Roanoke, VA Solar Energy: Panel Permits (2026)

City Code Sec. 2-403(j) draws a sharp line between rooftop and ground-mounted solar. Rooftop-mounted solar equipment on a principal or accessory building is exempt from these supplemental regulations entirely and, for use-determination purposes, is treated as integral to the building itself rather than a separate use. Ground-mounted systems face more scrutiny: if a solar energy system's square footage exceeds 50% of the principal building's square footage on the property, it is reclassified as a separate principal use of the property, which can trigger different zoning requirements than an accessory use.

Ground-mounted solar systems cannot be located in any front yard, whether that yard is the district's required minimum or one otherwise established on the lot. They must also maintain an 8-foot-wide landscaping strip, made up of existing vegetation or an evergreen tree screen meeting the standards of Sec. 2-649 and the minimum planting sizes in Sec. 2-642, between the system and any adjacent right-of-way or adjacent residential or multi-purpose district. On top of the landscaping, a fence meeting the requirements of Sec. 2-410 must be installed around the solar system's perimeter and again on the interior of the landscape buffer strip, effectively double-enclosing the installation.