What the county requires
DPIE's fee schedule lists residential roof-mounted and ground-mounted solar panels as building permits, and a separate "Electrical Permit Fee - Solar PV System" for the wiring. In our data the county's solar permits are 5,322 residential building permits (case type R, 57%) and 3,915 electrical permits (DPIE ER and EC, 42%), which is that two-permit pattern.
Who pulls them. DPIE's SolarAPP+ page says the platform "allows licensed contractors to apply for permits for standard residential rooftop solar and energy storage systems." Electrical permits are filed by master electricians through DPIE's online process (Electrical Permits). In practice the installer pulls both; ask for the permit numbers.
SolarAPP+. DPIE describes three steps: the contractor submits the design on SolarAPP+, which checks it against the 2021 ICC codes and the county's Subtitle 4 building amendments and issues "An Inspection Checklist and a SolarAPP+ ID"; the contractor applies in Momentum with that ID; then pays, receives the permit and schedules inspections in Momentum. SolarAPP+ charges its own processing fee, and county fees follow the DPIE schedule. When we read the page on 24 October 2026, its platform links were marked "Coming soon", so ask your installer which route your permit took. Which systems qualify is set by SolarAPP+'s own eligibility list.
What it costs
From the DPIE Fee Schedule, effective 16 October 2026:
| Permit | Fee |
|---|---|
| Solar panels, roof-mounted, residential | Greater of $158 or $0.03 per watt, plus $5 M-NCPPC |
| Solar panels, ground-mounted, residential | Greater of $158 or $0.03 per watt, plus $53 grading, $5 M-NCPPC and $112 use and occupancy |
| Electrical permit, solar PV system (per group of 100 panels) | $95 |
| Administrative fee (residential), each permit | $66 |
| Technology fee | 10% |
For an 8 kW roof system, $0.03 per watt is $240; with $5 and the $66 administrative fee, then 10%, the building permit is about $342. The electrical permit is $95 plus $66, plus 10%: $177.10. Below about 5.3 kW the $158 minimum applies.
What 9,331 solar permits show
| Measure | Prince George's County solar |
|---|---|
| Permits, May 2021 to April 2023 | 9,331 (12% of all DPIE permits) |
| May 2021–April 2022 / May 2022–April 2023 | 4,138 / 5,193 (+25%) |
| Homes | 82% |
| Usual declared value | $25,500 (middle half $16,590 to $40,490), from 5,256 permits with one |
| Busiest / quietest month | October (140) / February and April (77) |
| ZIPs with the most | 20743 (1,149), 20772 (798), 20774 (708), 20744 (538) |
Solar filing swings more than electrical or HVAC: October runs 40% above an average month and September 27%, while February and April are 23% below. 20743 (Capitol Heights) has 12% of the county's solar permits, ahead of 20772 (Upper Marlboro). Monthly counts are on Prince George's County solar permits; every kind of work on Prince George's County permit statistics and the rows on browse Prince George's County permits.
Before you hire
Search your address for past permits in Permit LookSee and the legacy ePermit search (Prince George's County building permit search), and ask for the installer's Maryland Home Improvement Commission and master electrician license numbers. Next door: Montgomery County solar permit. Elsewhere: do I need a permit for solar panels and filed values in solar panel installation cost.
What this does not tell you
Our window ends in April 2023, when DPIE's move to Momentum thinned the open data; the separate Momentum file stops in July 2025 and has no electrical permits, so the current pace of solar filing is not known from public data. The file names no installer and has no status or final date. A solar job can count twice here, once for each permit, and only about half carry a declared value.
How we know this
The permit and fee rules are from DPIE's Fee Schedule effective 16 October 2026, and the SolarAPP+ process from DPIE's SolarAPP+ and Electrical Permits pages, all read 24 October 2026. Our counts are the county's open data Residential and Commercial Permits (July 2013 to Present) file, read 19 October 2026: solar permits issued May 2021 to April 2023.
Numbers come from public permit records in 57 cities, data through October 19, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- Do I need a permit for solar panels in Prince George's County?
Yes. DPIE's fee schedule prices residential roof-mounted and ground-mounted solar as building permits, and the wiring takes a separate electrical permit pulled by a master electrician. In our data the county's solar permits split 57% building and 42% electrical.
- How much is a solar permit in Prince George's County?
For a roof-mounted residential system, the greater of $158 or $0.03 per watt, plus $5 for M-NCPPC, a $66 administrative fee and a 10% technology fee, under DPIE's fee schedule effective 16 October 2026. The electrical permit is $95 per group of 100 panels plus the same administrative and technology fees.
- What is SolarAPP+ in Prince George's County?
An online platform DPIE describes as letting licensed contractors apply for permits for standard residential rooftop solar and battery systems, with automated plan review. The contractor gets a SolarAPP+ ID and inspection checklist, then applies in Momentum; SolarAPP+ charges its own processing fee.
- Does ground-mounted solar cost more to permit in Prince George's County?
Yes. The same $158 minimum or $0.03 per watt applies, but DPIE adds $53 for grading and $112 for a use and occupancy permit on top of the $5 M-NCPPC fee.
- How many solar permits does Prince George's County issue?
9,331 from May 2021 to April 2023, 12% of all DPIE permits. The second year, 5,193, was 25% above the first year's 4,138, and October was the busiest month.
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Related guides
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- Do I need a permit to build a house in Albuquerque? GB-2 or homeowner, the plan set and the fee
- Do I need a solar permit in Albuquerque? Building and electrical permits, the engineer triggers and the fee
- Solar Automated Permit Processing Plus (SolarAPP+) — Prince George's County DPIE (2026-10-24)
- DPIE Fee Schedule, effective 16 October 2026 — Prince George's County (2026-10-24)
- Electrical Permits — Prince George's County DPIE (2026-10-24)
- Residential and Commercial Permits (July 2013 to Present) — Prince George's County Open Data (2026-10-19)