Town of Caryville

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? No. The Town of Caryville is not the AHJ for residential solar. Building permits, electrical permits, plan review, inspections and certificates of occupancy inside the Caryville town limits are issued and performed by the WASHINGTON COUNTY Building Department (1331 South Blvd., Suite 900, Chipley FL 32428, 850-638-6195, Building Official Charles Vannatter), after a land-use step at the Washington County Planning Department (same address, 850-415-5093). Caryville does retain ONE mandatory step of its own: the County's residential planning instructions state 'A letter from the Town of Wausau, Ebro, and Caryville is required for any new development within the City limits', and that letter must be attached to the County Land Use Application. Town Hall: 4436 Old Spanish Trail, Caryville FL 32427, 850-548-5571. 88% · authority handout
• What does this authority permit itself, and what does it delegate? Delegated. Caryville permits nothing relevant to rooftop PV. Land development review (Land Use Certificate, $50) sits with the Washington County Planning Department; building permits, electrical (trade) permits, plan review, inspections, contractor registration and certificates of occupancy sit with the Washington County Building Department; E-911 addressing with the County E-911 Addressing Department (850-638-6325); driveway permits with County Public Works. Caryville's only retained step is the town letter for new development within the town limits. 85% · codified ordinance
• Is a permit required for a residential rooftop PV system? Yes. A building permit is required, and the County's Building Permit Application carries a 'Solar System' checkbox in its project-type grid. Under LDC 10.06.02(A) 'the erection, alteration, or reconstruction of any building or structure ... shall not be commenced without obtaining a Building Permit from the Building Department', and F.S. 553.79(1)(a) makes it unlawful to alter a building anywhere in Florida without a permit from the enforcing agency. 92% · permit application form
• Is there a separate electrical permit, or is it combined? Separate. The County uses two different forms: an Application for Building Permit and a separate Trade Permit Application (which is where ELECTRIC / GCE / FPL / WFECA-G, job cost, service change and amps are declared). The building permit application states in terms: 'I understand that a separate permit must be secured for ELECTRICAL WORK, PLUMBING, SIGNS, WELLS, POOLS, FURNACES, BOILERS, HEATERS, TANKS, AIR CONDITIONERS, and etc.' The fee schedule likewise prices 'Building Permit' and 'Electrical Permit' as separate items. 90% · permit application form
• Is a HOA or architectural approval required first? Not by the AHJ. The county states plainly that it does not enforce private restrictions: 'Washington County Building Department does not have the authority to enforce deed restrictions or covenants on properties', and its residential instructions warn that 'Some Subdivisions have Architectural Review Committees that require approval of the placement of a dwelling and accessory buildings ... Washington County makes no warranties as to whether the residence meets the requirements of any Architectural Review Committee.' Separately, F.S. 163.04(2) voids any deed restriction, covenant or similar agreement that prohibits or has the effect of prohibiting solar collectors, and leaves such a body only the power to determine the specific location on the roof within an orientation to the south or within 45 degrees east or west of due south, and only if that does not impair the effective operation of the collectors. 82% · permit application form
• Is there a historic-district review? No historic district covering Caryville was found. The LDC does carry a Historical and Archaeological land use overlay (2.03.03) and requires approval for development on or beside a designated historic site (1.05.02(O), 4.06.02), with referral to the Florida Division of Historical Resources - so if a specific Caryville parcel is on the Florida Master Site File the overlay bites. Nothing designates the town or any part of it as a district. 60% · codified ordinance
• Is a wind or windstorm certification required? Yes, in the Florida sense. Washington County Code s. 14-37 creates a wind speed line 'along State Road 20, which runs through southern Washington County, and passes through Ebro, Florida', and sets 120 mph for all portions of the county lying NORTH of SR 20 and 130 mph south of it. Caryville is in the far north-west of the county, well north of SR 20, so 120 mph is the design wind speed. Separately, Florida Product Approval is the mechanism: the Trade Permit Application has a field 'FL. PRODUCT APPROVAL CODE', and the Building Inspection Procedures require that a 'Product Approval Sheet must be on file in the Building Department prior to inspection'. 80% · codified ordinance
• Is a Specific Use Permit or Council approval ever required? Not for residential rooftop PV. A Special Exception (with a public hearing, $750 plus noticing costs) is required only for a 'Solar farm', which LDC 1.11.01 defines as 'A use of land containing solar panels, ancillary equipment and buildings uses for the collection, storage, and transmission of power resulting from the solar energy received from the panels, said property being owned by a non-profit or for-profit public or private company' - i.e. a commercial installation, not a householder's array. LDC 2.02.04(L) then imposes a 100-foot setback from abutting residential land, a 25-foot landscape buffer, a 100-foot buffer from the Choctawhatchee River, Holmes Creek and Econfina Creek, tree-removal standards, and a decommissioning surety bond. 82% · codified ordinance
• Is there a system-size cap on residential generation? No cap in the county code. The only size threshold that bites here is at utility level: West Florida Electric pays an energy credit of 5.2 cents per kWh 'for solar installations smaller than 25 kW', and charges $4.94 per kW of overall system capacity as a pass-through from PowerSouth, filed with the Florida Public Service Commission. 70% · utility DG manual

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

• Who is allowed to pull the electrical permit? A Florida-licensed contractor qualified under ch. 489 part II (the Trade Permit Application asks for 'CONTRACTOR NAME' and the Contractor's License Registration asks for the state licence), or the property owner under the F.S. 489.103 owner-builder exemption, for which the County publishes an Owner-Builder Disclosure Statement. 78% · permit application form
• Must the contractor be registered with this authority before applying? Yes. The Building Department page says permits 'may be emailed to permits@washingtonfl.com given you are currently registered with the Washington County Building Department'. Registration requires a completed application form, a current copy of the state licence and driver's licence, a certificate of insurance for general liability and workers' compensation naming 'WASHINGTON COUNTY BUILDING DEPARTMENT' as certificate holder (a copy of the policy is expressly not accepted), a letter of authorization if anyone other than the licence holder is to pull permits, and a $35 Certified Contractor Admin Fee. 90% · authority handout
• Is a homeowner permitted to self-install and self-permit? Yes. The County publishes an Owner-Builder Disclosure Statement (2024) implementing the F.S. 489.103 exemption, which lets an owner build or improve a one-family or two-family residence for their own use, provided the owner is the responsible party of record, provides direct onsite supervision, and does not hire unlicensed people. The statute's one-year sale/lease presumption applies. 85% · authority handout

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? There is no solar-specific submittal checklist. What the county's published documents require, in order: (1) an approved Land Use Application / Land Use Certificate from the Planning Department, with a recorded deed and a simple site map, $50; (2) a valid E-911 address, $25, if the parcel has none; (3) a driveway permit if required; then (4) the Building Permit Application, signed and notarized, with the valuation of work and the 'Solar System' box ticked; (5) a Trade Permit Application for the electrical work; (6) a certified copy of the Notice of Commencement if the construction cost is $2,500 or more, which must be provided to the Building Department and posted on the jobsite before the first inspection; (7) contractor registration on file; (8) the $35 non-refundable Plan Submittal fee; (9) an Elevation Certificate by a licensed surveyor or engineer where the parcel is in a flood zone; (10) Florida Product Approval numbers for roof-attached components. 70% · department page
• How many copies, and in what format? Not published as a copy count or format. The practical route the county states: if the contractor is already registered, permits may be EMAILED to permits@washingtonfl.com, with emailed and faxed permits taking up to 3 business days to process; 'All other permits should be brought into the office for processing'. The building permit application must be signed and notarized. A 3.5% convenience fee applies to all credit card transactions from 17 March 2025. 62% · department page
• Is a site plan required, and what must it show? Yes. LDC 10.01.03(C): 'Each Application for a Land Use Certificate shall be accompanied by a plot plan drawn to scale showing the actual dimensions of the lot to be built upon, the size, shape, height, and location of the buildings to be erected, dimensions and location of existing buildings, and width of front, side, and rear yards, and any historical or environmentally sensitive areas located on the site.' The county's residential instructions add 'A simple site map and copy of deed are required for a land use application.' 85% · codified ordinance
• Is a one-line / three-line diagram required? Not published. No Washington County document states whether a one-line or three-line diagram must be submitted for a residential PV permit - the county publishes no plan-submittal checklist for solar, and the Building Permit and Trade Permit applications ask only for a description of work, job cost and amps. This is an absence of a published requirement, not a statement that the plans examiner will not ask for one. 65% · department page
• Are string and conductor calculations required? Not published. Nothing in the county's forms, fee schedule, inspection procedures, Code of Ordinances or Land Development Code requires string or conductor calculations for a residential PV submittal. 60% · codified ordinance
• Is a structural PE stamp required, and at what threshold? No county threshold is published. Florida law is what governs: F.S. 471.003(2)(h) exempts a ch. 489 licensed electrical contractor from the engineering-licensure requirement for work they install where the electrical system has a value of $125,000 or less AND an aggregate service capacity of 600 amperes (240 volts) or less on a residential system - which covers essentially every residential rooftop PV job. The county's Building Permit Application has an 'ARCHITECT'S/ENGINEER'S NAME' block but states no threshold at which it must be filled. 70% · state statute
• Is an electrical PE stamp required, and at what threshold? Same as q13 - no county threshold published; F.S. 471.003(2)(h) is the operative rule and exempts the licensed electrical contractor at $125,000 / 600 A residential or less. 70% · 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? iWorq Systems. The county's public portal is portal.iworq.net/WASHINGTONFL, module 601 ('Permits'), which offers permit search (by permit number, permit date, permit type, parcel number, applicant name or applicant address) and an online Inspection Request form. The Building Department page links it as 'Permit Searches ... For Searches between 11/06/2014 to Current Date'. The county also runs a separate Diligent OnePlatform portal (washingtonfl.community.diligentoneplatform.com) for meetings/records, not permits. 85% · portal
• Can the whole application be completed online? No. The county's stated route is email or in person: 'Permits may be emailed to permits@washingtonfl.com given you are currently registered with the Washington County Building Department ... All other permits should be brought into the office for processing.' The iWorq portal supports permit search and inspection requests, not application submission, and the Building Permit Application must be signed and NOTARIZED. This sits awkwardly with F.S. 553.79(1)(b), which requires a local enforcement agency to allow applicants to submit completed applications including payments electronically, and to post every application type and its required attachments on its website - the county does post its forms, but there is no online application. 75% · department page
• What does a residential solar permit cost? Building side: the fee schedule (Construction Permit Fees 'Schedule A', effective 09/01/2024, republished April 2026) lists 'Solar System Installation - Based on Building Valuation Table'. The building permit fee table is $100 for valuations of $10,000 and less; $252 for the first $10,000 plus $6 per additional $1,000 up to $50,000; $492 for the first $50,000 plus $5 per additional $1,000 up to $100,000. Add a $35 non-refundable Plan Submittal fee, a plan review fee of 15% or $35 whichever is greater, and a state radon surcharge of 3% or $4.00 whichever is greater. Electrical side: 'Electrical Permit: Single Family Residential $125' (or 'Residential Service Upgrade/Temp Pole $100 minimum' if that is how the job is written). Planning side: Land Use Certificate $50 (new) or $25 (revision/renewal). A 3.5% convenience fee applies to card payments. Indicative total for a typical residential rooftop PV job: roughly $345-$500 depending on declared valuation. 75% · fee schedule
• How is the fee calculated? Valuation (tiered). The solar line points to the Building Valuation Table, and the building permit fee table is a tiered valuation schedule ($100 up to $10,000; $252 + $6/$1,000 to $50,000; $492 + $5/$1,000 to $100,000; $742 + $4/$1,000 to $500,000; $2,342 + $3/$1,000 above). The electrical permit, by contrast, is a flat $125 for single-family residential. The plan review fee is percentage-based (15% or $35 minimum). 78% · fee schedule
• Is there a separate plan-check fee? Yes, two of them. A NON-REFUNDABLE PLAN SUBMITTAL FEE of $35 collected at the time of submittal, charged again on every re-submittal and addendum; and a separate FEE FOR REVIEW OF PLANS assessed 'at a minimum of $35 or 15%, whichever is greater', collected at permit issuance along with the permit fee and radon surcharge. 85% · fee schedule

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

• What is the stated plan-review turnaround? Washington County publishes no turnaround time of its own. The binding numbers are statutory: F.S. 553.792(1)(a)1 requires a local government to approve, approve with conditions, or deny within 5 BUSINESS DAYS for an electrical, structural, roofing or accessory-structure permit on an existing single-family residential dwelling where the value of the work is less than $15,000; 30 business days where the structure is under 7,500 sq ft and the $15,000 test is not met. F.S. 553.792(1)(c) gives the county 5 business days to say in writing what is missing, failing which the application is automatically deemed complete. Missing a deadline costs the county 10% of the permit fee per business day (20% per day after a timely resubmittal). 80% · state statute
• How long is an issued permit valid before it expires? Three different statements are in force and they do not agree. (a) LDC 10.06.02(B)(1): a Building Permit expires and becomes null and void if work is not commenced, having called for and received a satisfactory inspection, within SIX MONTHS of issuance, or if the work is not completed within ONE YEAR, extendable by the Building Official. (b) The Building Permit Application itself: 'the building permit is valid as long as there is construction progress and an approved inspection is recorded within each 180 days (6 months) period.' (c) F.S. 553.79(1)(c): a building permit issued by a local government for a single-family dwelling expires 1 year after issuance or on the effective date of the next edition of the Florida Building Code, whichever is later. The Trade Permit Application adds: 'This permit is VOID after six (6) months from issuance unless the work it covers has been commenced and has had ongoing inspections.' 80% · codified ordinance
• Which utility handles interconnection here? Not resolvable at town level - it is parcel-by-parcel, and the County's own form says so. The Application for Land Use Certificate has a 'Power Company:' row with three tick boxes, 'GCE / FPL / WFE' (Gulf Coast Electric Cooperative, Florida Power & Light, West Florida Electric Cooperative), and the Trade Permit Application repeats 'ELECTRIC: GCE / FPL / WFECA-G'. The County Directory lists only two power companies for the county: 'Florida Power Lights, 1195 Jackson Ave., Chipley, 850-415-4207' and 'West Florida Electric, 905 St. John's Rd., Bonifay, 800-342-7400'. For Caryville specifically the realistic pair is FPL (successor to Gulf Power) or West Florida Electric Cooperative; WFEC's nearest district office is Bonifay. 55% · permit application form
• Where does the utility sit in the sequence? Parallel, with the utility's final approval coming AFTER the AHJ's inspection. If West Florida Electric serves the parcel: the member signs the Agreement for Member-Owned Generation, submits the Interconnection Application and Compliance Form with a $135 application fee, and WFEC approves or disapproves within TEN BUSINESS DAYS; but among the things the member must supply is 'documentation showing the MOG has been inspected and approved by local code officials prior to its operation', and Section F of the Compliance Form is signed first by the code inspector ('Satisfies Code Requirements') and only then by the utility ('Satisfies Utility Requirements'). Washington County Code s. 14-74 points the same way from the county end: 'Any new service or existing service that has been altered or repaired shall not be connected until a local utility company has received an authorized inspection certificate.' 75% · utility DG manual

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? NFPA 70, the National Electrical Code, 2020 edition. Washington County Code s. 14-68 adopts 'The National Electric Code, as it is adopted by the State of Florida, as it may be amended and updated from time to time', so the county tracks the state. Florida Administrative Code 69A-60.005(2)(qq) names the edition in force: 'NFPA 70, 2020 edition, National Electrical Code.' 85% · adopting regulation
• Which building code edition is in force? Florida Building Code, 8th Edition (2023). Florida Administrative Code 61G20-1.001(1), effective 18 March 2026, reads: 'The Florida Building Code, 8th Edition (2023), as updated by the Florida Building Commission on June 20, 2023, April 16, 2024, August 13, 2024, December 10, 2024, December 20, 2024, April 15, 2025, and December 9, 2025, and incorporated herein by reference is hereby adopted as the building code for the State of Florida.' Washington County Code s. 14-36 adopts 'The Florida Building Code, as it may be amended and updated from time to time'. The county's own Building Permit Application carries the header 'Code in effect 8th Edition Florida Building Code'. 95% · adopting regulation
• Which fire code edition is in force? Florida Fire Prevention Code, 8th Edition - NFPA 1, the Fire Code, Florida 2021 Edition (FAC 69A-60.003) together with NFPA 101, the Life Safety Code, Florida 2021 Edition (FAC 69A-60.004), both effective 31 December 2023, plus the referenced publications added by FAC 69A-60.005. FAC 69A-60.002(1) makes this self-executing for Caryville: 'The Florida Fire Prevention Code is the minimum fire prevention code deemed adopted by each municipality, county, and special district with firesafety responsibilities, and applies to every building and structure throughout the state'. Washington County Code s. 30-32 adopts the same code from the county side, and s. 30-33 makes the Board of County Commissioners the fire authority having jurisdiction over the unincorporated area 'and those municipalities located within the county which, by official act of their governing body, elect to come within the jurisdiction of the county authority'. 90% · adopting regulation
• Are there local amendments to any of the above? Yes, on the county side - and they are old. Washington County Code ch. 14 art. III (Electrical Code, ss. 14-66 to 14-89, from Ord. 80-2 of 12 May 1980) carries a long list of local electrical rules that sit on top of the NEC: s. 14-72 (service conductors in metal conduit from the point of attachment to the master disconnect; point of attachment not less than 12 ft above ground; service-disconnecting means with overcurrent protection at a readily accessible location nearest the point of entrance, and no service entrance conductors extending beyond 25 ft from the point of attachment without that protection); s. 14-73 (meters on residences mounted outside, centre 4 to 6 ft above grade); s. 14-79 (underwriter's label required on electrical equipment); s. 14-80 (no service conductor smaller than no. 8 AWG copper; main service switch operating handle max 6 ft, min 3.5 ft above grade; services of 400 A or less to have conductors of the same size and insulation type); s. 14-81 (no receptacle or lighting conductor smaller than no. 12 AWG; service disconnects and panels readily accessible and not in bathrooms; any service rewired or repaired to conform; no service complete until legibly indexed); s. 14-83 (grounding conductor in copper, not smaller than no. 8 AWG, connected on the supply side of the service disconnecting means). Also s. 14-37 (wind speed line), s. 14-1 (state-code exemptions) and the LDC's Appendix A Floodplain Management Ordinance, which is expressly framed as 'local administrative amendments to the Florida Building Code'. 72% · codified ordinance
• What is the installation judged against? The Florida Building Code, 8th Edition (2023) and the NEC 2020 as adopted by the State of Florida, enforced by the Washington County Building Department, plus Washington County Code ch. 14 art. III's local electrical provisions, plus the Florida Fire Prevention Code (NFPA 1 / NFPA 101, Florida 2021 editions), plus the LDC's Appendix A Floodplain Management Ordinance where the parcel is in a flood hazard area. The county's own framing: 'The permitting and inspection procedure established for Washington County is required by Florida Statute and ensures contractors follow the State of Florida Building Codes.' 80% · department page

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 Town of Caryville 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 code in force rather than by any local rule: the NEC 2020 applies in Caryville (see q29) and Article 690.12 is its rapid-shutdown requirement for PV systems on buildings. Washington County has adopted no amendment to it and publishes nothing about rapid shutdown. 68% · adopting regulation

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

• Which placards does this authority require at the service equipment? None of its own. Washington County specifies no PV placards at the service equipment, and neither does the Town of Caryville. What applies is the NEC 2020's own labelling (690.13(B), 690.56(C), 705.10 and the 690.12(D) rapid-shutdown label). The one local labelling rule in the county code is Code s. 14-79, and it is about equipment marking rather than placards: all electrical materials, apparatus, fittings, appliances, devices and appurtenances 'shall bear the manufacturer's name, trademark or other identification symbol along with markings giving voltage, type of current, wattage and other pertinent information ... and shall bear the underwriter's label'. 75% · codified ordinance
• Does the authority specify placard wording of its own? No. Neither Caryville nor Washington County specifies any placard wording of its own. 78% · codified ordinance
• Does it specify letter height, colour or material? No. No letter height, colour, material or durability specification is published by this authority or by the county. 75% · codified ordinance
• Is a site plan / facility map placard required, and what must it show? No local requirement. Whatever plaque or directory applies comes from NEC 2020 705.10 (and 690.56 for the PV system) as the edition in force; Washington County adds nothing and specifies no content. The county's own site-plan requirement is at the land-use stage, not at the service equipment: LDC 10.01.03(C) requires a plot plan to scale with lot dimensions, building sizes, shapes, heights and locations and yard widths. 70% · codified ordinance
• Does the UTILITY specify placards beyond the AHJ's? For West Florida Electric: no, none beyond the NEC. WFEC's Agreement for Member-Owned Generation (revised May 2025) and its Interconnection Application and Compliance Form (revised 2025) contain no placard, label, warning or signage requirement at all - the only signage-adjacent requirement is that the manual AC disconnect be 'capable of being locked in the open position with a utility padlock'. For FPL, not established in this run. 72% · utility DG manual
• Where must the labels be placed? No local rule on placement. The only positional requirements published by anyone in this chain are utility-side and concern hardware, not labels: WFEC requires the manual disconnect switch to be 'mounted separate from the meter socket' and 'readily accessible to Cooperative'; County Code s. 14-73 requires residential meters outside with the centre 4 to 6 ft above grade; s. 14-81 requires service disconnects and panels to be readily accessible and not in bathrooms. 70% · utility DG manual

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? If West Florida Electric serves the parcel, the requirement is explicit and unusual: the member must 'Install a manual disconnect switch of the visible load break type to provide a separation point between the AC power output of the MOG and any Member wiring connected to Cooperative's system. The manual disconnect switch shall be mounted SEPARATE FROM THE METER SOCKET and shall be readily accessible to Cooperative and capable of being locked in the open position with a utility padlock. Cooperative may open the switch, isolating the MOG (or the premises), without prior notice to Member.' The Interconnection Application also asks the installer to state the 'AC Disconnect Location' on the form. The county adds only that residential meters must be outside with the centre 4 to 6 ft above grade (Code s. 14-73) and that service disconnects and panels must be readily accessible (s. 14-81). For FPL-served parcels, not established. 85% · utility DG manual
• Must equipment be on a specific approved list? Yes, in three overlapping ways. Washington County Code s. 14-79 requires all electrical equipment to bear the underwriter's label. Florida Product Approval numbers are recorded on the permit (the Trade Permit Application has a 'FL. PRODUCT APPROVAL CODE' field) and the Building Inspection Procedures require a Product Approval Sheet on file with the Building Department before inspection. And on the utility side, WFEC's Compliance Form requires the contractor to certify hardware compliance with UL 1741, UL 1703 and IEEE 1262-1995, and installation to IEEE 929 and the current NEC, while the MOG Agreement requires certifications to IEEE 1547 (2003), IEEE 1547.1 (2005) and UL 1741 (2005) plus proof of general liability insurance of not less than $100,000. 80% · utility DG manual
• Are batteries permitted, and under what conditions? Permitted, with nothing specific published by this authority. There is no battery or energy-storage provision anywhere in the Washington County code - a full-text search for 'battery' returns only assault, hazardous-waste and auto-repair contexts, and 'energy storage' returns only outdoor-storage definitions. What governs is the Florida Building Code 8th Edition (2023) and the Florida Fire Prevention Code (NFPA 1 / NFPA 855 as referenced), neither of whose text could be read here. WFEC's Interconnection Application has a 'Batteries' manufacturer/model field, so a battery is contemplated on the interconnection side. 55% · codified ordinance
• Is there a separate ESS permit or inspection? No separate ESS permit type and no separate ESS inspection are published. The county fee schedule lists building, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, roofing, structure relocation, demolition, mobile home setup, swimming pool, alarm, gas, sign, fire sprinkler and hood suppression permits - and a Solar System Installation line - with nothing for energy storage; the Building Inspection Procedures list ten inspections, none of them ESS. 70% · fee schedule
• Is a ground mount treated as a structure? Yes, by inference - and there are Caryville-specific setbacks that matter. A residential ground mount is not a 'solar farm' under LDC 1.11.01 (that definition requires the property to be 'owned by a non-profit or for-profit public or private company'), so it falls to be treated as an accessory structure under LDC 2.04.03, taking the setbacks in Table 2.02.06 for the parcel's Future Land Use category and 'not ... closer than ten (10) feet from any structure'. Two further constraints bite hard in Caryville, which sits on the Choctawhatchee River: LDC 4.04.02(B) requires a ONE-HUNDRED-FOOT development setback from the ordinary mean high-water line of the Choctawhatchee River (fifty feet for ordinary surface water bodies), 4.04.02(A) forbids development within thirty feet of a wetland, and LDC 2.05.04(A) prohibits permanent structures in the buffer except docks, piers and boat ramps. In a flood hazard area, Appendix A s. 307.1 also applies to 'other development' - anchored against flotation, flood damage-resistant materials, and mechanical/plumbing/electrical systems above the design flood elevation or per ASCE 24. 62% · codified ordinance
• Is there a local rule on service upgrades or busbar sizing? No busbar or 120% rule of its own, and no solar-specific service-upgrade rule. What exists are the 1980 local electrical provisions listed at q32 - most relevant to a PV job being s. 14-80 (service switch handle height 3.5 to 6 ft above grade; services 400 A or less to use conductors of the same size and same type of insulation), s. 14-72(c) (service disconnecting means with overcurrent protection at a readily accessible location nearest the point of entrance of the service entrance conductors, and no SE conductors beyond 25 ft from the point of attachment without it), s. 14-81 (all service disconnects and panels readily accessible, not in bathrooms or in a room whose only access is through a bathroom; any service being rewired or repaired shall conform to this article; no service complete until legibly indexed), and s. 14-73 (residential meters outside, centre 4 to 6 ft above grade). The fee schedule prices a service upgrade separately: 'Electrical Permit: Residential Service Upgrade/Temp Pole $100 minimum'. 72% · codified ordinance
• Is a specific mounting system or attachment spacing required? Not published. No Washington County document or code section specifies a mounting system, an attachment type, or an attachment spacing for rooftop PV. Attachment is governed by the Florida Building Code's structural and wind provisions at a 120 mph design wind speed for the part of the county north of SR 20, with Florida Product Approval numbers recorded on the permit and the Product Approval Sheet on file before inspection. 60% · 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? Phone, primarily. The Building Inspection Procedures open with 'YOU MUST HAVE THE PERMIT NUMBER AND TYPE OF INSPECTION WHEN CALLING FOR INSPECTION' and the department page says to 'contact Building Department staff' on 850-638-6195. The Building Department page also carries an email link headed 'Building Inspection Requests'. There is in addition an online Inspection Request form on the iWorq portal (portal.iworq.net/WASHINGTONFL/inspection-request/601/...) which asks for an Access Code, requester name, phone, email, requested date and requested time. 80% · authority handout
• How much notice is required? 24 to 48 hours. The Building Department page: 'Due to a high demand in requests for inspections, please contact Building Department staff at least 24-48 hours prior to inspection date.' 88% · department page
• Are same-day or AM/PM windows offered? Not published as AM/PM windows. The iWorq Inspection Request form offers a free choice of requested date and a requested TIME in five-minute increments running from 07:00, and carries a list of dates marked unavailable, so the portal asks for a specific time rather than a half-day window. Nothing states that the requested time is honoured. 55% · portal

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? Delegated - to Washington County, which performs its own. The Town of Caryville performs no inspections of any kind. Washington County's Building Department states that it 'is responsible for issuing Building Permits, Reviewing Plans, and Performing Electrical & Building Inspections and maintaining Contractors Licensing'. Florida's private provider route under F.S. 553.791 is also live here: the county's public permit list shows permits issued with an applicant recorded as 'J. CORB, LLC (PRIVATE PROVIDER GEORGE WILSON)'. 85% · department page
• If delegated, to whom? Washington County Building Department, 1331 South Blvd., Suite 900, Chipley FL 32428, 850-638-6195, permits@washingtonfl.com; Building Official Charles Vannatter, Office Manager Felicia Brown, Permit Technicians Jennifer Enck and Ann Baker; hours M-F 8-4. Fire review, if any is performed on a PV or ESS job, is the open question: Washington County Code s. 30-33 makes the Board of County Commissioners the fire AHJ for the unincorporated area and for those municipalities that elect in by official act of their governing body, and s. 30-34 has the AHJ designate a fire official. Caryville has no fire department of its own - the County Directory's fire list names Chipley VFD, Country Oaks VFD, Ebro VFD and Vernon VFD as separate departments with their own numbers, but the station serving Caryville is 'Hinson Crossroads, 850-415-5026, 5487 Douglas Ferry Rd., Caryville, FL 32427' on the Washington County Fire Services number. No official act of the Caryville Town Council electing into the county fire authority could be found. 80% · department page

A rough-in or mid-roof inspection, where one is required, has to happen before the work it covers is closed up. Missing a stage means opening something back up, and it is the most expensive kind of correction.

• Which inspections are required, and in what order? No solar sequence is published. The county's published Building Inspection Procedures list ten inspections, in this order, for NEW CONSTRUCTION: 1 temporary electrical service; 2 footer; 3 under-slab (rough-in plumbing); 4 floor slab; 5 concrete block building; 6 nailing and strapping; 7 dry-in (framing complete, plumbing top out, mechanical rough-in, electrical rough-in complete with panel set, roofing completed, brick tie); 8 insulation; 9 temporary/permanent power to certificate of occupancy; 10 final / certificate of occupancy. None of these maps onto a rooftop PV retrofit, for which the realistic sequence (electrical rough and final, or a single final) is not published. 62% · authority handout
• Is a rough-in or mid-roof inspection required? For new construction, yes - a dry-in inspection is required at stage 7, taken before anything is covered, with the electrical rough-in complete and the panel set (breakers need not be installed at that inspection), and County Code s. 14-78 makes it unlawful to conceal any electrical wiring or equipment until it has been inspected. For a rooftop PV retrofit, no mid-roof or rough-in stage is published. 65% · authority handout

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. 'BUILDING INSPECTION PROCEDURES' (Washington County Building Department, revised 8/2024) is a published, downloadable inspection checklist: it lists what must be posted on the job before work commences, the ten required inspections with what each covers, the no-cover-before-inspection rule, and the re-inspection fee. 88% · authority handout
• What must be on site at inspection? Posted on the job before any new construction may commence: the address, the prints, the inspection card, and the Notice of Commencement, with the permit board installed so that it may be viewed from the street. Proper permits (building, plumbing, electrical, mechanical, roofing) must be in hand before any inspection is made. A certified copy of the Notice of Commencement must be provided to the Building Department and posted on the jobsite before the first inspection can be performed, for any improvement with a construction cost of $2,500 or more. The Product Approval Sheet must be on file in the Building Department prior to the floor slab inspection, and the soil treatment sticker goes on the permit board. 85% · authority handout
• Does the inspector verify labels and listings? Not stated for labels specifically, but the county's own rules point that way. County Code s. 14-79 requires all electrical equipment to bear the manufacturer's markings and the underwriter's label, so listing is a codified compliance item the inspector is enforcing; the Building Inspection Procedures require a Product Approval Sheet to be on file in the Building Department before the floor slab inspection; and s. 14-78 requires the inspector, on finding work satisfactory, to place a notice or certificate at the service switch. No document says the inspector checks PV placards. 55% · 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? For new construction, a Certificate of Occupancy: 'Building will be released for permanent power. Certificate of Occupancy can be picked up at the Building Department between the hours of 8:00 am and 4:00 pm the next business day.' For an alteration such as a rooftop PV retrofit, no CO is issued and what the installer gets is an approved final inspection - on the electrical side, the s. 14-78(e) notice or certificate posted at the service switch, which is also what the utility needs (see q62). 65% · authority handout
• Who notifies the utility for PTO? The installer or the member does, not the AHJ. WFEC's MOG Agreement paragraph 2(e) requires the member to submit 'documentation showing the MOG has been inspected and approved by local code officials prior to its operation', and the Compliance Form's Section F is signed first by the inspector ('1. Satisfies Code Requirements - Inspector Name / Inspector Signature') and then by the utility ('2. Satisfies Utility Requirements - Utility Rep Signature'), with paragraph 8 saying the co-op 'shall sign the F(2) of the Compliance section and return a copy to Member' on approval. Washington County Code s. 14-74 is consistent from the county end: 'Any new service or existing service that has been altered or repaired shall not be connected until a local utility company has received an authorized inspection certificate.' 72% · utility DG manual
• Is there a re-inspection fee? $75. The fee schedule lists 'Reinspection Fee: Commercial & Residential $75', and the Building Inspection Procedures state: 'Any inspection that is not ready when the inspector gets to the site or inspections that fail will be required to pay a $75.00 re-inspection fee (Building Official will determine when this fee will apply).' 90% · authority handout
• How are corrections issued and cleared? By a posted notice at the service switch for electrical work, and by not proceeding. County Code s. 14-78(e): on inspection, if the work is satisfactory 'the inspector shall place a notice or certificate at the service switch or other suitable place stating that the electrical work has been inspected and found to be in accordance with the rules'; if it is not, 'the inspector shall post a notice or certificate stating that this wiring does not conform to this article, has been condemned, and shall not be covered or connected until approved by the inspector'. The inspection handout adds: 'DO NOT PROCEED with work until inspection is made and approved', and a failed inspection draws the $75 re-inspection fee. A re-submittal of rejected plans re-triggers the $35 non-refundable plan submittal fee. 72% · codified ordinance