Chandler, AZ Solar Energy: Panel Permits (2026)

Section 35-2210 splits solar into tiers. An 'ancillary' system meets some or all of a property's own energy needs and is permitted by right as an accessory use on any agricultural, single-family, or multi-family lot, or the matching portion of a PAD district, so long as it doesn't direct concentrated glare onto neighboring properties or roadways. A free-standing ancillary system on residential property may not sit in the front yard. It also escapes the rear- and side-yard setback rules and does not count toward lot coverage, but only if it stays at or below the height of the surrounding perimeter wall and isn't visible from a public street or adjoining property; once it clears the wall or becomes visible, it falls back under the standard height and area rules for accessory buildings in § 35-2202.

A free-standing system never counts against the number of accessory buildings the district allows, and every installation must meet applicable building and fire code life-safety requirements. Commercial and industrial property gets a parallel set of standards: roof-mounted systems follow the underlying district's height and area rules without the usual screening requirement, though they must stay hidden from the ground floor of any home within 600 feet. Free-standing commercial systems skip screening and setbacks unless visible from a residential ground floor, in which case a system taller than the perimeter wall must sit back at least 25 feet from the residential property line plus one additional foot for every foot of its own height.

'Utility scale' systems, those generating power primarily for off-site use, require a use permit in any district, plus weed-free landscaping, a trash-free lot, on-site or camera surveillance, and compliance with the setbacks of the C-3 Regional Commercial District.