Is a Solar Photovoltaic System a Good Fit for Your Property?

Doylestown Borough has recently been accepted as a SolSmart Community. SolSmart is a national designation program recognizing communities that have taken action to reduce soft costs and encourage growth of solar PV installations in their communities. Not only does Doylestown provide a financial incentive through our Green Points permit fee reduction program, the Borough is committed to streamlining the overall permit review and inspection process.

For more resources on solar photovoltaic system placement, savings, maintenance, and more, please visit Google's Project Sunroof website. As you will see, the mapping in this region is still in progress. Google Project Sunroof

Solar Installation Permitting Checklist

In order to process your permit application in an expeditious manner you must provide all the required information regarding your proposal. Incomplete applications will take significantly longer to process.

The applicant (owner or system installer on behalf of owner) must complete the following steps:

Complete the electrical and building portions of the permit application:

  1. Residential
  2. Commercial

Assemble supporting documents for the building permit including:

  1. Site Plan showing location of major components on the property or roof
  2. Structural analysis of roof from a Design Professional (required for roof-mounted systems only)

Assemble supporting documents for the electrical permit including:

  1. Electrical One-Line Diagram (attached to electric permit)
  2. Attachment and/or Mounting Details
  3. Solar PV Module Specification Sheet
  4. Inverter Specification Sheet
  5. Pole or Ground Mount Information (if applicable)

Assemble fees for building permit, note the following:

  1. These fees are listed at (Schedule of Fees)
  2. Fees for building permit are eligible for Green Points Incentive Program and should be based on structural construction cost (not including solar panels).
  3. Fee for electrical portion of permit is waived
  4. Fees are due upon submittal of permit application

Submit completed building application and fee. Delivery methods to submit application include:

  • Mail all materials to: 10 Doyle Street, Doylestown, PA 18901
  • Deliver in person at: 10 Doyle Street, Doylestown, PA 18901
  • Hours of operation: Monday – Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

As specified in the permit applications, third party electrical underwriter is required and will need to be contacted to do any rough or final inspections.

After receiving a permit, the applicant may proceed with installation of the solar PV system. Provide your assigned Inspector 48 hours notice of starting. All permits must be posted in a visible location as instructed.

Once the system installation is complete, please contact 215-345-4140 to schedule an inspection. If you have questions regarding solar permit and application forms, please contact Doylestown Borough Hall.