The Scottsdale rule
The City's Residential Solar Plan Review/Permit Submittal Guidelines (revised 27 July 2020, read 23 October 2026) set what the plans must show. The points that decide panel layout and review route:
| Rule | The City's wording |
|---|---|
| Review route | Arrays meeting the "Solar Panel Placement Design Guidelines" get a counter review; "all other submittals, including ground mounted solar systems, will be required to submit for a full plan review" |
| Ridge setback | Panels "not less than 3 feet from the ridge" (IFC 605.11) |
| Fire pathways | "two, 3 foot wide access pathways from the eave to the ridge on each roof slope" |
| Hips and valleys | No closer than 18 inches where panels sit on both sides |
| Structure | "Arrays with dead loads exceeding 50 lbs. at mounting points, shall require structural analysis" |
| Electrical | One-line and three-line diagrams; installed per NEC Article 690 and Sections 705.10, 690.17 and 705.12 |
| HOA | Multi-family zoning districts (R-5, R-4R, R-4, R-3, R-2) need an HOA approval letter |
| Inspection | "Typically, one final inspection is conducted" |
In Environmentally Sensitive Lands areas the site plan must note that "No NAOS or Protected Native Plants shall be affected by installation of solar panels". The guidelines predate the City's move to SPUR in January 2026, so the paper-copy counts in them no longer apply; the layout rules do.
Arizona's solar permit law
A.R.S. 9-468 (read 23 October 2026) sets what any Arizona city may ask for on a grid-tied PV permit: the location on the roof plan and elevation, mounting details, a one-line or three-line diagram, and inverter cut sheets. A city "shall not require a stamp from a professional engineer ... unless an engineering stamp is deemed necessary", and must then explain why in writing. The fee "shall not exceed the actual cost of issuing a permit", and "a written, itemized list of the individual costs" must be provided if you ask.
Who can pull it
The guidelines say "Permits can only be signed for by property owners or licensed contractors." An owner of an owner-occupied single-family home "can do the work themselves or act as their own general contractor", after signing the City's Owner-Builder Declaration form for its Tax Audit Division (480-312-2400). An installer must hold an Arizona ROC license whose class covers solar; check it with the Scottsdale contractor license lookup.
How to apply
- Open Scottsdale SPUR from the City's planning and permitting portal page and create an account.
- Click Apply, choose the residential solar permit, and upload the site and roof plan, panel elevations, electrical diagrams and cut sheets.
- Pay the review fee; the guidelines say plan review fees are paid when plans are submitted.
- Book the final inspection in SPUR once the system is installed; the first inspection must come within 180 days of issue.
What it costs
From the City's schedules effective July 1, 2026 (on the fees page, Resolution No. 13661):
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Solar residential permit | $168 |
| Solar review, residential | $168 |
| Solar water heater permit | $90 |
| Revision to approved plans | $121 per hour |
| Reinspection | $121 |
So a rooftop PV system that passes review and inspection first time costs $336 in City fees. System prices are in solar panel installation cost; Scottsdale solar permits carry no job value, so we have no local price.
What 1,342 Scottsdale solar permits show
| Measure | Scottsdale solar |
|---|---|
| Permits on homes, October 2023 to September 2026 | 1,342 |
| Firms | 137 |
| Firms with a permit in the last 12 months of the window | 65 |
| Firms with 5+ permits and none in the last 12 months | 12 |
| Finalled (permits a year or more old) | 76.7% |
| 10th / 90th-percentile firm (10+ permits) | 62.4% / 91.5% |
| Share held by the five busiest | 30.2% |
| Busiest / quietest month | October (131) / February (78) |
Solar is a churning trade here: 12 firms that pulled five or more Scottsdale permits filed none in the last 12 months of the window, and only 65 of 137 filed one in that year. A 25-year panel warranty is worth what the company behind it is worth, so check that an installer is still filing. The busiest in the last 12 months were Our World Energy (35 permits), Tesla (32) and Capital Energy LLC (28).
See every Scottsdale solar installer by permits finalled →
Next steps
Compare installers on the Scottsdale solar list, then read hiring a solar installer. Other cities' rules: do I need a permit for solar panels. Electrical work beyond the array, such as a panel upgrade, is in the Scottsdale electrical permit guide. Past permits on your address: Scottsdale building permit search; monthly counts: Scottsdale permit statistics.
What this does not tell you
Utility interconnection is a separate approval our file does not cover. The solar guidelines are dated 2020; the setback and structural rules come from them, so confirm any edge case with the One Stop Shop (480-312-2500). Scottsdale records no final date and no job value on solar permits, and we have not matched firms to the ROC license file.
How we know this
Layout, review and owner-builder rules are quoted from the City of Scottsdale's Residential Solar Plan Review/Permit Submittal Guidelines (revised 27 July 2020), and fees from its Permit Fee Schedule and Plan Review Fee Schedule: Miscellaneous effective July 1, 2026 (Resolution No. 13661), read 23 October 2026; state rules from A.R.S. 9-468. Counts are City of Scottsdale solar permits on homes, October 2023 to September 2026; finalled share uses permits a year or more old.
Numbers come from City of Scottsdale building permits (the City's open-data permit file up to January 2026, and the City's SPUR permit system since), with the contractor named on each permit, data through October 22, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- How much is a solar permit in Scottsdale?
Under the fee schedules effective July 1, 2026, a residential solar permit is $168 and the residential solar plan review is another $168, so $336 for a typical rooftop system. A solar water heater permit is $90.
- Do I need a permit for solar panels in Scottsdale?
Yes. A PV system is electrical work, which needs a permit in Scottsdale, and the City's fee schedule has its own residential solar permit and solar plan review. Solar water heating is on the City's building permit list as 'Solar heater installation'.
- How long does a solar permit take in Scottsdale?
The City's solar guidelines say a roof array that meets its placement guidelines can get a counter review, while ground-mounted systems and others need full plan review; it publishes no day count. Once issued, the first inspection must follow within 180 days. Scottsdale records no final date, so we cannot time permits; 76.7% of solar permits a year or more old in our file were finalled.
- Does Scottsdale require an engineer's stamp for solar?
Not by default. Arizona law (A.R.S. 9-468) says a city shall not require a professional engineer's stamp for a PV system unless one is deemed necessary, and then must explain why in writing. The City's guidelines require a structural analysis where an array's dead load exceeds 50 pounds at a mounting point.
- Can a homeowner pull a solar permit in Scottsdale?
Yes. The City's solar guidelines say permits can be signed for by property owners or licensed contractors, and an owner of an owner-occupied single-family home can do the work or act as their own general contractor after signing the City's Owner-Builder Declaration form.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
- Albuquerque building permit search: how to look up permits on an address
- Do I need a solar permit in Albuquerque? Building and electrical permits, the engineer triggers and the fee
- Do I need a solar permit in Anaheim? The online small-rooftop permit, the 10 kW line and the City utility
- Do I need a solar permit in Bend, OR? The prescriptive checklist, the 2026-27 fees and how fast permits final
- Solar panels in a St. Louis historic district: which districts allow visible panels, what to submit, and hiring the installer
For one city
- Residential Solar Plan Review/Permit Submittal Guidelines (revised 7-27-20) — City of Scottsdale (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Permit Fee Schedule: Miscellaneous and Plan Review Fee Schedule: Miscellaneous, effective July 1, 2026 — City of Scottsdale (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Home Improvement — City of Scottsdale Planning and Development (accessed 2026-10-23)
- A.R.S. 9-468 Solar construction permits; standards (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Planning and Permitting Portal — City of Scottsdale (2026-10-23)