Publications Details
Confirming the Strength of Residential Roof Structures for Solar Installations
The rooftop solar PV permitting process involves a number of steps and varies greatly, even between neighboring cities. Jurisdictions follow state or national codes, but each may interpret the codes in their own way and insert additional requirements. In some locations, a rooftop structural analysis conducted by a professional engineer is required before a rooftop solar permit is issued. The extra step is not universally applied across states or municipalities, and can alter scheduling logistics and add hundreds of dollars to the cost of the system.