Town of Highland 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 Highland Beach Building Department is the AHJ for residential rooftop PV, in-house and undelegated. Its own page states it 'ensures that all new buildings and renovations meet applicable building codes as well as local ordinances', that plans are checked before a permit issues and that it inspects and issues Certificates of Occupancy, and that it 'is staffed by seven full-time employees'. The Building Official is Jeff Remas, CBO (bco@highlandbeach.us, 561-278-4540), who is ALSO the Town's Floodplain Administrator (Code Sec. 20-342(a): 'The building official is designated as the floodplain administrator'). Palm Beach County is NOT the building department here. The reverse of the usual small-town pattern applies: Highland Beach is the building department of record FOR ANOTHER TOWN - the Town of Gulf Stream - under a shared-services interlocal, and Gulf Stream 'has adopted the Town of Highland Beach's locally amended Chapter 1 in its entirety'. Fire is also in-house (Highland Beach Fire Rescue, Code ch. 35). Palm Beach County supplies only inputs, not jurisdiction: the Universal County-Wide/Municipal Building Permit Application (Jan 2024 edition), contractor Installer Registration, impact fees, the FIRM, the adopted Coastal Protection Ordinance, and the PB-O-131 roofing forms. 96% · department page + budget + adopting ordinance
• What does this authority permit itself, and what does it delegate? Both, in-house, as SEPARATE permits per trade - building, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, roofing, gas, fire. Nothing is delegated to Palm Beach County. Four desks gate a permit: (1) the Building Department (plan review, permit, inspections, CO); (2) Planning & Zoning (Town Planner Ingrid Allen) where a development order or site-plan review is triggered; (3) the Floodplain Administrator - the same Building Official - under Code ch. 20 art. VI; and (4) Highland Beach Fire Rescue, whose plan examination under Code Sec. 9-41 excludes ONLY 'single-family or duplex residential units', so it reaches every condominium building in the Town. Private providers under FS 553.791 may substitute for the Town's plan review and/or inspections, at a 13% or 26% fee credit, but do not displace the Town's other reviews. 92% · codified ordinance + department checklist
• Is a permit required for a residential rooftop PV system? Yes. There is no solar-specific permit ordinance - 'solar' appears ZERO times in the entire 1.23 MB codified Code of Ordinances - so the duty comes from the general rule. Administrative Chapter 1 Sec. 105.1: 'Any owner or owner's authorized agent who intends to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish or change the occupancy of a building or structure, or to erect, install, enlarge, alter, repair, remove, convert or replace any impact-resistant coverings, electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing system ... shall first make application to the building official and obtain the required permit.' The Sec. 105.2 exempt list (11 building items) does not reach PV. And the new HB 803 $7,500 single-family exemption expressly does NOT apply: the Town's Administrative Policy AP-2026-03 states the exemption 'does not apply to any electrical, plumbing, structural, mechanical, or gas work' and 'does not apply to work on a property that is partially or entirely located in a flood hazard area'. 94% · local administrative code amendment
• Is there a separate electrical permit, or is it combined? SEPARATE, and structured as parent/child. The Town's Online Permit Application General Check List: 'All trades MUST have their own permits. Sub permits MUST be applied for separately as a child permit under the parent permit', each with its own Universal Permit Application, Construction Site Management Handbook acknowledgement and plans. The Universal application itself carries 'I understand that a separate permit must be secured for ELECTRICAL WORK, PLUMBING, SIGNS, WELLS, POOLS, FURNACES, BOILERS, HEATERS, TANKS, and AIR CONDITIONERS'. The fee schedule prices 'each trade (building, plumbing, mechanical, or electrical)' separately. *** AND THE TOWN NAMES SOLAR AS A TRADE: the Re-Roofing checklist (PB-O-131 Attachment B, published by the Town) reads 'If there is any rooftop equipment (existing systems) that must be removed/replaced, please circle the applicable trade(s) and provide Sub-permit Applications. Electrical Mechanical Plumbing Solar'. That is the only place in the Town's entire published corpus where 'solar' functions as a rule. *** 93% · published checklist + fee schedule + permit form
• Is a HOA or architectural approval required first? No public architectural or HOA gate exists - and, searched exactly the way two have been found elsewhere, there is NO CODIFIED MANDATORY ASSOCIATION CO-SIGNATURE HERE. 'association' + 'approv' inside the ZONING chapter returns six sections and none of them is a consent requirement: Sec. 30-46 public notice, Sec. 30-67 guardhouses, Sec. 30-68 cabanas/boat basins, Sec. 30-69 landscaping, Sec. 30-70 portable storage, Sec. 30-131 definitions. The only condominium-association provision in the zoning chapter runs the other way - Sec. 30-46(3) is a NOTICE SHORTCUT: 'If a parcel ... is subject to, or owned by, a condominium association, written notice is not required to each unit owner; rather, written notice may be provided only to the association president and the association's registered agent'. There is also no architectural review board, no design review and no certificate of appropriateness (all three phrases: zero hits). THE PRIVATE GATE IS STILL DECISIVE IN PRACTICE: the roof of a tower is a common element, the permit application is signed by the owner, and Code Sec. 6-1(b) codifies that for oceanfront property where the developer has turned over control, 'The term owner ... shall mean the nonprofit corporation which constitutes the condominium association or homeowner's association'. So the association is the applicant, not a co-signer - which is a harder gate, not a softer one. 85% · codified ordinance
• Is there a historic-district review? No. There is no historic district, no historic preservation board and no certificate of appropriateness anywhere in the Town. Across the complete 1,231,675-character code harvest: 'certificate of appropriateness' 0, 'architectural review' 0, 'design review' 0. All 27 'historic' hits were read and every one is either the flood ordinance's definition of 'Historic structure' (tied to FBC Existing Building ch. 12), the substantial-improvement exclusion for alterations of a historic structure, adopted NFPA 914 'Code for the Protection of Historic Structures', or Municode front matter. 92% · codified ordinance (complete harvest)
• Is a wind or windstorm certification required? Not a separate certification, but wind performance is a condition of plan review on every permit. Palm Beach County is NOT in the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone (that is Miami-Dade and Broward only), so the instrument is statewide Florida Product Approval, not a Miami-Dade NOA. The Town's checklist requires 'Complete sets of product approvals if applicable, (Windows, doors, roofing etc.)' and 'Information showing design wind pressure expected at location(s) on structure ... (Current ASCE)'. The Town's own Re-Roof Worksheet prints the design criteria: 'Design Wind Speed: 170Vult mph or per www.ascehazardtool.org Exposure Category: C', with uplift tables built on ASCE 7-22 for Risk Category II buildings. WATCH THIS: the Town's General Check List nonetheless says 'Windows & doors must have a schedule with NOAs' - NOA is the Miami-Dade product-control vocabulary, used here in a non-HVHZ county. Expect to be asked for product approval by either name. 85% · department-published worksheet (PBC countywide form)
• Is a Specific Use Permit or Council approval ever required? *** POSSIBLY YES, AND THIS IS THE BIGGEST UNPRICED RISK ON A TOWER ROOF HERE. *** Code Sec. 30-39(a)(1) defines MAJOR building modifications to include work that alters 'the building footprint, number of square feet, BUILDING HEIGHT, number of dwelling units, parking requirements, change in exterior facade, change of use, CHANGE OF ROOF LINE, CHANGE OF ELEVATION, all exterior walls, balconies, foundations, accessory structures, AND SIMILAR SUBSTANTIAL IMPROVEMENTS AS DETERMINED BY THE BUILDING OFFICIAL'. Sec. 30-39(b)(1): 'Major building modifications are to be reviewed in the same manner as an original structure or use', which for a multifamily building means the full Sec. 30-37 site plan review - building official, town staff, police, FIRE, then the PLANNING BOARD, then TOWN COMMISSION approval, and only then 'building permits may be issued'. Fee $1,500 site plan, plus a $500 engineering review fee and a $500 attorney-consultation deposit on all land development applications. Sec. 30-39(b)(2): 'Minor building modifications shall be approved by the building official', who 'may determine that a proposed modification OR THE CUMULATIVE EFFECT OF PRIOR MODIFICATIONS should be reviewed in the same manner as the original structure'. Whether a rooftop array is a 'change of roof line / change of elevation' is therefore a discretionary call by the Building Official, and a tilted or ballasted array on a flat tower roof is more exposed than a flush one. There is also no special-exception listing for solar (solar = 0 in the code). 72% · codified ordinance
• Is there a system-size cap on residential generation? No local cap - 'solar' is zero in the Town's entire code, so no ordinance sizes residential generation. The binding caps are the utility's, and on a condominium unit the one that bites is not the kilowatt figure. FPL Tier 1 (tariff, Section 9) requires the system to be '10 kW AC or less', to not exceed '90% of the Customer's utility distribution service rating', AND to have 'an AC generating capacity of less than 115% of the Customer's previous 12 months kilowatt-hour usage'. On a single condominium unit's metered account the 115%-of-consumption limb is usually the smallest of the three. FPL tiers: Tier 1 <=10 kW; Tier 2 >10 kW to 100 kW; Tier 3 >100 kW to 2 MW. 88% · filed utility tariff

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

• Who is allowed to pull the electrical permit? A contractor who is BOTH (a) state-certified or state-registered through DBPR, or holding a Palm Beach County Installer Registration where the trade is no longer state-licensed, AND (b) registered with the Town of Highland Beach (no fee). The Town's notice: 'Permits Will Only Be Issued To: Contractors who are state-certified or state-registered through DBPR; or Contractors who have a state license or Installer Registration with Palm Beach County; and Contractor who have registered with the Town of Highland Beach or Gulf Stream (no fee required).' Electrical work is a state-licensed trade, so an electrical permit needs a DBPR-certified/registered electrical contractor plus Town registration. The Town enforces this itself: Code enforcement notice cites FS 489.131 ('the Town of Highland Beach is not preempted from enforcing contractor licensing locally') and FS 489.132 independent citation authority, with immediate stop-work orders for unlicensed activity. An owner-builder route exists but is narrow - see q7. 92% · department notice
• Must the contractor be registered with this authority before applying? Yes, and it is mandatory and free. Fee schedule Sec. I(g): 'All contractors working in the Town of Highland Beach must be registered with the Building Department. Registration requires the submission of basic information about the contractor, including a government-issued photo ID, along with proof of valid licenses and insurance, and a local county business tax receipt. Contractors must hold a valid license issued by the State of Florida or be licensed as a contractor or registered as an installer with Palm Beach County. There is no fee for registering with the Town of Highland Beach.' Registration is done on the MyGovernmentOnline portal; the Building Department page adds 'all contractors must re-register with MyGovernmentOnline for new permits'. The General Check List makes it the first line item, and 'Failure to register with the Town or to provide proof of and maintain valid insurance and bond requirements will result in permit denials.' Sub-trades that need no permit (framers, painters, window/door installers) must ALSO register if they are not payroll employees of the permit holder. 95% · adopted fee resolution
• Is a homeowner permitted to self-install and self-permit? Nominally yes, but for the Town's actual housing stock the route is closed BY DWELLING TYPE. The Town's contractor notice says 'Property owners may still obtain permits for work on their own property under the existing owner-builder exemption'. But the Town's own Owner Builder Disclosure Statement, reproducing FS 489.103(7) verbatim, limits it at paragraph 4: 'I understand that I may build or improve A ONE-FAMILY RESIDENCE or a farm outbuilding. I may also build or improve a commercial building if the costs do not exceed $75,000. The building or residence must be for my own use and occupancy.' Highland Beach is a 3-mile barrier-island town built almost entirely of condominium towers. A condominium unit is not a one-family residence, and a tower roof is a common element, not the unit owner's property. Two further gates: the form must be 'signed in front of the Building Official at the Building Department' (in person, notarised), and Code Sec. 6-1(b) codifies that for oceanfront property where the developer has turned over control, 'The term owner ... shall mean the nonprofit corporation which constitutes the condominium association'. FS 163.04 bars a covenant from prohibiting solar; it does not hand a unit owner the use of the common roof. 85% · department form reproducing FS 489.103(7)

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? The Town publishes an 'Online Permit Application General Check List' and closes it 'Application will not be accepted if any of the above items are missing.' It requires: contractor/applicant registered with the Town; the completed Universal County-Wide/Municipal Building Permit Application (Jan 2024 edition ONLY - 'the Building Department only accepts the January 2024 Edition'), pages 1-2, sections 1-8 and 11; a copy of the cost estimate signed by BOTH applicant and owner, showing contractor contact and licence number, scope of work, labour and material breakdown and total job value; separate sub-permit applications for every trade, each with its own signed Construction Site Management Handbook Acknowledgement Form and plans; an Asbestos & Lead Paint Notification Statement; a copy of the FILED AND RECORDED Notice of Commencement; a complete set of scaled, dimensioned PDF plans, architectural drawings as original PDFs electronically signed and sealed, identifying job address and owner on every page; complete product approvals where applicable; design wind pressure information (current ASCE); and a survey completed within the last year for additions, pools, fences, walls, generators, new mechanical equipment or screen enclosures that change the footprint (which would catch a ground mount, not a rooftop retrofit). There is NO solar-specific checklist. 93% · published checklist
• How many copies, and in what format? Digital only, PDF. The Building Department page: 'All new submittals and revisions must be submitted online using the below links to the Building Department Online Portal.' The checklist: 'All uploads MUST be in PDF format' and 'Architectural drawings must be original PDFs that are electronically signed & sealed.' No paper copy count is published because there is no paper route for submittal. The Town publishes separate Electronic Document Submittal Standards and Digital Signature Requirements guidelines. Payment is the one non-digital limb: estimated fees of $10,000 or greater 'require a 50% payment, which must be made IN OFFICE ONLY'. 92% · department page + checklist
• Is a site plan required, and what must it show? For a rooftop retrofit, a stand-alone site plan is not a listed checklist item; the site-plan duty comes from Administrative Chapter 1 Sec. 107.2.6, which requires construction documents to be accompanied by a site plan, and from the flood ordinance. What IS expressly triggered by equipment on the ground is a SURVEY: 'A survey completed within last year for additions, pools, fences, walls, generators, new mechanical equipment, or screen enclosures that change the footprint of structures on the site, electronically signed & sealed.' A ground-mounted array or a ground-set battery/inverter pad falls inside 'new mechanical equipment ... that change the footprint'. Where a survey is required, Code Sec. 30-33(q) sets its contents: property lines and dimensions, property elevations, easements, rights-of-way, existing improvements with dimensions and setbacks, THE ELEVATION OF THE DUNE CREST LINE, the dune vegetation line, THE STATE COASTAL CONSTRUCTION CONTROL LINE, the Intracoastal shoreline, and adjacent right-of-way elevations. In a flood hazard area Sec. 20-344(a) adds delineation of flood hazard areas, flood zones and design flood elevations, and '(5) Delineation of the coastal construction control line or notation that the site is seaward of the coastal construction control line, if applicable.' 78% · codified ordinance + checklist
• Is a one-line / three-line diagram required? Not by the Town: no Town instrument requires a one-line or three-line diagram. It is required by the UTILITY. FPL Electric Service Standards Section XIII.A.3: 'Meter numbers associated with interconnecting premise must be included in Single Line Diagrams (SLD) and/or plans.' XIII.A.7 adds that where a System Impact Study is required, 'All relaying and metering shall be provided in a one-line diagram. A three-line diagram may be required for some installations.' The Town's checklist requires only 'a complete set of plans ... of sufficient clarity to indicate location, nature & extent of work proposed'. 80% · utility DG manual
• Is a structural PE stamp required, and at what threshold? No local numeric threshold. Administrative Chapter 1 Sec. 107.2.7 simply requires construction documents to 'provide the information specified in Section 1603' of the FBC, and Sec. 107.3.4 lets the building official require the owner to 'engage and designate on the building permit application a registered design professional ... in responsible charge' where documents must be prepared by one. Two things do bite on a tower, and both are the Town's own text: (a) Sec. 110.8 THRESHOLD BUILDINGS - 'During new construction or during repair or restoration projects IN WHICH THE STRUCTURAL SYSTEM OR STRUCTURAL LOADING OF A BUILDING IS BEING MODIFIED, the enforcing agency shall require a special inspector to perform structural inspections on a threshold building pursuant to a structural inspection plan prepared by the engineer or architect of record. The structural inspection plan must be submitted to the enforcing agency PRIOR TO THE ISSUANCE OF A BUILDING PERMIT' - and the Town publishes a 'Special Inspector Form Threshold Buildings Only' and an 'Engineer of Record Declaration of Required Special Inspections'; and (b) the Town's Re-Roof Worksheet: 'Flat decks over 400 sf. must include enhance fastening details from a design professional.' 70% · local administrative code amendment
• Is an electrical PE stamp required, and at what threshold? Over $125,000 in electrical system value AND an aggregate service capacity over 600 amperes (240 V) residential / over 800 amperes (240 V) commercial or industrial - the current FS 471.003(2)(h) test, restated verbatim in the Town's own Administrative Chapter 1 Sec. 105.3.1.2(5): 'Electrical documents. See Florida Statutes 471.003(2)(h). Any electrical or plumbing or air-conditioning and refrigeration system meeting the following thresholds are required to be designed by a Florida Registered Engineer. The system, Requires an electrical system with a value of over $125,000; and Requires an aggregate service capacity of over 600 amperes (240 volts) on a residential electrical system or over 800 amperes (240 volts) on a commercial or industrial electrical system'. No residential rooftop PV job reaches that. The Town does NOT carry the obsolete $50,000 figure some Florida authorities still print. 93% · local administrative code amendment

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? MyGovernmentOnline (MGO Connect), mgoconnect.org, operated by South Central Planning & Development Commission. Highland Beach's customer portal is JID=462 (https://mgoconnect.org/cp?JID=462); Gulf Stream, which the same department serves, is JID=466. Contractor registration is done through the same portal (https://www.mgoconnect.org/auth/cplogin). The Town also publishes a public Power BI 'Building Department Statistics' dashboard and uses Forerunner (highlandbeach-gulfstreamfl.withforerunner.com) as its flood-zone/elevation-certificate platform - one Forerunner instance covering both towns. 95% · portal landing page
• Can the whole application be completed online? Almost. Submittal is online-ONLY and mandatory: 'All new submittals and revisions must be submitted online using the below links to the Building Department Online Portal', all uploads in PDF, drawings electronically signed and sealed. Registration, application, revisions and (per the $7,500 policy) even exemption requests go through the portal. The exception is money: estimated fees under $10,000 are due in full, but 'Estimated Fees of $10,000 or greater require a 50% payment, WHICH MUST BE MADE IN OFFICE ONLY'. An owner-builder must also appear in person - the disclosure statement 'Must be signed in front of the Building Official at the Building Department'. 90% · department policy + department page
• What does a residential solar permit cost? Valuation-based, PER TRADE, minimum $100 per permit. Fee schedule (Resolution 2026-008, Exhibit B, effective 1 Jul 2026): 'All building permit fees shall be based upon the value of the work to be performed ... The minimum building permit fee shall be $100 ... Building permit fees shall be calculated per $1,000 of valuation or portion thereof FOR EACH TRADE (building, plumbing, mechanical, or electrical) ... i. $22.00 per $1,000 or portion thereof of value up to $500,000. ii. $17.50 per $1,000 or portion thereof of value above $500,000.' Plus Florida surcharges: BCAIB 1.5% of permit fee and FBC 1% of permit fee. WORKED EXAMPLE, a $25,000 residential PV job split $15,000 building / $10,000 electrical: building 15 x $22 = $330; electrical 10 x $22 = $220; total $550 + 2.5% surcharges (~$14) = about $564. A single-trade $25,000 permit would be $550 + ~$14. Private provider credits reduce this by 13% (inspections only), 13% (plan review only) or 26% (both). There is NO solar-specific fee line. 92% · adopted fee resolution
• How is the fee calculated? Valuation. $22.00 per $1,000 of value (or portion thereof) up to $500,000 and $17.50 per $1,000 above, charged separately for each trade, with a $100 minimum permit fee. The valuation input is the signed cost estimate the checklist requires from applicant and owner, with a labour and material breakdown and total job value; Administrative Chapter 1 Sec. 109.3 lets the Building Official set the final valuation. 95% · adopted fee resolution
• Is there a separate plan-check fee? No separate plan-check fee - plan review is inside the per-$1,000 trade fee. Two things prove the structure: the private-provider credit is expressed as a proportion of the same fee ('Private Provider plan review only: minus 13% of permit fee under (c)', 'inspections & plan review: minus 26%', calculated on 'the combined plan review and inspection costs documented at 50.60 percent of total departmental expenditures for fiscal year 2024-2025'), and the only stand-alone review charge is a re-review charge: '$50.00 per page for plans requiring additional review after the initial review'. Planning & Zoning charges are separate and large where triggered (site plan $1,500; engineering review fee $500 plus additional cost; a $500 attorney-consultation deposit on all land development applications). 88% · adopted fee resolution

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.

• How long is an issued permit valid before it expires? 180 days. Building Department Policy No. 2026-001 Revision 1 (effective 22 Jul 2026): 'A permit expires if no approved inspection occurs within 180 days ... or if work authorized by the permit is not commenced within 180 days of issuance.' Expiry is automatic - 'Permits expire by operation of law when the applicable condition is met. No action by the Building Official or Building Department staff is required to effect expiration, and the status displayed in the permitting system does not alter the date of expiration.' Extensions: written request BEFORE expiry, discretionary, 'ordinarily ... a single period of 180 days', measured from the current expiration date not from approval, no more than one absent extraordinary circumstances, $100 fee, void if unpaid within 10 business days. After expiry no extension is possible; reinstatement costs $250 and needs the Building Official's approval. Separately, an APPLICATION is void 180 days after filing unless pursued in good faith, extendable in periods of up to 90 days (Administrative Chapter 1 Sec. 105.3.2). Note Part 8 of the policy adds the FS 553.79(1)(c) statutory expiration framework as amended by CS/CS/HB 803 - but that Part applies only to permits for a SINGLE-FAMILY DWELLING, so it does not reach the condominium stock. 94% · department policy
• Which utility handles interconnection here? Florida Power & Light Company (FPL), an investor-owned utility, sole retail seller across the whole Town, so FL PSC Rule 25-6.065 binds. Proved city-side before any territory map was opened: (1) CODE APPENDIX A is the ELECTRIC FRANCHISE - 'AN ORDINANCE ... GRANTING TO FLORIDA POWER & LIGHT COMPANY ... AN ELECTRIC FRANCHISE', Ord. No. 07-022 adopted 4 Dec 2007, 30 years, covering 'throughout all of the incorporated areas ... of the Town of Highland Beach'. (2) THE FRANCHISE APPENDICES AS A NEGATIVE INDEX - the Code carries Appendix A Electric, Appendix C Gas, Appendix D Telephone and Telegraph, Appendix E Cable Television. Exactly ONE electric franchise, no rival. (3) THE NON-COMPETING COVENANT, Appendix A Sec. 6 'Service exclusive' - the Town 'agrees: (a) not to engage in the distribution and/or sale, in competition with the Grantee, of electric capacity and/or electric energy to any ultimate consumer of electric utility service ... (c) not to seek to have the Grantee transmit and/or distribute electric capacity and/or electric energy generated by or on behalf of the Grantor at one location to the Grantor's facility(ies) at any other location(s)'. Limb (c) is worth knowing: it bars the TOWN from wheeling its own generation between its own sites - it does not bind a private customer. 95% · codified franchise ordinance
• Where does the utility sit in the sequence? Parallel, with the AHJ's approval a legal precondition to the utility's final step. FL PSC Rule 25-6.065(5)(a) makes local code-official approval a precondition of parallel operation. FPL's manual advises the reverse order commercially: 'It is highly recommended that customers obtain FPL's written interconnection approval PRIOR TO PROCURING ANY MATERIAL', and 'All net metering systems require written approval and agreement from FPL.' The Town takes no part in the utility step: its Early Power Release Request Form ends 'This form does not guarantee power, which is at the discretion and control of the applicable utility company.' So: apply to FPL and to the Town in parallel; the Town's final inspection gates FPL's permission to operate; the Town does not itself notify FPL. 78% · utility DG manual + PSC rule + department form

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

• Which NEC edition is in force? NEC 2020, effective 31 December 2023, as adopted through the Florida Building Code 8th Edition (2023) Chapter 27. NO Highland Beach or Palm Beach County instrument names an NEC edition year. The Town's adoption floats: Code Sec. 6-26(a) 'The Florida Building Code, as developed by the Florida Building Commission and adopted by state statute, is hereby incorporated, by reference as the building code for the Town of Highland Beach, with the amendments set forth in this article' - no edition, no year. The 41-page Administrative Chapter 1 names no NEC year either. The four 'National Electric(al)' references in the code are fossils in other chapters (cable-TV franchise construction provisions; a portable-generator rule citing 'NFPA 70, the National Electric Code'; a tree-protection utility-clearance clause) and none states a year. 88% · codified adopting ordinance + state adoption
• Which building code edition is in force? Florida Building Code 8th Edition (2023), by floating adoption. Code Sec. 6-26(a) adopts the FBC 'as developed by the Florida Building Commission and adopted by state statute ... with the amendments set forth in this article', so the Town's building code moves with the state cycle and carries no stale edition year - unlike many Florida towns. Sec. 6-27 adds the Town's own Administrative Chapter 1 amendments (most recently Ord. No. 2023-008, 19 Dec 2023, plus 2023-006, 2022-008, 2021-011, 2021-002, 13-003, 12-002), published as a 41-page BOAF-model document headed 'TOWN OF HIGHLAND BEACH ADMINISTRATIVE CODE CHAPTER 1 FOR THE 8th Edition (2023) FLORIDA BUILDING CODE'. Sec. 6-29 also adopts the International Property Maintenance Code 2021 edition with five local amendments. 95% · codified adopting ordinance + local amendment document
• Which fire code edition is in force? Florida Fire Prevention Code 8th Edition, plus a long schedule of NFPA standards adopted by specific year, plus local amendments - and the fire department is the Town's own. Code Sec. 9-1(a): 'The town adopts by reference and incorporates into this Code ... that certain code known as the Florida Fire Prevention Code (8th edition) ("FFPC"), except as provided in this chapter.' Sec. 9-1(b) then adopts about 25 named NFPA standards with fixed edition years (NFPA 18-2017, 22-2018, 53-2016, 67-2019, 69-2019, 102-2016, 105-2019, 115-2020, 140-2018, 160-2016, 170-2018, 204-2018, 241-2019, 287-2017, 291-2019, 302-2020, 306-2019, 496-2017, 502-2020, 601-2020, 720-2015, 780-2020, 801-2020, 820-2020, 914-2019, 1225-2022, 1961-2020 and others). Sec. 9-2 adds local inspection, testing and maintenance amendments (Ord. No. 2023-002, 24 Aug 2023). Note the adoption of the FFPC edition is FIXED at the 8th, not floating - so it will need re-adoption at the next cycle. 95% · codified adopting ordinance
• Are there local amendments to any of the above? Yes, several - but NONE of them touches photovoltaics. (1) The Town's own 41-page Administrative Chapter 1 amending FBC Chapter 1 (Ord. 2023-008 and predecessors), which is the operative administrative law here and is also adopted in its entirety by the Town of Gulf Stream. (2) Fire: Code Sec. 9-2 local amendments to the FFPC, plus Secs. 9-16 to 9-29 (premises identification, unit and suite identification, fire lanes, outdoor cooking appliances, fire protection closets) and Sec. 9-51 fire flow. (3) Flood: Code ch. 20 art. VI (Ord. No. 2024-002, adopted 6 Aug 2024) including an express 'Florida Building Code technical amendment; cumulative substantial improvement' at Sec. 20-350(c). (4) Property maintenance: five amendments to IPMC 2021 at Sec. 6-29. There is no local technical amendment to the electrical provisions at all - and no Palm Beach County analogue of the Pinellas-style licensing-board technical amendments. 92% · local amendment documents + codified ordinance
• What is the installation judged against? A rooftop PV installation here is judged against, in order: the Florida Building Code 8th Edition (2023) (Building/Residential/Existing Building/Mechanical/Plumbing/Fuel Gas) via Code Sec. 6-26; NEC 2020 through FBC Chapter 27; the Town of Highland Beach Administrative Chapter 1 for FBC 8th Edition (permit, valuation, inspection and threshold-building administration); the Florida Fire Prevention Code 8th Edition and the NFPA standards adopted at Sec. 9-1(b), with fire plan examination under Sec. 9-41 for anything other than a single-family or duplex unit; Code ch. 20 art. VI Floodplain Management (Ord. 2024-002) including the 49%/five-year cumulative substantial-improvement test; Code ch. 30 Zoning (height exceptions, setbacks, coastal lighting, ocean-ridge and CCCL provisions); statewide Florida Product Approval for exterior products; ASCE 7-22 wind loading at 170 Vult mph, Exposure C, Risk Category II; and FPL's Electric Service Standards Section XIII plus the filed Section 9 interconnection tariff. 88% · synthesis of adopting instruments

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? The Town publishes no ridge setback or access-pathway dimension of its own - the FFPC 8th Edition and NFPA 1 apply as adopted with no local amendment ('solar', 'access pathway', 'rapid shutdown' all zero in the complete code harvest, controls passing). *** BUT THE DWELLING-TYPE CARVE-OUT RUNS THE WRONG WAY HERE, AND IT IS CODIFIED. *** NFPA 1's residential PV access relief is written around one- and two-family dwellings; a condominium tower is neither. And the Town's own fire chapter demonstrates the same scoping twice: Sec. 9-41(a) 'This section shall NOT apply to single-family or duplex residential units, except where the installation of fire suppression systems, fire alarm systems, or liquified petroleum fuel tanks, are proposed' - so fire-rescue plan examination under Sec. 9-41(b) ('Any plans and/or specification submitted as part of an application for any building permit for new construction, demolition, moving of existing buildings, OR RENOVATION OF EXISTING STRUCTURES shall ... be examined and approved by the fire rescue department') DOES reach a condominium PV retrofit; and Sec. 9-22(a) scopes the balcony cooking-appliance rule to 'all buildings and structures, EXCEPT two-family dwellings of one-story design, and single-family dwellings'. On the Town's dominant housing stock the reliefs elsewhere assumed simply do not apply, and a fire plan review that a house would never see is mandatory. 70% · codified ordinance + adopted fire code

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 - NEC 2020 Article 690.12, through the Florida Building Code 8th Edition (2023), Chapter 27. Not restated locally by anyone: 'rapid shutdown' returns zero across the complete 1.23 MB code harvest, zero in the 41-page Administrative Chapter 1, zero in the Town's 699 named DocumentCenter files, and zero in the Town's own site search (which indexes PDF contents and passed both controls). FPL's Section XIII does not mention it either. So the requirement is the state-adopted NEC edition and nothing more. 85% · adopted code + proved local 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? The AUTHORITY requires none of its own - 'placard' returns 2 hits in the whole code (neither electrical) and 'label' 2. Every placard on this job comes from FPL. Section XIII.A.6 of the FPL Electric Service Standards (sheets rev. 10-30-25; manual ModDate 1 Sep 2026), quoted in full: '6. Labeling - All labels must be permanent and weatherproof/UV resistant placard with engraved letters. The customer is responsible for all labeling requirements. The following labels must be installed at the interconnecting meter can and the DER disconnect switch.' INTERCONNECTING METER CAN: 'WARNING / MULTI POWER SOURCES / ENTER SOURCES HERE / RATED AC OUTPUT CURRENT ** AMPS / NOMINAL OPERATING VOLTAGE ** VOLTS'. DER DISCONNECT SWITCH: 'GENERATION SYSTEM AC DISCONNECT / RATED AC OUTPUT CURRENT ** AMPS / NOMINAL OPERATING VOLTAGE ** VOLTS'. Battery, Section XIII.C.1: 'A placard must be permanently affixed to the meter enclosure stating "Battery storage utilized in this facility."' Plus the NEC 2020 690/705 labels that come with the adopted code. 88% · utility DG manual
• Does the authority specify placard wording of its own? No. The Town of Highland Beach specifies no placard wording of its own. Proved against the complete 910-document code harvest ('placard' 2 hits, both irrelevant; 'label' 2), the 41-page Administrative Chapter 1, the General Check List, the Re-Roof Worksheet, a 699-document DocumentCenter filename sweep that returned zero solar or electrical-labelling documents, and the Town's own site search (positive controls electrical/fee schedule/sea turtle all returned results; fabricated control 'zzqqxvv' returned a page byte-identical to 'photovoltaic', so the zero is real). 90% · codified ordinance (complete harvest) + site search with controls
• Does it specify letter height, colour or material? The Town: nothing. FPL: material and permanence are specified but letter height and colour are NOT. Section XIII.A.6: 'All labels must be permanent and weatherproof/UV resistant placard with ENGRAVED LETTERS.' That is the whole specification - no height in inches, no colour, no contrast requirement, no ANSI Z535 reference. Note that FPL's two OTHER labelling paragraphs in the same section use 'should' rather than 'must' (Section XIII.B.6 for Small Generation Interconnection Agreement projects and Section XIII.D for Vehicle-to-X), so the mandatory modal verb attaches specifically to the net-metering paragraph that governs a residential rooftop job. 88% · utility DG manual
• Is a site plan / facility map placard required, and what must it show? No site-plan or facility-map placard is required by either government or utility here. NEC 2020 705.10 is NOT restated by the Town ('705.10' and '690.' both zero across the complete code harvest), not by the Administrative Chapter 1, and not by FPL - Section XIII lists only the four label texts at q38 and nothing resembling a facility diagram. That makes NINE CONSECUTIVE FLORIDA AUTHORITIES at which nobody restates 705.10. The nearest instrument in the whole file is a narrow one, and it is in FPL's filed tariff rather than the manual: Section 9 Tier 1 agreement para. 5.3, where FPL has agreed the disconnect may sit away from the meter, requires that 'the customer shall install a permanent weather-proof plaque adjacent to FPL's meter socket INDICATING THE LOCATION OF the manual disconnect switch or switches'. That is a location-pointer plaque in one specific circumstance, not a 705.10 facility map. 82% · filed utility tariff + proved local absence
• Does the UTILITY specify placards beyond the AHJ's? Yes - and the utility's placards are the entire placard regime here, since the Town specifies none. *** AND THE CALLER'S SPECIFIC QUESTION IS CONFIRMED: FPL's Section XIII.A.6 IS NOT TIER-SCOPED. *** Section XIII.A is headed 'Net metering' and its opening text covers all three tiers ('Tier1: less than or equal to 10 KW / Tier2: greater than 10KW and less than or equal to 100KW / Tier3: greater than 100KW and less than or equal to 2MW'). Within it, subsection A.4 IS expressly tier-scoped - 'All tier 2 and tier 3 systems require an FPL approved visually open Distributed Energy Resource (DER) disconnect switch' - while A.6 Labeling carries no tier limitation at all and says the labels 'must be installed at the interconnecting meter can AND the DER disconnect switch'. Read literally it reaches a Tier 1 job that, under A.4, has no DER disconnect switch to label. The meter-can placard plainly does reach Tier 1; the DER-switch placard is incoherent on a Tier 1 job. Plan accordingly: fit the meter-can placard on every job regardless of size, and the DER-switch placard wherever a disconnect actually exists. 92% · utility DG manual
• Where must the labels be placed? Three locations, all utility-specified: (1) the INTERCONNECTING METER CAN - the 'WARNING / MULTI POWER SOURCES' placard (FPL XIII.A.6); (2) the DER DISCONNECT SWITCH - the 'GENERATION SYSTEM AC DISCONNECT' placard (same paragraph); (3) the METER ENCLOSURE - 'Battery storage utilized in this facility' wherever storage is installed (FPL XIII.C.1). Where FPL has agreed to relocate the manual disconnect away from the meter, tariff Section 9 para. 5.3 adds a fourth: a permanent weather-proof plaque 'adjacent to FPL's meter socket' indicating where the switch is. The DER switch itself must be 'mounted separate from but adjacent to the FPL meter socket within 10 feet ... There shall be no locked gates, doors or fences between the meter socket and the DER disconnect switch.' The Town of Highland Beach adds no placement rule of its own. 92% · utility DG manual + filed tariff

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, and it turns on tier AND on tap point - tap point overriding tier. TIER 1 (<=10 kW), UL 1741 inverter-based: NO customer-installed disconnect. Filed tariff Section 9 para. 5.1: 'U.L.1741 Listed, inverter-based Tier 1 customer-owned renewable generation systems do not require a customer-installed manual disconnect switch.' Non-UL-1741 Tier 1 systems do require one (para. 5.2), 'mounted separate from, but adjacent to, the FPL meter socket ... readily accessible to FPL and be capable of being locked in the open position with a single FPL utility padlock'. TIER 2 AND TIER 3: required. Manual Section XIII.A.4: 'All tier 2 and tier 3 systems require an FPL approved visually open Distributed Energy Resource (DER) disconnect switch ... mounted separate from but adjacent to the FPL meter socket WITHIN 10 FEET and must always remain accessible to FPL. Plans must show dimensions between the location of the meter socket and the DER disconnect switch. There shall be no locked gates, doors or fences between the meter socket and the DER disconnect switch.' TAP POINT OVERRIDES TIER, Section XIII.A.5: 'If the interconnection is performed on the LINE SIDE of the customers main electrical panel (per NEC) a manual AC disconnect is required between AC generation output and the point of interconnection to FPL facilities ... within 10 feet.' *** THE 10 kW CONTRADICTION IS STILL OPEN in the September 2026 manual: Section XIII.A defines Tier 1 as '<= 10 KW' and exempts it, while the 'DER Disconnect Switch Utility Requirements' page INSIDE THE SAME SECTION says FPL requires the switch 'for all DER installations RANGING FROM 10kW TO 2MW'. At exactly 10.0 kW the two point opposite ways. *** Switch requirements: visible open with blades, jaws and air gap visible and not obscured by a dead-front or arc-shield; lockable open; must accept a 3/8" FPL padlock shank on the cover hasp; must not be modified to accept an FPL lock; enclosure grounded. 92% · utility DG manual + filed tariff
• Must equipment be on a specific approved list? Yes, two independent lists. (1) FLORIDA PRODUCT APPROVAL for exterior products - the Town's checklist requires 'Complete sets of product approvals if applicable' and the Re-Roof Worksheet requires product approvals for underlayment, adhesives and accessories with '*Product Approvals listed above must be on job site during inspection*'. Palm Beach County is NOT HVHZ, so this is the statewide Florida Product Approval system, not a Miami-Dade NOA - although the Town's own checklist confusingly uses 'NOAs' for windows and doors. (2) THE INVERTER, at utility level: FPL Section XIII.A.1 'The customer must utilize a certified UL 1741 SA and IEEE 1547 grid interactive inverter. Inverters that have not been certified to UL Standard will be denied interconnection', and the filed tariff para. 3.1 requires listing 'by the laboratory for continuous interactive operation with an electric distribution system in compliance with the applicable codes and standards of IEEE 1547, IEEE 1547.1, and UL 1741'. Batteries: NRTL certification to UL 1741 (XIII.C.1). 90% · published checklist + utility DG manual
• Are batteries permitted, and under what conditions? No local instrument at all: 'battery' returns exactly ONE hit in the Town's entire code and it is 'Assault, battery, etc., F.S. ch. 784'; 'energy storage' returns zero. Batteries are therefore governed by the adopted Florida Fire Prevention Code 8th Edition (and NFPA 855 through it) and by FPL. FPL Section XIII.C: equipment 'must have a certification conducted by a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) to the current UL 1741 standard for safety. A placard must be permanently affixed to the meter enclosure stating "Battery storage utilized in this facility." Battery storage that is not UL 1741 certified must be DC coupled behind a UL 1741 listed device.' Export is barred - 'Energy stored by the battery is only for the customer's use ... at this time the customer may not export power from the battery to the grid.' A backup-only battery needs no interconnection agreement but the customer must prevent back-feed; a grid-charging, grid-interconnected battery must be notified to FPL and may need a Small Generator Interconnection Application/Agreement. Stand-alone storage 'is not included in the definition of "renewable energy" pursuant to Rule 25-6.065(2)(d) ... and the output from such systems is not net metered.' 80% · utility DG manual + proved local absence
• Is a ground mount treated as a structure? Yes. Code Sec. 30-131 defines 'Structure' as 'a building as well as other improvements constructed or erected on the ground, attached to something having a permanent location on the ground', and 'Building' as 'any structure, roofed or unroofed, MORE THAN THIRTY (30) INCHES above the finished grade of the surrounding land' - so a ground-mount above 30 inches is a building as well as a structure, with setbacks, lot coverage and a development-order path engaged. The checklist independently requires 'A survey completed within last year for additions, pools, fences, walls, generators, new mechanical equipment, or screen enclosures that change the footprint'. On the ocean side a ground mount runs into much harder rules: Code Sec. 6-127(d) forbids removing soil, sand or rock from the ocean ridge and requires structures' exterior walls to sit at least 50 feet west of the easterly survey/vegetation line, Sec. 30-81 bars 'Fences, walls, poles or stakes east of the state coastal construction control line ... unless allowed by state law and approved by the Department of Environmental Protection', and FDEP CCCL permitting under FS 161.141 must be obtained BEFORE the Town will accept the building permit plans (Sec. 30-42(a)(5)). In practice almost no Highland Beach parcel offers usable ground-mount space. 82% · codified ordinance
• Is a specific mounting system or attachment spacing required? No prescribed mounting system and no attachment spacing rule. The operative requirements are generic: Florida Product Approval for exterior products, the manufacturer's installation instructions, and demonstrated resistance to the design wind pressures. The Town's checklist asks for 'Complete sets of product approvals if applicable' and 'Information showing design wind pressure expected at location(s) on structure ... (Current ASCE)'. The Re-Roof Worksheet sets the design criteria (170 Vult mph, Exposure C, ASCE 7-22, Risk Category II) and adds one real spacing-adjacent rule for flat decks: 'On flat roofs a contractor may propose a worst case fastening of the perimeter (min. 4' from edge) Max 4" O.C. each way. Flat decks over 400 s.f. may be required to provide enhance fastening details from a design professional to the inspector.' On a threshold building, Administrative Chapter 1 Sec. 110.8 may pull attachments into a special-inspector structural inspection plan. 75% · department-published worksheet

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? Through the MyGovernmentOnline portal, or by telephone to the Building Department on 561-278-4540. Administrative Chapter 1 Sec. 110.5 places the duty on the permit holder: 'It shall be the duty of the holder of the building permit or their duly authorized agent to notify the building official when work is ready for inspection. It shall be the duty of the permit holder to provide access to and means for inspections.' A REMOTE OPTION EXISTS AND IS PRICED: the adopted fee schedule carries '$20.00 for remote video inspections - RVI (elective)', so RVI is available at the applicant's election for a fee rather than being the default. 70% · adopted fee resolution + local administrative code amendment

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, in-house, with a statutory private-provider alternative that the Town permits and supervises. Administrative Chapter 1 Sec. 104.4: 'The building official shall make all of the required inspections, or the building official shall have the authority to accept reports of inspection by approved agencies or individuals.' Sec. 110.1.2 lets the building official accept independent inspectors only after satisfying himself as to 'their licensure, qualifications and reliability', and requires that all persons making such inspections be certified under FS ch. 468 or licensed under ch. 471 or 481. The department is genuinely staffed: seven full-time employees including a named Senior Building Inspector (Joseph Hennessey), and the Building special revenue fund budgets PERSONAL SERVICES of $1,001,522 for FY2027. Private providers under FS 553.791 may do plan review, inspections or both, at a 13%/13%/26% fee credit, governed by two current Town guidelines (AG-2026-PPSOP, effective 8 Jun 2026, and a Private Provider Audit SOP effective 1 Jul 2026). 92% · local administrative code amendment + budget
• If delegated, to whom? Not delegated. The Town of Highland Beach performs its own inspections. The only substitution available is an FS 553.791 PRIVATE PROVIDER engaged and paid by the permit holder - a licensed engineer or architect and their duly authorized representatives - which is a customer-side election, not a delegation by the authority. The Town governs it through Administrative Guideline AG-2026-PPSOP (effective 8 Jun 2026) and a Private Provider Audit SOP (effective 1 Jul 2026), and prices it at minus 13% (inspections only), minus 13% (plan review only) or minus 26% (both). Going the other way, the Town IS the delegate for somebody else: it is 'the building department of record for the Town of Gulf Stream under a shared services arrangement', and Gulf Stream 'has adopted the Town of Highland Beach's locally amended Chapter 1 in its entirety'; the fee schedule remits '5% of the collected fees ... to the Town of Gulf Stream for administrative services' on Gulf Stream permits. 90% · department administrative guideline

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 PV-specific sequence is published. The general regime is Administrative Chapter 1 Sec. 110.3, whose list runs foundation, concrete slab/under-floor, lowest floor elevation (in flood hazard areas), frame, plumbing/mechanical/gas rough, energy efficiency, other inspections, special inspections (Reserved), final, flood hazard documentation, energy code documentation, termites and impact-resistant coverings. Two sentences control the ordering and they are unusually explicit: 'THE BUILDING OFFICIAL SHALL DETERMINE THE TIMING AND SEQUENCING OF WHEN INSPECTIONS OCCUR AND WHAT ELEMENTS ARE INSPECTED AT EACH INSPECTION' (Sec. 110.3), and Sec. 110.6 'Work shall not be done beyond the point indicated in each successive inspection without first obtaining the approval of the building official ... Any portions that do not comply shall be corrected and such portion shall not be covered or concealed until authorized.' For a condominium tower add Sec. 110.8 threshold-building structural inspections by a special inspector where structural loading is modified. In practice a PV job here is a parent building permit plus an electrical child permit, each carrying its own final. 65% · local administrative code amendment
• Is a rough-in or mid-roof inspection required? No PV-specific rough or mid-roof inspection is published. What binds is the general concealment rule, Administrative Chapter 1 Sec. 110.6: 'Work shall not be done beyond the point indicated in each successive inspection without first obtaining the approval of the building official ... Any portions that do not comply shall be corrected and such portion shall not be covered or concealed until authorized by the building official', backed by Sec. 110.1's duty on the owner 'to cause the work to remain exposed and provided with access for inspection purposes until approved'. Roof attachments on a flat tower roof are generally not concealed, so in practice an electrical rough and a final are the likely calls - but the Building Official's Sec. 110.3 discretion over 'what elements are inspected at each inspection' means this can be set per job. 60% · local administrative code amendment

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. There is no published inspection checklist for solar, and none for electrical work generally. Proved four ways in this run: a filename sweep of 699 named documents in the Town's DocumentCenter returned ZERO solar, photovoltaic, PV, renewable or energy documents; the Town's own site search (which indexes PDF contents) returns 'No results found' for 'photovoltaic' - a page byte-identical to the one returned for the fabricated control 'zzqqxvv' - while 'electrical', 'fee schedule' and 'sea turtle' all return full result sets; 'solar' returns exactly two hits, one a contractor's name ('Contract entered with Lux Solar for lighting and signage infrastructure') and the other the Re-Roofing checklist's sub-permit trade line; and the complete 910-document code harvest has 'solar' at zero. What the Town DOES publish is a Re-Roof Worksheet with design criteria, product-approval and on-site-posting requirements, and a Private Provider Inspection Submission Requirements guideline. 88% · DocumentCenter sweep + site search with controls
• What must be on site at inspection? The approved construction documents, the permit, the recorded Notice of Commencement and the product approvals. Administrative Chapter 1 Sec. 107.3.1: the reviewed set 'shall be kept at the site of work and shall be open to inspection by the building official or a duly authorized representative'; Sec. 105.7 'The building permit or copy shall be kept on the site of the work until the completion of the project'; Sec. 110.1 requires the work to remain exposed and accessible. The Construction Site Management Handbook requires the Notice of Commencement to 'BE RECORDED AND POSTED ON THE JOB SITE BEFORE THE FIRST INSPECTION'. The Re-Roof Worksheet adds 'Please post an official copy of this completed worksheet with all other inspection documents on the jobsite prior to inspection' and '*Product Approvals listed above must be on job site during inspection*'. 85% · local administrative code amendment + department handbook
• Does the inspector verify labels and listings? Partly, and only for one product class in writing. There is no published label- or listing-verification scope for an electrical final. The nearest written duties are: Administrative Chapter 1 Sec. 110.3.13, which requires the building official to schedule inspections of impact-resistant coverings or systems to determine that 'The system indicated on the plans was installed' and 'The system is installed in accordance with the manufacturer's installation instructions AND THE PRODUCT APPROVAL'; and the Re-Roof Worksheet's '*Product Approvals listed above must be on job site during inspection*' with 'Please post an official copy of this completed worksheet with all other inspection documents on the jobsite prior to inspection.' Both are listings-verification regimes, but they are written for roofing and opening protection, not for PV equipment or NEC labels. 55% · local administrative code amendment + department worksheet

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 passed FINAL INSPECTION, not a certificate of occupancy. Administrative Chapter 1 Sec. 110.3.11: 'The final inspection shall be made after all work required by the building permit is completed.' A CO belongs to new buildings and changes of occupancy - Sec. 106.2 ties the CO to Section 111, and Code Sec. 30-24(b)(4) gives the building official the duty to 'Issue certificates of occupancy'. A retrofit on an existing condominium closes on the final of each trade permit. Expired Permit Policy Part 4(4) is explicit about what closure means: 'An expired permit is not a closed permit. Only permits that have satisfied all required inspections and received final approval, or that have been closed pursuant to Section 105.5.1 ... are closed.' Where early energisation is needed before a CO, the Town's Early Power Release Request Form is a separate notarised, dual-qualifier instrument requiring that 'Final inspections for all trade permits/sub-permits must be scheduled and passed within 30 days' and that 'OCCUPANCY OF THE BUILDING PRIOR TO C.O. IS PROHIBITED'. 80% · local administrative code amendment + department policy
• Who notifies the utility for PTO? The installer or customer, not the Town. There is no codified power-release duty here of the kind found elsewhere, and the Town's own form disclaims the role: the Early Power Release Request Form ends 'This form does not guarantee power, WHICH IS AT THE DISCRETION AND CONTROL OF THE APPLICABLE UTILITY COMPANY.' On FPL's side the customer drives it: 'All net metering systems require written approval and agreement from FPL'; 'In order to commence the process for interconnection the Customer shall provide FPL a completed application' (tariff Section 9 para. 2.3); and FL PSC Rule 25-6.065(5)(a) makes the local code official's approval a precondition of parallel operation, which is to say FPL requires evidence of the Town's final before it will grant permission to operate. So the sequence is: Town final -> installer submits the signed-off documentation to FPL -> FPL grants PTO. 65% · department form + filed utility tariff
• Is there a re-inspection fee? $100 per inspection, flat, and it does NOT escalate - a change made this year under HB 803. Fee schedule Sec. I(h): 'An inspection fee of $100 per inspection is assessed in the following circumstances: i. A subsequent inspection is required for any item, system, or component that was not in compliance with the Florida Building Code or the approved permitted documents at the time of the prior inspection.' The schedule strikes through the previous '$75.00 for second inspection (same fee)' and its escalating tiers, and explains: 'This fee represents the documented actual cost per inspection and is established pursuant to F.S. Sec. 553.79(f) as amended by CS/CS/HB 803, effective July 1, 2026. THE FEE APPLIES UNIFORMLY REGARDLESS OF THE NUMBER OF PRIOR INSPECTIONS PERFORMED UNDER THE PERMIT AND DOES NOT ESCALATE.' Highland Beach is therefore one of the first Florida authorities in this survey to have flattened its re-inspection ladder in response to HB 803. 94% · adopted fee resolution
• How are corrections issued and cleared? Two routes, both priced. PLAN REVIEW: corrections come back as a written rejection - Administrative Chapter 1 Sec. 105.3.1, 'If the application or the construction documents do not conform to the requirements of pertinent laws, the building official shall reject such application in writing, stating the reasons therefore' - and re-review after the first round costs '$50.00 per page for plans requiring additional review after the initial review'. Revisions are submitted through the portal with a Revision Request form; the department 'only accepts' online submittals for revisions. INSPECTION: Sec. 110.3 requires the building official to 'notify the permit holder or his or her agent of any violations which must be corrected in order to comply with the technical codes', Sec. 110.6 bars further work past the failed point and bars concealment until authorised, and clearing the correction costs the $100 re-inspection fee. Escalation: a right of appeal to the Board of Adjustment and Appeals, at $1,500 ('Appeal of Building Code Decision'). 78% · local administrative code amendment + adopted fee resolution