Installing the equipment is the first half. The permit and the inspection are the second half — here's how that part works, and what we need from you.
01 · We pull the permit
Before the work starts. We file it under our license, with the equipment make and model on the application.
02 · We install
Equipment set, anchored, connected and started up. You have cooling the same day in most cases.
03 · The city inspects
Days or weeks later, a city or county inspector comes out to verify the work. That visit is what closes the permit.
This surprises almost every homeowner, so we say it early. Inspections in Cape Coral are requested through the city's online system the night before — by 9:00 PM — and the tickets are handed out to inspectors around 7:00 AM the next morning.
No appointment window is issued. The inspector arrives sometime during the working day. Once the ticket is assigned we can see who has it and call for an estimated time, but it stays an estimate.
Because of that, plan on someone being home and able to open the house between 8:00 AM and 1:00 PM on the inspection day. That's the window that covers most visits.
If nobody can be there, tell us in advance — there are usually options, but they have to be arranged before the inspection is scheduled.
If nobody is home, the inspector leaves a notice and we reschedule. It delays the permit closing; it does not undo the installation.
In Lee County a permit expires if it hasn't passed an inspection within 180 days of being issued. We don't let one sit.
A full system, air handler, heat pump or mini-split typically takes a rough inspection and then a final. A condenser-only change-out usually takes just the final.
A closed permit is what proves the work was done to code. It matters when you sell the house, and it matters for the manufacturer's warranty.
Inside Cape Coral city limits: the City of Cape Coral Building Division handles permits and inspections. Their inspection help line is (239) 573-3173, open 7:30 AM to 2:00 PM, Monday through Friday.
Unincorporated Lee County: Lee County Development Services handles it instead. Which one applies depends on your address, not your mailing city.
You shouldn't need to call either of them — that's our job. But if you want to check the status of a permit on your own property, you can.
