Is balcony (plug-in) solar legal in Florida?

What applies in Florida without a plug-in law

Without a plug-in law, solar connected to the grid falls under the Florida Public Service Commission's rule on interconnection and net metering of customer-owned renewable generation, Rule 25-6.065. It covers systems on a customer's premises meant mainly to offset part or all of the customer's own electricity use, connected to and operating in parallel with the utility's grid.

Who it covers: Florida's investor-owned utilities, such as FPL, Duke Energy Florida and Tampa Electric.

• Systems are sorted by size: Tier 1 is 10 kW or less, Tier 2 is over 10 kW up to 100 kW, and Tier 3 is over 100 kW up to 2 MW. For inverter-based systems, size is the DC panel rating times 0.85.
• A Tier 1 customer cannot be charged fees beyond what other customers pay, including application fees, and cannot be required to carry liability insurance.
• Inverter-based Tier 1 systems are exempt from the manual disconnect switch requirement, unless the switch is installed at the utility's expense.
• The system must include a certified utility-interactive inverter, or a similar device, that disconnects it from the grid automatically when the grid loses power.
• Local code officials must inspect and approve the system before it runs connected to the grid, and the customer signs and returns the standard interconnection agreement at least 30 days before starting.
• The utility must say within 10 business days whether an application is complete, and sign the agreement within 30 days of a complete application.

Who isn't covered

• Municipal utilities, such as JEA and OUC, and rural electric cooperatives are not under Rule 25-6.065. State law has each of them set up its own standard interconnection agreement and net metering program, with requirements set by its own governing board.
• OUC, for example, requires every solar installation to meet OUC's own interconnection requirements.

Source: Fla. Admin. Code R. 25-6.065 (flrules.org), checked Oct 26, 2026. General information, not legal advice.

Who's your utility?

Ask the utility that delivers your power, before you buy anything. Each one below has its own page on connecting customer solar.

HOAs and Florida's solar-access law

Florida's solar rights law 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 from being installed on buildings, and an HOA may not deny an owner permission to install them. The HOA "may determine the specific location where solar collectors may be installed on the roof within an orientation to the south or within 45° east or west of due south if such determination does not impair the effective operation of the solar collectors." The law was written for solar collectors installed on owners' buildings and roofs. It doesn't clearly cover a plug-in kit on a balcony or railing, it says it does not apply to patio railings in condominiums, cooperatives or apartments, and it speaks of property owners, not renters.

• Local governments may not adopt ordinances that prohibit, or have the effect of prohibiting, solar collectors or other renewable energy devices.

Source: Fla. Stat. § 163.04 (leg.state.fl.us), checked Oct 26, 2026.

When could Florida get a plug-in law?

The earliest is the 2027 regular session of the Florida Legislature, which convenes on Mar 2, 2027 and is scheduled to end on Apr 30, 2027. Florida's legislature meets every year: in March in odd-numbered years and in January in even-numbered years. A plug-in bill would have to pass both chambers and become law before anything changed.

1. Mar 2, 2027Session convenes
2. Mar 2, 2027Senate deadline to file most bills (noon)
3. Apr 30, 2027Session ends

In the Senate, most bills must be filed by noon on the first day of the session (Senate Rule 3.7(1)), and bills can be filed with the Senate between sessions (Rule 3.7(4)), so a 2027 bill could be filed any time before Mar 2, 2027.

Session dates: Florida Senate: 2027 Regular Session Dates (PDF); meeting schedule: Florida Constitution, Art. III, s. 3(b).

Past bills

We searched the Florida Senate's bill database, which covers bills from both chambers, for "plug-in solar", "balcony solar" and "portable solar" in the 2025 and 2026 sessions, and for the word "balcony" in every version of every bill. Each search returned no bills. Source: Florida Senate bill search, 2026 session, searched Oct 26, 2026.

The 10 plug-in solar laws signed in other states follow a common pattern: a size cap (1,200 W in 9 of them), a safety certification for the device (10 of 10), and no utility approval needed (9 of 10). See every state's law and bills on the map.

What a kit would save here

These are our calculator's own results for 3 city centers. They model output and savings only and say nothing about what the law allows. They use the calculator's default kit: 800 W of panels facing south, tilted 30°, with a 150 W always-on load in the home and nothing paid for power sent to the grid. Run on Oct 26, 2026.

Options in Florida today

1. Ask your utility, and use its interconnection process

   Any solar connected to your home's wiring goes through your utility's process; find yours in the table above. FPL lists these steps:

   1. The customer on the account completes an application and an interconnection agreement, and gets a building permit.
   2. FPL must approve the application before the system is installed or operated.
   3. After construction, the customer sends proof that the local building department approved the permit.
   4. The system may not run, except for testing and inspection, until FPL installs a new bi-directional meter.

   Source: FPL: Net Metering Guidelines (fpl.com).

2. Renting? Ask your landlord in writing

   If you rent, ask your landlord before anything goes on the building; the utility's process above applies the same way. Our landlord letter puts the request in writing, matched to Florida's rules. Write the letter

3. Solar that never connects to your home wiring

   Panels that only charge a portable power station, which then powers devices plugged into it, never connect to your home's wiring or to the grid. Florida's interconnection rule is written for systems that are interconnected to and operate in parallel with the utility's distribution facilities, so it doesn't apply to them.

   Source: Fla. Admin. Code R. 25-6.065 (rule text, flrules.org) (flrules.org).

General information, not legal advice.