Instantly issues permits for residential solar PV or PV-plus-storage systems, saving valuable time for local governments and solar contractors.
Free to local governments — supported by administrative fees paid by installers
Solar installations nearly three weeks faster in jurisdictions using SolarAPP+
Solar Automated Permit Processing Plus (SolarAPP+), developed by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, is an automated online permitting platform that instantly issues a permit for residential solar PV or PV-plus-storage systems once they pass an automated code compliance check, saving valuable time for local governments and solar contractors. The platform also compiles an inspection checklist to streamline and enhance safety of the final inspection.
Since the inception of SolarAPP+, NREL has completed a performance review for the platform each year. In the new report analyzing 2023 data, NREL researchers found that the full median duration from permit submission to final passed inspection for PV-only projects was 33 days for SolarAPP+ permits and 47.5 days for traditional permits. This suggests that SolarAPP+ reduces full permitting timelines by around 14.5 business days, or 33%.
SolarAPP+ is managed by the SolarAPP Foundation, a nonprofit formed to ensure that all key solar permitting stakeholders are included to make SolarAPP+ a success. The foundation’s board, which has equal representation from the solar industry and the building code enforcement community, oversees the development and management of SolarAPP+.
This research is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office, which supports early-stage research and development in three technology areas: photovoltaics, concentrating solar-thermal power, and systems integration with the goal of improving the affordability, reliability, and domestic benefit of solar technologies on the grid. Learn more: https://energy.gov/solar-office.