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Solar PV Permit in Longmont, Colorado

Required for installation of rooftop or ground-mounted solar photovoltaic systems in Longmont. Longmont Power & Communications (LPC) — the city's own municipal electric utility — reviews the interconnection checklist and one-line diagram as part of the building permit process. Fees are statutorily capped for residential/commercial installations under Colorado's Fair Permit Act (SB17-179 / CRS 24-32-3319, commonly referenced by applicants as 'HB 1199').

Verified 2026-06-30 · Source

When you need this permit

  • Solar PV permit application submitted to Longmont Building Services via the ACA portal; required documents also emailed to building.inspection@longmontcolorado.gov
  • LPC engineers must review and approve the interconnection checklist and one-line diagram submitted with the building permit application
  • Systems up to 50 kW are eligible for LPC's net metering / RGEN rate; systems over 50 kW are reviewed case-by-case with additional requirements
  • Expedited 'Solar ABC's Expedited Permit Process' review (5 business-day turnaround) available for complete applications meeting eligibility criteria — installations requiring an electrical service upgrade do NOT qualify for the expedited path
  • After installation passes final building inspection, Longmont Building Inspection notifies LPC, which then sets the bi-directional net meter and performs anti-islanding/pre-parallel testing before issuing Permission to Operate (PTO)
  • Fees are capped by Colorado's Fair Permit Act: $500 aggregate cap for residential active solar energy system permits, $1,000 for commercial

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Residential Active Solar Energy System — statutory aggregate fee capColorado Fair Permit Act (SB17-179, codified at CRS 24-32-3319); referenced by Longmont's Solar PV Systems page as 'Solar PV system fees are capped per House Bill 1199' — the statutory citation is confirmed via the Colorado General Assembly; the informal 'HB 1199' name as used by the city was not independently cross-verified against the bill number
$500.00 maximum (all city permit, plan review, and related fees combined)
Commercial Active Solar Energy System — statutory aggregate fee capColorado Fair Permit Act (SB17-179 / CRS 24-32-3319)
$1,000.00 maximum

Review timeline

Plan reviewLongmont’s published plan-review target
5–5 business days

How long did your Solar PV Permit permit actually take in Longmont?

Anonymous — one question, no email. Answers are combined and only shown once at least 5 people have reported.

Inspection process

  1. 1

    Rough Electrical

    Conduit runs, wire sizing, disconnect placement before cover

  2. 2

    Final — Building

    Panel mounting, racking attachment, roof penetration sealing, all electrical connections verified

  3. 3

    LPC Meter Set / Anti-Islanding Test

    After final building inspection passes, LPC sets the bi-directional net meter and performs anti-islanding and pre-parallel testing before issuing Permission to Operate (PTO)

See the full Longmont inspection guide — scheduling & re-inspection fees →

Tips

  • Longmont Power & Communications (LPC) is a mandatory reviewer for every solar PV permit — this is a direct consequence of Longmont running its own municipal electric utility rather than being served by an investor-owned utility like Xcel Energy. Budget time for LPC's interconnection checklist/one-line-diagram review in addition to the building permit review itself.
  • The 5-business-day expedited review path only applies to COMPLETE applications that meet the Solar ABC's Expedited Permit Process criteria — any project requiring an electrical service upgrade is automatically excluded from the expedited track and follows standard review timing.
  • Colorado's statutory solar permit fee cap ($500 residential / $1,000 commercial, aggregate across all city fees) applies in Longmont — if a proposed total exceeds this, confirm with Building Services that all charged fees are properly aggregated under the cap.
  • LPC's net metering pays excess generation back to the customer at the retail rate for systems up to 50 kW; larger systems are handled case-by-case.

Frequently asked questions

Longmont requires a solar pv permit for: Solar PV permit application submitted to Longmont Building Services via the ACA portal; required documents also emailed to building.inspection@longmontcolorado.gov; LPC engineers must review and approve the interconnection checklist and one-line diagram submitted with the building permit application; Systems up to 50 kW are eligible for LPC's net metering / RGEN rate; systems over 50 kW are reviewed case-by-case with additional requirements; Expedited 'Solar ABC's Expedited Permit Process' review (5 business-day turnaround) available for complete applications meeting eligibility criteria — installations requiring an electrical service upgrade do NOT qualify for the expedited path; After installation passes final building inspection, Longmont Building Inspection notifies LPC, which then sets the bi-directional net meter and performs anti-islanding/pre-parallel testing before issuing Permission to Operate (PTO); Fees are capped by Colorado's Fair Permit Act: $500 aggregate cap for residential active solar energy system permits, $1,000 for commercial. If your project isn't listed, confirm with City of Longmont — Building Services (Building Inspection Division), Development Services Center at (303) 651-8332 before starting work.

Colorado's Fair Permit Act (SB17-179, CRS 24-32-3319) caps the aggregate of all city permit and plan-review fees for a residential active solar energy system at $500 total ($1,000 for commercial). Longmont's own Solar PV Systems page confirms fees are capped under this statute.

Longmont's published plan-review target for a solar pv permit is 5–5 business days.

You'll need: Solar PV Permit Application (via ACA portal); Solar PV Requirements document (showpublisheddocument-30070); Small Generation Interconnection Checklist (LPC). Depending on your project, Longmont may also ask for: Solar ABC's Expedited Permit Process criteria. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Longmont requires 3 inspection(s) for a solar pv permit, in order: Rough Electrical, Final — Building, LPC Meter Set / Anti-Islanding Test. Schedule each through City of Longmont — Building Services (Building Inspection Division), Development Services Center ((303) 651-8332).

Apply through City of Longmont — Building Services (Building Inspection Division), Development Services Center at 385 Kimbark St., Longmont, CO 80501. Phone: (303) 651-8332, email: building.inspection@longmontcolorado.gov. Office hours: Mon–Fri, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. (closed Federal holidays, Veterans Day, and the day after Thanksgiving; Building Inspection closed 10–11 a.m. on the 2nd and 4th Thursday for staff training). Official information: https://longmontcolorado.gov/building-inspection/permits/.

Longmont, Colorado has adopted: 2021 International Building Code (IBC) — adopted effective January 1, 2022; currently in force citywide; 2021 International Residential Code (IRC) — adopted effective January 1, 2022; currently in force citywide; 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) — adopted as part of the 2021 International Codes package effective January 1, 2022; 2021 International Fire Code (IFC) — adopted effective January 1, 2022; International Plumbing Code (IPC) and International Mechanical Code (IMC) / International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC) — adopted as part of the 2021 International Codes package effective January 1, 2022 (edition confirmed via Longmont's 2021 IBC/IRC Geographic Climatic Data Table; individual plumbing/mechanical/fuel-gas amendment ordinance text not independently re-verified beyond the city's codes-adoption page); 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC) — adopted with Longmont amendments, effective July 24, 2024; PENDING — NOT YET EFFECTIVE: 2024 International Codes plus the Colorado Energy Code Cohort's model amendments were scheduled for Longmont City Council consideration May 12, 2026, with an anticipated effective date of July 1, 2026. As of this extraction (lastVerified 2026-06-30), the City's own Building Code Update page still describes this as a pending/anticipated action, not a confirmed adopted-and-effective ordinance — DO NOT treat the 2024 codes as adopted until the city's codes page or Municode ordinance list confirms passage.. Local amendments apply — see the Longmont overview page for the full list.

Yes. Longmont Power & Communications (LPC), the city's own municipal electric utility (not a third-party utility like Xcel Energy), reviews and approves the interconnection checklist and one-line diagram as part of every solar PV building permit application. After the building permit final inspection passes, LPC then sets the bi-directional net meter and performs anti-islanding/pre-parallel testing before granting Permission to Operate.

Sources & verification

Verified against official sources. Last reviewed 2026-06-30.

Fees, timelines, and adopted codes are researched from each jurisdiction's published records — see how we verify. Requirements change and vary by project, so always confirm the current details with the Longmont building department before you submit. PermitBase is an independent reference and is not affiliated with any government agency.

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