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ARTICLE · 27 JULY 2023

Licensing And Permitting For Solar Panel Projects In North Carolina

Ward and Smith, P.A
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This brought questions and a degree of confusion regarding both licensing and permitting for such projects. This led to new guidelines from the relevant North Carolina licensing boards...

United StatesReal Estate and Construction
Evan M. Musselwhite
Evan M. Musselwhite

Solar panel systems on residential homes have greatly increased in popularity over the last several years with the boom in renewable energy.

This brought questions and a degree of confusion regarding both licensing and permitting for such projects. This led to new guidelines from the relevant North Carolina licensing boards, which attempt to address some of these issues.

Solar Panel Building Requirements

Solar panel systems are formally known as Solar Photovoltaic Systems ("SPVP"). In North Carolina, a building permit is required for any construction, installation, repair, replacement, or alteration to a building or real property costing more than $20,000. See N.C. Gen. Stat. § 143-138(b5). Many local building departments have increased that amount to $30,000, which is the same dollar threshold that triggers the requirement to have a general contractor's license to perform the work. Building permits for projects over the $30,000 threshold must be pulled by

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