How many quotes should I get for a solar job in Saint Paul?

At least three. In the permit record the middle half of Saint Paul solar firms usually file between $2,513 and $10,032 a job, so two ordinary firms can sit 4.0 times apart and both be normal for Saint Paul. A third quote shows which one is the outlier. Filed values are what contractors wrote on permits, not quotes, so use them to judge the spread, not to price your own job.

What range is normal for solar jobs in Saint Paul?

Half of permits were filed between $2,900 and $8,800; 8 in 10 between $1,500 and $18,000. These are approximate, pooled from each firm's own spread.

How much do solar installers charge in Saint Paul?

The usual solar job is filed at $5,000; the middle half of firms usually file between $2,513 and $10,032. The 10 firms with the most permits in the last 12 months usually file $5,000, about the same as the usual. See every firm's usual job

Why is this different from the per-watt prices I see online?

Online prices are quoted per watt. A filed value is one number for the whole job on one permit, often many watts plus the work around them, and the Saint Paul file does not record how many each job covered, so we can't turn $5,000 into a price per watt.

Do bigger houses get bigger bills?

Not in the file: firms working on the upper third of homes by value usually file $2,646, the lower third $5,712.

Solar Panel Installation Cost in Saint Paul, MN (2026)

How much does solar panel installation cost in Saint Paul?

The usual solar job filed with Saint Paul is $5,000, from 632 priced permits, October 2023 through September 2026. The middle half of firms usually file between $2,513 and $10,032. 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 69 days from issue to final inspection. How long permits take →

What the spread looks like

Approximately, from each firm's own spread: every firm's range of filed values, weighted by its 632 priced permits across 30 firms, pooled into one. Half of Saint Paul solar permits were filed between $2,900 and $8,800.

Percentile	Filed value	Reads as
10th	$1,500	1 in 10 permits filed below
25th	$2,900	1 in 4 filed below
50th	$5,200	the middle permit
75th	$8,800	1 in 4 filed above
90th	$18,000	1 in 10 filed above

By home value

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: Ramsey County parcel values (2025).

Firms working on	Usual home value	Usual filed value	Firms	Permits
Lower third	under $277,600	$5,712	10	72
Middle third	$277,600–$409,700	$5,000	10	474
Upper third	$413,100 and up	$2,646	10	88

Busiest firms and what they usually charge

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
All Energy Solar Inc	265	71	$5,000	$3,500–$6,800	87.0%
Wolf River Electric	86	31	$9,830	$7,000–$13,114	84.2%
Ambia Energy, LLC	56	11	$5,712	$2,403–$18,723	75.0%
Centuari Systems LLC	9	9	$1,500	$1,200–$8,800	—
BRS Field Ops LLC	60	7	$2,198	$1,537–$3,244	71.8%
Trunorth Solar	30	5	$2,646	$2,443–$4,334	86.5%
Sisu Solar LLC	13	5	$10,032	$3,000–$18,600	7 of 9
Powerfully Green	6	5	$8,050	$6,150–$8,900	—
Isolar LLC	14	2	$2,000	$1,250–$15,000	86.0%
MN Solar	14	2	$15,000	$3,000–$28,750	78.5%

Why filed values run low or high

The 10 busiest firms usually file $5,000; the 20 firms with fewer than 10 permits usually file $7,948.
Firms working on the most expensive third of homes (usual home value $413,100 and up) usually file $2,646, against $5,712 for the least expensive third.
One permit type covers small and large jobs: 1 in 10 solar permits is filed under $1,500 and 1 in 10 over $18,000, 12 times as much.
99.7% of the 634 permits carry a value; the 2 without one are left out of every figure here.

Is your quote normal? Compare it with 632 filed values

Line your quote up against the file. In Saint Paul, 1 in 10 solar filed values sit under $1,500, the middle half between $2,900 and $8,800, and 1 in 10 over $18,000.

$23,400Above $18,000: higher than 9 in 10 filed values for this work in Saint Paul.
$5,000Right at the usual $5,000: in the middle of the file.
$1,000Below $1,500: lower than 9 in 10. Ask what the quote leaves out.

When to schedule solar installation in Saint Paul

Saint Paul files the fewest solar permits in March (66 against an average month of 100) and the most in October (178). 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 Saint Paul →

How these numbers are made

Source: City of Saint Paul building and trade permits (the City's old approved-permits file up to June 2025, and the City's PAULIE permit system since September 2025), with the contractor named on each permit. 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 Saint Paul →

Guides for this trade

All guides →

Common questions

How many quotes should I get for a solar job in Saint Paul?At least three. In the permit record the middle half of Saint Paul solar firms usually file between $2,513 and $10,032 a job, so two ordinary firms can sit 4.0 times apart and both be normal for Saint Paul. A third quote shows which one is the outlier. Filed values are what contractors wrote on permits, not quotes, so use them to judge the spread, not to price your own job.
What range is normal for solar jobs in Saint Paul?Half of permits were filed between $2,900 and $8,800; 8 in 10 between $1,500 and $18,000. These are approximate, pooled from each firm's own spread.
How much do solar installers charge in Saint Paul?The usual solar job is filed at $5,000; the middle half of firms usually file between $2,513 and $10,032. The 10 firms with the most permits in the last 12 months usually file $5,000, about the same as the usual. See every firm's usual job →
Why is this different from the per-watt prices I see online?Online prices are quoted per watt. A filed value is one number for the whole job on one permit, often many watts plus the work around them, and the Saint Paul file does not record how many each job covered, so we can't turn $5,000 into a price per watt.
Do bigger houses get bigger bills?Not in the file: firms working on the upper third of homes by value usually file $2,646, the lower third $5,712.
Where does this data come from?City of Saint Paul building and trade permits (the City's old approved-permits file up to June 2025, and the City's PAULIE permit system since September 2025), with the contractor named on each permit, read October 2026. How the records work in Saint Paul →

Build your list of Saint Paul solar firms →Saint Paul permit statistics →How long permits take in Saint Paul →

Solar cost in other cities: Orlando New York City Chicago Cleveland Pittsburgh Miami Minneapolis St. Louis Colorado Springs Honolulu Albuquerque Boulder Greensboro 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 Saint Paul: Electrical · HVAC & Gas · Plumbing · Roofing · Windows & Doors · Remodel & Repair · Fence · Siding · Drain Tile & Waterproofing · Deck, Porch & Steps · Garage & Accessory · Stucco & Plaster · Fireplace & Stove · Addition · Radon Mitigation · New Home

Solar Panel Installation Cost in Saint Paul, MN: what the permits say