Yavapai County, AZ Solar Energy: Panel Permits (2026)

The Yavapai County Planning and Zoning Ordinance treats residential solar equipment differently from most other structures. b(1) removes roof-mounted and ground-mounted solar equipment, not including any walls, foundations or enclosures built to support it, from the Ordinance's definition of a structure, and therefore no Zoning Clearance is required to install it. That exemption covers the zoning sign-off only; the county's adopted building code still governs the electrical and structural work, so a building permit for the installation itself is a separate step outside this exemption.

E lays out the performance standards Small-Scale Solar Use must meet regardless of the Zoning Clearance exemption. Roof-mounted photovoltaic panels cannot extend more than 24 inches above the roof surface, measured perpendicular to the roof at the mounting point, and must still respect the district's building height limit above natural grade. Ground-mounted panels are capped at 15 feet in total height and must follow the same setbacks that apply to principal structures in that zoning district. 3 subjects canopies and carports incorporating PV panels to the ordinary building permit and zoning requirements for that structure type.

All wiring serving ground-mounted panels must run underground, and equipment must be screened to blend with the surroundings. Battery storage paired with a residential system is capped at 80 kWh aggregate before the 2018 International Fire Code's stricter battery provisions in Section 1206 apply.