Greensboro, NC Solar Energy: Panel Permits (2026)

Section 6-111 of the Greensboro City Code bars anyone from installing electric wiring, devices, appliances or equipment in or on a building, structure or premises, or altering existing wiring, without first securing an electrical permit and having the work inspected by the electrical inspector. Solar panels, inverters and the wiring that ties them into a building fall inside that language. The only exceptions are minor repair work such as replacing lamps, and work done by an electrical public service corporation for its own generation, transmission, distribution or metering. The city electrical inspection department enforces the article under § 6-96.

Under § 6-115, a permit goes to the holder of an electrical contractor's license from the state board of examiners of electrical contractors, with two carve-outs: annual permits and the property owner's permit. A homeowner can obtain a property owner's permit under § 6-113 for work on their own property, but never for property intended for rent, sale or gift. That permit covers the applicant alone, does not authorize hiring an unlicensed helper, and expires automatically when the work is complete. A contractor who needs a § 6-111 permit must also keep a $2,000.00 bond on file under § 6-4, and no electrical permit issues until it is filed.

Application is in writing to the electrical inspector (§ 6-114), describing the work and attaching the plans, specifications and schedules needed to show conformity. Under § 6-123 the fee is paid to the city permit clerk before the permit is granted, or on or before the tenth day of the month after application, and a person in default gets no new permit until the fees are paid in full. The schedule lists PV systems at $0.50 per kVA, a PV panel/meter at $10.00 and a PV inverter at $10.00, and no permit total falls below $85.00. Separately, § 10-10 sets a $150.00 per-permit charge for a Solar Photovoltaic Power Systems permit to construct from the fire prevention bureau; Energy Storage Systems carry the same $150.00 charge.

Section 6-3 then gives money back. For photovoltaic systems on existing structures, the city rebates 50% of the building fee and 50% of the electrical fee, each capped at $40.00 residential or $80.00 commercial, once the work passes final inspection and the system is certified by the responsible third-party agency.