Why are jurisdictions adopting SolarAPP+?

Jurisdictions, particularly those that have community renewable energy goals or requirements, can benefit from tools to enable quicker permitting of residential solar or solar and storage systems so that systems can be installed, inspected, and commissioned.  SolarAPP+ also helps these building departments avoid large backlogs of pending applications by automating the permitting process and issuing permits instantaneously.

SolarAPP+ has been vetted by industry and jurisdictions to enable an automated, code-compliance check tool– free of charge– to process residential solar permit applications.  

Over 160 jurisdictions are already using SolarAPP+. Carla Blackwell, the director of Pima County Development Services in Arizona, confers that SolarAPP+ is an “immediate, affordable, necessary step toward changing our current systems to usher in a greener future.”  For jurisdictions as large and as fast growing as Phoenix, AZ, Mayor Kate Gallegos assures that "we need to keep innovating if we want to do our part in climate change," and SolarAPP is a critical step in achieving the city's ambitious net zero energy goals. 

Through the streamlined permitting process, SolarAPP+ reduces the amount of time to approve a solar permit from several days or weeks to an instant. By moving qualifying solar permits directly to field inspections, Geoff Simmons, Chief building official in Pleasant Hill (CA) attests that his staff now have “much needed time to work on other, more complex projects” rather than sift through paperwork. 

SolarAPP+ is meant to meet the demand for solar and solar and storage installations, and it has currently processed on average over 900 permits each month, across 161 jurisdictions. “If I could use SolarAPP+ to get through 150 PV plans a month, that would be a great relief for my staff,” says Steve Jones, the assistant building official for the City of Oceanside (CA). SolarAPP+ meets and exceeds these expectations.

By adopting SolarAPP+, both cities and installers can save jurisdictions time and effort, thereby making both their staff resources and budgets more effective, and without sacrificing safety. CEO and Executive Director of the National League of Cities Clarence Anthony urges cities to use SolarAPP+, because its “efficiency translates to better services for residents, local businesses, and industries”.

Jurisdictions across the country like Fresno, CA, Denver, CO, Phoenix, AZ, Houston, TX, Montgomery County, MD, Oklahoma City, OK, and Tiffin, IA have already benefited from implementing SolarAPP+, and more information on how to adopt can be found here.