Coon Rapids, MN Solar Energy: Panel Permits (2026)

Section 11-1602.4(1) requires all Solar Energy Systems to obtain a Building Permit, on top of which the applicant must submit scaled horizontal and vertical elevation drawings showing the system's location on the building or, for a ground-mounted system, on the property, including all structures, property lines, easements, power lines, and setbacks. Community-Scale Solar Energy Systems, defined at § 11-1602.2(2) as ground-mounted arrays on 20 or more acres serving on-site or off-site electric demand, require a more detailed site plan covering solar arrays, other structures, property lines, rights-of-way, service roads, floodplains, wetlands, other protected natural resources, topography, electric equipment, and all zoning and overlay districts.

For a pitched roof-mounted system other than a flat roof, the elevation drawings must show the highest finished slope of the collector against the finished roof slope; for a flat roof, the drawing must show the distance to the roof edge and any parapets, the building's height on the street frontage side, the shortest distance of the system from that frontage edge, and the system's highest finished height above the roof surface. Passive or building-integrated systems, meaning panels built into roofing, windows, skylights, or awnings rather than added as a separate device, are exempt from this section's permitting and performance standards and are instead regulated like any other building component under § 11-1602.3.

Neighborhood-scale ground-mounted systems must also meet the front setback for their district and sit at least five feet from side, side-street, and rear lot lines under § 11-1602.5(1), and may not exceed 15 feet in height in residential districts under § 11-1602.5(2).