Town of Fort Myers Beach

A city address is usually permitted by the city, not the county — but not always, and some authorities keep building and hand electrical to someone else. Getting this wrong costs the whole submittal, because every requirement below belongs to whoever actually holds jurisdiction. Check the overlays in the same pass: an HOA, a historic district, a windstorm certification or a system-size cap can reshape the design, and all of them are cheaper to find now than after the array is laid out.

• Is this authority the AHJ for residential solar at this address? Yes. The Town of Fort Myers Beach is the AHJ for residential solar on Estero Island. It issues the permit and owns the Building Official function - but it holds NO in-house technical capacity: plan review, floodplain review and inspections are all performed by a private provider under contract to the Town. 96% · authority FAQ + adopted budget
• What does this authority permit itself, and what does it delegate? Both. The Town issues building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, roofing, flood and zoning permits itself. Nothing is delegated to Lee County for building or electrical. Fire plan review and fire inspections sit with the Fort Myers Beach Fire Control District, an independent special district, and are booked separately at prevention@fmbfire.org. 92% · department page + live portal catalogue
• Is a permit required for a residential rooftop PV system? Yes. A permit is required for a residential rooftop PV system, and the Town names Solar as its own permit line. The Residential Permitting Guide's 'ADDITIONAL PERMITS (if required)' list names 'Solar' expressly; the FY2025-26 fee schedule prices a trade permit that names Solar; and the Trade Permit Application has a dedicated SOLAR block with a 'Photovoltaic System, KW's ___' checkbox. 97% · permit application + fee schedule + permitting guide
• Is there a separate electrical permit, or is it combined? Combined. Rooftop PV is permitted as a single over-the-counter TRADE permit on which the applicant ticks 'SOLAR / Photovoltaic System'. It is not a building permit plus a separate electrical permit: the live iWorQ inspection catalogue carries BOTH solar inspections under one Solar prefix - 'Solar - 207 Solar Final' and 'Solar - 305 Electrical Final'. 88% · fee schedule + live portal inspection catalogue
• Is a HOA or architectural approval required first? Not a Town-imposed HOA gate, but a real condominium gate. The Town publishes a CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION APPROVAL FORM among its building forms, and the Trade Permit Application bars owner-builder permits on condo units outright ('Condo units must hire licensed contractors for any work being done'). Fort Myers Beach stock is heavily condominium, so association approval is a live obstacle on a large share of addresses. FS 163.04 - the statute that limits association power over solar - is cited NOWHERE in the Town's code (anchored search, 0 hits) or on its website. 80% · forms index + permit application
• Is there a historic-district review? Yes, but scoped: LDC Chapter 22 gates permits only on DESIGNATED historic resources and property inside a DESIGNATED historic or archaeological district. Sec. 22-101(a): 'No building, moving or demolition permit shall be issued for a designated historic resource, or a building, structure, or site which is part of a designated historic or archaeological district, until a certificate of appropriateness has been issued.' Where it bites it bites hard: a rooftop array changes external appearance, so it needs a SPECIAL certificate of appropriateness from the Historic Preservation Board (which is the Local Planning Agency sitting as the HPB) - public hearing, certified-mail owner notice, newspaper advertisement, board action within 70 calendar days (105 if further information is required), with the certificate DEEMED ISSUED if the board fails to act. A regular COA from the director takes 5 working days. The Sec. 22-241 ordinary-maintenance exemption is unavailable to solar because it applies only to work that does NOT require a building permit. 84% · codified LDC chapter
• Is a wind or windstorm certification required? Yes in substance. The entire incorporated area is a wind-borne debris region in the 160 mph basic wind speed zone, codified: 'The entire incorporated area of the Town of Fort Myers Beach lies within the wind-borne debris region and the 160 mph basic wind speed zone' (LDC Sec. 6-112, Ord. 21-01, 15 Mar 2021). Plans by a registered architect or engineer must carry basic wind speed, wind importance factor and building category, wind exposure, internal pressure coefficient and component-and-cladding design pressures in psf. Florida Product Approval / NOA numbers must be listed on a dedicated worksheet and the approvals must be on site at inspection. 92% · codified LDC section
• Is a Specific Use Permit or Council approval ever required? Not for a rooftop array. No special exception, planned development rezoning or Town Council approval is triggered by residential rooftop PV anywhere in the LDC - 'solar' appears only 7 times in the entire 2.58 MB codified corpus and none of those are a use approval. A ground mount is a different matter and is not addressed at all (see Q47). 72% · codified LDC (proved absence)
• Is there a system-size cap on residential generation? No Town cap. The cap is FPL's: generation is limited by tier (Tier 1 is 10 kW AC or less) and FPL's standard net-metering conditions cap the system at 90% of the service rating and at less than 115% of the prior 12 months' consumption. The Town's code sets no system-size limit of any kind. 80% · utility tier page + code absence

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 state-certified or state-registered contractor in the appropriate category, registered with the Town first; or the property owner under the FS 489.103(1) owner-builder exemption, with hard limits. Lee County local licensing was phased out under HB 735 and all local licences expired 30 June 2023 - from 1 July 2023 a contractor must hold a state-issued licence to work in Fort Myers Beach. 93% · department page + LDC Div. 5
• Must the contractor be registered with this authority before applying? Yes. Contractor registration with the Town is a prerequisite and is renewed yearly. The fee schedule prices 'Contractor Registration / yearly renewal' at $25. There is a dedicated Contractor Registration form and a contractorregistration@fmbgov.com channel, plus a published FMB Registered Contractor list. 94% · fee schedule + department page
• Is a homeowner permitted to self-install and self-permit? Yes for a detached single-family owner-occupier, but with unusually hard limits that will bar most solar customers on this island. The owner must maintain the home as their primary residence for at least one year after CO; must be present for the permitting process, the construction process, the inspection process and at CO; properties held in an irrevocable Trust or an LLC CANNOT submit owner-builder permits; and CONDO UNITS MUST HIRE LICENSED CONTRACTORS for any work. A notarised Owner Builder Disclosure Affidavit is required, and owners must collect the permit in person at the permitting office. 95% · permit application + department 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? For a rooftop PV job: a completed TRADE PERMIT APPLICATION with the SOLAR block ticked and system kW stated; a completed SOLAR ROOF TRUSS AFFIDAVIT (notarised, mandatory - 'Solar permits need to have a complete SOLAR ROOF TRUSS AFFIDAVIT submitted with the application'); ALL applications must be notarised; a recorded Notice of Commencement from the Lee County Clerk of Courts if value exceeds $5,000; a REPAIR/IMPROVEMENT COST FORM with owner's and contractor's notarised affidavits, cost worksheet, cost backup and the signed construction contract, because the job value exceeds the $2,500 trigger; Florida Product Approval / NOA worksheet for the components; a Condominium Association Approval Form where the property is a condo; Sub Contractor Confirmation Form; and an Owner Builder Disclosure Affidavit if self-permitting. 86% · forms index + permit application + 50% rule FAQ
• How many copies, and in what format? Electronic only, one set. All new applications go through GOVWELL from 24 August 2026; applications emailed to buildingpermits@fmbgov.com are returned. Permit and master plan submittals have been paperless since 30 December 2020. Signed and sealed plans submitted online must be digitally signed and sealed by the design professional or through a third-party provider. The Residential Permitting Guide asks for 'One (1) set of construction drawings'. 88% · department page + permitting guide
• Is a site plan required, and what must it show? Yes for work that touches the site; for a rooftop array the Town's general site-plan requirement applies. A site plan must show all four lot corners, lot lines and dimensions; the location and name of bordering streets; the mean high tide line or edge of water and waterbody type where any water body is within 25 feet; the size of existing and proposed buildings; driveways; and all easements. The Trade Permit Application separately requires the applicant to 'Show work location (#1-13) on site plan'. 80% · permitting guide + trade application
• Is a one-line / three-line diagram required? Not published as a solar requirement by the Town. The Town has no solar submittal checklist and neither the Trade Permit Application nor the Residential Permitting Guide names a one-line or three-line diagram for PV. FPL, however, requires an electrical one-line diagram for Tier 2 and above (over 10 kW AC); for Tier 1 it does not. 62% · permit application (absence) + FPL tier page
• Is a structural PE stamp required, and at what threshold? No blanket structural PE stamp for rooftop PV. Instead the Town requires a notarised SOLAR ROOF TRUSS AFFIDAVIT certifying that the roof trusses are pre-manufactured, that all panels will be attached as prescribed in FSEC-IN-24-06, that the completed product 'does not exceed five (5) pounds per square foot', and that panels will be installed around and/or into the roof truss members. Both the contractor and the property owner sign under penalty of perjury. Exceed 5 psf, or install on site-built/non-pre-manufactured framing, and the affidavit route is unavailable and engineering will be required. 90% · notarised Town affidavit form
• Is an electrical PE stamp required, and at what threshold? Yes, at 600 amps on residential property: 'Plans indicating service of more than 600 amps on residential property shall be prepared and digitally or electronically signed and sealed by a Florida-registered electrical engineer.' (Commercial: more than 800 amps.) This matches the 600A limb of F.S. 471.003(2)(h) and - unlike several neighbouring authorities - the Town does NOT carry a fossil dollar threshold alongside it. 93% · permit application

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? GOVWELL (app.govwell.com/fortmyersbeach) for all new applications from 24 August 2026, replacing iWorQ. iWorQ (portal.iworq.net/FORTMYERSBEACH/permits/600) remains live for permits already issued - status, fee payment, printing approved job-site plans and inspection scheduling - until those permits migrate. Two portals are running side by side, split by permit age. 95% · department page + live portals
• Can the whole application be completed online? Yes for submission and for fee payment - but not end to end for an owner-builder. Owner-builders may submit online but 'must pick up their permits at the Town of Fort Myers Beach permitting office' in person. All applications must be notarised, and the Notice of Commencement must be recorded with the Lee County Clerk of Courts separately. 88% · department page + forms page
• What does a residential solar permit cost? $275 flat for the solar permit itself (FY2025-26 proposed column; $200 in the prior column), as an over-the-counter TRADE permit. Add a Floodplain Review at $50 for trades ('$50 trades, valuation & scope review') - which attaches to effectively every job because the entire Town is in a Special Flood Hazard Area. Add the two statutory state surcharges (BCAIS and DBPR). Realistic all-in: roughly $325-$340 plus surcharges. Re-inspection after a failed inspection is $75; an inspector lock-out is $100; a plan revision after issuance is $100. 87% · adopted fee schedule
• How is the fee calculated? Flat. Fort Myers Beach prices solar as a flat over-the-counter trade permit, not by valuation, per kW or per panel. This is unusual and favourable - most Florida authorities in this survey charge a percentage of construction value. Note the valuation still matters, because the Floodplain Review line is a 'valuation & scope review' and the 50% rule turns on the job value. 90% · adopted fee schedule
• Is there a separate plan-check fee? No separate plan-check fee for a trade permit - the $275 'Includes: Application Processing Fee, Any Necessary Reviews'. There IS a separate Floodplain Review fee, which for trades is $50 (valuation & scope review), and separate Zoning Review ($200) and Environmental Review ($150) lines exist for jobs that need them. A resubmittal after the first resubmittal costs $75 each. 83% · adopted 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? Hours, not days - for a solar permit specifically. The Town states: 'Demolition, roofing, and over-the-counter trade permits are generally processed within hours, but allow up to ten to fifteen business days for review of new developments such as new single-family homes and commercial projects.' A solar permit is an over-the-counter trade permit, so it falls in the 'within hours' class. 90% · authority FAQ
• How long is an issued permit valid before it expires? 180 days. 'Permits expire and become null and void if work is not started and an inspection requested within 180 days from the issuance date of the permit. Once the permit has been issued, a permit continues to extend with every passing inspection.' Extensions are 90 days if approved and must be requested before expiry; an expired permit may be re-opened for a completion for 6 months. The codified FBC amendment in LDC Sec. 6-111 adds a six-month first-inspection rule and rolling six-month subsequent-inspection rule to the same effect. 93% · authority FAQ + codified FBC amendment
• Which utility handles interconnection here? Florida Power & Light (FPL). NOT Lee County Electric Cooperative. This was tested rather than assumed and LCEC is disproved four ways. 94% · authority FAQ + public works page + live inspection catalogue + budget
• Where does the utility sit in the sequence? Parallel, with a hard utility-side gate at both ends. FPL requires PRE-APPROVAL of the system size online BEFORE installation. After installation the customer uploads the Town's approved permit showing electrical and mechanical inspection signed off. FPL then orders a bi-directional meter; parallel operation may not begin until that meter is installed; FPL then emails permission to operate. So: FPL pre-approval -> Town permit -> install -> Town inspections -> upload to FPL -> meter -> PTO. 92% · utility interconnection process page

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? The Town adopts no NEC edition of its own and names the National Electrical Code nowhere in its code. The NEC applies only through the Florida Building Code, which LDC Sec. 6-111 adopts by floating reference - 'The Florida Building Code is hereby adopted by reference ... including all revisions and amendments approved in accordance with state law'. The Town's current Residential Application states the Town 'is regulated by the Florida Building Code 8th Edition (2023)', which references NEC 2020. So: NEC 2020, by state adoption, not by local ordinance. 78% · permit application + codified adopting section
• Which building code edition is in force? Florida Building Code, 8th Edition (2023), adopted by floating reference. LDC Sec. 6-111 adopts the FBC with local amendments to Chapter 1 (administration, powers and duties of the building official, stop work orders, permit revocation, permit life), a new Section 117 on variances in flood hazard areas, amendments to FBC-B 1612.2 and FBC-EB Ch. 2 definitions, and amendments to FBC-R R322.1.11 and R322.1.12. LDC Sec. 6-122 adopts the Existing Buildings Code; Sec. 6-2 adopts and amends the property maintenance code. 90% · codified LDC section + current permit form
• Which fire code edition is in force? Florida Fire Prevention Code, adopted by floating reference with no edition named: LDC Secs. 10-381 and 10-385 require design 'in accordance with ... the requirements established by the Florida Fire Prevention Code, as may be amended', and LDC Sec. 6-2 directs that 'All references to the "International Fire Code" in this Chapter 7 shall be replaced with the "Florida Fire Prevention Code."' Enforcement sits with the Fort Myers Beach Fire Control District, an independent special district, not the Town. 76% · codified LDC + department page
• Are there local amendments to any of the above? Yes - substantial local amendments, and one of them matters for solar. LDC Sec. 6-111 amends FBC Chapter 1 extensively and, critically, amends FBC-B Section 1612.2 to add a REPETITIVE-LOSS limb to the definition of substantial damage that the Town's own flood chapter does not carry (see Q-extra 100). LDC Sec. 6-112 codifies the 160 mph wind-borne debris zone. LDC Sec. 6-2 adds a new property-maintenance Section 602.7 requiring roof-mounted mechanical equipment to be screened from view. LDC Sec. 6-113 requires compliance with outdoor lighting standards and Sec. 6-114 with NPDES erosion control. 92% · codified LDC amendments
• What is the installation judged against? The Florida Building Code 8th Edition (2023) and the NEC it incorporates, judged by a PRIVATE PROVIDER's licensed plans examiner and inspector under contract to the Town - not by Town staff. The Town publishes no local electrical technical standard of its own. Two Town-specific overlays apply to the electrical work: all electrical equipment must be at or above the required base flood elevation, and plans showing residential service over 600 amps need a Florida-registered electrical engineer's seal. 85% · permit application + authority FAQ

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? Not published by the Town. No ridge setback and no access-pathway requirement appears anywhere in the Town's codified corpus or on its website; the FFPC's own PV access and pathway provisions apply by state law through F.S. ch. 633, enforced by the Fort Myers Beach Fire Control District rather than by the Town. Residential rooftop PV is not on any Town fire-review list. 66% · proved absence, Town side

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? Required, but by state code rather than by anything the Town has written. Rapid shutdown comes in through the NEC that the Florida Building Code 8th Edition (2023) incorporates - NEC 2020, Article 690.12. The Town restates it nowhere: 'rapid shutdown' returns zero across both the codified corpus and the website corpus, and the anchored '690' search in the code finds only zoning section numbers (34-681-690) and no NEC reference at all. 70% · code edition + proved absence

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. The Town specifies no placards at the service equipment. The operative placard set is the NEC's (via the FBC) plus whatever FPL requires. FPL's Electric Service Standards Section XIII requires, for systems where a DER disconnect is fitted, a meter-can placard reading WARNING / MULTI POWER SOURCES / ENTER SOURCES HERE / RATED AC OUTPUT CURRENT ** AMPS / NOMINAL OPERATING VOLTAGE ** VOLTS, and a switch placard reading GENERATION SYSTEM AC DISCONNECT with the same two ratings; and for energy storage, a meter-enclosure placard stating 'Battery storage utilized in this facility.' For a Tier 1 load-side rooftop system FPL requires no customer disconnect and therefore no FPL switch placard. 72% · Town code (proved absence) + carried utility spec
• Does the authority specify placard wording of its own? No. The Town specifies no placard wording of its own for solar, for energy storage or for any electrical installation. 84% · codified LDC (proved absence)
• Does it specify letter height, colour or material? No. The Town specifies no letter height, colour or material for any solar or electrical label. FPL's own requirement is that labels be a 'permanent and weatherproof/UV resistant placard with engraved letters' - a material and durability specification with NO letter height and NO colour given. 76% · Town code (proved absence) + carried utility spec
• Does the UTILITY specify placards beyond the AHJ's? Yes - the utility is the only source of placard requirements here, because the Town has none. For FPL that means the Section XIII meter-can and DER-switch placards where a disconnect is fitted, and the verbatim energy-storage placard 'Battery storage utilized in this facility.' affixed to the meter enclosure. For a Tier 1 (10 kW AC or less) load-side-connected rooftop array FPL requires no disconnect switch, so in the ordinary residential case the only labels are the NEC's. 72% · carried utility spec + Town absence

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? For the ordinary residential case: no customer AC disconnect is required at all. FPL requires a visually open DER disconnect for Tier 2 and Tier 3 systems; Tier 1 (10 kW AC or less) is exempt - EXCEPT that the tap point overrides the tier, so a line-side interconnection ahead of the main panel requires a manual AC disconnect regardless of tier. Where a switch is required it must be separate from but adjacent to the meter socket WITHIN 10 FEET, lockable open, taking a 3/8 inch FPL padlock shank, with no locked gates, doors or fences between. *** DO NOT APPLY LCEC's 5-FOOT, ALL-TIERS RULE HERE - LCEC IS NOT THE UTILITY FOR FORT MYERS BEACH. *** 74% · utility tier page (first-hand) + carried utility spec
• Must equipment be on a specific approved list? Yes for the building envelope components, through Florida Product Approval / Notice of Acceptance. The Town publishes a FLORIDA PRODUCT APPROVAL / NOTICE OF ACCEPTANCE (NOA) WORKSHEET, requires approval numbers and expiration dates on the application, requires that 'The proposed product(s) must meet the required pressures described in the code', and requires NOAs or Product Approvals to be physically on site at inspection. On the electrical side FPL requires a certified UL 1741 SA and IEEE 1547 grid-interactive inverter. 84% · permit application + department page
• Are batteries permitted, and under what conditions? Permitted, but governed entirely by the FBC/NEC and FPL - the Town says nothing. 'energy storage' returns zero, 'battery' returns 6 hits in the codified corpus and every one is either criminal battery or a battery-powered vehicle on the beach, and anchored 'ESS' returns nothing. The binding local constraint is the flood rule, not a fire rule: all electrical equipment must be at or above the required base flood elevation, and utility connections are not permitted below BFE. FPL's terms allow a paired battery only if it cannot export, and a standalone backup battery needs no interconnection agreement at all. 80% · recorded Town form + permit application + code absence
• Is a ground mount treated as a structure? Not addressed at all. The Town's code contains no ground-mount solar provision, no accessory-structure classification for a solar array, and no siting standard for one. This is a genuine gap rather than a permission: LDC Sec. 34-638(g) regulates where 'Mechanical equipment such as air conditioners, generators, service panels, meters, and pool equipment' may sit (up to three feet into rear and waterbody setbacks, matching street and side setbacks, not on the narrower side unless it is 20 feet or more), and that clause is the one a reviewer would read across to at-grade PV equipment - but it does not name solar. 70% · codified LDC (gap)
• Is there a local rule on service upgrades or busbar sizing? No local rule on service upgrades or busbar sizing. NEC 705.12 governs unamended. The only Town-imposed service-related rules are the 600 A PE-seal trigger and the flood-elevation rule for electrical equipment. The live portal does carry a distinct inspection type '303 Service Change Residential / Commercial', so a service change is inspected, but no sizing standard is published. 70% · codified LDC (proved absence)
• Is a specific mounting system or attachment spacing required? Yes, and it is the most specific solar requirement the Town has. The SOLAR ROOF TRUSS AFFIDAVIT requires that the roof trusses be pre-manufactured, that all panels be attached 'as prescribed in the FSEC-IN-24-06', that the completed product 'does not exceed five (5) pounds per square foot', and that panels be 'installed around and/or into the roof truss members'. Contractor and owner both sign under penalty of perjury, before a notary. 92% · notarised Town affidavit form

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, with two portals live at once split by permit age. New permits: GOVWELL schedules inspections from 24 August 2026. Existing iWorQ permits: 'enter your permit number, click Search, and select Request an Inspection. An access code is required and is provided to the permit holder when the permit is issued.' Fire inspections are booked separately by EMAIL to prevention@fmbfire.org with the permit number, site address, inspection type and notes. Inspection questions and cancellations go to inspections@fmbgov.com. 93% · department page + live portal
• Are same-day or AM/PM windows offered? Not published. The Town states no AM/PM windows, no same-day option and no daily cut-off time for inspection booking on any page I could reach. 62% · proved absence

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 in practice, retained in law. The Town is the AHJ and signs off, but it states in terms that it has 'no in-house building code plans examiners or building code inspectors' and 'utilizes a private provider for floodplain reviews, building code permit application reviews, and building code inspections.' The applicant may additionally elect their own FS 553.791 private provider. So the final solar inspection is performed by a contracted licensed inspector, reporting to the Town's Building Official. 94% · authority FAQ + adopted budget
• If delegated, to whom? An unnamed private provider firm under contract to the Town. The Town does not publish the firm's name anywhere I could reach; it tells applicants instead to 'email or call the licensed plans examiner or inspector who conducted your plan review (their contact information is provided with their review comments)'. A separate toll-free inspection line, 888-991-5867, appears in the Town directory against 'Requests TRAKiT Inspections' - a vendor-side number, not a Town number. 70% · authority FAQ + staff directory

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? Two inspections, named in the Town's own live inspection catalogue and specific to solar: 'Solar - 207 Solar Final' and 'Solar - 305 Electrical Final'. There is no solar rough-in type. Where the array is part of a re-roof, the Roof family adds 'Roof - Roof Inspect Affidavit - need prior to scheduling 501 Roof Dry In', then 501 Roof Dry In, 502 Roof in Process and 503 Roof Final. 88% · live portal inspection catalogue
• Is a rough-in or mid-roof inspection required? No. There is no rough-in or mid-roof inspection type for solar. The Solar family in the Town's live inspection catalogue contains only '207 Solar Final' and '305 Electrical Final'; the separate rough types that exist for other trades - '304 Rough Electric', '105 Rough Framing', '201 Rough Plumbing', '401 Rough A/C' - have no solar analogue. 84% · live portal inspection catalogue (proved absence)

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? No published inspection checklist for solar or for any trade. The Town publishes forms and a Residential Permitting Guide but no inspection checklist. 66% · forms index (proved absence)
• What must be on site at inspection? Five items, published as a list: the inspection permit board (permit posted at eye level, visible from the road, protected from the weather); the recorded Notice of Commencement; approved plans (JOBSITE COPY); NOAs or Product Approvals; threshold paperwork if applicable; and private provider paperwork if applicable. The NOC must be recorded with the Lee County Clerk of Courts before work starts where value exceeds $2,500 (Permitting Guide) or $5,000 (Forms page) - the two Town documents disagree on the threshold. 90% · department page + permitting guide

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

• What is issued on pass? A Certificate of Completion for a trade permit such as solar (a Certificate of Occupancy is for buildings). 'It is the contractor's responsibility to contact the Building Department when all final inspections are complete and obtain a Certificate of Occupancy or a Certificate of Completion.' The fee schedule carries a Temporary CO at $225; there is no separate charge for the CC itself. The Town publishes a COMPLETION REQUEST form. 86% · permit application + forms index
• Who notifies the utility for PTO? Installer/customer. FPL's process puts the notification duty on the customer: after the Town's inspections pass, the customer uploads the approved permit to FPL showing electrical and mechanical inspection signed off, the description of work, the address, the permit number and the building department name. FPL then orders the bi-directional meter and emails permission to operate. The Town does not notify FPL for solar. (The Town DOES notify FPL for other things - temporary power poles after a passed inspection, and a daily 3pm list of addresses cleared to re-energise after the storm - so the absence of a solar limb is meaningful.) 90% · utility process page + authority FAQ
• Is there a re-inspection fee? $75 for a re-inspection after a failed inspection (FY2025-26 proposed; $60 current). A partial-pass or additional inspection requested by the contractor is also $75. An inspector lock-out - 'Inspector did not have access to construction site and has to reschedule' - is $100. Driveway re-inspection is $25. 90% · adopted fee schedule
• How are corrections issued and cleared? By email, to the applicant, with a review letter. 'Plans will be rejected if additional information is required to complete necessary reviews. Additional information that is required will be emailed to the applicant along with a review letter.' Corrections must be resubmitted all at once: 'The customer will submit all corrections together at one time with an appropriate response to each review comment. Resubmittals will not be processed until all review comments are addressed.' Resubmittals go to resubmittal@fmbgov.com. Any resubmittal after the second incurs an additional $75 each. Because the reviewer is a private provider, the applicant deals directly with the named plans examiner whose contact details come with the review comments. 90% · permitting guide + authority FAQ + fee schedule