Waukesha, WI Solar Energy: Panel Permits (2026)

24 for the RS-1 Single-Family Residential District and repeated in every other residential, business, and manufacturing district, list roof-mounted solar collectors and ground-mounted solar energy collectors as permitted accessory uses, meaning no conditional use permit or Board of Zoning Appeals hearing is needed for the land use itself. The one substantive condition is structural: a registered engineer or registered architect must certify that the roof structure is adequate to support the added load before a roof-mounted array goes up. Once the zoning question is settled, the installation itself runs through Chapter 18, Electrical.

03 requires an electrical permit before any electrical installation for light, heat, or power, issued by the Electrical Inspector on an application with a plan when required, with fees set by the Common Council and posted at the Office of Community Development. 05 lets an owner-occupant of a single-family home do minor electrical work themselves after securing a permit and passing a basic-knowledge check with the Office of Community Development, but it expressly carves out solar photovoltaic wiring: that exemption does not apply to installing electrical wiring for a solar photovoltaic system, so the wiring on a residential solar installation must be done by a licensed electrician holding a Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services license under Wis. Stat. Sec. 862. Rough and final inspections by the Electrical Inspector are required before the system is covered or energized.