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Solar permits in Norfolk, VA

Data through September 2026 · updated 19 Oct 2026

624 solar permits were issued in Norfolk, October 2024 through September 2026: about 312 a year and 5% of all permits. 304 solar permits in the last 12 months (Oct 2025–Sep 2026), 5% fewer than the 320 in the 12 months before. The busiest month is March. The usual one took 57 days from issue to the city's final. 23513 has the most, 135.

624permits issued
304last 12 months
Marbusiest month
57days, usual issue to final
88%finished
$15,518usual declared value
Sep 2026records through

Solar permits by month

Permits issued each month, October 2024 through September 2026.

Oct 2024: 37Oct2024Nov 2024: 11Dec 2024: 19Jan 2025: 27Jan2025Feb 2025: 15Mar 2025: 47Apr 2025: 16May 2025: 22Jun 2025: 39Jul 2025: 33JulAug 2025: 29Sep 2025: 25Oct 2025: 30Nov 2025: 16Dec 2025: 17Jan 2026: 21Jan2026Feb 2026: 16Mar 2026: 28Apr 2026: 22May 2026: 28Jun 2026: 26Jul 2026: 36JulAug 2026: 39Sep 2026: 25
The same numbers as a table
MonthPermits
Oct 202437
Nov 202411
Dec 202419
Jan 202527
Feb 202515
Mar 202547
Apr 202516
May 202522
Jun 202539
Jul 202533
Aug 202529
Sep 202525
Oct 202530
Nov 202516
Dec 202517
Jan 202621
Feb 202616
Mar 202628
Apr 202622
May 202628
Jun 202626
Jul 202636
Aug 202639
Sep 202625

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When solar permits are filed

By calendar month, 100 = an average month (the thin line). March is the busiest (144), November the quietest (52). A busy month at the permit counter usually means a longer wait for a contractor.

January: 92 (100 = an average month)February: 60 (100 = an average month)March: 144 (100 = an average month)144April: 73 (100 = an average month)May: 96 (100 = an average month)June: 125 (100 = an average month)July: 133 (100 = an average month)August: 131 (100 = an average month)September: 96 (100 = an average month)October: 129 (100 = an average month)November: 52 (100 = an average month)December: 69 (100 = an average month)JFMAMJJASOND
The same numbers as a table
MonthIndex
January92
February60
March144
April73
May96
June125
July133
August131
September96
October129
November52
December69

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How long a solar permit takes

Permits issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025, at least 12 months before the file ends. Usual days is the middle permit among the 281 with a final date.

MeasureValue
Permits issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025320
Finished87.8%
Expired12.2%
Usual days, issue to final57
Middle half, days38–90

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What a solar permit is declared at

The value written on the permit at application, from 624 permits with one. Not a quote and not the final bill.

MeasureValue
Usual declared value$15,518
Middle half$5,852–$24,218

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ZIP codes with the most solar permits

Counted at the property's ZIP code. Share is the part of the city's 624 solar permits.

ZIP codePermitsShare
2351313522%
235189816%
235057312%
235047212%
235036811%
235096210%
23502569%
23508305%
23523234%
235073under 1%

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How Norfolk compares with other cities

From our cross-city data studies: the same measure, read the same way, for every city we cover.

How these numbers are made

Source: City of Norfolk Open Data, Permits (data.norfolk.gov, dataset fahm-yuh4), read 19 Oct 2026. We count permits issued October 2024 through September 2026; denied and withdrawn permits are left out.

Residential permits the City of Norfolk issues inside the city: building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing and demolition permits for single-family homes, duplexes, townhouses and their garages and sheds. Commercial permits, zoning permits and short-term rental inspections in the same file are not counted. Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Portsmouth and the other Hampton Roads cities run their own permit offices and are not in this file.

  • The city's file names no contractor, so there are no contractor lists, rankings or firm pages for Norfolk.
  • The city files roof replacements and rooftop solar under one work type. We count a permit of that type as solar when the city issued an electrical permit under it, and as roofing when it did not.
  • A new house or a big renovation gets separate building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits, so one project can count several times, once under each kind of work.
  • The value is the project cost declared on the permit. The ZIP code comes from the city assessor's record for the parcel.

Counts are permits, not jobs: one job can need several permits. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can. Sources and definitions →

Cite this page

Free to reuse with attribution (CC BY 4.0). Please credit Contractor Records and link to this page. Suggested citation:

Contractor Records, "Solar permits in Norfolk, VA", https://contractorrecords.com/norfolk/solar-permits, data through September 2026, from the City of Norfolk Development Services Center building-permit records.

Link to a table: By month · Season · Days to final · Declared value · By ZIP code.

Download the tables (CSV): Solar permits by month · Solar permits by calendar month (index) · Solar permits: days to final · Solar permits: declared value · Solar permits by ZIP code.

Common questions

  • How many solar permits does Norfolk issue a year?About 312 a year in Norfolk: 624 permits issued October 2024 through September 2026, 304 of them in the last 12 months.
  • How long does a solar permit take in Norfolk?The usual one took 57 days from issue to the city's final inspection, and the middle half took 38 to 90 days (281 permits issued Oct 2024–Sep 2025 that reached a final). The wait to get the permit issued is not in this file.
  • When do people in Norfolk file the most solar permits?March (144 against an average month of 100); November is the quietest (52). If you can choose, a quiet month at the permit counter can mean contractors have more room in their schedules.
  • Which ZIP code has the most solar permits in Norfolk?23513, with 135 of the 624 (22%); then 23518 (98).