1) Talk to your local permitting agency (City
or County) BEFORE you make any plans or spend
any money. Finding out that you have to remove
your expensive solar array - and pay a fine to
boot - because you didn't find out about the
'setbacks' and 'easements' ahead of time can
make for a real nasty experience. One phone
call can save you hundreds or even thousands of
dollars.
2) If your contractor says 'you don't need a
permit' Fire him/her and get another one! YES,
YOU NEED A PERMIT!
The Web site Greener Ideal has published a story about the potential pitfalls of installing a fairly large-ish solar installation. The piece is basically a cautionary tale on the things that could go wrong on a community solar project (this one is a commercial one), from the pain of getting the right permits, to the challenge of electric inspections. Heck, if you thought getting the fire warden out to your site for the sign-on, this story makes it sound as if traditional renovations are a piece of cake compared with solar installations.
So, OK, for every bad story, I’m sure there’s a good story. But, honestly, I think there’s a great point to be made here. That is, even if you’re inclined to go ahead with a solar installation, it would do you good to see if you’re on the bleeding edge in your town. If others have gone before you, ask them about their experiences with permits, contractors, inspections, and so forth. If you’re the first person in your town really moving forward, you need to keep that in mind and add an extra dose of patience.
