When Should Solar Be Designed Into a New Construction Project?
Schematic design. Every phase after that narrows the options and raises the cost of the same decisions.
Key takeaways
- On new construction, the solar and battery scope is reviewed by the building department and the fire authority, and sometimes by state agencies for schools and healthcare.
- Submitting solar with the building permit, or as a planned deferred submittal, keeps it in the same review cycle as the building.
- Fire code requirements for roof access pathways and battery installations are the most common sources of plan check comments.
- Compliance forms must match the energy model and the design to avoid a second cycle of comments.
Permitting solar on an existing building is a standalone process. Permitting solar on a new building is part of the building's process, and the choices made about how and when it is submitted determine whether it moves with the building or behind it.
Two paths
Included in the building permit. The solar and battery drawings are part of the permit set: array layout on the roof plan, single-line on the electrical sheets, structural loads in the calculations, and the Energy Code compliance forms documenting the required capacity. The scope is reviewed with the building and comments are resolved together.
Deferred submittal. Many jurisdictions allow the detailed solar design to be submitted later as a deferred submittal, provided the permit set identifies it and the compliance forms establish the required capacity. This is common when the solar contractor is selected after the permit application. It works when it is planned: the deferred package is prepared early, the roof and electrical designs already accommodate it, and it is submitted with time to clear review before installation.
The path to avoid is the unplanned one: a solar permit filed as a separate project after construction has started, landing behind everything else in the queue and generating comments that reopen the building's electrical or structural sheets.
Who reviews what
- Building department. Structural adequacy, electrical compliance, Energy Code compliance, and the roof. In the City of Los Angeles that is the Department of Building and Safety; elsewhere it is the city or county building division.
- Fire authority. Roof access pathways, setbacks, and marking for PV systems, and the installation of battery storage: location, separation, clearances, ventilation, signage, and emergency shutoff. Battery reviews are the most frequent source of comments on new construction.
- State agencies. Public K-12 schools and community colleges are reviewed by the Division of the State Architect. Hospitals and certain healthcare facilities are reviewed through the state's healthcare facility authority. Both have their own timelines and documentation.
- Utility. Not a permit, but a parallel review with its own requirements for metering, disconnects, and interconnection equipment that should be reflected in the permit drawings.
What the reviewers look for
Structural: array dead loads, wind uplift, attachment details, and canopy foundations in the engineer's calculations. Electrical: conductor sizing, overcurrent protection, disconnects, rapid shutdown where applicable, labeling, and the interconnection point. Fire: pathways and setbacks on the roof plan, battery system specifications and location, separation from exits and occupied spaces. Energy Code: the Certificate of Compliance documenting PV and battery capacity consistent with the energy model.
Common comments and how to avoid them
Pathways missing from the roof plan. Battery location without clearances or ventilation detail. Compliance forms that do not match the solar drawings. Single-line diagrams that do not show the battery or the metering. Structural calculations that do not include the array. Each is a design-phase coordination item, and each is avoided by preparing the solar scope with the design team rather than after it.
Timing
Review timelines vary by jurisdiction and workload, and we do not promise specific durations. What we can control is the sequence: a complete, coordinated submittal filed with or immediately after the building permit, comments answered in one cycle, and revisions coordinated with the architect's set so nothing is reopened.
Questions
Should solar be in the building permit or a deferred submittal?
Either can work. Including it in the building permit keeps everything in one review; a planned deferred submittal works when the permit set establishes the required capacity and the roof and electrical designs already accommodate the system. The unplanned separate permit is the path to avoid.
Who reviews the battery installation?
The building department reviews the electrical and structural aspects, and the fire authority reviews the installation under the fire code, including location, clearances, ventilation, signage, and emergency shutoff. We prepare the battery submittal for both.
Do school projects follow a different permitting path?
Public K-12 and community college projects are reviewed by the Division of the State Architect rather than the local building department, with its own documentation and timeline. Solar and shade structures are part of that review.
