Dunwoody, GA Solar Energy: Panel Permits (2026)

Section 27-173 sets the standards a Dunwoody homeowner or contractor must follow when adding a solar energy system, requiring compliance with all applicable building ordinance and electrical code requirements before installation and leaving any solar easement negotiations with neighboring property owners to be handled and recorded with the county recorder of deeds privately. Building-mounted systems may go on either a principal structure or an accessory structure and must meet the applicable setback regulations for that structure, though panels on a principal building may encroach into interior side and rear setbacks under the encroachment allowance of Section 27-576(d).

Only building-integrated or flush-mounted panels are allowed on a street-facing building elevation, keeping visible roof-mounted racking off the side of a house that faces the road. Height is capped at three feet above the applicable maximum building height limit for that building type, or five feet above the highest point of the roofline, whichever produces the lower limit. Ground-mounted systems get a separate set of rules. In residential zoning districts they cannot be located in a required street setback or street yard area at all, though they may sit within the required interior side and rear setbacks, an allowance not extended to street-facing yards. Ground-mounted systems otherwise remain subject to the accessory structure height and lot coverage limits that apply to any other accessory structure on the lot.