Weber County, UT Solar Energy: Panel Permits (2026)

Weber County treats rooftop and ground-mounted small solar arrays as an accessory use permitted outright in every zoning district, agricultural through commercial, rather than requiring a conditional use permit or public hearing. Section 108-7-24 ties the standard to the zone's existing accessory-building rules: a small solar energy system, defined in Title 101, Chapter 2, must observe the same setback and height limits that apply to an accessory structure where it sits, and if the panels are mounted on the house or another building, they must meet that building's own setbacks instead.

The county measures the setback to the outermost edge of the array nearest the property line, so a ground array's mounting frame, not just the panels, has to clear the line. A homeowner still needs the county's standard building permit to install the system; Section 108-7-24 does not create a separate solar-specific permit, it only fixes the placement standard the building permit reviewer checks against. Utility-scale, or large, solar energy systems are handled entirely differently: the same section sends them to Title 104, Chapter 30, the Large Solar Energy System Overlay Zone, available only in the M-3 and A-3 zones and requiring the Land Use Authority to approve a legislative rezone plus a development agreement negotiated among the county, the solar entity, and the landowner before construction. Section 108-7-24 was last amended by Ordinance 2026-09 on May 26, 2026.