I live in PR and the grid voltages are all over the place. Net metering here is encouraged by companies and the government to help sustain the grid system and have fewer grid outages. That being said, the PR electric system was not designed to have grid feedback, so the grid system is being overwhelmed by sellback. Voltages on the grid side are starting to go out of the ranges that inverters allow for operation. This is why I decided to get two off-grid 6000Xps and 36kw of batteries. I run my house completely off solar and have turned off the grid breaker. Also before having solar I had a 13kw diesel generator which I have connected to the solar system for cloudy days.
Poll: Do you file permits for your diy solar projects?
- Thread starter Will Prowse
- Start date
chill633
Solar Enthusiast
Jefferson County, WV here and Property tax is 1.15% rate. State base rate is 0.55%, the remainder is my county. From the explanation page on my County web page:
grebaba
Solar Enthusiast
No.
Only premit required in my town is for anything that is mounted in concrete.
If you do grid tie then you just have to get PSO's [electric company] approval.
No inspection from town required.
Town permit is $25.00'
Greg
Only premit required in my town is for anything that is mounted in concrete.
If you do grid tie then you just have to get PSO's [electric company] approval.
No inspection from town required.
Town permit is $25.00'
Greg
As I said before. Its about the revenue from permits and the added value to your house for increased property taxes is what they are more after than safety and done right.
Lookup the tv show Holmes on Homes and look at what shoddy stuff he goes back and fixes. Half of it was work that was "inspected" and signed off on.
AlaskanNoob
Solar Addict
- Joined
- Feb 20, 2021
- Messages
- 1,242
No permit here in Alaska, built several structures, built the solar, built the water collection, no permits required for any of it. 'Merica.
MountainMatt
M&M Overland Adventures
I don't need permits for nothing except my well.
What do you do Will?
In your videos, you say...just lay them on the ground and you are good to go. To be honest, that's how I've proceded. My thought is, if it doesn't touch the house, why do I need a permit? I'm on two sheds and one ground mount. I stay away from putting anything on the house.
So my entire setup is technically removable/temporary. I understand code requirements, but it goes too far when you live close to a large city. Like living in LA vs living in central Alaska. The differences are ridiculous. You should be able to have some freedom no matter where you live.
In your videos, you say...just lay them on the ground and you are good to go. To be honest, that's how I've proceded. My thought is, if it doesn't touch the house, why do I need a permit? I'm on two sheds and one ground mount. I stay away from putting anything on the house.
So my entire setup is technically removable/temporary. I understand code requirements, but it goes too far when you live close to a large city. Like living in LA vs living in central Alaska. The differences are ridiculous. You should be able to have some freedom no matter where you live.
caesarv
New Member
My city (in CA) is useless. They claimed I needed a fire rating for the combination of panels and mount...but I am doing a ground mount far away from my house. I argued with them for days and finally got help from someone to convince them it was not needed. They finally agreed. I submitted my paperwork only to have it rejected because I did not have a fire rating (among other items.) I gave up and did most everything myself...and mostly according to code. I am not feeding back anything to PG&E so I did not get them involved either. Everything has been running great for 7 months now. So far, no issues from the city or PG&E...keeping fingers crossed.
k490
Solar Enthusiast
My city requires permit to replace a water heater, or install drip irrigations system. It's a money maker for them regulators benefit themselves by making more useless regulation. We also have solar installers flying drones around neighborhoods found out when one knocked on my door. He mentioned stack of solar panels in my backyard I was like how did you know that "Oh we flew a drone over your house". I have fall back make it portable throw some casters on the ground mounts and unmount the inverter off the wall run it in through the transfer switch.
We have a county where I would like to move to has no building codes or zoning codes Greeley county the nice part higher up in the mountains is super expensive 300k for 10 acres of land.
We have a county where I would like to move to has no building codes or zoning codes Greeley county the nice part higher up in the mountains is super expensive 300k for 10 acres of land.
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Dagoth Ur Does Solar
Solar Wizard
What an absolute nightmare.
Should be able to sue these rat bastard solar installers for stuff like that.
k490
Solar Enthusiast
They scammed some old people down the street sold them a power program some BS selling power to them told them was going to zero out their bill. Didn't zero anything now they pay a lease payment and an electric bill solar scammer told them "You use too much power cut back on AC". What are they suppose to do when it's 120F outside set it to 90F inside.
ScrodusGargleRotten
Solar Wizard
That would be delightfully liberal! Greta would be moist.
Daddy Tanuki
Emperor Of Solar
totally off grid, currently depending upon where yu live in japan even offgrid requires permits. where my cabin is no such requirement for the solar. only building (new construction) sewage, wells, and electrical that is grid tied requires permits.
Skythings
Solar Enthusiast
My story is about how getting an electrical permit opened up a hornets nest of problems.
Last May I started my install with a 5.4 kWh system installed on the roof of my carport. The Electrician I hired was a stickler for the rules and required electrical permits because of his integrity which I was perfectly fine with and appreciated. I also figured because there were other parties such as the power company involved it was wise to have all the permits. We applied for the electrical permit and began the install. A couple of days into the install the municipality called my electrician and pulled the electrical permit and shut us down because the structure we were installing the panels onto did not have a building permit according to their records.
30 years ago when I built the carport a building permit was not required for "farm buildings". My home is a mobile home which is only permitted on agriculture lands and the farm property was inspected by the municipality several times for permitting purposes and was considered part of the mobile home setup at the time. The mobile home is issued a new development permit every five years and is inspected each time which included the carport/garage. Over the years I added in a simple 2x4 framed wall with vertical metal siding around three sides and eventually added a garage door on the front to keep out the elements. That turned it into a garage vs a carport.
Now the Municipality required me to apply for a building permit for my now attached garage. Something which no longer makes this a mobile home if it had an attached garage which incidentally is built independent to the mobile home with vertical 6x6 poles on concrete pilings 6 inches away from the mobile home. It is only attached by some metal siding to keep the snow out. The first bureaucrat in the building department now wanted engineer drawings for the roof and wanted design drawings for the building which of course I did not have. That would have cost $4-5000. They asked about the entrance from the garage into the house which there was none and they were so off the charts with their concept of a carport built beside a mobile home on a farm. Finally I was able to connect with an old timer who was the department manager who got it. Thankfully he agreed the structure did not require engineered drawings because it was a stick build and the rafter span was under 24 feet, but he wanted an accurate drawing of the existing structure which I provided. He pointed out there was no separate man door which is required by todays code. I agreed to install a door on the north side which I am just installing currently. He also requires me to unscrew the metal siding from the mobile home so it is not an "attached" garage any longer. Because the mobile home forms the one wall from the elements I am worried they will require me to create a new wall away on that side of the garage.
Three years back I added a mini split air conditioning unit on the back wall of the garage. I decided to add a new electrical panel inside the garage to accommodate the mini split and for future electrical plugs in the garage and and to eventually run power over to another nearby 2nd building. I did not get an electrical permit for this panel at the time. Fortunately the solar install Electrician included this new panel into the solar install electrical permit and I was able to dodge a bullet there. I had to have him wire the garage with new plugs and lights for him to consider the panel install his work. The solar panels are now installed and the entire system has passed the electrical inspection and the electrical permit was issued last September. To complicate things is the municipality requires a separate permit for heating/air conditioning installations which I do not have. I'm just going to see if they notice this and deal with it as it progresses.
So I am now in a position now where I have an approved solar panel installation on the roof of my carport/garage which still has no building permit issued. In the next month once I have finished installing the entrance door and a few other upgrades, I will have to have it inspected for the building permit. My worries are having this carport/garage meet the bureaucratic municipality building departments interpretation of todays building code during the upcoming inspection. I am hoping the same fellow I originally spoke with is still there for the upcoming inspection.
In two weeks my Electrician is wiring in my new ground mount with 7 kWh of additional panels on the opposite side of the house. Again we have applied for a new electrical permit for this 2nd phase of my solar installation. No building permits are required by the municipality for a ground mount which I have in writing from them and a screenshot from their website. But who knows.
Bottom line is what you did 30 years ago will be inspected under todays new rules. Better to have the permits in place when you do the install as it will likely be grandfathered and will likely be much cheaper to correct when you're originally doing the work.
Last May I started my install with a 5.4 kWh system installed on the roof of my carport. The Electrician I hired was a stickler for the rules and required electrical permits because of his integrity which I was perfectly fine with and appreciated. I also figured because there were other parties such as the power company involved it was wise to have all the permits. We applied for the electrical permit and began the install. A couple of days into the install the municipality called my electrician and pulled the electrical permit and shut us down because the structure we were installing the panels onto did not have a building permit according to their records.
30 years ago when I built the carport a building permit was not required for "farm buildings". My home is a mobile home which is only permitted on agriculture lands and the farm property was inspected by the municipality several times for permitting purposes and was considered part of the mobile home setup at the time. The mobile home is issued a new development permit every five years and is inspected each time which included the carport/garage. Over the years I added in a simple 2x4 framed wall with vertical metal siding around three sides and eventually added a garage door on the front to keep out the elements. That turned it into a garage vs a carport.
Now the Municipality required me to apply for a building permit for my now attached garage. Something which no longer makes this a mobile home if it had an attached garage which incidentally is built independent to the mobile home with vertical 6x6 poles on concrete pilings 6 inches away from the mobile home. It is only attached by some metal siding to keep the snow out. The first bureaucrat in the building department now wanted engineer drawings for the roof and wanted design drawings for the building which of course I did not have. That would have cost $4-5000. They asked about the entrance from the garage into the house which there was none and they were so off the charts with their concept of a carport built beside a mobile home on a farm. Finally I was able to connect with an old timer who was the department manager who got it. Thankfully he agreed the structure did not require engineered drawings because it was a stick build and the rafter span was under 24 feet, but he wanted an accurate drawing of the existing structure which I provided. He pointed out there was no separate man door which is required by todays code. I agreed to install a door on the north side which I am just installing currently. He also requires me to unscrew the metal siding from the mobile home so it is not an "attached" garage any longer. Because the mobile home forms the one wall from the elements I am worried they will require me to create a new wall away on that side of the garage.
Three years back I added a mini split air conditioning unit on the back wall of the garage. I decided to add a new electrical panel inside the garage to accommodate the mini split and for future electrical plugs in the garage and and to eventually run power over to another nearby 2nd building. I did not get an electrical permit for this panel at the time. Fortunately the solar install Electrician included this new panel into the solar install electrical permit and I was able to dodge a bullet there. I had to have him wire the garage with new plugs and lights for him to consider the panel install his work. The solar panels are now installed and the entire system has passed the electrical inspection and the electrical permit was issued last September. To complicate things is the municipality requires a separate permit for heating/air conditioning installations which I do not have. I'm just going to see if they notice this and deal with it as it progresses.
So I am now in a position now where I have an approved solar panel installation on the roof of my carport/garage which still has no building permit issued. In the next month once I have finished installing the entrance door and a few other upgrades, I will have to have it inspected for the building permit. My worries are having this carport/garage meet the bureaucratic municipality building departments interpretation of todays building code during the upcoming inspection. I am hoping the same fellow I originally spoke with is still there for the upcoming inspection.
In two weeks my Electrician is wiring in my new ground mount with 7 kWh of additional panels on the opposite side of the house. Again we have applied for a new electrical permit for this 2nd phase of my solar installation. No building permits are required by the municipality for a ground mount which I have in writing from them and a screenshot from their website. But who knows.
Bottom line is what you did 30 years ago will be inspected under todays new rules. Better to have the permits in place when you do the install as it will likely be grandfathered and will likely be much cheaper to correct when you're originally doing the work.
NC_hydro
Solar Wizard
That sounds like communist Russia. On agricultural land…..I’d have found another electrician that wasn’t in the pockets of the municipal overlords.
Brucey
Velcro Man
Remove then reattach after passing "inspection"?
Skythings
Solar Enthusiast
Mind reader.
JBoffgrid2022
Solar Enthusiast
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2022
- Messages
- 554
I had to get a permit for my system for several reasons unfortunately. New construction/house build was one reason. Another reason was I wanted to get my system covered by insurance which they requested it to be installed professionally. Lastly, according to my electrician, due to the size of the system, the state electrical inspector needed to sign off on the project. All-in-all, I could've saved probably $50,000 if I didn't have to get anything inspected... Ouch
100% off grid 24kw system btw
100% off grid 24kw system btw
Attachments
Skythings
Solar Enthusiast
Problem is the municipality is no longer agriculture based like it used to be. Close to major city with small acreages ruling the local government who are run by people unfamiliar with agriculture issues.
Finding a good solar experienced electrician was very difficult to find. I was partial DIY where I did as much of the equipment purchase and install as I could. I hired the electrician for the electrical install only. Most guys weren't interested because I was supplying the equipment I had researched and designed my own system. They all want to sell the system they can make the most money with. I met with nine guys and only two were reliable and did what they promised and were professional. The others were scatter brain duds. The fellow I decided to go with was professional, former special ops marine military background and his integrity meant a lot to me and he had great business references. I am very happy with his work and would gladly recommend him or offer my references to anyone asking.
He explained to me how the municipal overlords can ruin him if he gets the reputation of pushing or bending the rules so I don't blame him for being a stickler. He explained if the inspectors are suspicious of his work because of a bad reputation they can cause very expensive problems and delays for me the homeowner. I tend to agree with him. When the inspector came out to look at my system it was evident he knew my electrician and the inspection was 10 minutes with only one minor concern which was corrected in two days by the electrician.
I'm glade you have it worked out.
In my area that mobile home would not be considered a "farm building". People around here use to put mobile homes on old farms where the old house was about to fall. The Townships would allow it as temporary with the understanding a new home is to be built. 30 yrs later some one is still living in it, added on to it and now looks permanent. So now they will not issue permission for mobile homes unless it's going into a trailer park and they seem to be dying off around here.
In my area that mobile home would not be considered a "farm building". People around here use to put mobile homes on old farms where the old house was about to fall. The Townships would allow it as temporary with the understanding a new home is to be built. 30 yrs later some one is still living in it, added on to it and now looks permanent. So now they will not issue permission for mobile homes unless it's going into a trailer park and they seem to be dying off around here.
Daddy Tanuki
Emperor Of Solar
se you went about it wrong... go out, start talking and get them removed form their positions.... vote them out, talk with normal people to get them voted out. use their favorite tactic... lawfare to remove them... do what it take, the resistance is real.
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Currently have temporary system, but building totally off grid. Only requirement in my county is a septic percolation test for property less than 10 acres. I have more than 10 acres, so no permits or inspections for anything I do on my property. Maybe for my plutonium storage, haven't looked into that yet.
That's because our land receives Sun.
I get a forestry credit but only after they figure it the same value as the farm ground which isn't much. The guy up the road has even more wooded land and pays hardly any thing because it's declared waist land.
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