The District's rule
DOB's How to Get a Permit page (read 24 October 2026) lists "Solar Panel" as its own construction permit type. Its instant permits page puts "Installation of a roof-mounted solar panel system up to 15 kilowatts" on a one- or two-family dwelling among the building instant permits, and says fees "average $36.30 ($250 for solar permit)".
| Your system | Route |
|---|---|
| Roof-mounted, up to 15 kW, one- or two-family house | Building instant permit, online, about $250 |
| Over 15 kW, ground-mounted, or on an apartment or commercial building | Standard building permit |
| Panel or service upgrade to carry the system | Electrical (Heavy-Up) instant permit up to 200 amps, licensed contractors only |
| Property in a historic district | Check PIVS and Scout first; preservation review can apply |
Building instant permits "can be obtained by the property owner"; the electrical side is trade work, and DOB says trade permits must be obtained by a DC master licensed professional. In practice the installer files both.
How it works
- Check whether the house is in a historic district (PIVS or Scout), since that moves the job out of the instant route.
- The installer or owner applies and pays online through the "Apply for a Permit" link on the instant permits page.
- The permit issues online; after the work is done, schedule the DOB inspection.
What 7,204 DC solar permits show
From Washington, DC solar permits, October 2024 to September 2026:
| Measure | DC solar permits |
|---|---|
| Issued | 7,204 (8% of all DC permits) |
| Last 12 months / 12 months before | 3,080 / 4,124 (−25%) |
| Busiest / quietest month (index) | November (187) / April (55) |
| October to December index | 160, 187, 171 |
| ZIPs with the most | 20011 (1,238), 20019 (958), 20002 (792) |
Almost all are filed as the "Solar System" type (7,180). Filing piles into the last quarter of the year: October to December together run at well over one and a half times an average month, so a solar installer booked for a year-end install is filing alongside everyone else. Over the same two years DC electrical permits held flat and plumbing rose 7%, so the 25% solar drop is specific to solar. 20011 and 20019 alone hold 30% of DC solar permits. More on DC permit statistics and browse DC permits.
Before you hire
Search the address in Scout for existing permits with the Washington, DC building permit search guide. National rules are in do I need a permit for solar panels, and filed prices in other cities in solar panel installation cost.
What this does not tell you
The District's file names no installer and carries only the fees paid, so we show no firm lists and no system costs. DOB seldom closes a permit's status and the file has no final dates, so we cannot say how long installs take. Utility interconnection is a separate approval that is not in DOB's file.
How we know this
Rules and fees are quoted from DOB's Instant Permits for Simple Scopes of Work and How to Get a Permit pages, read 24 October 2026. Our counts are DOB's building permit file on DC GIS, read 19 October 2026: solar permits issued October 2024 to September 2026.
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 Washington, DC?
Yes. Solar Panel is its own construction permit type at DOB. A roof-mounted system up to 15 kilowatts on a one- or two-family house fits DOB's instant permit, which is applied for, paid and issued online.
- How much is a solar permit in DC?
DOB's instant permit page says fees average $36.30, or $250 for a solar permit.
- Can a homeowner pull a solar permit in DC?
DOB says building instant permits can be obtained by the property owner, and lists roof-mounted solar up to 15 kW among them. The wiring is trade work, and trade permits go only to DC master licensed professionals.
- Does a DC solar install in a historic district need extra review?
DOB's exemptions apply only outside historic districts, and it points owners to check a property's status on PIVS and Scout, since Historic Preservation Review Board review applies in designated areas.
- When are DC solar permits filed?
Mostly from October to December: November runs at 187 against an average month of 100, and April is the quietest at 55. DOB issued 7,204 solar permits from October 2024 to September 2026.
Build your own list
Pick your city and the kind of work. Every firm with a permit on record, sorted by what you value.
Related guides
- Albuquerque building permit search: how to look up permits on an address
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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