Chapter 14
The Permitting Process
IN THIS CHAPTER
Dealing with permitting toward the start of a project
Drawing the right stuff
Before you can even begin a PV project, you must obtain the proper permits from the local building department. Most jurisdictions are able and willing to work with individuals and companies who want to install PV systems. And even for those locations where PV systems aren’t as common, the local building departments have multiple resources available to them (although you may need to help guide it and supply any information the local folks need). This chapter reveals the details you should have ready for the permit office to ensure that this portion of your job goes smoothly.
Keep in mind that you need to document your installations as well as you possibly can. In this chapter, I also tell you all about how to make drawings of your systems to help in permitting, design, construction, and inspection. (I don’t expect you to become an expert in making these drawings, but you should find a program you like or work with somebody who can help you create clean, professional drawings.)
Obtaining Permits before You Install a PV System
The permitting process for PV systems calls for you to collect specification (spec) sheets for the products you plan to use, document your design, and present all of this information to the local building department (city or county, depending on the location of the site). In some parts of the United States, building departments are very familiar with PV systems; they may even have a standard set of procedures in place for handling permits. In other locations, you may as well be speaking Greek when you come in and ask for a permit for the photovoltaic system you want to install. No matter the situation, I suggest you show up at the building department with multiple supporting documents and take some time to talk with the person issuing the permits (and even one of the inspectors if you have the opportunity — addressing any unusual electrical topic sooner rather than later will help you install the entire system up to the inspector’s expectations).
Of course, no such thing as a “typical” permitting process really exists. The requirements from one location to the next (such as the timeline associated with obtaining the permits) can vary dramatically, making matters rather difficult for PV system designers and installers who work in multiple jurisdictions. To help make the process move as quickly as possible, call the building department ahead of time and verify the documentation you need to bring to satisfy its requirements.
The cost of permits is another huge variable from location to location. One community may charge a small fee for a permit, but the fees may be hundreds of dollars more just one town over. My advice to you? Get to know the fee structure the local building department uses for determining permit fees. If you quote a client a price for his PV system without including the costs of permit fees, it may be an unpleasant surprise for someone to pay later on. Your best bet is to contact the building department well ahead of time, obtain an estimated permit cost, and include that number in the total system cost you quote to your customer. (Turn to Chapter 5 for more information on discussing costs with customers.)
Although the actual processes involved in obtaining permits vary, the type of information required for both residential and commercial applications is pretty consistent. Most jurisdictions mandate permits for both the electrical and mechanical elements of PV systems because they want to make sure the systems you install will be safe for many years to come. Your job is to obtain the necessary licenses and certifications and present well-organized, understandable packets of information for use in the permitting process. The following sections help you figure out what information to gather and give you some insight into the differences between permits for residential applications and permits for commercial applications.
In the beginning: Having the right licenses and certifications
The first step in the permitting process is to make sure you have all the licenses and/or certifications required by the jurisdiction you’re working in. Here’s the major difference between a license and a certification:
- Licenses are issued by authorities who maintain minimum qualification and education requirements. Typically these authorities are a state office that requires license holders to meet a set of minimum qualifications and pass a written exam before being issued a license.
- Certifications can be just as difficult to obtain as licenses, but they don’t have the same legal status licenses do. They’re issued by independent national organizations.
In order to obtain a permit (commonly referred to as pulling a permit), building departments need to make sure you’re properly licensed. These requirements vary greatly from state to state, so check in with the state’s licensing board for the exact requirements in the state(s) in which you’re working.
In the PV industry, one particular certification is considered the standard: the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP)–Certified PV Installer. To qualify for this exam, you must meet the NABCEP’s criteria for on-the-job experience as a lead PV installer and meet a minimum education requirement. Passing the NABCEP’s installer exam doesn’t give you the legal right to work in any state, but it does show consumers and rebate programs that you’re educated and experienced in working with PV systems — a perception that can make you stand out from your competition. (For more information about the NABCEP, check out www.nabcep.org.)
Be sure to check with the rebate programs in your client's area to verify the eligibility requirements before you get too far down the line. They may require that the installer hold a certification such as NABCEP to be eligible for rebate money.
Note: Time for full disclosure here. I’m a certified PV installer, and I teach a number of courses under the NABCEP program. So, I’m a firm believer in the organization’s mission, and I support its efforts. I appreciate the level of professionalism the NABCEP has brought to the whole industry and how it has helped move PV installations and the PV-installing trade into the mainstream.
Home grown: Permitting for residential systems
For residential systems, the permitting process is relatively painless (aside from the cost, of course, but if you’ve done your due diligence by including the permit cost in your quote to the client, that’s not your responsibility). Of course, if you don’t have the right documentation, the permitting process can be a complete pain in the you-know-what. Rest easy, though, because I explain what you need to obtain mechanical and electrical permits for residential PV systems in the sections that follow.
Permits for mechanical components
The other half of the permitting process is generally for the mechanical and structural aspects of the PV system. Before issuing this permit, the building department wants to make sure that the PV array is properly supported and that the structure it’s attached to can withstand the new loading. (Chapter 16 goes through some of the common locations for, as well as issues involving, mounting an array.)
For homes that have been built since the mid-1970s, building codes have been fairly consistent. In nearly all situations, the building is able to take on the addition of a rooftop PV system. However, this fact doesn’t mean you don’t have to calculate the building loading or show the effects of the array on the roof; I’m just saying that you generally won’t have problems. When possible, bring supporting documentation (pictures work great) regarding the existing roofing system so the building department can better determine the appropriateness of the existing structure.
For homes built before the mid-1970s, or whenever you come across a roof that you suspect isn’t properly supported, you need to find a structural engineer in the local area who’s willing to help you document the existing roof and guide you in any requirements necessary for adding additional support. The local building department can tell you what the exact requirements are in that area.
For PV arrays mounted at locations other than the roof, many jurisdictions want to see your plan for installing the array and the racking manufacturer’s installation instructions (which typically include drawings that show the array and support footings installed). These jurisdictions are typically much more comfortable when the manufacturers can show the resistance to wind loading because, to them, you’re installing a huge sail just waiting to take off in a windstorm. Some building departments may even require a structural and/or geotechnical engineer to review the installation method and have you submit a wet-stamped drawing set (I fill you in on wet stamping in the next section).
Regardless of the PV array location, your drawing package should include an overall plan view of the site with the equipment locations called out. Think of a plan view as a bird’s-eye view that gives anyone looking at it a quick reference to the location of the site, the existing equipment, and the proposed equipment.
One relatively easy way to create this drawing is to use satellite views that you can obtain for free online and use a basic computer drawing program to indicate all the equipment locations. Two commonly used satellite programs are Google Earth and Bing Maps (I describe these programs in Chapter 5). A standard drawing program is Paint, available on any Windows-based computer. (Flip to the later “Not Just Pretty Pictures: Creating Drawing Sets” section for more details on drawings.)
Permits for electrical components
The electrical components of a PV installation require permits as well as an inspection by someone from the building department. Before issuing electrical permits, the local building department wants to make sure the proposed equipment can be integrated into the home’s electrical components. First, though, you must go through the electrical sizing and design process I outline in Part 3. You also need to make sure the system you plan to install meets the requirements set by the National Electrical Code® (NEC®). (I cover the major highlights of the NEC® and installing electrical components in PV systems in Chapter 17 if you need to jump there.)
When going to get your electrical permits, bring in copies of the spec sheets for all the electrical components you plan to install (the spec sheets help confirm the voltage and current values you use in the design process) as well as a simple one-line drawing of your system design. A one-line drawing uses boxes to represent the different components and lines to represent the conductors and conduit used to connect all the components. It’s called a one-line drawing because you connect the individual components with a single line, even though that single line represents multiple conductors.
Your electrical one-line drawing can be a simple electrical drawing. At a minimum, your one-line drawing should include
- The site address and the installer’s (your) contact information
- The make and model of all specified equipment
- The design temperatures (cold and hot) you used for voltage correction
- The wire and conduit sizes for all circuits
- The general location of all the equipment
- Specifications for the point of interconnection with the utility (if you’re installing a grid-direct system or a utility-interactive, battery-based system)
- A note indicating the lack of the utility if you’re installing a stand-alone, battery-based system
- Required information for labels that will be installed
Figure 14-1 shows an example of a one-line drawing used to obtain residential permitting. (See the later section titled “Not Just Pretty Pictures: Creating Drawing Sets” for more information on drawings.)
FIGURE 14-1: A one-line drawing used to obtain electrical permits.
Many rebate and tax credit programs require that the installation application include drawings and documentation similar to the permitting office. However, they’re interested in the system’s performance as well as its safety. For this reason, you may need to include information on your one-line drawing such as conductor lengths, voltage drop calculations, and system-performance estimations.
Most of the time you won’t be required to hire a professional electrical engineer to review and wet stamp your drawings. A wet stamp is when an engineer applies her stamp to a drawing or document, indicating that she has reviewed all portions of the material and approves of the design. It generally holds a lot of weight in a permitting office because it indicates that someone (other than the building department staff) has reviewed the information and is willing to take the responsibility (and liability) for its accuracy. However, you may need to bring in outside expertise to verify the proper way to install electrical components in special situations. The most common scenario is for the home that was built with less-than-conventional methods (or maybe before a convention existed). In this case, you should consider hiring an engineer to help calculate the steps needed to install the system’s electrical parts.
If you’re working in a jurisdiction that has never seen a PV system, or if you’re dealing with an oddball electrical issue, ask to speak with one of the inspectors while you’re getting your electrical permits so you can bring up the issue at hand or discuss some of the more interesting parts of the installation, like grounding (covered in Chapter 17). I’ve found that grounding is an area where asking for forgiveness after the fact rather than permission upfront leads to trouble.
Big business: Permitting for commercial systems
Unlike with residential systems, many jurisdictions include a mandatory plan review for PV systems installed on commercial facilities, which means one or more plan checkers have to look at the documentation provided by you, the installer, and verify that the electrical and structural components meet the minimum requirements. Consequently, you need to provide enough information to the reviewers so they can make informed decisions about the system. After they’ve gone over the proposed system, they’ll either issue the permit or ask for more information before letting you proceed. In the next sections, I explain what you need for the mechanical and electrical permits that apply to commercial PV systems.
Mechanical permits
Before issuing a mechanical permit for a commercial PV system, a building department wants to guarantee that the building will be able to handle the addition of a PV array on the roof. The process for this type of mechanical permit is a bit more complicated than it is for a residential PV system.
On commercial projects, the structural integrity of the building needs consideration very early on. Many commercial buildings are built only to the minimum structural requirements, which means adding a PV array on top of them isn’t possible. If you’re looking to install a PV system on a commercial building’s roof, ask the client to pay for a full structural analysis before you go too far in the design and permitting processes. It can be very disappointing for all involved to kill a project because you discover that the building isn’t strong enough to hold the array.
Only a structural engineer can perform a full structural analysis. This engineer needs a certain amount of information from you regarding the PV installation, so you’ll have to do some initial design work. Generally, though, the amount of design work you need to do (specifically, analyzing the site and estimating the total array size) is minimal and time well spent upfront. (If for some reason you can’t provide the drawings, the engineer can always do a site visit, but using the drawings is the preferable method.)
If the structural engineer gives you the go-ahead for a roof-mounted array, you can then move on to the actual permitting process with the jurisdiction’s building department. Just like you need to prepare some minimum electrical drawings, you need to draft some mechanical and structural documents as well. A structural engineer can handle the building’s structural elements, but you need to take care of the system-specific mechanical drawings. At a minimum, these drawings should include
- A racking plan: This drawing shows the entire roof with a racking system (minus the modules). It’s helpful to see how the array is held in place (with ballast or penetrations; see Chapter 16) and where the rack will be located in relation to the other equipment on the roof.
- Racking details: This drawing typically shows a close-up of one or two rows of modules to give the person looking at the plans an understanding of the way the racks and modules will be installed. Racking details often include a specific detail for the roof penetrations or ballast methods for clarity.
I suggest using computer-aided drafting (CAD) programs to create these drawings. A number of CAD programs exist, and the right one for you depends on the number of features you require. All of these programs have a steep learning curve, though, so you may want to find someone in your area who can take your ideas (and hand-drawn sketches) and turn them into professional drawings while you get up to speed on the CAD software of your choice.
If the array is going to be ground-mounted or top-of-pole mounted, you don’t have to worry about the building supporting the array. You do, however, need to satisfy the local building department’s request for documentation regarding the racking system you plan to use (specifically, the manufacturer’s instructions). PV arrays mounted elsewhere than the roof can be very large, so you may also need to have a geotechnical engineer verify that the racking manufacturer’s instructions are valid for the soil type in which you plan to install the array.
Electrical permits
The basic rules and computations I show you in Chapters 11 and 17 still apply to the electrical design and installation of commercial PV systems, but because of the number of modules and possible system variations, the whole process can become overwhelming … until you know exactly what you need to obtain the necessary electrical permits. Before issuing an electrical permit for a commercial application, the building department wants to ensure that the system components will be installed correctly and that they’ll operate safely with the electrical systems already in place.
The electrical diagrams for commercial projects should include all the electrical details that you’ll use during the installation so you can accurately represent the entire project to anyone who needs to review it. Also, by putting all the information down in the following format, you’ll be more prepared and better able to accurately plan the installation. Here’s what the electrical drawings you prepare for commercial projects should include, at a minimum:
- A title page: This drawing includes all the names and contact information for everyone involved in the job. It’s a great place to include a short narrative and/or description of the purpose and scale of the PV project. (No, this part isn’t really a drawing, but it’s still considered part of the drawing set.)
- A roof or ground plan: This is a plan view showing the building or ground area where the PV system will be installed (see the previous section for the scoop on plan views). This drawing can also point to the general locations of equipment and electrical components such as the PV disconnects, the utility service (for grid-direct and utility-interactive, battery-based systems), and the building’s main distribution panel.
- One-line drawing: This drawing calls out all the individual electrical components used and their locations in the system (refer to Figure 14-1 for an example of a one-line drawing). This is a great place to indicate the conductor and conduit sizes and specific information about disconnects and combiner boxes; it’s also a good spot to show exactly how the PV system will interconnect to the utility (for grid-direct and utility-interactive, battery-based systems only).
- Electrical details: This drawing will most likely vary from job to job because the details you need to show on one job may not be required on the next (or they may need to change). However, some typical electrical details include the method of grounding the array, the point of utility interconnection, and PV string configurations.
Not Just Pretty Pictures: Creating Drawing Sets
Drawing sets, the individual drawings that you put together for the building department and your installation crew, can help you in a few ways if they’re prepared in a professional and organized manner:
- When you present them to a building department, you automatically look well-organized and professional. This appearance can help make the processes of obtaining permits before the installation (as I describe earlier in this chapter) and inspection after the installation (which I describe in Chapter 18) go much more smoothly.
- You can also use these drawings during the installation process. If you’re working with an installation crew, these drawings provide them with a set of clear directions so they can spend their time building, not trying to figure out what you were thinking with your design.
When you’re making your drawings of the PV system, there’s really no such thing as too much information. By documenting the entire design and detailing the system construction, you create a certain level of quality control early on that can be checked and verified in the field during the commissioning process (flip to Chapter 18 for the scoop on commissioning). As you create a few drawing sets, you quickly become aware of any information that needs to be included (or in the rare case, what can be excluded).
In the following sections, I provide some specifics for a few of the drawings. Note: The exact format and layout of your drawings will ultimately be up to what you feel is best.
A number of drawing programs are available to you. One of the most popular is AutoCAD. Many engineering firms use this program, so if you want to share electronic files with an engineer but you don’t want to invest in AutoCAD, I suggest you at least find a program that can talk to AutoCAD.
Calling out components clearly
In all of your drawings, establish a consistent method for calling out and specifying the exact components used in the design. I find it easiest to include this information as part of the electrical one-line drawing that I describe in the earlier “Permits for electrical components” section. You show all the equipment on that drawing anyway, so specifying the part numbers and any special requirements here is a good idea and not terribly difficult (refer to Figure 14-1 to view a sample one-line drawing).
If any equipment noted on your drawings can’t be substituted with similar pieces, state somewhere that the designated equipment must be installed.
Depicting equipment locations
The location of all the major pieces of equipment should be shown on one or two drawings as well. This visual helps the building department understand the installation better and allows the inspector to decide whether any components should be moved.
Roof plan views are great places to include this information. In residential systems, the equipment locations can generally be shown very easily on the overall site plan (which I mention in the earlier “Permits for mechanical components” section). In commercial systems, you may need to point to the locations on the roof plan and site plan and then include details of the equipment locations on other drawings (such as a details drawings page).
Showing conductor-sizing calculations
Including the conductor-sizing calculations in a drawing is a great idea that can help clarify your design process. Many plan checkers and inspectors may not fully understand the requirements in Article 690.8 of the NEC®, but including your calculations can help them understand those requirements. For residential and commercial projects, if you can include these calculations on the one-line drawing, great. If you have to place the calculations on a separate notes sheet, that’s fine. (I describe the notes sheet in the next section. For the step-by-step process of sizing conductors, turn to Chapter 13.)
I find it especially helpful to include NEC® references when showing conductor-sizing calculations to a jurisdiction that doesn’t have a lot of PV-specific experience. You can also easily include the voltage-drop calculations in this same area. Doing so is helpful for rebate programs that review the drawings for accuracy and overall efficiencies.
Jotting down job notes
I like to include an area on one sheet (or on a completely separate sheet) that includes site-specific notes. Each job has some differences, and those differences should be called out so that everyone working on the project is on the same page. Your site-specific notes can include any special requirements for the installation crew, special considerations for the product staging locations, or even the specific electrical calculations. The important thing is to write them down so you can reference them in other drawings to make sure all parties are aware of the requirements and don’t overlook anything by mistake. (Note: I personally consider a notes section or sheet a mandatory part of my drawing sets, but if you don’t have one, the building department won’t deny your permit application.)