New Rochelle, NY Solar Energy: Panel Permits (2026)

Under § 331-25, any solar installation covering 1,000 square feet or more of roof area on a building other than a one- or two-family home needs Planning Board site plan approval under Article XIII, with energy conservation as a required factor, and all approving agencies must weigh access to sunlight for present and potential solar systems when reviewing any application. For ordinary rooftop and building-mounted collectors, including those on parking garage roofs, § 331-25(C) makes the installation a permitted accessory use citywide but still requires a building permit.

Collectors and their mounting hardware must be set back at least one foot from the roof's edge for every foot the system rises above the parapet wall (or the roof surface where there is no parapet); systems that stay under three feet tall are exempt from that setback. Ground-mounted and freestanding collectors are a different track: § 331-25(D) allows them only by special permit from the Planning Board, and they must meet the zoning district's ordinary setbacks, sit in a side or rear yard, and be screened from neighboring properties and the right-of-way.

Their height is capped at the lesser of the principal structure's height or 20 feet at maximum tilt, and their combined surface area can't exceed 1,000 square feet or 5% of the lot, whichever is smaller; abandoned units must come down within six months of going out of use. Section 331-25(E) then layers on district-specific height bonuses above the base zoning limit: one- and two-family districts get 18 inches with unlimited rooftop coverage; multifamily districts get up to 2 feet above a gable, hip, or gambrel ridge (4 feet above a flat or shed roof), with the Planning Board able to grant up to 6 feet if viewsheds are protected; mixed-use and commercial/industrial districts get up to 4 feet above the roof surface or height limit, with the same 6-foot viewshed exception.