Fitchburg, WI Solar Energy: Panel Permits (2026)

Section 22-8 of the Fitchburg zoning ordinance, adopted by Ord. No. 2025-O-17 on September 9, 2025, sets the rules for every solar installation in the city. Any solar energy collection system, whether roof-mounted, ground-mounted as an accessory use, or a ground-mounted solar farm operating as the principal use of a lot, needs a building permit before installation begins. Roof and ground-mounted accessory panels are permitted by right in all zoning districts and must meet the height limits and setbacks that apply to the structure they are attached to; a roof-mounted system may exceed the district height limit by up to 12 inches on a pitched roof or up to ten feet on a flat roof.

Ground-mounted accessory panels must meet the setbacks for accessory structures, and the area beneath them is exempt from lot coverage and impervious surface limits if kept in vegetative ground cover. In residential districts, panels must be designed to minimize visual impact from the public right-of-way to the extent that doing so does not raise cost or reduce efficiency, consistent with Wis. 0401. A solar farm built as a principal use is different: it needs a conditional use permit under section 22-640 plus architectural design review under Chapter 25 before the plan commission approves a building permit, and it must post a decommissioning plan, bury power and communication lines, keep battery storage noise under 65 decibels at the property line, and fully fence the site with Fitchburg Fire Department access coordinated in advance. Panels proposed for a locally designated historic building also need a landmarks commission certificate of appropriateness.