Brookhaven, NY Solar Energy: Expedited Solar Permitting (2026)

To qualify for Brookhaven's solar energy fast-track permit under § 85-13B, the installation must go on a residential building, legal accessory structure, or a roof with a single layer of covering, flush-mounted parallel to the roof no more than six inches above the surface, with an 18-inch clearing along at least one side of the roof ridge and an 18-inch access path from an eave or gutter to that ridge clearing. The system cannot exceed a roof load of five pounds per square foot for photovoltaic panels or six pounds per square foot for residential solar hot water equipment, must be installed by a prescreened contractor, and must use PV panels certified to UL Standard 1703 with inverters on the New York State Public Service Commission's tested list, or RSHW equipment certified under the Solar Rating and Certification Corporation's OG-100 standard.

The application package must include the Solar Energy Fast Track Permit Application Requirements Checklist, three sets of plans with a cover sheet, sheet index, symbol legend, hand-drawn configuration diagrams prepared by a professional engineer or registered architect, a one-line electrical diagram, and payment of the Town Board's established fee. Once the Chief Building Inspector receives a complete application, § 85-13B(3) requires a determination within 14 days; if the property sits in a historic district, the Historic District Advisory Committee must also review and decide within 14 days.

The Building Division keeps an address list of every solar installation to share with local first-responder agencies, and § 85-15A(4)(a) waives the final as-built survey that other construction projects need for roof-mounted PV panels on a one- or two-family home.