The inspections tied to a permit
Cities and counties inspect permitted work. Lee County, which issues permits in unincorporated Lehigh Acres, lists $50 per required roof-mounted or ground-mounted PV inspection beside a $25 plan review and a $25 regulatory review, and adds application, technology and operational support fees to each application in amounts it doesn't total. Hillsborough County's document for Brandon and Riverview lists $250 for a single-trade photovoltaic permit and $750 in a second table for plan review projects, and which one a home system pays isn't confirmed.
Miami waives its city building permit fees for solar and says applications are to be processed within three business days, though state and Miami-Dade County surcharges still apply.
Florida inspection prices: the model and the local rows
A private inspection is $145 to $310 per inspection visit in the model. Behind that figure are two national ranges and Florida's solar installer wage ratio of 0.95; there's no permit fee in it, and no company has quoted it.
The local rows below are what the county and the utility charge and are separate from the model. Check whether a private inspector's price includes the written report.
| Item | Figure | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated range, not a quote | $145 to $310 per inspection visit | Built from 2 national published ranges, adjusted by the Florida solar installer median wage ratio (0.95). 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. |
| Roof-mounted or ground-mounted PV inspection, Lehigh Acres (Lee County) | $50 per required inspection | Lee County fee page; plan review, regulatory review and other fees are separate and not totalled. |
| Tampa Electric fee when an inspection cannot be completed | $37 | Tampa Electric page. |
Estimated range. Built from national published ranges (2 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.
The utility's own checks
Utilities inspect too. Tampa Electric charges $37 if an inspection can't be completed. FPL pre-approves a system before installation. Duke Energy Florida told PSC staff in 2026 that each of the 881 Tier 2 and Tier 3 applications it processed in 2025 with a customer-owned generator and a battery received technical review and a field inspection.
The private-provider option
Section 553.791 lets a private provider do a single-trade inspection or plan review, which the statute defines to include solar energy and energy storage installations or alterations. Ask your building department whether it accepts a private provider's work at your address.
Berkeley Lab plots each state's permit time as an unlabeled dot in its 2026 Data Update, which leaves no Florida number to quote; across the country, PV-only systems installed in 2025 took a median of 6 days from application to issue. Ask your department how far out its inspections are booked.
A private check of a system that is running
A private inspection looks at the wiring, mounting, inverter display and monitoring history, and it isn't a permit inspection. Ask what the report will include and whether photographs come with it, and remember that a company which finds a problem may also quote its fix.
If the check finds electrical work to do, ask for a DBPR solar or electrical contractor license number; section 489.105(3)(o) names repair and maintenance among a solar contractor's services.
What can't wait after an inspection
- If the inverter, panels or wiring smoke, spark or smell of burning, call 911.
- The inspector notes a loose fitting or missing label, with nothing running hot.
- The app's history shows output slowly sliding.
What to bring together before an inspection
- Find the permit number and any final inspection record.
- Gather the monitoring history and error codes.
- Ask the inspector for a sample report.
Permit and utility inspections in Florida
Local agencies set their own fees under section 553.79. Ask the building department whether it accepts a private provider's report.
Ask for the company's contractor license number and look it up with your state's licensing board before you sign.
Questions people ask
How is the county's inspection different from one I hire?
No, the county's inspection covers permitted work, while a private one is a check you pay for yourself. The city sets its fee and the company sets its own.
What does Tampa Electric charge for an inspection?
$37 if an inspection can't be completed. Ask Tampa Electric what the inspection needs from you.
Can a private provider inspect solar in Florida?
Yes, section 553.791 includes solar and storage in single-trade inspections. Ask your building department whether it accepts the report.
Do I need a permit to hire a private inspector?
No, but work it recommends may. Ask your building department before any work it recommends begins.
- 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.
- Tampa Electric: Steps to Connect; Connecting Your Solar Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Solar permit fee, Brandon Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Solar permit fee, Miami Read Oct 24, 2026.
- FPL net metering Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3 interconnection agreements; FPL net metering page Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Duke Energy Florida response to PSC staff data request (Doc 02249-2026) Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Florida Statutes 553.79, 553.791 Read Oct 24, 2026.
- LBNL Distributed Solar & Storage 2026 Data Update, slide 12 Read Oct 24, 2026.
- DBPR CILB: construction industry licence categories; s. 489.105 F.S. Read Oct 24, 2026.