Edison, NJ Solar Energy: Panel Permits (2026)

Edison Township treats solar panels as a permitted zoning-permit item rather than a use needing separate site plan review. § 37-67.3 requires that a zoning permit shall be issued by the Zoning Officer before the issuance of any building permit by any Construction Code Official, and § 37-67.1 puts the Zoning Officer in charge of administering and enforcing Chapter 37, including refusing any permit that would put a project in violation of the zoning code.

The Zoning Permit Application Fee schedule, added by Ordinance No. O.2140-2022 and codified at § 37-67.4.d, lists Solar at $25 on the Residential Zoning Permit Application Fees table and Roof Top Solar at $25 on the Commercial Zoning Permit Application Fees table, the same flat rate for both residential and commercial installations. That $25 fee sits well below the Township's other line items: a shed, deck, generator, fence or above-ground pool each runs $100, and a new commercial building addition can run into the thousands.

If plans change after the permit issues, for example a change in panel placement or racking that forces the Zoning Officer to reevaluate the project, § 37-67.4.b adds a resubmission fee equal to fifty percent of the original zoning permit fee. Applicants providing low- or moderate-income housing, and public, charitable or religious nonprofit organizations with federal tax-exempt status under IRC § 501(c) or (d), qualify for a fifty percent reduction under § 37-67.4.c.