, a permanent 'Battery storage utilized in this facility' label on the meter enclosure, no export of stored energy to the grid, and (per Fla. Admin. Code R. 25-6.065(2)(d), which the co-op cites) a UL-listed automatic transfer switch since batteries are not themselves defined as renewable energy under that rule. No Clay County ordinance addresses ESS/battery permitting for residential PV specifically. 65% · utility interconnection agreement
• Is a ground mount treated as a structure? Likely yes, by default — the LDC has no PV-specific carve-out, so a ground-mounted array would fall under the general 'accessory structure' framework (with its own front/rear/side setback tables, e.g. 30 ft front / 7.5 ft rear-side in several districts) rather than being treated as an unregulated appliance. 55% · Land Development Code, Article III (inference)

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

• How is an inspection booked? Portal — inspections are booked via the same Tyler EnerGov Citizens Access Portal (CAP) used for permitting; the Building Division's own site links its 'Schedule an Inspection' button straight into the CAP system rather than to a phone-only process. 60% · department page (inference from portal migration)

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, for unincorporated Clay County — the Building Department performs its own inspections at intervals through completion, per Ch. 6 Art. II Div. 3 (Sec. 6-56 to 6-59). (Not Yes for Green Cove Springs or Orange Park, which perform their own; see jurisdiction note.) 75% · adopting ordinance
• If delegated, to whom? Not delegated for the County's own unincorporated jurisdiction — the County Building Department inspects itself (see q52). Note the reverse relationship for the Town of Keystone Heights: its own Building Department page states permits (and, by implication, the associated inspections) are routed to Clay County after the Town's Public Works Director review, i.e. the Town delegates TO the County, not the other way around. 60% · 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? General sequence per Ch. 6 Art. II Div. 3: inspections 'at various intervals' through construction, then a mandatory final inspection before the structure may be occupied, followed by a Certificate of Occupancy on request. No solar-specific stage order (e.g. rough-in electrical vs. mounting/racking) is published. 50% · adopting ordinance (general)

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? General requirement: 'A copy of all permits shall be kept on the premises open to public inspection during the prosecuting of the work and until the completion of same, and final inspection has been made' (Sec. 6-44). No PV-specific on-site document list (e.g. approved plans, equipment spec sheets) is published. 60% · adopting ordinance (general)

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

• What is issued on pass? Final (final inspection approval) for a retrofit PV install on an already-occupied home; a Certificate of Occupancy is issued only where one is separately requested/applicable (e.g. new construction) — 'When requested, the department will issue a certificate of occupancy as proof of final inspection approval' (Sec. 6-59). 60% · adopting ordinance (general, inference)
• Who notifies the utility for PTO? Installer — Clay Electric's process has the member/contractor submit the signed Interconnection Agreement, Net Meter Application, and code-official inspection certification directly to the co-op's Energy Services team, who then install the net meter and finalize service; the AHJ does not itself notify the utility. 70% · utility page + interconnection agreement
• Is there a re-inspection fee? $50 flat, rising to four times that ($200) after a second failed reinspection, per F.S. 553.80(2)(c). 85% · fee schedule