Solar PV systems in Bowling Green require an electrical permit from the Building Division at minimum, and a building permit if structural modifications are involved. Residential new-service electrical permits are $200; commercial electrical work is $150 plus 1% of cost over $30,000. The state-adopted Kentucky Building Code (KRS 198B; 815 KAR 7:120) governs structural and electrical requirements through the Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction. Interconnection and net metering are handled by Warren Rural Electric Cooperative or Bowling Green Municipal Utilities (BGMU) depending on service territory.
Solar PV permits in Bowling Green are issued by the City Building Division at (270) 393-3676 under the Kentucky Building Code (KRS Chapter 198B) and the Kentucky Residential Code as adopted by the Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction (DHBC) under 815 KAR 7:120. Every solar PV installation requires at minimum an Electrical Permit; installations that modify the roof structure (heavy ground-mount systems or roof-penetrating mounts on aged framing) also require a Building Permit. The City's published permit fee schedule sets the Electrical Permit at $200 for a residential new-service installation and at $150 plus 1% of cost over $30,000 for commercial work; Building Permits start at $20 for projects up to $3,000 with tiered pricing for larger work. Kentucky does NOT have a statewide solar permit fee cap (unlike Colorado's HB 11-1199 Fair Permit Act or California's AB 2188 streamlined permit) — Bowling Green's standard fee schedule applies. Required submittals include a site plan, electrical one-line diagram, manufacturer specifications for modules and inverters, and structural calculations or a wet-stamped engineer's letter for the mounting system. Inspections include a rough electrical and a final electrical with the utility meter set. Interconnection paperwork goes to the utility serving the address: Bowling Green Municipal Utilities (BGMU) inside the older city core, Warren Rural Electric Cooperative Corporation (Warren RECC) in most of the metro area, or Tennessee Valley Authority customers via TVA's interconnection rules through their local power company. Net metering is available under Kentucky's Net Metering Act (KRS 278.466) as amended by SB 100 of 2019, which moved Kentucky from full retail-rate net metering to a Public Service Commission-set compensation rate for new customer-generators (existing pre-2020 systems remain on legacy retail-rate net metering for 25 years).
Installing solar PV without the required Electrical Permit (and Building Permit where applicable) violates the Kentucky Building Code and Bowling Green's building permit requirements; the Code Enforcement and Nuisance Board under Chapter 2-21 can issue Stop Work orders, require after-the-fact permitting at increased fees, and order the system disconnected until inspected. Energizing an unpermitted system on the utility grid violates the BGMU or Warren RECC interconnection tariff and can result in service disconnection and removal of the meter. Fire code violations or unsafe installations can be referred to the State Fire Marshal under KRS 227.220.
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Bowling Green, KY
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