What section 163.04 covers, and what to ask your association
Section 163.04 says a deed restriction, covenant, declaration or similar agreement may not prohibit, or have the effect of prohibiting, solar collectors or other renewable energy devices on buildings on the lots it covers, and an owner may not be denied permission to install them. The approving entity may decide the specific roof location, within an orientation to the south or within 45 degrees east or west of due south, if that doesn't impair effective operation.
Its wording speaks of devices on buildings and of roof locations. For an array in the yard, send the association a site plan and ask for its decision in writing before a company designs the layout.
Local government is bound too: under the same section, a governing body may not adopt an ordinance that prohibits or has the effect of prohibiting solar collectors.
Florida ground-mount prices in the model
In the model, a typical 7 kW ground-mounted system is $21,100 to $28,200 for a typical 7 kW ground-mounted system, before any incentive. Four national ranges feed it, adjusted by Florida's solar installer wage ratio of 0.95, with $151 added as a typical city solar permit fee. No federal credit comes off for a system finished in 2026, and the figure is a model, not a quote.
Fencing, financing, a panel upgrade and any long trench aren't in it. Find out the trench length the quote assumes and who repairs the lawn.
| Item | Figure | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated range, not a quote | $21,100 to $28,200 for a typical 7 kW ground-mounted system, before any incentive | Built from 4 national published ranges, adjusted by the Florida solar installer median wage ratio (0.95) plus a typical permit fee ($151). Before any incentive: there is no federal credit for a system installed in 2026. Basis: no Florida company price for this job, so the national estimate stands. |
| Solar photovoltaic installer wage, Florida median | $24.30 an hour | Installer pay from O*NET's 2025 median (BLS May 2025 data); the company sets your price. |
| Ground-mounted PV inspection, Lehigh Acres (Lee County) | $50 per required inspection | Lee County fee page; plan and regulatory review fees are separate. |
| Photovoltaic systems up to 10 kW, Pompano Beach | $260 per trade | Fee schedule row written for new PV systems in general. |
Estimated range. Built from national published ranges (4 sources), adjusted by Florida's solar installer median wage ratio to the US (0.95, BLS May 2025), plus the city solar permit fee where the city publishes one. Not a quote. One Florida installer publishes its own current price on its own page (Palmetto, per watt), too few to build a range from; the others print blog or market averages or dated figures, which we do not count. We have no Florida company price for this job, so the range is our national estimate alone. Full method. Prices as of Oct 24, 2026.
Trenching, wiring and the license
That trench carries power from the array to the house. Section 489.105(3)(o) covers installing photovoltaic systems and the equipment used with them, and section 489.113, as the statute reads, lets a solar contractor skip subcontracting minor electrical work within its license that exclusively pertains to residential solar equipment. Ask each company for its DBPR license number and category and whether its own crew will do the trench run.
No Florida Building Code wind rule written for solar is among the sources here, so ask the building department which wind design it reviews a ground rack against before the footings are priced.
What a county prints for a ground array
Lee County, which issues permits in Lehigh Acres, lists $50 per required ground-mounted PV inspection beside $25 for plan review and $25 for regulatory review, with application, technology and operational support fees added to each application in amounts it doesn't total. Pompano Beach charges $260 per trade up to 10 kW and $10 per kW above 10 kW on larger systems. Elsewhere, section 553.79 has each enforcing agency set reasonable fees and post its application types online, so check your department's site for a ground-mount row.
Taxes and the utility
Section 212.08(7)(hh) exempts solar energy systems and their components from sales and use tax. Section 193.624 lists wiring and structural supports among the parts of a renewable energy source device, with the collectors, modules, inverters and storage, and leaves the device's just value out of a residential assessment.
Your utility's tier rules apply as they would to a roof system: Tier 1 is 10 kW or less under Rule 25-6.065 and pays no application fee at an investor-owned utility, and FPL pre-approves a system before installation.
What can't wait with a yard array
- Smoke, flame, sparks or a burning smell at the array, junction box, inverter or trench wiring is a 911 call; keep people and pets away.
- A panel is cracked or knocked loose and shows no sign of heat.
- After mowing or a storm, the app shows an error and output falls.
What to have in hand before you compare quotes
- Read your association's written rules on yard placement.
- Pace off the distance from where the array could sit to your electrical panel.
- Ask each company for its DBPR license number and category.
Permitting a yard array
Your city or county issues the permit and sets its fees under section 553.79. Ask whether the department has a ground-mount row and what inspections it requires.
Ask for the company's contractor license number and look it up with your state's licensing board before you sign.
Questions people ask
Does section 163.04 let my Florida association block a yard array?
Section 163.04 speaks of devices on buildings and roof locations, so ask your association. Send a site plan and get its decision in writing before a company designs the layout.
Is solar equipment taxed in Florida?
No sales tax, and a residential assessment leaves the device's value out. Sections 212.08(7)(hh) and 193.624 cover this, and 193.624 names wiring and structural supports among the device's parts.
Who handles the trench wiring?
A contractor holding a DBPR solar or electrical contractor license. Section 489.113, as the statute reads, lets a solar contractor do minor electrical work within its scope without subcontracting.
Is a ground array pricier than a roof array?
In the model, yes. Four national ranges feed the ground-mount row, and it's an estimate and not a quote.
- O*NET OnLine (BLS May 2025 wage data): Solar photovoltaic installers (SOC 47-2231), Florida statewide, median hourly wage Read Oct 24, 2026.
- O*NET OnLine (BLS May 2025 wage data): Solar photovoltaic installers (SOC 47-2231), United States (national), median hourly wage Read Oct 24, 2026.
- SolarPanelMatch: how we estimate costs, Florida (editorial policy) Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Solar permit fee, Lehigh Acres Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Solar permit fee, Pompano Beach Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Florida Statutes 163.04 Read Oct 24, 2026.
- DBPR CILB: construction industry licence categories; s. 489.105 F.S. Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Florida Statutes 489.113 Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Florida Statutes 553.79, 553.791 Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Florida Statutes 212.08 (2025); DOR TIP 19A01-09 Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Florida Statutes 193.624 Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Florida Administrative Code Rule 25-6.065: Interconnection and Metering of Customer-Owned Renewable Generation Read Oct 26, 2026.
- FPL net metering Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3 interconnection agreements; FPL net metering page Read Oct 24, 2026.