How much does solar panel installation cost in Chicago? The usual solar job filed with Chicago is $17,784, from 5,027 priced permits (October 2023 through September 2026); the middle half of firms file between $15,125 and $29,940. A filed value is what the contractor wrote on the permit, not a quote or the final bill.
The usual solar job filed with Chicago is $17,784, from 5,027 priced permits, October 2023 through September 2026. The middle half of firms usually file between $15,125 and $29,940. Half of jobs were filed for less, half for more. A filed value is what the contractor wrote on the permit, not a quote or the final bill. A solar permit here usually takes 57 days from issue to final inspection. How long permits take →
Approximately, from each firm's own spread: every firm's range of filed values, weighted by its 5,027 priced permits across 58 firms, pooled into one. Half of Chicago solar permits were filed between $12,600 and $25,600.
| Percentile | Filed value | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $8,200 | 1 in 10 permits filed below |
| 25th | $12,600 | 1 in 4 filed below |
| 50th | $18,100 | the middle permit |
| 75th | $25,600 | 1 in 4 filed above |
| 90th | $39,200 | 1 in 10 filed above |
Firms split into thirds by the usual value of the homes they work on, with each third's usual filed value weighted by permits. Home values: Cook County Assessor values.
| Firms working on | Usual home value | Usual filed value | Firms | Permits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower third | under $269,290 | $16,685 | 19 | 3,927 |
| Middle third | $269,290–$432,110 | $18,411 | 19 | 668 |
| Upper third | $450,000 and up | $30,564 | 20 | 432 |
Top 10 by permits in the last 12 months. Usual is each firm's middle filed value; middle half is the range its middle half of jobs were filed in. Busy is not the same as careful: pick what you value to build a list.
| Firm | Permits | Last 12 mo | Usual | Middle half | Finished |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunrun Installation Services Inc | 2,661 | 987 | $16,685 | $11,840–$22,138 | 78.4% |
| Certified Electric LLC | 181 | 141 | $20,400 | $15,300–$26,787 | 55.7% |
| Wirehaus | 80 | 80 | $17,640 | $13,860–$22,261 | — |
| Freedom Forever Illinois LLC | 332 | 51 | $19,944 | $13,616–$26,402 | 69.8% |
| Certasun | 158 | 51 | $30,564 | $20,000–$37,580 | 87.4% |
| Ion Developer | 50 | 50 | $5,544 | $4,515–$6,468 | — |
| Pure Power Electrical,Corp. | 84 | 47 | $10,279 | $8,212–$13,629 | 78.4% |
| B T Electric | 120 | 43 | $23,542 | $17,320–$28,644 | 81.1% |
| Hardwirre Systems LLC | 23 | 23 | $15,180 | $12,420–$16,560 | — |
| Bright Planet Solar, Inc | 422 | 21 | $23,000 | $15,200–$30,400 | 73.3% |
Line your quote up against the file. In Chicago, 1 in 10 solar filed values sit under $8,200, the middle half between $12,600 and $25,600, and 1 in 10 over $39,200.
Chicago files the fewest solar permits in February (70 against an average month of 100) and the most in August (146). If you can choose, ask for quotes in a quiet month. We have no prices by month, so this is about crews' schedules, not a discount. When each trade is busiest in Chicago →
Source: City of Chicago building permits (Chicago Data Portal). The window is October 2023 through September 2026; a permit filed after that isn't here yet.
Usual is the middle permit: half were filed for less, half for more. Only permits with a filed value count; a value of $0 or none is left out.
The spread is approximate: we keep seven points of each firm's own range of filed values, not every permit, and pool them.
Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can. How the records work in Chicago →
Solar cost in other cities: Orlando New York City Cleveland Pittsburgh Miami Minneapolis St. Louis Colorado Springs Honolulu Albuquerque Boulder Greensboro Saint Paul Arlington, VA Cambridge Somerville Cary Mesa Cape Coral Provo Palo Alto Denton Seattle San Francisco Medford Anaheim Elk Grove Tyler, TX Marin County (unincorporated) Sacramento County (unincorporated) Citrus Heights, CA
Other job costs in Chicago: Renovation · Garage · Roofing · Fence · Interior Remodel · New Home · Porch & Deck · Windows & Doors