Solar panels in Okaloosa County, FL

• Okaloosa County's Growth Management Department takes building permit applications for unincorporated areas online through its Customer Service Support (CSS) portal.
• During Hurricane Isaias in October 2026, about half of FPL's 101,550 Okaloosa County accounts (50,240) were without power at one point, and by the morning of October 13 all but 20 were back on, per the Public Service Commission. The CHELCO co-op serves another 22,188 accounts in the county, so check your bill.
• FPL's 2025 report to the Public Service Commission lists 3,918 customer-owned solar systems on its lines in Okaloosa County, 306 of them connected in 2025, by our count. See Florida solar by county.

Permits and zoning rules are set town by town. Highlights from each town's own rules:

• Crestview: FPL, formerly Gulf Power, serves the City of Crestview, which Gulf Power has served since 1928; in a 2011 case the CHELCO co-op said it had only 8 members inside city limits. CHELCO serves many areas outside the city, so homes on the outskirts should check their bill.
• Destin: Destin is moving overhead utility lines underground along U.S. 98 from the west city limits to Airport Boulevard; sidewalk closures for the work began in November 2024.
• Fort Walton Beach: Since 2023, Fort Walton Beach's land development code allows ground-mounted solar panels only in the back yard, set back 7.5 feet from side and rear property lines and covering no more than 25% of the yard. Existing front-yard systems weren't affected.
• Mary Esther: Most building permits in Mary Esther need a City of Mary Esther approval letter before Okaloosa County issues the permit, and the city inspects drainage, sidewalks and setbacks.
• Niceville: The City of Niceville runs its own building permits, and it warns that a Niceville mailing address doesn't mean a property is inside city limits; homes outside them are permitted by Okaloosa County. Nearby Bluewater Bay shares the mailing address but is served by CHELCO, a co-op, so check your bill to confirm your utility.
• Shalimar: Building work in Shalimar needs a Town of Shalimar permit first; only after the town signs off does Okaloosa County issue the building permit and review the plans, and contractors also need a town contractor tracking certificate.
• Valparaiso: The City of Valparaiso issues its own building permits; the forms are on the city's building page, and paper applications can still be picked up at City Hall.

Each town page has the full details and sources.

No. Under Florida law (s. 193.624), the value a solar system adds to a home isn't counted in its assessed value. If you're unsure whether anything needs to be filed, ask the Okaloosa County Property Appraiser.

Solar equipment is also exempt from Florida sales tax, so it's already left out of the installed price.

FPL credits the solar you send to the grid as a kWh credit at the full retail rate. Unused credits roll forward for up to 12 months, and anything left at year-end is paid out at only a few cents per kWh, so systems are sized to cover a year of use. Solar can't take a bill below the monthly minimum ($30 at FPL).

See the full FPL solar guide.

Choosing a company? Check each installer's Florida license, compare at least two quotes and run them through our solar quote checker.