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

Section 123-39.1A sets the fast-track deal: a residential solar application meeting the listed standards gets a determination within 14 days of a completed submission with fees, and is exempt from separate Architectural Review Board or Landmarks and Historic Districts Board review. To qualify, the system must sit on a single layer of roofing (a waiver from the Chief Building Inspector is available for a second layer), mount flush and parallel to the roof no more than six inches above the surface, and leave an 18-inch clearing at the roof ridge plus an 18-inch clearing path to it.

Roof load is capped at five pounds per square foot for photovoltaic systems and six pounds per square foot for residential solar hot water. Installation must be performed by a prescreened contractor, PV panels must carry UL 1703 certification with inverters on the New York State Public Service Commission's type-tested list conforming to UL 1741, and solar hot water equipment must carry Solar Rating and Certification Corporation OG-100 certification. Applicants submit the uniform Fast Track Permit Application along with a professional engineer or registered architect-certified drawing of the panel layout and a load- and wind-bearing certification.

After approval, a warning label must be affixed at utility meters and any AC disconnect switch, and the Town keeps an address list of installations to share with first responders. A ground-mounted system is allowed only where roof mounting is not practical, and must then follow the accessory-structure setbacks in § 330-76L rather than the fast-track roof standards.