Auburn, AL Solar Energy: Panel Permits (2026)

02 of the Zoning Ordinance requires a zoning certificate for any accessory use or structure, including solar energy systems, before it can be established or constructed, issued under the general permit procedure in Section 804. C then sets the substantive limits: a solar energy system cannot be the principal use of any property unless that property is zoned Industrial (I). For single-family and multi-family residential lots, ground-mounted solar panels cannot exceed 17 square feet in size, and only one ground-mounted system is allowed per lot or parcel.

Ground-mounted systems cannot be placed forward of the front building line or inside a required setback or bufferyard, and their height cannot exceed the distance to the property line or the height of any structure already on the lot, whichever governs. Roof-mounted panels cannot go on a roof pitched toward a public street. Non-residential properties face tighter rules still: roof-mounted systems there are capped at two feet above the visible roofline, and ground-mounted solar is not permitted on non-residential lots at all, pushing commercial and institutional solar to roof-mount or Industrial-zoned ground installations only.

Anyone installing panels should confirm both the accessory-use permit and these dimensional limits with the Planning Department before ordering equipment, since the 17-square-foot residential ground-mount cap is small enough that most residential systems will need to be roof-mounted to be practical.