Long Branch, NJ Solar Energy: Panel Permits (2026)

Chapter 320, Article I governs solar energy systems installed after its 2014 adoption, including upgrades that materially change an existing system's size or placement (§ 320-3A). Applicants must submit manufacturer specifications for every system component along with scaled elevation drawings; for pitched roofs the drawings must show the collector's highest finished slope against the roof's own slope and its distance from the roof edge, while flat-roof systems must show the distance to the roof edge, any parapets, and the building's and collector's finished heights (§ 320-5A).

Ground-mounted accessory systems in residential districts must sit back at least 5 feet from property lines if 100 square feet or smaller, or 10 feet if larger, cannot exceed 6 feet in height, and cannot cover more than half the principal building's footprint (§ 320-4B). Site plan approval is required for all ground-mounted accessory systems, solar energy production facilities, and solar carports, including a visual analysis from at least three vantage points, and that approval expires if the system isn't installed and functioning within 24 months, or if it is later abandoned (§ 320-5B).

Single- and two-family homes installing ground-mounted accessory systems are exempt from site plan review but still must submit a property survey showing the system's location with their permit application (§ 320-5B(3)). Systems on designated historic buildings must also be referred to the Long Branch Historic Commission (§ 320-5C), and before installation the owner must give the Construction Official or Zoning Officer written proof the utility company has been told about the interconnection (§ 320-5D).