Oyster Bay, NY Solar Energy: Panel Permits (2026)

1 lists solar panels among the rooftop features, including spires, cupolas, belfries, parapet walls, chimneys, flagpoles and antennas, that residence districts allow to project above the maximum building height. 3), but the code carves solar panels out of the coverage cap entirely: the maximum roof coverage provision shall not be applicable to solar panels. The 10-foot (or 15-foot) height ceiling above the roof surface still governs a solar array, so a system stacked high off the roof deck can still need a variance from the Zoning Board of Appeals.

Before panels go up, the installer or homeowner still needs a standard building permit. Town Code § 93-15 makes it unlawful to construct, alter, remove or demolish a structure without first obtaining a building permit from the Division of Building of the Department of Planning and Development, and a solar array attached to a roof falls within that alteration language. The application, per § 93-16, must be submitted in writing in the form the Commissioner prescribes, filed by the owner, lessee or their agent, engineer or installer, and, if filed by anyone other than the owner, accompanied by the owner's verified authorization. There is no separate solar-specific permit application in the Town's code; installers use the standard building permit process alongside any required electrical sign-off.