Port Orange, FL Solar Energy: Panel Permits (2026)

The regulation sits in the Land Development Code's Renewable Energy Systems section, adopted originally by Ordinance No. 2010-3 and amended by Ordinance No. 2021-13. Subsection (c) makes solar collectors 'a permitted accessory use in all zoning classifications,' so a homeowner does not need a variance or special exception to add panels; a standard building permit through the Florida Building Code process is what triggers city review. Height is scaled to how the panels are mounted: roof-mounted collectors may rise 10 feet above the height limit that otherwise applies to the zoning district, pole-mounted units are capped at 15 feet, and ground-mounted installations are limited to 6 feet.

Setbacks follow the same mounting distinction. Pole-mounted and ground-installed collectors are restricted to side and rear yards only; a pole-mounted unit must sit back from the property line by a distance equal to its own height, or by the primary structure's building setback, whichever is less, while a ground installation needs 5 feet from the side line and 10 feet from the rear line. Ground arrays also count toward the lot's maximum building coverage percentage when combined with the home's other structures, so a large array can be capped by the underlying zoning district's coverage limit in the Chapter 17 dimensional table.

Any ground-mounted system must be screened from rights-of-way and neighboring lots using architectural features, an opaque fence or wall, or dense landscaping consistent with the surrounding structures. Owners who want to mount a collector on a communication tower or a parking lot or street light pole may do so under the co-location provision, in which case the height and setback rules for that tower or pole govern instead of the standalone solar table. Before installation, the property owner must give the city evidence that the electric utility has been notified of the interconnected, customer-owned generator, though off-grid systems are exempt from that step.