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

The Town Board adopted this fast-track framework by Local Law No. 75-2015, effective October 9, 2015, adding it to § 86-12, the same section that otherwise governs how the Building Inspector examines, approves or disapproves any building-permit application under § 86-12A. The legislative findings behind § 86-12G explain the problem the fast-track program solves: because building-permit processes had varied from one Long Island municipality to the next, contractors and homeowners faced inconsistent paperwork and delay when installing solar equipment across town lines. By adopting the Long Island Power Authority's uniform fast-track form, referenced operationally in § 86-12G(2), Hempstead lets a single standardized application move through its Building Department instead of a custom Town-specific solar form.

The program ties into the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority's Cleaner Greener Long Island Sustainability Plan, a state-level clean-energy initiative that coordinated the regional push for consistent permitting. Because the fast-track application is submitted as part of, not instead of, the regular building-permit process, ordinary timing rules still apply: work under the resulting permit must start within 90 days and finish within a year under § 86-13A and C. The Building Department retains its usual authority to approve or disapprove the underlying construction shown on the fast-track form, so participation in the state program streamlines paperwork without waiving the structural and safety review every other building permit receives.