Frequently Asked Questions about SolarAPP+

< Return to main SolarAPP+ Page

Answers to many SolarAPP+ questions can be found on the official SolarAPP+ support website. The most frequently asked questions for Colorado AHJs are listed below. 

Who has adopted SolarAPP+?

As of July 2022, the early adopters of SolarAPP+ include:

And AHJs currently piloting the tool include:

  • Beaumont, CA. Population: 55,280
  • Dublin, CA. Population: 71,674
  • Kern County, CA. Population: 917,673
  • Modesto, CA. Population: 218,771
  • Palo Alto, CA. Population: 66,680
  • Phoenix, AZ. Population: 1,624,569
  • Pinole, CA. Population: 18,821

Can SolarAPP+ be integrated with my current permitting software?

Yes. SolarAPP+ can be integrated with GovTech softwares such as Accela, EnerGov, E-TRAKiT and OpenGov. If you use a different software, please contact team@solar-app.org to see if you can integrate your software. NREL is committed to expanding SolarAPP+ access across platforms.

What model code years does SolarAPP+ enforce?

SolarAPP+ supports multiple code years, which jurisdictions may select during the onboarding stage. Current supported codes include the 2017 and 2020 NEC for residential rooftop PV and battery storage permits, and the 2018 and 2021 I-Codes for rooftop PV and residential battery storage permits.

How do weather conditions affect SolarAPP+?

SolarAPP+ enables geographic customizations around windspeed, snow load, high temperatures and low temperatures. The backend code compliance checks take the geographic difference input by the jurisdiction and apply them to the calculations required by the model codes to determine compliance.

Contractors will be required to attest that the equipment they install is certified to withstand local wind and snow load requirements. This will be verified at the time of inspection.

SolarAPP+ is not eligible to be used on metal roofs when snow load exceeds 16 psf.

Are there any other associated costs?

SolarAPP+ can be adopted by jurisdictions at no cost. Contractors will be charged a small fee of $25 per permit to cover the cost of developing and updating SolarAPP+. This fee currently goes to NREL’s administrative costs but will eventually go to UL who will run SolarAPP+ in the future.GovTech softwares that have already set up workflows to integrate with SolarAPP+ (listed above) should not charge additional customization fees, but some other softwares have been reported to require a customization fee. If this is the case, please reach out to info@cossa.co.