Do you need a solar permit in Texas?
By Mario Bailey Last checked
- Always required
- 10
- of 10 jurisdictions
- Conditional
- 0
- depends on size or scope
- Not required
- 0
- exempt outright
Solar Permit rules nationwide, beyond Texas.
Requirements and size thresholds for solar permits vary by locality. The table below compares what each Texas county or city requires. Always confirm with the local office before starting.
Comparing states? See solar permit rules across every locality we cover.
What to know about solar permits in Texas
Solar permits in Virginia usually cover the rooftop PV system and its electrical interconnection. Costs depend on system size and your locality, and many homeowners weigh financing options such as solar loans against paying up front. Some Virginia localities use SolarAPP+ for faster automated approvals. Always use a licensed electrical or solar contractor, since the work must pass inspection.
The application steps and inspection sequence for solar permits come from the model code rather than from Texas law, so they read the same wherever you build. We keep that walkthrough in one place: how a solar permit application and its inspections work, start to finish. What changes between Texas jurisdictions is below: who requires a permit, what they charge, and which office you file with.
Swipe sideways to see thresholds and confidence.
| Locality | Permit required? | Typical threshold | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arlington | Yes | Not specified | Confirmed on official page |
| Austin | Yes | Not specified | Confirmed on official page |
| Corpus Christi | Yes | No size or capacity threshold is published; adding solar panels is listed outright as work that needs a permit. | Confirmed on official page |
| Dallas | Yes | Not specified | Based on building code |
| El Paso | Yes | Not specified | From an official source |
| Fort Worth | Yes | Not specified | Confirmed on official page |
| Houston | Yes | Not specified | From an official source |
| Lubbock | Yes | A Building Safety permit is required before installation of any renewable generation system at an address inside the city limits. | Confirmed on official page |
| Plano | Yes | Not specified | Confirmed on official page |
| San Antonio | Yes | Not specified | From an official source |
| No localities match your filter. | |||
What a solar permit costs in Texas
9 Texas jurisdictions we cover publish a fee figure for this work. Each line is quoted from that office's own schedule and linked to its citation. The figures are not comparable to one another: some are flat minimums, some a percentage of job value, some charged per fixture, so what you pay depends on which schedule applies and on your job's valuation.
Planning and Development Services Fee Schedule, Effective June 1, 2026, Resolution No. 26 - 151, Residential Construction: "Solar Panel* $325.00" and "Home Backup Power Installations (for third-party plan review and inspections) $300.00".
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Solar permits carry a $32.47 intake fee plus a $111.66 auxiliary power electrical permit base fee, then a tiered solar inspection fee starting at $74.44 for 1-50 kW systems, per the FY2025-26 DSD residential fee schedule effective 10/01/2025
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The FY 2026 Development Fee Schedule publishes no solar line item. A rooftop array is billed through the residential building permit at $0.461 per square foot with a $146.41 minimum plus Plan Review at $0.146 per square foot, and through the Electrical trade permit at $0.075 per square foot residential with a $146.41 minimum permit fee; asterisked fees carry a 4.5% surcharge. Informational Bulletin 019 adds that a permit declaring third-party plan review bypasses city plan review and is charged only the permit fee, the administrative fee, and any applicable Municipal Solid Waste fees, with no plan review fees collected.
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No solar-specific line; billed under the Alterations or Repairs schedule (Table B-I), value of work times 0.009652 times 1.33 with a $175 minimum plus a $125 single-trade inspection fee, per the fee schedule effective 7/1/2025
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FY 2026 Schedule C Departmental Fee List, Planning & Inspections, prices solar across four trades: Building Permits "Solar Shingle per 100 sq. ft." is "$14 per sq. ft. plus base fee plus applicable technology fee"; Electrical Permits "Solar panels, ea." is "$14 based on quantity plus base fee and applicable technology fee" and "Solar heating systems" is "$24 based on quantity plus base fee and applicable technology fee" (electrical base fee, each, non-refundable, $110); Mechanical "Solar Systems (excluding duct work)" is "$36 plus base fee and applicable technology fee"; Plumbing "Solar panels, ea." is "$13.76 based on quantity plus base fee and applicable technology fee" and "Solar heating systems" is "$24.35 based on quantity plus base fee and applicable technology fee."
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The Schedule of Mechanical Fees, Table 1-H, carries a "Solar energy system: $59.18" line, which is the thermal/mechanical side. A photovoltaic array also requires an Electrical Standalone Permit billed on the Schedule of Electrical Fees, Table 1-J. Add the $31.50 permit application fee and the $16.87 technology fee. Per Ordinance No. 27191-09-2024, effective October 1, 2024.
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Solar panel permit fee is $91.06 plus the $33.56 administrative fee, with plan review possibly adding a valuation-based fee depending on scope, per the city's Solar Panel Permit page
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Building Safety Fee Schedule, fiscal year effective dates October 1, 2025 to September 30, 2026, under Electrical Permit Fees: "Commercial or Residential Solar or Other Alternative Energy Source Permit $75."
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Solar photovoltaic installs file as a sub-type of the Electrical Permit, so the $50 basic electrical inspection fee plus $10 administrative fee and amperage-based service rating charge apply, per the FY2026 Development Fee Schedule and IB 153
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Jurisdictions not listed publish no dollar figure we could quote. Absence does not mean a permit is free.
Common questions about solar permits in Texas
- Do I need a solar permit in Texas?
- In most of Texas, yes. Permits are issued locally, so the answer comes from your Texas city or county rather than a single statewide rule. Of the 10 Texas jurisdictions we have verified for solar work, 10 require a permit outright, 0 depend on the size or scope of the job, and 0 require none.
Ready to move on your solar permit?
Hire it out
Before you sign, ask the contractor:
- Who pulls the permit, you or me, and is the permit fee included in the bid?
- Which inspections will this job need, and who meets the inspector on site?
- Is your contractor license active in this locality, and under which business name?