Are roof mounted and/or ground mounted solar panels allowed in the City?

Both roof mounted and ground mounted solar panels are allowed in the City. There is no limit to the amount of roof mounted solar panels. Ground-mounted solar panels should be considered a subordinate use to the principal structure on a property, meaning their scale and purpose must be secondary to the primary function of the land or building.

Where are solar power installations allowed in the City?

Solar power installations are permitted anywhere in the City as an accessory use to a permitted structure only. Please note that solar installations located in Historic Districts or Entrance Corridors may be subject to additional requirements. Solar power installations are only permitted as a primary use in Industrial zones.

Are building or electrical permits required?

 Yes. Roof mounted solar requires an electrical permit application along with two (2) sets of plans. Ground mounted solar requires an electrical permit application and a building permit application along with two (2) sets of plans with a site sketch. (Home owner is not required to sign the application.)

Is a zoning permit required?

Solar installations located in a Historic District also require a Zoning Certificate of Appropriateness, which must be reviewed by the Historic Preservation Commission. For solar installations NOT located in a Historic District, zoning review will be completed concurrent to building/electrical permit review with no additional forms needed.

What kind of Contractor Registration or City Business License is required?

Please contact the Commissioner of Revenue 540-332-3829 to determine what type of license/registration is required. A valid Virginia State Contractor’s License is required. 

Is the permit submittal online via portal, email, mail, or in person?

Permit applications may be submitted by email, mail or in person. At this time, we do not have an online portal. Please note that if you submit the application via email, hard copies of the plans are still required.

If submitting via email, please send application(s) to armstrongdi@ci.staunton.va.us AND lancasterjd@ci.staunton.va.us. (If the file size is too large for email, please use our fileshare emails, armstrongdi@fileshare.ci.staunton.va.us AND lancasterjd@fileshare.ci.staunton.va.us) You will be contacted with payment instructions once received. Payment can be made via cash, check or credit card (there is an additional fee of 2.3% for credit cards). Fee amounts can be found in the City Code’s fee chart.

Can permits be issued via email?

Yes, permits can be issued by email upon request.  However, if physical plans submitted are larger than 11x17, plans will need to be picked up or mailed.

Should we provide a return envelope if we wish to have the approved plans and permit mailed back to us?

Yes. Please provide a return envelope large enough to fit the plans and include your desired address on the return envelope.

Do plans need to be hard copy or digital, and do they need to be stamped by the engineer?

A hard copy of the plans is required and the plans must be stamped by the engineer.

Is NEM (Net metering) approval required with permit application submission?

NEM approval is not required.

Are fire setbacks required on the plans?

Yes, fire setbacks are required. Fire setbacks can be found in the Virginia Building Code.

Are there minimum wind speed or ground snow load requirements?

Yes. The city is located in risk category 2 for VULT 115MPH wind. Please see the Virginia Building Code for additional information.

Does the City building department use any other third-party company for electrical permitting and inspections?

No, we do not have a third-party for permitting or inspections.

If the permit requires a revision, do I need to submit another application?

Yes, a new permit application with the revisions and (2) sets of new plans is required. The plans will also need to go through the review process again.

What is the estimated time frame for getting the permit application approved?

Once payment is received for the permit application, reviews are completed within 6-10 business days.

How are inspections scheduled and how do we get inspection results?

You will need to call and schedule the inspection. Results are sent to the email provided on the application.

What type of inspections are required? Is interior access typically required?

Electrical inspections are required roof mounted and building and electrical inspections are required for ground mounted. Interior access is required. Ground arrays may need footings.

What people/what documents are required on-site for inspections?

A company employee, permit and stamped approved plans.