Residential PV and Energy Storage Permit Guidelines
Follow a step-by-step checklist for meeting electrical and structural requirements in residential solar and battery storage systems.
Lengthy and inefficient permitting can increase costs and waste time for everyone involved.
The National Simplified Residential PV and Energy Storage Permit Guidelines get local governments and contractors on the same page to facilitate a smooth construction process.
Robust permitting for one- and two-family residential installations, the most common type of project in many jurisdictions, ensures that projects are safe and effective. It also assures compliance with nationally recognized safety standards.
Bill Brooks, principal engineer at Brooks Engineering, drafted the guidelines with support from SEAC’s Standard and Efficient Permitting and Inspection working group, SolSmart, and the Interstate Renewable Energy Council.
A companion document hosted on the SolSmart website provides technical commentary that describes engineering principles and assumptions used for the permit guidelines. SolSmart also houses a detailed analysis of the structural aspects of the guidelines.
The National Simplified Residential PV and Energy Storage Permit Guidelines can help inform plan reviewers, inspectors, and installers. SEAC published the document in October 2021. We also published a companion document on inspection guidelines.
SEAC makes these guidelines publicly accessible to anyone who fills in the download form on this page. Your privacy is important to us. We do not sell or share your personal data.
This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) under the Solar Energy and Technologies Office Award Number DE-EE0009001.0000. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Department of Energy or the United States Government.
