Showing ordinances that apply to Riva, MD
Riva is an unincorporated community (population 4,257) in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. Because Riva is not an incorporated city, it does not have its own municipal code. Instead, Anne Arundel County ordinances apply directly to properties here. The panel permits rules below are the ones that govern your area.
Anne Arundel County requires building and electrical permits for rooftop solar PV systems through Inspections & Permits. The county uses an expedited residential solar review and enforces 2020 NEC and 2018 IRC fire setbacks. BGE and SMECO handle interconnection under Maryland's net metering rules.
Anne Arundel County Inspections & Permits issues combined building and electrical permits for residential PV systems, with an expedited review pathway for standard roof-mounted systems up to 20 kW. Plans must show panel layout on a roof plan, a structural letter (prescriptive per IRC Table 301.5 or sealed by a Maryland-licensed PE), an electrical line diagram with AC/DC ratings, conductor sizing, and the labeled rapid-shutdown and disconnect locations. Fire setbacks follow IRC Appendix R / IFC 2018: 18-inch pathway at ridges and 36-inch setback from roof edges unless the home has compliant automatic sprinklers. Ground-mounted arrays in the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area (1,000-ft tidal buffer along the Severn, Magothy, South, West, Rhode, and Patuxent watersheds) are subject to RCA/LDA impervious caps, buffer setbacks, and Critical Area Commission review. Interconnection is through BGE (most of the county), SMECO (southern portions near Lothian/Harwood), and Annapolis's BGE service with Maryland net metering under COMAR 20.50.10. The Maryland Residential Clean Energy Rebate Program ($1,000 per system) and state sales-tax exemption apply.
Unpermitted installations: stop-work order and retroactive permit (double fee) plus fines up to $1,000. NEC labeling or rapid-shutdown violations: correction order from electrical inspector. Critical Area ground-mount violations: mitigation planting at 3:1 and fines up to $10,000 per day under Natural Resources §8-1815.
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