Poll: Do you file permits for your diy solar projects?

[Will Prowse]

This should be interesting..

 

[EZPZ]

I never because it’s not required at all where I live. I did check with the county office. Not for the ground mount and also not for the electrical part. No AHJ. Just sign off from the local provider so I can backfeed.

 

[Will Prowse]

I never because it’s not required at all where I live. I did check with the county office. Not for the ground mount and also not for the electrical part. No AHJ. Just sign off from the local provider so I can backfeed.

Where in the world is that lol

 

[EZPZ]

The great country of Texas! Away far away from any city!

 

[obsoletion]

Where in the world is that lol

Time to start looking for a home there!

 

[fatjay]

Only if I get caught

 

[drps10]

Kind of the in the same boat. My township (rural area, but not that far out) only wants a permit for the ground mount. The guy that is looking at it is only making sure it is not impacting the neighbor. We have no electrical inspector in our township or county (I tried). I found a neighboring city inspector to look at my work (even though he has no solar knowledge). He put a pass sticker on the meter and all is good. I am now able to sell back to electric company.

 

[fatjay]

So, I just got done dealing with it. I have half my array up, and I'm going to put the other half up soon. Someone called and complained.

I said it was a canopy and I just used solar panels for the roof. They said they want PE print. 3 separate PE's wanted $7000-15,000 to do it. IE they didn't want to do it.

So I reclassified it as a carport - freestanding accessory structure, similar to will's recent video, and that took away the engineering requirement.

$75 and a hand drawing with a pencil and a ruler that took about 30 seconds, and I have the permit in hand.

 

[Brucey]

My system isnt connected to the grid. I consider it a mobile ess that happens to be in my laundry. My temporary panels on the ground connect to that mobile system.

If I was doing grid connected I'd need everything ul listed. My midnite rosie and hawkes bay are ul listed, along with my Victron 250/100. 450/100 and 150/35s arent.aren't.

Edit to add, if i wanted to do grid sellback nys now requires ul1741sb. Just never ending nonsense.

 

[Philip53]

Had to get a permit because utility company required it, grid connected. Local inspector was very nice & accomodating - he had just completed his own DIY solar install & wanted to talk all about his system. Also, the utility company sent out 3 guys to inspect before connecting. One was an engineer that oversaw (early) solar projects. This was 13 years ago. They seemed to be very impressed, must have seen some less than stellar DIY installs.

 

[Dagoth Ur Does Solar]

This is just the thread I needed. My currently 12V system is mobile, so no.

But I just got a pallet of 390W panels and I'm deciding how far I want to take it.

I'm wondering if I can get by just permitting a ground mount in my area because it's going to be entirely off grid.

 

[Norwasian]

We were told by our solar installer that the laws were changing in Thailand by the end of year last year that would allow folk to connect solar systems to the grid without the reporting requirement. So, as we installed at the end of October, I manually disconnected the system for about two weeks in November, and two weeks in December, just to limit the production "below the radar" and wait it out for the new year. I have yet to see the law in print that gives us the freedom we supposedly should have this year, but I have just let it run and have yet to face any issues.

The problem in our case was not so much getting permission as the need to pay around $600 for an engineer's signature after inspecting the setup. We could easily have filed for the permit, but the engineer part of it would have added considerably to our installation cost. So far, we have not been confronted over it, and the system is not visible from the road (although the CT is obvious now right next to the meter). Perhaps this month, when the meter reader sees the CT, he'll have something to say...wait and see.

For off-grid stuff, I think a "don't ask, don't tell" policy is generally preferable, and where I am it is not regulated anyhow.

 

[Fisherguy66]

I don't know what the rules are where I live I never looked into it. I just went ahead and did it. I think the biggest thing is to be friends with your neighbours and hide the shit whenever possible from the NIMBY's.

On the other hand I can see why permits are required to prevent dumb people from killing themselves.

 

[timselectric]

I've pulled enough permits over the years. I'm taking a freebie pass on this one.
If I were going to be grid-tied, then that would be a different story.
If the inspector wants to visit me, then he better bring the beer.

 

[42OhmsPA]

Wait, I needed a permit?
...
I didn't like the equipment choices my PoCo allowed on their grid so I did what I wanted how I wanted it without them.

I am working on convincing my Dad to install grid tie systems on a couple of his buildings in town. It will be a nice trial to see if I really want to start doing, permitted, installs for a side gig or I just think I want to ...

 

[J.H.]

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ……(I plead the 5th.)

 

[SparkyJJO]

My current one? Yeah, it is. Grid tied etc.
Next one? Ehhhhh.... we shall see. It will be "off grid" after all. There was no permit process even available for the one locality we looked at recently, if that tells you anything.

 

[rogerheflin]

Officially I need a permit for my ground mount location (the same permit I would need to put up any structure), right now it is still temporary (sitting on a old concrete slab that used to have a large building before I bought the property-the solar is behind held down with large landscape blocks). No other work (roof mount, any electrical work) needs any permits at all in my county, nor any inspections.

 

[T-Rex]

Not yet. I'm trying to decide if I want to give them the option to tell me no. My plan is not grid connected in any way ( unless I need to plug in a battery charger). Stand alone powering a single window AC and our cell phone booster. Ground mounted, so I'll probably have to get a building permit, but they've already told me that I don't need a permit for a deck, nor a building on skids (solar shed)

I may add a couple panels, not permanently mounted, in the back yard to charge a power station running my fridge. I should have no reason to talk to anyone about those.

 

[Johneb]

Here in Idaho a single line drawing is all you need. I plan on getting one for current install.

 

[Brett V]

the grid tie system got a building permit from the township but the only thing they required to be filed was the fee. For the rest of my stuff, hell no!

 

[seneysolar]

 

[chill633]

If it is big, yes. And my POCO requires it for grid tie and net metering.

 

[Q-Dog]

We are not grid tied, so, no.

 

[Primal1]

No permits are required where Im at .