Town of Lee

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

• Is this authority the AHJ for residential solar at this address? No, not for building/electrical permitting and inspection. The Town of Lee is an incorporated municipality (chartered 1909, council-manager government) but does not itself perform building or electrical permitting or inspection for a residential rooftop PV system - that function is performed by the MADISON COUNTY BUILDING DEPARTMENT (229 SW Pinckney Street, Suite 219, Madison FL 32340, 850-973-6785; Building Official Dennis Pitts). The Town of Lee's own official website (leeflorida.org) lists 'County Building Dept.' as one of its own Departments, hyperlinked straight to madisoncountyfl.com/building-department/ - i.e. the Town itself names the County department as the office that performs this function for Lee. Separately, the County's own Building Department page states: 'Residents of the City of Madison must obtain permits and inspections at City Hall... All other residents in Madison County can visit the second floor of the Madison County Annex Building... for permits and inspections' - Lee is not the City of Madison, so its residents fall in the 'all other' bucket that the County serves directly. HOWEVER the Town of Lee is NOT a jurisdictional non-entity: it retains its OWN zoning/land-use authority in full (see jurisdiction block) via its own Land Development Regulations, Planning & Zoning Board and Land Development Regulation Administrator, and its own Volunteer Fire Department. A rooftop PV job in Lee therefore crosses two authorities: the Town for zoning compliance, the County for the building/electrical permit and inspection. 82% · town's own website
• What does this authority permit itself, and what does it delegate? Split: Delegated for building and electrical; retained for zoning/land-use and fire suppression. The Town of Lee delegates building permitting, plan review and inspection to the Madison County Building Department (see q1). The Town retains its OWN Planning & Zoning Board, Board of Adjustment, Land Development Regulation Administrator and Town Planner (Renee Demps, (850) 869-0259) administering the Town's own 16-Article Land Development Regulations, whose Section 1.3 states they 'shall apply to the entire incorporated area of the Town.' Madison County's own Land Development Code, by contrast, is expressly limited to 'the unincorporated areas of Madison County' (county Planning & Zoning page), so the County's zoning code does NOT reach into Lee - zoning is genuinely the Town's own, not delegated. The Town also runs its own Volunteer Fire Department (in-house, not delegated to county fire-rescue). 80% · town land development regulations
• Is a permit required for a residential rooftop PV system? Yes. Madison County's Building Permit Application and Electrical Permit Package are both required for any construction/electrical work including a residential rooftop PV installation; there is no exemption for solar in any county form found. No dedicated 'Solar System' line exists on the county's permit forms (unlike some neighbouring counties' forms), so a PV job is processed as ordinary residential electrical/building work under the general 'Residential' checkbox. 68% · permit application form
• Is there a separate electrical permit, or is it combined? Separate. Madison County issues a distinct 'Electrical Permit Package' (with its own Electrical Disclosure Statement under F.S. 489.503-6) alongside, but separate from, the general Building Permit Application. The New Single Family Dwelling checklist lists 'Building Application' as one line item among several, with electrical work handled through the separate Electrical Permit Package/subcontractor fields. 85% · permit application form
• Is a HOA or architectural approval required first? Not by either authority. Neither Lee nor Madison County requires HOA or architectural approval for rooftop PV, and F.S. 163.04(2) voids any deed restriction or covenant that prohibits or has the effect of prohibiting solar collectors - such a body may only determine placement within south plus/minus 45 degrees where that does not impair performance. 65% · state statute
• Is there a historic-district review? No historic-district review applies by default. The Town of Lee's LDR Article Eleven establishes a process by which the Planning & Zoning Board (sitting as the Town's Historic Preservation Agency) may designate landmarks, landmark sites or historic districts, but SS11.4 states that designation 'shall be initiated by the filing of an application for designation' - it is opt-in, not automatic. No evidence was found in this run that any property or district in Lee has actually been designated, so an ordinary rooftop PV retrofit would not trigger this review unless the specific property has already been designated. 62% · town land development regulations
• Is a wind or windstorm certification required? A Wind Load Analysis is required as a line item on the county's own Building Permit Application checklist ('Wind Load Analysis (2)' / 'Digital Wind Load Analysis (1)'), but no county document found in this run specifies a local wind-speed line, a certification format, or a Florida Product Approval process specifically for PV mounting hardware. 62% · permit application form
• Is a Specific Use Permit or Council approval ever required? No Special Use Permit or Council approval is required for a rooftop PV retrofit on an existing dwelling, on the evidence found. The Town of Lee's own LDR treats 'accessory uses and structures' in each zoning district as permitted where 'customarily accessory and clearly incidental and subordinate' to the principal use, with no separate approval step named for solar. A GROUND-MOUNT system, by contrast, would more plausibly be treated as a new accessory structure subject to the Town's ordinary building-permit/zoning-compliance process (see q47) - and, per q8's Zoning Compliance Form requirement, would need the Town's own zoning sign-off before the County would issue a building permit, though that Zoning Compliance step exists for all construction, not as a solar-specific Special Use gate. 58% · town land development regulations
• Is there a system-size cap on residential generation? No fixed kW cap is published by either authority. The Town of Lee's LDR contains zero 'solar' or 'photovoltaic' hits (control-proven, see jurisdiction why) and so sets no cap. TCEC's own Interconnection Agreement template leaves the generating-capacity figure blank ('rated at no more than ___ kilowatts (kW)') but imposes a structural limit instead: the Renewable Generation System's 'Gross Power Rating' must not exceed 90% of the customer's utility distribution service rating at that location, with the customer paying for any service upgrade needed to stay under that threshold. A separate liability-insurance threshold sits at 10 kW: basic coverage below it, a minimum $1,000,000 policy above it. 68% · utility interconnection agreement

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

• Who is allowed to pull the electrical permit? Either. A state-licensed electrical contractor (DBPR license number required on the form) may pull it, OR the property owner may act as their own electrical contractor under the F.S. 489.503-6 owner exemption for a single-family or duplex residence, per the county's own 'Electrical Disclosure Statement (489.503-6)' bound into the Electrical Permit Package: 'The exemption allows you, as the owner of your property, to act as your own electrical contractor even though you do not have a license. You may install electrical wiring for a farm outbuilding or a single-family duplex residence.' 82% · permit application form
• Must the contractor be registered with this authority before applying? Yes, with Madison County - contractors must be registered/licensed through the county's own Competency Licensing Board. The Building Department's own page states: 'The building department is also responsible for the licensing of contractors registered through the Department of Business and Professional Regulation within Madison County; this is done through the Competency Licensing Board.' 75% · department page
• Is a homeowner permitted to self-install and self-permit? Yes. Madison County publishes a full Owner Builder Affidavit/Statement packet under the F.S. 489.103 exemption. It states the owner may build or improve a one- or two-family residence for personal use, must provide direct on-site supervision, may not hire an unlicensed person to act as contractor, and becomes the responsible party of record; selling or leasing the property within one year of completion creates a legal presumption the work was done for sale, which violates the exemption. A one-page 'Owner Builder Affidavit' summary sheet is also required, itemising that the owner-builder is responsible for all work, all corrections, any insurance claims or property damage, and all re-inspection fees, and noting the Building Department 'has no design professionals.' 85% · owner-builder disclosure form

Almost everywhere wants a site plan, a one-line or three-line electrical diagram, equipment cut sheets with listings, and a structural attachment detail. Build it against the published checklist rather than the last jurisdiction you worked in — the checklist is what the reviewer marks against.

• What documents make up a complete submittal? No PV-specific submittal checklist is published. The closest published checklist is the County's 'New Single Family Dwelling Check list', which - written for new-home construction generally - lists: Copy of Recorded Deed, Zoning Compliance Form, Building Application, Copy of Building Plans (2 sets: 1 digital + 1 hard copy, showing Foundation/Floor/Elevation), 911 Addressing, 911 Address Acknowledgement, recorded Notice of Commencement, Driveway Permit, Septic Permit, Florida Energy Code Form, Wind Load Analysis, and an Owner Builder Affidavit if applicable. A rooftop PV retrofit on an existing dwelling would use only a subset of this (Zoning Compliance Form, Building/Electrical Application, plans, Notice of Commencement if the value warrants it) - the County does not publish a scoped-down solar version. 60% · permit checklist
• How many copies, and in what format? Inconsistent between two of the county's own forms. The newer 'New Single Family Dwelling' checklist calls for 'Digital Two Sets of Plans (1)**' and 'Digital Site Plan', 'Digital Wind Load Analysis (1)', etc. - i.e. one digital set, uploaded through the online portal. The older (still-published) text-based Building Permit Application form instead reads 'Two Sets of Plans (2)** ... Site Plan (2)' - i.e. two physical sets. Both documents remain linked from the Forms page at the same time. 58% · permit checklist
• Is a site plan required, and what must it show? A site plan is required as a checklist line item ('Site Plan (2)' / 'Digital Site Plan') on both versions of the Building Permit Application, but no county document specifies what it must show for a residential job. 55% · permit application form
• Is a one-line / three-line diagram required? Not published. No one-line or three-line diagram requirement appears in any Madison County Building Department form, checklist or fee document found in this run. 58% · department document library
• Are string and conductor calculations required? Not published. No string sizing, conductor or voltage-drop calculation requirement appears in any Madison County Building Department form found in this run. 58% · department document library
• Is an electrical PE stamp required, and at what threshold? No local electrical PE stamp requirement is published. At state level, F.S. 471.003(2)(h) exempts an electrical contractor licensed under ch. 489 from engineering licensure where the project 'Requires an electrical or plumbing or air-conditioning and refrigeration system with a value of $125,000 or less' and 'Requires an aggregate service capacity of 600 amperes (240 volts) or less on a residential electrical system' - which covers essentially every residential rooftop PV job. 68% · state statute

Most authorities now take the whole application through a portal, and several states cap or constrain what a residential solar permit may cost. Check whether plan check is billed separately before you quote the job.

• Which permit portal does this authority use? Cloudpermit. Madison County's public online permitting portal is at us.cloudpermit.com/gov/dashboard, linked from the Building Department's Permit Applications page as 'Online Permit Application' and referenced throughout the county's own 'Before submitting information for a permit' instruction sheet. 88% · department page
• Can the whole application be completed online? Yes, largely. The county's own instructions walk an applicant through completing a full 'New Application' on the Cloudpermit portal, selecting the permit type, and uploading the completed/notarized forms as attachments in the same session - unlike a read-only permit-search portal, this is a genuine application-intake system. The instructions do not mention an online payment step explicitly. 70% · department instruction sheet
• What does a residential solar permit cost? No PV-specific fee line. A residential PV job would be priced under Madison County's general Schedule of Building Permit Fees (Resolution 2021-07-28): the 'Permits fees by valuation (Commercial and "other")' table runs from $6,000.01 upward, e.g. $40,000.01-$50,000 = $430, above $50,000 = $1.50 per additional $1,000 - plus, on the electrical side, itemised residential electrical fees (e.g. Generator and/or Transfer Switch $75 each, Complete rewire $105, otherwise by valuation), a Processing Fee of $5 per permit, a DCA fee on all permits, and a Solid Waste Assessment. No 'solar' or 'photovoltaic' line exists anywhere in the schedule - the only 'solar' hit in the whole document is 'Plumbing solar heater with building permit $30 each', which is a solar WATER heater line, not PV. 55% · fee schedule
• How is the fee calculated? Mixed: valuation-based for the building-permit half; itemised-per-component with a valuation fallback for the electrical half. See q15 for the specific figures. 68% · fee schedule
• Is there a separate plan-check fee? A separate Plan Review Fee line exists ('Plan Review Fees by valuation (Residential and Commercial)'), but its published valuation brackets start at 100k-500k and run upward (500k-1m, 1m-2m, etc.) with no bracket below $100,000 - so a typical residential PV job (well under $100,000 in value) does not appear to fall inside any published plan-review-fee bracket at all, meaning no separate plan-check fee is likely charged for a job this size, though the resolution does not say so explicitly. 55% · fee schedule

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

• What is the stated plan-review turnaround? The County publishes no plan-review turnaround of its own. What binds is F.S. 553.792(1)(a): 5 business days after a complete and sufficient application for an electrical or structural permit on an EXISTING single-family residential dwelling where the value of the work is under $15,000; 30 business days for a residential unit or electrical permit on a structure under 7,500 sq ft otherwise. The County must give written notice within 5 business days of what is missing, failing which the application is automatically deemed complete. 65% · state statute
• How long is an issued permit valid before it expires? Not stated in any Madison County form found in this run (unlike some neighbouring counties, neither the county's Building Permit Application nor its New SFD checklist carries a stated expiration clause). The statewide floor is F.S. 553.79(1)(c): a building permit issued by a local government for a single-family dwelling expires 1 year after issuance or on the effective date of the next Florida Building Code edition, whichever is later. 62% · state statute
• Which utility handles interconnection here? Most likely Tri-County Electric Cooperative (TCEC), headquartered at 2862 W US 90, Madison FL 32340 - but this is genuinely uncertain and should be confirmed per address. Madison County's own permit forms (Building Permit Application, Electrical Permit Package, New SFD checklist) offer exactly two utility checkboxes countywide: DUKE and TCEC. TCEC's own history page states its 1940 Articles of Incorporation were filed 'to proceed with a program of RURAL electrification for Madison, Taylor, and Jefferson counties' - consistent with serving a small outlying town like Lee (pop. ~338, 2.44 sq mi) rather than the county-seat urban core, which is the more typical pattern for the investor-owned utility (Duke) versus the rural cooperative (TCEC) in a county with both. No document found in this run names Lee specifically. 55% · utility own page
• Where does the utility sit in the sequence? Parallel, with AHJ (county) inspection as a hard gate before the utility's final energization approval. TCEC's own 11-step 'Interconnection Process' sequences: sign the interconnection agreement and submit a one-line diagram early (steps 2-3), obtain TCEC's permission to proceed with installation (step 4), complete construction (step 7, system may be tested briefly but must stay off), THEN 'Inspection by County Inspector - The installation of the system must be inspected and approved by the county' (step 8), then notify TCEC of completion (step 9), utility verification (step 10) and final approval/parallel operation (step 11). 80% · utility interconnection process

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 (NFPA 70, 2020 edition), adopted statewide by FAC 69A-60.005(2)(qq), effective 31 December 2023. Madison County's own Building Codes page states this in its own words: 'Florida's current electrical code was adopted statewide and effective on work permitted after January 1, 2021 is the 2020 National Electric Code. It is also known as NFPA 70 2020.' 80% · department page
• Which building code edition is in force? Florida Building Code, 8th Edition (2023). FAC 61G20-1.001(1): 'The Florida Building Code, 8th Edition (2023), as updated by the Florida Building Commission on June 20, 2023, April 16, 2024, August 13, 2024, December 10, 2024, December 20, 2024, April 15, 2025, and December 9, 2025... is hereby adopted as the building code for the State of Florida.' Madison County's own Building Codes page confirms the county follows the state code, though its own wording ('effective on work permitted after December 31, 2017') reads as stale boilerplate rather than a current-cycle statement. 82% · state administrative rule
• Which fire code edition is in force? Florida Fire Prevention Code - NFPA 1, the Fire Code, Florida 2021 Edition (FAC 69A-60.003), and NFPA 101, the Life Safety Code, Florida 2021 Edition (FAC 69A-60.004), both effective 31 December 2023, applying statewide including Madison County and the Town of Lee. The Town of Lee's own 16-Article LDR contains no fire-code chapter of its own (its Table of Contents runs General Provisions, Definitions, Administrative Mechanisms, Zoning x2, Subdivision, Aquifer Protection, Stormwater, Flood Damage Prevention, Minimum Housing, Hazardous Buildings, Historic Preservation, Special Exceptions, Hearing Procedures, Permitting/Concurrency, Enforcement, Amendments - no fire article), so fire-code enforcement in Lee rests on the state rule and the Town's own Volunteer Fire Department rather than any town-level fire code. 70% · state administrative rule
• What is the installation judged against? The installation is judged against the Florida Building Code, 8th Edition (2023), NFPA 70 (NEC) 2020 as adopted statewide, and the Florida Fire Prevention Code (NFPA 1 and NFPA 101, Florida 2021 Editions) by operation of state rule. Madison County's own Building Codes page states it follows these state codes without describing any local amendment of its own. The Town of Lee's own LDR governs the separate zoning/site-compliance layer (setbacks, accessory-structure status, Zoning Compliance sign-off) but contains no construction-code content at all. 75% · department page

Ridge setbacks and roof access pathways are fire-service requirements and they constrain the array layout. They are the most common cause of a redesign after the fire department comments on a plan set.

Nothing recorded for Town of Lee on this step yet — 1 question checked and found unpublished. The guidance above is general.

Which rapid-shutdown rule applies follows directly from the NEC edition in force, and the initiation device has to be at a location the fire service can reach and identify. This is inspected, and it is labelled.

• Is rapid shutdown required, and to which NEC edition? Rapid shutdown is required, to NEC 2020 - i.e. SS690.12 as it stands in the 2020 edition - by operation of the statewide NEC adoption (FAC 69A-60.005(2)(qq)). Neither Lee nor Madison County adds or subtracts anything found in this run. 70% · state administrative rule

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? No AHJ-specific placard set is published by Madison County or the Town of Lee. The only labelling requirement found in this run comes from the utility: TCEC's own Interconnection Process requires the installer to 'install a disconnect switch, warning/safety labels, and other protective equipment as may be required by the Cooperative' (see q42), without itself specifying wording, colour or size. 55% · department document library
• Does the authority specify placard wording of its own? No. Neither Madison County nor the Town of Lee specifies placard wording of its own in any document found in this run. 55% · department document library
• Does the UTILITY specify placards beyond the AHJ's? Yes, partially. TCEC's own Interconnection Process requires the installer to provide 'a disconnect switch, warning/safety labels, and other protective equipment as may be required by the Cooperative to protect its personnel, facilities and operations', reviewed by a TCEC representative before approval - but TCEC does not itself publish a detailed wording/colour/size spec for those labels. 70% · utility interconnection process

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? The AC (interconnection) disconnect must be mounted SEPARATELY from the meter socket. TCEC's own Interconnection Agreement, clause 9: 'The Customer shall... install and maintain a manual disconnect switch to provide a separation point between the AC power output of the RGS and any Customer facilities connected to the Cooperative's electrical system. The manual disconnect switch shall be mounted separately from the meter socket and shall be readily accessible at all times to the Cooperative and shall be capable of being locked in the open position by the Cooperative.' 80% · utility interconnection agreement
• Is a ground mount treated as a structure? Likely yes, by inference from the Town's general zoning pattern rather than a stated rule. Each of the Town of Lee's zoning districts (Article Four, parts one and two) contains a 'Permitted Accessory Uses and Structures' clause admitting uses/structures that are 'customarily accessory and clearly incidental and subordinate' to the principal use - a ground-mounted PV array would most plausibly be evaluated under this general accessory-structure test, since no district or article names solar specifically (control-proven zero hits, see jurisdiction why). 58% · town land development regulations
• Is a specific mounting system or attachment spacing required? Not published. No mounting system, attachment spacing, rail, flashing or standoff requirement appears in any Madison County Building Department form found in this run. Florida Product Approval is referenced generally on the checklist ('Wind Load Analysis') but no PV-racking-specific spec was found. 55% · department document library

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

• How is an inspection booked? Phone. Madison County's Inspections page: 'To request an inspection, call (850) 973-6785 and provide the following information: Permit Number, Inspection Type Requested, Gate Codes (If Applicable), Contact Name and Phone Number.' 88% · department page
• How much notice is required? Effectively next-business-day unless requested before 8 AM the same day. The county's own Inspections page: 'It's not really "24-hour notice required," but we do need to receive the inspection request before 8:00 AM on the day the inspection is to be done... Requests after 8:00 AM will be placed on the next working day's schedule.' 85% · department page
• Are same-day or AM/PM windows offered? Same-day service is available if the request is received before 8:00 AM that day; no AM/PM appointment-window system is described. 70% · department page

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. Madison County Building Department performs the final inspection itself, in-house, per its own named staff: Dennis Pitts (Building Official), Pat O'Brian (Single Family Dwelling Inspector). No evidence of a contracted plan-check or inspection firm was found anywhere in this run (unlike some neighbouring authorities' staffing appendices). 75% · department page
• If delegated, to whom? Not applicable in the usual sense - Madison County itself is already the delegate FROM the Town of Lee (see jurisdiction), and the County appears to perform inspections with its own in-house staff rather than delegating further to a contracted firm. 62% · department page

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

• Which inspections are required, and in what order? No PV-specific inspection sequence is published. General sequencing found: a Notice of Commencement must be recorded and posted on site before the first inspection; 911 address numbers must be posted before the final inspection; and, per the Inspections page, 'Temporary and permanent power for new construction will only be granted when the required inspections have been passed and final septic and final driveway approvals have been received by the building department' - i.e. power is withheld pending septic/driveway sign-off as well as the building/electrical inspections themselves, for new construction generally. No document sets out a specific electrical/PV inspection order. 65% · department page

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. No dedicated inspection checklist for residential PV (or for electrical work generally) is published on the Building Department's Forms page. 62% · department document library
• What must be on site at inspection? A recorded Notice of Commencement must be posted on the job site before the first inspection ('A NOTICE OF COMMENCEMENT MUST BE RECORDED AND POSTED ON THE JOB SITE BEFORE THE FIRST INSPECTION', per the Building Permit Application's own warning text), and the posted 911 address must be visible before the final inspection. No document lists other specific documents (e.g. approved plans, permit card) that must be on site. 65% · permit application form

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.

• Who notifies the utility for PTO? Installer/member, to the utility - not the AHJ. TCEC's own Interconnection Process states as step 9: 'Notify TCEC of Completion - Notify the Cooperative in advance of energizing your small power generating installation... Upon completion of installation, please notify TCEC by sending an email to engineering@tcec.com', which happens AFTER the county inspection (step 8) and BEFORE TCEC's own utility verification and final approval (steps 10-11). 78% · utility interconnection process
• Is there a re-inspection fee? Yes. Per the county's own fee resolution: 'Re-inspection fee first time $35 each; Re-inspection fee 2nd time for same item $50 each.' 68% · fee schedule