Columbia, SC Solar Energy: Panel Permits (2026)

Sec. 3(d)(8) of the Unified Development Ordinance permits small-scale solar energy conversion systems as an accessory use across Columbia's zoning districts. Equipment can be mounted on the roof or side of a principal or accessory structure, on a freestanding pole, or on the ground, provided it also satisfies the General Standards for All Accessory Uses and Structures in Sec. 3(c). Building-integrated photovoltaic systems, panels built directly into roofing or siding materials, are permitted in every zoning district, subject to whatever permits and Building Code requirements apply to that kind of installation.

Roof- or pole-mounted solar collectors are allowed to extend up to 18 inches above whichever is higher: the maximum building height permitted in the zoning district, or the existing roof surface the panels sit on. If a property owner wants to protect the system's access to sunlight from future construction on neighboring lots, the ordinance puts that burden on the owner: they must negotiate any solar easement directly with the neighboring property owners and record it with the Register of Deeds themselves, the city doesn't create or guarantee solar access.

The ordinance's one performance standard is that the equipment can't produce unreasonable glare on neighboring properties, which the Zoning Administrator can evaluate on a complaint basis. Because solar is an accessory use rather than a listed principal use, it still needs whatever building permit the Building Official requires for the electrical and structural work, even though the zoning standards themselves don't set a separate solar-specific permit fee.