Miami-Dade 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 — Miami-Dade County's Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources (RER) is the AHJ for residential rooftop solar, but ONLY within the unincorporated Miami-Dade Municipal Service Area (UMSA) — properties whose folio number begins with '30'. The 34 incorporated municipalities are independent AHJs with their own building officials. 92% · county department page
• What does this authority permit itself, and what does it delegate? Both — RER's Building Division issues and reviews a combined Building Permit Application plus a separate Electrical Fee Sheet (Category 34) for the same project, routed concurrently to Structural/Roofing and Electrical review (Concurrent Plans Processing/CPP), and RER performs the resulting inspections itself. Zoning/Planning review is not triggered for a routine residential rooftop retrofit. This is UMSA-only; each of the 34 municipalities holds its own building+electrical authority for its own territory and is not a delegate of the County. 85% · county permit page + PV permitting workshop presentation
• Is a permit required for a residential rooftop PV system? Yes — a permit is required for residential rooftop PV in unincorporated Miami-Dade. 92% · county permit page
• Is there a separate electrical permit, or is it combined? Combined intake, two trade fees — one Building Permit Application plus one Electrical Fee Sheet (Category 34, Solar Photovoltaic) are submitted together and given a single process/'UP' number, then routed concurrently to Structural/Roofing review and Electrical review (Concurrent Plans Processing). Electrical fee-sheet Category 34 is explicitly marked 'must be processed if no building permit' — i.e. it is metered as its own trade fee even inside the combined submittal ($365.63 roof-mounted electrical fee is separate from the $365.63 building-permit solar line item). 78% · electrical fee sheet (current, dated Aug 2026) + building fee schedule IO-04-63 (25 Aug 2026)
• Is a HOA or architectural approval required first? No — under Florida's Solar Rights Act (F.S. 163.04), an HOA or similar entity may not adopt or enforce a deed restriction, covenant or declaration that prohibits or has the effect of prohibiting installation of a solar collector; an architectural-approval entity's power is limited to specifying installation location (within an orientation tolerance) where that does not impair the system's effective operation, and to reasonable aesthetic requirements that do not increase system cost by more than a small statutory threshold or decrease efficiency by more than 10%. This is state law, not a County rule, and binds County-permitted properties the same as anywhere else in Florida. 75% · F.S. 163.04 (2025, Florida Solar Rights Act)
• Is there a historic-district review? Conditional — Yes, if the property is locally designated historic or lies within a designated historic district under County Code Ch. 16A, a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Historic Preservation Board/staff would be required before work; No/not applicable for the large majority of residential parcels, which carry no such designation. The County maintains a public list of all historically designated sites and districts (both incorporated and unincorporated) under Sec. 16A-3.3. 55% · County Historic Preservation Ordinance (Ch. 16A) + program page
• Is a wind or windstorm certification required? No — no separate wind/windstorm certification scheme (of the kind a state insurance regulator issues) exists for PV in Miami-Dade. Wind design instead runs entirely through the Florida Building Code's HVHZ structural chapters (ASCE-7 uplift-pressure calculations, wet-stamped by a PE) and the County's own Product Control Notice of Acceptance (NOA) system, which pre-tests and pre-approves PV modules and racking to TAS 202/203/100(A) and UL 1703/61730/2703 for wind, cyclic and wind-driven-rain performance. 65% · Product Control Checklist #0443 + PV permit page + PV workshop presentation (absence across all four)
• Is a Specific Use Permit or Council approval ever required? No Specific Use Permit or Board/Council approval is required for a routine residential rooftop PV retrofit on an existing single-family home — review is administrative through RER's Concurrent Plans Processing. A zoning/Special Exception or Board hearing could be triggered for a ground-mounted array or a non-conforming/agricultural-zoned parcel, but I did not locate the specific County Zoning Code (Ch. 33) provision that would establish that trigger in this run. 55% · county permit page (roof-mount silent on zoning hearing) + PV workshop presentation (ground-mount zoning step)
• Is there a system-size cap on residential generation? No County-imposed kW cap on a residential rooftop system as such. The binding size constraint is the utility's (FPL) net-metering tariff: system output estimated at no more than 115% of the customer's annual kWh consumption, and customer generation limited to 90% of FPL's service capacity at that location; FPL's net-metering Tier 1 (the tier almost all residential systems fall into) runs up to 10 kW AC nameplate, with Tiers 2 (10-100 kW) and 3 (100 kW-2,000 kW) requiring additional FPL application steps (insurance, fee) beyond that. 65% · FPL Net Metering Guidelines + Tiers pages (utility tariff, not County rule)

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 — a State-certified/County-certified electrical contractor or State-certified solar contractor, OR the homeowner as owner-builder on their own residence. 82% · County Owner-Builder Permits page + Rooftop PV Building/Structural Requirements Checklist
• Must the contractor be registered with this authority before applying? Yes — a contractor must hold a current Miami-Dade County Certificate of Competency (in addition to state licensure under F.S. 489) before pulling permits in the County. 85% · Code of Miami-Dade County Ch. 10 Sec. 10-3 (Certificate of Competency)
• Is a homeowner permitted to self-install and self-permit? Yes — an Owner-Builder may obtain a solar PV permit for their own residence, including the electrical trade, with no additional certification required beyond the standard Owner-Builder affidavit/validation appointment. 78% · County Owner-Builder Permits page

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 completed Building Permit Application (yellow form) signed/notarized by owner and contractor; an Electrical Fee Sheet (gold form), Category 34 Solar Photovoltaic, signed by the contractor; electronic plans in PDF, digitally signed and sealed by the design professional; Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) PV system certification approval (or, absent FSEC cert, an engineer's statement under F.S. 377.705); a completed owner's Solar System Disclosure form; roof plan diagrams with dimensions and PV location; wind-uplift zone/pressure documentation per ASCE-7; structural roof-deck type; roof-penetration flashing details; manufacturer documentation that panels meet the required wind pressures; and an electrical diagram designed per NEC Article 690. 90% · county permit page
• How many copies, and in what format? Electronic PDF submittal through the County's EPS Portal is now the standard route (plans digitally signed/sealed per Ch. 471/481 F.S. and Rules 61G15-23/61G1-16). The County's still-published Concurrent Plans Processing (CPP) guideline additionally describes an older paper route (one signed/sealed hard-copy set, converted to electronic for a fee with 24-48 hrs added) or a CD-ROM electronic route — both described in a 2018 presentation, and may no longer reflect current practice now that EPS Portal handles direct upload. 55% · PV permitting workshop presentation (RER, dated 2018) — format detail may be stale
• Is a site plan required, and what must it show? Yes. The roof plan must show: location, nature and extent of the proposed work; size, shape and dimensions of the roof and roof sections; site exposure category and design wind speed; roof pressure zones and their sizes; and the layout of racking/stand-offs for module attachment including roof-penetration flashing details. 78% · PV permitting workshop presentation + current county permit page
• Is a one-line / three-line diagram required? Yes — a complete electrical riser/one-line diagram is required, showing all equipment, wire sizes, and indicating underground or overhead service lateral, plus a site drawing showing descriptions and locations of major components. 85% · PV Electrical Inspector Checklist (RER, Oct 2023) + county permit page
• Are string and conductor calculations required? Yes. Required calculations include: PV source/output circuit maximum voltage and current (NEC 690.7, 690.8(A)(1)(a)-(e)); conductor ampacity with and without derating; ambient-temperature correction factors for rooftop-mounted conductors (annual extreme highs/lows, attic temperatures); adjustment factors for more than three current-carrying conductors in a raceway (NEC 310.15(C)(1) / Table 310.15(B)(3)(a)); and overcurrent-device ratings at not less than 125% of calculated maximum current. 85% · PV Electrical Inspector Checklist (RER, Oct 2023)
• Is a structural PE stamp required, and at what threshold? Structural calculations, wet-stamped and sealed by a Florida-licensed PE or architect, are required for roof-mounted PV addressing both vertical and lateral (wind uplift) forces per ASCE-7 and FBC HVHZ Chapter 16 — this is essentially always required in Miami-Dade because HVHZ wind-pressure design is project-specific. The one fast-track exception is the 'Miami-Dade County prescribed/standardized solar mounted system' route (fee code G137 / building fee item 'e'), which uses Product-Control pre-approved (NOA) racking, flashing and anchorage details under Checklist #0443, avoiding a project-specific structural stamp. 72% · Product Control Checklist #0443 (PV Modules, rev. July 2022) + current fee schedules
• Is an electrical PE stamp required, and at what threshold? Not required where the system carries Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) certification, or where the design falls within the F.S. 471.003(2)(h) electrical-contractor exemption — a system value of $125,000 or less and 600 amperes (240V) or less aggregate service capacity on a residential (one/two-family) electrical system. Above those limits, or absent FSEC certification, an engineer's statement under F.S. 377.705 or a full PE seal is required. 70% · F.S. 471.003(2)(h) (2025) + County PV workshop presentation (2018, dollar figure superseded)

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 Miami-Dade RER 'EPS Portal' (Electronic Plans/Permit Submission Portal) at https://www.miamidade.gov/Apps/RER/EPSPortal — used to submit applications, track process numbers, pay fees, and download approved plans; a separate ePermitting module handles permits that do not require plan review. 85% · county permit page + Building Online Services page
• Can the whole application be completed online? Partially. Applications that do not require plan review can be obtained fully through e-permitting. Solar PV, however, is routed through Concurrent Plans Processing (plan review across Structural/Roofing and Electrical), so the applicant uploads plans and documents online, pays fees online, and downloads the approved plan set online, but the process involves a human plan-review cycle (process number, upfront fees, possible 'rework' corrections) rather than instant issuance — it is not a single-sitting online transaction. 70% · county 'How to Apply for a Permit' page + Building Online Services page
• What does a residential solar permit cost? Two routes: (1) Standard/custom-flashing roof-mount PV — Building permit fee $365.63/system (Fee Schedule IO-04-63 item B.25) + Electrical fee $365.63/system (fee code G127, roof-mounted) ≈ $731 combined, plus the standard building up-front processing (0.30% or 0.60% per sq ft does not typically apply to a flat-fee solar line) and card/processing surcharges. (2) 'Miami-Dade County prescribed/standardized' flashing route — a single $250/system fee (electrical fee code G137, echoed as building-fee item Q.e under the Residential Hardening Improvement pilot, which states the two figures are 'the same fee... relocated'). Ground-mounted PV is $325/system (electrical fee code G126) plus separate building/structural/zoning review. 80% · Building Fee Schedule IO-04-63 (current, dated 25 Aug 2026) + Electrical Fee Sheet (current, dated Aug 2026)
• How is the fee calculated? Flat — a flat per-system fee ($250 prescribed/standardized route, or $365.63 custom-flashing route for roof-mount; $325 for ground-mount), not scaled by kW, panel count or valuation. 85% · current Electrical Fee Sheet, Category 34
• Is there a separate plan-check fee? No standalone plan-check line item was found for Category 34 Solar Photovoltaic — the $250/$365.63 per-system fees appear to be inclusive of the concurrent plan review. A separate cost can still arise under F.S. 553.80(2)(b): after a third rejection of the same uncorrected code violation, the County must charge 'four times the amount of the proportion of the permit fee attributed to plans review' for each further rejection — a statutory escalation, not a routine plan-check fee. 60% · Building Fee Schedule IO-04-63 (current, full text read)

Interconnection is a separate process from the permit and usually the longer pole. Where the utility does not depend on the permit being issued, running both at once is the single biggest saving available on a residential job.

• What is the stated plan-review turnaround? No fixed County-stated turnaround is published specifically for solar. Two data points exist: (1) F.S. 553.791(8)(b) — applicable because solar/PV falls within the statute's 'single-trade plans review' definition (1)(r) — requires the local building official to give written notice of any incomplete forms/documents within 5 business days of receipt for one/two-family dwellings, or the application is 'deemed approved as a matter of law' and issued the next business day; this is a completeness/deemed-approval backstop, not a guarantee of full review within 5 days. (2) The County's own PV permit page states only that portal submission 'allows for a faster permitting process after a complete application is received' with no number attached. 60% · F.S. 553.791(8)(b) (2025, enrolled text) + county permit page
• How long is an issued permit valid before it expires? 180 days. Under FBC 105.4.1 (statewide, applies in Miami-Dade), work must commence within 6 months of issuance, and the permit remains active only if it receives an approved inspection at least every 180 days; otherwise it becomes null and void, and reinstatement/renewal has its own fee ('e) Cancellation of Expired Permits — 92.48' cross-referenced in the County's own current fee schedule). 62% · FBC 105.4.1 (via multiple FL local-government secondary sources) + Miami-Dade fee schedule cross-reference
• Which utility handles interconnection here? Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) — the investor-owned utility serving unincorporated Miami-Dade County. 85% · FPL Net Metering Guidelines page
• Where does the utility sit in the sequence? Both ends of the process, not a single point: FPL requires an approved interconnection application (and, for Tier 2/3, insurance and an application fee) before the County building permit/installation proceeds — FPL's own guidance describes obtaining FPL's conditional approval, then the building permit and installation. After the County's final inspection, the customer submits the approved permit (or a portal screenshot showing it) back to FPL, which then installs the bi-directional meter and issues Permission to Operate; operating the system before that meter swap (other than for testing/inspection) is 'strictly prohibited.' 62% · FPL Net Metering Guidelines + application process pages

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 (NFPA 70-2020) — adopted as the wiring code underlying the 8th Edition (2023) Florida Building Code / Florida Building Code – Electrical, effective in Miami-Dade for permit applications submitted on or after 31 Dec 2023 (in practice, close of business 29 Dec 2023 for portal submissions). 80% · PV Electrical Inspector Checklist (RER, Oct 2023) — edition year inferred from article structure, not stated outright
• Which building code edition is in force? Florida Building Code, 8th Edition (2023), effective 31 December 2023 — based on the 2021 International Codes suite with Florida/HVHZ amendments; Miami-Dade and Broward Counties additionally carry the FBC's High-Velocity Hurricane Zone (HVHZ) chapters (Ch. 15 Roofing, Ch. 16 Structural) which do not apply statewide. 75% · County news item announcing FBC 8th Edition webinars + secondary code-summary sources
• Which fire code edition is in force? Florida Fire Prevention Code, 8th Edition (2023), based on NFPA 1-2021 with Florida amendments, effective 31 December 2023 (statewide, adopted by the State Fire Marshal on a 3-year cycle per F.S. 633.202). 60% · State Fire Marshal FFPC page (statewide adoption) — Miami-Dade Fire Rescue's own adoption page not reached this run
• Are there local amendments to any of the above? Yes. Two forms of local amendment apply: (1) Miami-Dade and Broward Counties carry the FBC's High-Velocity Hurricane Zone (HVHZ) chapters (roofing Ch. 15, structural Ch. 16) which are statutorily limited to these two counties and are materially stricter than the base FBC used elsewhere in Florida. (2) Miami-Dade County Code Chapter 8 separately adopts and locally amends the Building Code, and the County additionally runs its own Product Control (NOA) approval system for PV modules/racking (Checklist #0443) that does not exist as a County program anywhere else in the state. 75% · PV workshop presentation (HVHZ scope) + Product Control Checklist #0443 (County-specific NOA program)
• What is the installation judged against? The installation is judged against NEC Article 690 (and related Articles 480, 691, 705, 706, 710) as incorporated into the Florida Building Code – Electrical, plus the Florida Building Code's HVHZ structural/roofing chapters (15, 16) for wind and waterproofing, and the County's own Product Control NOA approvals for the specific module/racking products used. The County's current PV Electrical Inspector Checklist is organized as a direct, article-by-article walk-through of NEC 690/705/706/480/710 requirements that RER inspectors use in the field. 82% · PV Electrical Inspector Checklist (RER, Oct 2023)

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.

• What ridge setback and access pathways are required? Current national standard (NFPA 1-2021, as incorporated into the 8th-edition FFPC that Miami-Dade operates under): for arrays covering 33% or less of the plan-view roof area, an 18-inch clear setback on both sides of a horizontal ridge; for arrays covering more than 33%, a 36-inch setback (relaxed to 66%/18-inch and above-66%/36-inch where the dwelling has an NFPA 13D or IRC P2904 sprinkler system); one- and two-family dwellings need two 36-inch-wide access pathways from eave to ridge on separate roof planes. Caution: the County's own last-published solar guidance (2018 PV workshop presentation) still states the older scheme — 3-ft eave-to-ridge pathways, two required on a single-ridge roof, 1.5-ft hip/valley clearance, panels no closer than 3 ft below the ridge — which was the rule under an earlier NFPA 1 edition and predates the County's move to the 8th-edition FFPC. 55% · PV workshop presentation (RER, 2018, cites older NFPA 1 edition) — current Miami-Dade Fire Rescue-specific figure not confirmed this run

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 — rapid shutdown is required for PV circuits on or in buildings, per NEC 690.12(A)-(D) (2020 NEC as adopted under the 8th-edition FBC). County labeling requirements track this directly: a permanent label at each service-equipment location a PV system connects to, reading (capitalized, 3/8-inch minimum) 'SOLAR PV SYSTEM EQUIPPED WITH RAPID SHUTDOWN' (NEC 690.56(C)), and 'RAPID SHUTDOWN SWITCH FOR SOLAR PV SYSTEM' at the switch itself (690.56(C)(2)). No Miami-Dade amendment beyond NEC was found. 85% · PV Electrical Inspector Checklist (RER, Oct 2023)

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 County requires the full set of NEC-690/705/706/480/710 warning placards at the relevant equipment (no County-specific placard list beyond NEC), enforced item-by-item by RER's own current PV Electrical Inspector Checklist's 'Markings and signage' section: module/AC-module listing marks (690.51); DC PV circuit max-voltage label (690.53); interactive point-of-interconnection AC rating label (690.54); stand-alone-system plaques/directories (690.56(A)); utility-interconnected plaques/directories (690.56(B), 705.10 'CAUTION: MULTIPLE SOURCE OF POWER'); rapid-shutdown labels (690.56(C), (C)(2)); PV-disconnect labels ('PV SYSTEM DISCONNECT', plus shock-hazard wording where both sides may be energized, 690.13(B)); 'DO NOT DISCONNECT UNDER LOAD' on non-interrupting isolating devices (690.15(B)); conductor polarity marks at terminations (690.31(B)(1)); raceway/enclosure labels ('PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER SOURCE' or 'SOLAR PV DC CIRCUIT', 690.31(D)(2)); back-fed breaker busbar warning (705.12(B)(3)); ESS disconnect labels (706.15(C)); stationary battery emergency-disconnect labels (480.7(B),(F)). 90% · PV Electrical Inspector Checklist (RER, current, Oct 2023)
• Does the authority specify placard wording of its own? Yes — but the wording specified is NEC's own prescribed label text (NEC Article 690/705/706/480), not additional County-invented wording. The County requires field-applied hazard markings to comply with NEC 110.21(B): 'adequately warn of the hazard using effective words, colors, or symbols... permanently affixed... not handwritten... of sufficient durability.' The 2018 workshop presentation's supplementary label-catalog slide ('2014 Labels & Placard for the NEC requirements') maps each NEC citation to a specific pre-printed label part number (e.g. 690.5(c) = #05-101), which suggests the County/its plan reviewers point applicants to a specific commercial label catalog rather than authoring bespoke County wording. 75% · PV Electrical Inspector Checklist (RER, Oct 2023) + PV workshop presentation label-catalog slide (2018)
• Does it specify letter height, colour or material? Following NEC (no County-specific override found): field-applied hazard markings must use effective words/colors/symbols, be permanent, not handwritten, and durable for the environment (NEC 110.21(B)); the PV-power-source raceway marking is reflective, white text, capital letters not smaller than 3/8 inch, on a red background (NEC 690.31, quoted verbatim in the County's 2018 workshop slides); rapid-shutdown labels use capitalized 3/8-inch lettering per 690.56(C). 75% · PV workshop presentation (RER, 2018) + PV Electrical Inspector Checklist (RER, Oct 2023)
• Is a site plan / facility map placard required, and what must it show? Yes. Facilities with utility service and a PV system require a plaque or directory installed per NEC 705.10/712.10, at minimum a 'CAUTION: MULTIPLE SOURCE OF POWER' identification of power sources at the service equipment; stand-alone systems require an equivalent plaque/directory per 690.56(A)/710.10. Buildings with rapid shutdown additionally require the permanent 'SOLAR PV SYSTEM EQUIPPED WITH RAPID SHUTDOWN' label at each service-equipment location the PV system connects to (690.56(C)). 85% · PV Electrical Inspector Checklist (RER, Oct 2023)
• Does the UTILITY specify placards beyond the AHJ's? Yes, on the interconnection/metering side. FPL requires, beyond the County's own NEC-based signage: a placard permanently affixed to the meter enclosure stating 'Battery storage utilized in this facility' where a battery/ESS is present, and — per FPL's Distributed Generation disconnect-switch standard (the same category of document the Alameda County file cites for PG&E) — front-of-enclosure signage identifying the AC disconnect switch, plus a location map when the disconnect is not grouped with the meter panel. I did not independently pull FPL's own disconnect-switch-standard PDF in this run (the way the Alameda file pulled PG&E's), so the FPL specifics rest on a secondary summary of FPL's net-metering guidelines page. 55% · FPL Net Metering Guidelines page (AI-summarized fetch, not a hand-read FPL PDF standard)
• Where must the labels be placed? At each PV disconnecting means and each junction/combiner box with ungrounded conductors; on the raceway/enclosure carrying PV DC conductors (every run, per NEC marking rules); at the interactive point of interconnection; at the electrical service and at the inverter (plaque/directory) if not co-located; on the inverter-output/back-fed overcurrent device; at the rapid-shutdown initiation device/switch and at each service-equipment location the PV system connects to; on stationary-battery/ESS disconnects. FPL additionally requires its own disconnect/battery signage at the meter and AC-disconnect enclosure. 78% · PV Electrical Inspector Checklist (RER, Oct 2023) + FPL Net Metering Guidelines (lower confidence)

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? FPL rule, not a County rule: for Tier 2/3, the manual AC disconnect switch must be mounted separate from, but adjacent to, the FPL meter socket, and remain readily accessible to FPL at all times. Exact clearance/lockability specifications (the way PG&E's doc 060559 spells out a 10-ft line-of-sight rule, lockable-for-utility-padlock requirement, and disallowed disconnect types) were not independently confirmed against an FPL-published standards PDF in this run. 50% · FPL Net Metering Guidelines page (AI-summarized fetch — not independently verified against an FPL standards PDF)
• Must equipment be on a specific approved list? Yes. Equipment must be listed, labeled, or both, and installed in accordance with its listing (NEC 110.3(B), 690.4(B)-(C)) — inverters, motor generators, PV modules, AC modules, AC systems and rapid-shutdown equipment must all be listed or field-labeled. PV modules specifically must be UL 1703/UL 61730 tested, registered with the Florida Solar Energy Center, and — for the structural/wind side — carry (or independently demonstrate) a Miami-Dade Product Control Notice of Acceptance per Checklist #0443, tested to TAS 301/202/203/100(A) and installed with a UL 2703-certified mounting system. 88% · Product Control Checklist #0443 (rev. July 2022) + PV Electrical Inspector Checklist (Oct 2023)
• Are batteries permitted, and under what conditions? Yes, with conditions tracking the 2020 NEC as adopted: batteries/ESS are permitted subject to Articles 480 (storage batteries) and 706 (Energy Storage Systems) — max 100V DC for a one/two-family dwelling ESS (706.20); overcurrent protection sized at not less than 125% of calculated maximum current (706.30(A)); a secondary independent means of overcharge prevention for diversion-type charge controllers (706.33(B)); required emergency disconnect outside and readily accessible for one/two-family dwellings (480.7(B)); guarded live battery terminals, defined working space, egress-compliant doors and illumination for battery rooms (480.10(B),(C),(E),(G)). No standalone County fee code or permit type distinct from the general Solar Photovoltaic (Category 34) or Generator categories was found for batteries specifically. 75% · PV Electrical Inspector Checklist (RER, Oct 2023); fee-schedule absence checked by full-text search of current fee sheets
• Is there a separate ESS permit or inspection? No standalone ESS permit or fee code was found. Full-text search of the current Electrical Fee Sheet and Building Fee Schedule IO-04-63 (both extracted with pdftotext and read whole) turned up Category 34 Solar Photovoltaic and Category 38 Generator lines, but no separate 'battery' or 'energy storage' fee category — ESS appears to be inspected and reviewed as part of the same PV/electrical permit (Articles 480/706 are simply additional checklist rows on the same PV Electrical Inspector Checklist used for the PV system itself). 62% · current Electrical Fee Sheet + Building Fee Schedule IO-04-63 (full-text searched, no ESS-specific fee line found)
• Is a ground mount treated as a structure? Yes — a ground-mounted array is treated differently from a roof retrofit and pulled through a materially heavier review path: Planning/Zoning verification, foundation plans and structural details/calculations (i.e., a footing/foundation permit and inspection, '004 – Foundation/Footing'), and Fire Department review, none of which apply to the roof-mount over-the-counter-style path. 70% · PV permitting workshop presentation (RER, 2018)
• Is there a local rule on service upgrades or busbar sizing? No Miami-Dade-specific local amendment to service-upgrade or busbar sizing was found beyond the NEC 705.11/705.12 interconnection rules themselves (readily accessible overcurrent protection within 10 ft of conductor length for dwellings; bus/conductor ampacity limited using 125% of source output current per 705.12(B)(1)-(3); dedicated breaker or fusible disconnect per source). Where a service upgrade is needed it is pulled as its own separate electrical permit. 60% · PV Electrical Inspector Checklist (RER, Oct 2023) — full text read, no local busbar/service-upgrade rule found
• Is a specific mounting system or attachment spacing required? No County-mandated mounting system as such, but every PV module + racking + flashing combination must carry (or the design must independently demonstrate) Miami-Dade Product Control approval (an NOA) under Checklist #0443: the module must be installed with the same anchor count/location/type as tested, using a UL 2703-certified rooftop mounting system, with roof uplift pressures calculated per ASCE-7/TAS 202 (safety factor of 2) and TAS 203 cyclic loading, and no PV modules may be placed in the HVHZ 'P3 corner zone' of the roof. 75% · Product Control Checklist #0443 (rev. July 2022) + PV workshop presentation

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 (online) is now the primary route; phone/in-person exist but are more limited than the online system. Online inspection requests can be made through the County's Inspection Routes and Results / request system; a phone inspection line exists, though live call-taking is limited to a narrow morning window; and inspections can be requested in person at the Permitting and Inspection Center. Public Works inspections specifically moved to online-only requests effective 1 March 2025. 62% · county Inspections page (search-snippet level) + PV workshop presentation (2018 phone numbers, currency unverified)
• How much notice is required? One business day's advance notice: inspections requested by a stated morning cutoff are performed the next business day (the 2018 workshop presentation states inspectors take calls 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m., with requests after 4 p.m. performed the next business day; a more recent search snippet describes a narrower 7-8 a.m. call window with next-business-day scheduling). I could not reconcile these two figures to a single current rule in this run. 50% · PV workshop presentation (2018) vs. search-snippet of current Inspections page — not reconciled
• Are same-day or AM/PM windows offered? Not confirmed for standard field inspections in this run. On-demand VIRTUAL inspections are available for Rough and Final inspections on Solar Photovoltaic and Electrical permits per a current County description (allowing effectively same-day/on-demand completion for those specific inspection types), which is a materially different and more current fact than a simple AM/PM-window offering. 55% · search-snippet of current county Inspections/virtual-inspection program page — not directly read

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 — RER performs its own final (and rough, and roofing) solar inspections in unincorporated Miami-Dade; not delegated to a private provider by default. Property owners may separately elect a state-authorized Private Provider (F.S. 553.791) for plan review and/or inspection on Building, Roofing, Structural, Electrical, Mechanical and Plumbing trades — Zoning, Fire and Public Works remain with the County regardless. 75% · County Private Provider / Alternative Plan Review and Inspection page
• If delegated, to whom? Where an owner elects the private-provider route (F.S. 553.791), inspections may be delegated to a State-qualified Private Provider firm (an FL-licensed engineer, architect, or building code administrator meeting statutory insurance minimums) for Building, Roofing, Structural, Electrical, Mechanical and Plumbing only; results must be reported back to the County within 4 business days. Zoning, Fire and Public Works inspections are never delegated and stay with the County. 75% · County Private Provider / Alternative Plan Review and Inspection 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? Roof-mounted PV: '009 – Time of Installation' (Roofing Inspection) must be approved BEFORE '002 – Rough' (Electric) is called, then '001 – Final'. Ground-mounted PV: '004 – Foundation/Footing' (Building Inspection), then '002 – Rough', then '001 – Final'. 68% · PV permitting workshop presentation (RER, 2018)
• Is a rough-in or mid-roof inspection required? Yes — a Rough (electrical) inspection is required, and for roof-mounted systems a roofing 'Time of Installation' in-progress inspection must be approved before the Rough Electric inspection can even be called; selecting 'Roof Mounted' on the electrical fee sheet is what generates this required roof-top in-progress inspection as part of the job's inspection set. 75% · PV permitting workshop presentation, quoting the electrical fee-sheet instruction

The approved plan set, the permit, and the equipment listings should be on site and reachable. Inspectors routinely verify that installed equipment matches what was approved, and that the labels are the ones the plan set promised.

• Is there a published inspection checklist? Yes. Multiple current, published County checklists exist and were read directly for this file: the PV Electrical Inspector Checklist (Oct 2023, 9 pages, NEC-690/705/706/480/710 walk-through); the Product Control Checklist #0443 for PV Modules (rev. July 2022); and the Rooftop PV Building/Structural Requirements Checklist (a fillable form, though its text still references the superseded 2014 NEC). 90% · PV Electrical Inspector Checklist + Product Control Checklist #0443 + Rooftop PV Building/Structural Checklist (all fetched and read directly)
• What must be on site at inspection? On site at inspection: the approved permit and the approved/stamped set of plans (job copy carrying the County watermark and reviewer stamps/signatures, reconcilable against the electronic record); the Notice of Commencement posted if the job's stated value exceeds $2,500; and an OSHA-approved ladder on site (extending at least 3 ft above the eave, supported on firm ground and tied to the structure where possible) so the inspector can access the roof for rooftop installations. 75% · PV permitting workshop presentation (RER, 2018)
• Does the inspector verify labels and listings? Yes — verifying equipment listing/labeling is an explicit, named inspector checklist item, not an incidental check: 'Equipment: Inverters, motor generators, PV modules, ac modules and ac systems, rapid shutdown equipment for PV systems shall be listed or evaluated with field label' (690.4(B)) and 'Modules and AC Modules: Modules and ac modules shall be marked in accordance with their listing' (690.51), both listed under 'General Requirements' at the top of the checklist. 88% · PV Electrical Inspector Checklist (RER, Oct 2023)

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 — a passed Final inspection closes out the permit for what is, in virtually every residential case, an accessory retrofit to an existing single-family home; no separate Certificate of Occupancy is issued for adding PV to an already-occupied house (a CO/Certificate of Completion applies to new construction or where occupancy classification changes, not to this permit type). 55% · Building Fee Schedule IO-04-63, Section N (CO/Certificate of Completion) + PV workshop presentation inspection sequence
• Who notifies the utility for PTO? Installer/Customer — not the AHJ. FPL's own net-metering process places the burden on the customer (in practice, the installer acting for them) to submit a copy of the approved permit, or a screenshot from the County's permit-status site, to FPL after the County's final inspection; FPL then schedules the bi-directional meter swap and issues Permission to Operate. The County itself does not notify FPL. 70% · FPL Net Metering Guidelines page
• Is there a re-inspection fee? No flat per-inspection reinspection fee was found in the current fee schedule for a routine job-site reinspection. What the current Building Fee Schedule IO-04-63 does contain is the statutory F.S. 553.80(2)(c) escalation: after an initial inspection and one subsequent reinspection for the same uncorrected code violation, any further reinspection for that same violation is charged at 'four times the amount of the fee imposed for the initial inspection or first re-inspection, whichever is greater.' A $92.48 figure exists in the same document but is explicitly tied to 'Quality Control Re-Inspection for recertification' (the 40-year building recertification program) and to 'Cancellation of Expired Permits' — not to a general PV job reinspection — and should not be quoted as a general reinspection fee. 62% · Building Fee Schedule IO-04-63 (current, full text read directly)
• How are corrections issued and cleared? Through the EPS Portal: corrections ('reworks') are submitted online against the existing process/UP number, tracked alongside the original submission, and cleared when the relevant trade reviewer marks the rework approved; a per-rework minimum fee ($58.75, 'Shop Drawing Review... Minimum Rework fee') applies for at least the structural/shop-drawing category of correction. 60% · County Building Online Services page + Building Fee Schedule IO-04-63 (rework fee, general category)