Residential/Commercial Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Permit in Sterling, Colorado

Sterling requires a residential/commercial solar photovoltaic (pv) permit for: Structural/racking permit required via the same City of Sterling Building Permit mechanism documented elsewhere in this file (Municipal Code § 5-1 et seq.); Electrical interconnection is NOT issued by the City of Sterling — per the City's own Permits and Licenses page, 'Plumbing and electrical permits are filed through the State of Colorado and are inspected by local state plumbing and electrical inspectors,' the same mechanism documented for Sterling's Electrical Permit entry in this file; Per C.R.S. § 24-48.5-113(3)(a), for a residential application or a nonresidential application producing less than 2 megawatts, 'the fees charged shall not exceed the lesser of the actual costs in issuing the permit or reviewing the application or five hundred dollars for a residential application or one thousand dollars for a nonresidential application' — this statutory cap applies to both the City's structural permit and the State's electrical permit combined, per the statute's plain 'aggregate of all charges' language; Per C.R.S. § 24-48.5-113, the City (and the State, as the electrical permitting authority) must clearly and individually itemize all fees and taxes assessed on the permit invoice; City Use Tax (4% of material cost, or 4% of at least half of total permit valuation) still applies to the structural/racking portion of the installation, since the statutory fee cap governs permit/review fees rather than use tax. If your project isn't listed, confirm with City of Sterling Public Works Department, Code Enforcement Division at (970) 522-9700, ext. 1109 (Marianne, permits and licenses); main line (970) 522-9700; fax (970) 521-0632 before starting work.

Yes. Colorado's statewide C.R.S. § 24-48.5-113 caps the combined fees a governmental body (here, the City of Sterling for the structural permit and the State of Colorado/DORA for the electrical permit) may charge for a solar energy device installation at $500 for a residential system or $1,000 for a nonresidential system under 2 megawatts, or the actual cost of issuing/reviewing the permit if lower. This overrides Sterling's general valuation-based Building Permit fee table for solar specifically.

Sterling does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact City of Sterling Public Works Department, Code Enforcement Division at (970) 522-9700, ext. 1109 (Marianne, permits and licenses); main line (970) 522-9700; fax (970) 521-0632 for current turnaround.

You'll need: Building Permit Application; State of Colorado Electrical (Photovoltaic) Permit Application. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Sterling requires 2 inspection(s) for a residential/commercial solar photovoltaic (pv) permit, in order: Rough Electrical (State), Final Building Inspection (City). Schedule each through City of Sterling Public Works Department, Code Enforcement Division ((970) 522-9700, ext. 1109 (Marianne, permits and licenses); main line (970) 522-9700; fax (970) 521-0632).

Apply through City of Sterling Public Works Department, Code Enforcement Division at 421 N. 4th Street, P.O. Box 4000, Sterling, CO 80751. Phone: (970) 522-9700, ext. 1109 (Marianne, permits and licenses); main line (970) 522-9700; fax (970) 521-0632, email: harbart@sterlingcolo.com (permits and licenses); pubworks@sterlingcolo.com (general Public Works). Office hours: Not published on the Permits and Licenses page as of this review; inspection requests are scheduled by phone at (970) 522-9700, with a stated same-day/next-day cutoff (see reviewTimelineNote on inspections below).. Official information: https://www.sterlingcolo.com/departments/public_works/permits_and_licenses.php.

Sterling, Colorado has adopted: 2018 International Building Code (IBC), with Appendices A, E, and I — City of Sterling Municipal Code § 5-31, adopted by Ord. No. 5-2023 (eff. 6/13/23); a copy is kept at the City Clerk's office for public inspection; 2018 International Residential Code (IRC), with Appendices F and H — Municipal Code § 5-56, adopted by Ord. No. 7-2023 (eff. 6/13/23); IRC Section R313 (Automatic Fire Sprinkler Systems) is expressly omitted in its entirety; 2018 International Mechanical Code (IMC) — Municipal Code § 5-43, adopted by Ord. No. 6-2023 (eff. 6/13/23); 2018 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) — Municipal Code § 5-106, adopted by Ord. No. 8-2023 (eff. 6/13/23); 2018 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC) — Municipal Code § 5-140, adopted by Ord. No. 9-2023 (eff. 6/13/23); 2018 International Existing Building Code (IEBC), with Appendices B and C, adopted in its entirety without amendment per state law — Municipal Code § 5-150, adopted by Ord. No. 10-2023 (eff. 6/13/23); Uniform Code for the Abatement of Dangerous Buildings, 1994 Edition (ICBO) — Municipal Code § 5-16, as amended by Ord. Nos. 12-1992, 26-1995, and 2-2009; Any references to plumbing or electrical requirements (except required-fixture references) are explicitly EXCEPTED from both the IBC and IRC as locally adopted — Municipal Code § 5-31(b) and § 5-56(b) — because plumbing and electrical permitting/inspection in Sterling is handled by the State of Colorado, not the City; Manufactured/mobile home installations follow C.R.S. § 24-32-3101 et seq. rather than a City-adopted installation code — Municipal Code § 5-121. Local amendments apply — see the Sterling overview page for the full list.