Colorado

Incentives/Policies for Renewables & Efficiency

Solar Construction Permitting Standards

Last DSIRE Review: 06/14/2012

Program Overview:

State:	Colorado
Incentive Type:	Solar/Wind Permitting Standards
Eligible Renewable/Other Technologies:	Solar Water Heat, Solar Space Heat, Photovoltaics
Applicable Sectors:	Commercial, Industrial, Residential, General Public/Consumer, Nonprofit, Local Government, Agricultural
Authority 1: Date Enacted: Expiration Date:	CRS § 30-28-113 5/20/2008, subsequently amended 7/1/2018
Authority 2: Date Enacted: Expiration Date:	CRS § 31-15-602 5/20/2008, subsequently amended 7/1/2018

Summary:

Owners of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems and solar water heating systems in Colorado are required to obtain a building permit before their systems may be installed. Permits are handled at the local level and awarded by counties and municipalities. Traditionally, counties and municipalities have been free to assign their own fees for a permit. These fees can vary broadly in size across jurisdictions and in some cases, can be large enough to potentially discourage the installation of solar devices.

Senate Bill 117, signed in May 2008, created a statewide cap for permit fees for active solar energy devices. For systems up to 2 MW-DC, counties and municipalities can charge no more than the lesser of the local government's actual cost to issue a permit, or $500 for a residential application or $1,000 for a nonresidential application. For systems 2 MW-DC or larger, the local government can charge no more than what it actually costs the government to issue the permit. City and county permits combined may be larger than these limits, but cannot separately exceed the limits.

Originally scheduled to expire on July 1, 2011, HB 1199 of 2011 extended the expiration date to July 1, 2018. HB 1199 also applied these same fee restrictions to agencies, institutions, authorities, and political subdivisions of the state.

Contact:

Public Information
Colorado Energy Office
1580 Logan Street
Suite 100
Denver, CO 80203
Phone: (303) 866-2100
Phone 2: (800) 632-6662
Fax: (303) 866-2930
E-Mail: geo@state.co.us
Web Site: http://www.colorado.gov/energy

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