Caddo Parish, LA Solar Energy: Panel Permits (2026)

Solar installations fall under the Unified Development Code's general accessory-structure rule that a building permit is required for the construction of an accessory structure unless the Code specifically exempts it; the standards for solar panels in § 7.3.V carry no such exemption, so the permit requirement applies (§ 7.3.A.2). Beyond the permit, § 7.3.V sets dimensional limits by mounting type. Building-mounted panels can go on the roof or wall of the principal building or an accessory structure; on a pitched roof, a roof-mounted panel is capped at 18 inches in height, and on a flat roof up to 40 feet tall the system is limited to six feet above the roof surface, rising to 15 feet above the building on flat-roofed buildings taller than 40 feet, with roof-mounted systems excluded from the parish's overall building-height calculation (§ 7.3.V.2).

Panels may also project up to two feet from the building façade if integrated as an architectural feature. Freestanding, ground-mounted systems are confined to the interior side and rear yards, capped at three feet tall if placed in a front yard and eight feet everywhere else (§ 7.3.V.3). Every panel, building-mounted or freestanding, must be placed so concentrated glare or solar radiation is not directed onto a neighboring property or roadway (§ 7.3.V.1). Panels can also be co-located on structures like wireless towers, light poles, or billboards (§ 7.3.V.4).