Skip to main content
PermitBase

Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Permit in Akron, Colorado

Required for installation of rooftop solar photovoltaic systems in the Town of Akron. The structural/building portion is permitted by the Town (valuation-based Building Permit), while the electrical/interconnection portion is permitted directly by the Colorado State Electrical Board (DORA), since Akron's Town Code has no local electrical chapter. As with all Colorado jurisdictions, the aggregate permit fee is capped by state law at $500 for a residential system and $1,000 for a commercial system (C.R.S. § 24-48.5-113, enacted by HB21-1284).

Verified 2026-07-23 · Source

When you need this permit

  • Town Building Permit required for the structural/racking portion, with a Plot Plan showing panel/array location
  • Manufacturer Installation Directions must be submitted with the Town building permit application
  • Before installation, the local electric utility, Y-W Electric, requires a Pre-Application Interconnection Data Form
  • Colorado State Electrical (Photovoltaic) permit required from the State Electrical Board (DORA) for the wiring/interconnection portion, since Akron has no local electrical program — obtainable online by a homeowner, licensed electrical contractor, or PV installer
  • Solar electrical plan review may be completed via SolarApp+ or Symbium per DORA's submittal guidelines for Alternative Energy systems
  • By statute (C.R.S. § 24-48.5-113 / HB21-1284), the aggregate of all permit fees and charges imposed by any Colorado governmental body (town + state) for an active solar energy system installation is capped at $500 residential / $1,000 commercial, with charges above that floor limited to actual cost or a 5% annual increase toward the cap

Required documents

Check off what you have — your progress is saved on this device.

Not ready yet0 of 4 required documents checked.

This checker covers one permit. A full project usually triggers several — our paid checklist will assemble all of them, from $29

Fee schedule

Statewide aggregate solar permit fee cap — ResidentialC.R.S. § 24-48.5-113(1)(a)(I). 2026-07-23 VERIFIED directly against the current codified statute text (law.justia.com/codes/colorado/title-24/other-agencies/article-48-5/part-1/section-24-48-5-113/, reflecting the 2025 CRS edition — not a bill summary): 'the aggregate of all charges or other related or associated fees the state or any agency, institution, authority, or political subdivision of the state may impose... 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' (for systems under 2 MW). Legislative history per the statute's own History note: originally enacted 2011 as HB11-1199 ('Fair Permit Act'); amended 2017 by SB17-179; ENTIRE SECTION AMENDED 2021 by HB21-1284 (this is what set the current $500/$1,000 dollar figures); technical amendment 2022 by SB22-118. Repealed effective 12/31/2029 (C.R.S. § 24-48.5-113(2)). This confirms the file's existing HB21-1284/$500/$1,000 figures are correct and current. Discrepancy resolution: a DORA FAQ page was separately seen citing '$500/$2,000' under 'HB99-1199' — no such bill exists (the actual 2011 originating bill is HB11-1199, not 'HB99-1199'); the codified statute's own current text confirms $1,000 (not $2,000) for nonresidential/commercial systems under 2 MW. The DORA FAQ figure is treated as an unreliable secondary source and is NOT adopted here in favor of the statute's own text.
$500 (combined Town + State Electrical Board fees), or actual cost of issuing/reviewing the permit if lower
Statewide aggregate solar permit fee cap — Commercial (nonresidential, under 2 MW)C.R.S. § 24-48.5-113(1)(a)(I), same verification as the residential cap above. Note: for nonresidential systems producing 2 MW or more of direct-current electricity (or an equivalent-sized thermal system), the cap does not apply — the governmental body may recover its full actual permitting costs instead (C.R.S. § 24-48.5-113(1)(a)(II) and (1)(d)).
$1,000 (combined Town + State Electrical Board fees), or actual cost of issuing/reviewing the permit if lower
Town Building Permit (structural/racking portion)Town of Akron live Building Department page (townofakron.com/179/Building); no separate published fee schedule exists for Akron
Calculated based on construction cost (valuation-based); no fixed dollar figure published, subject to the statewide cap above

Review timeline

Plan review
Not published — contact the department

How long did your Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Permit permit actually take in Akron?

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

Inspection process

  1. 1

    Town Building/Structural Inspection

    Racking attachment, roof penetration sealing verified by the Town's Building Inspector

  2. 2

    State Electrical Rough Inspection

    Wiring and panel installed before concealment; scheduled and performed by the State Electrical Board's inspector for the Akron/Washington County area

  3. 3

    State Electrical Final Inspection

    Devices installed, panel labeled, system energized; required for permanent power release

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

Tips

  • Two separate permits are required for solar in Akron: a Town building permit for the structural/racking work, and a Colorado State Electrical Board permit for the wiring — Akron itself does not issue electrical permits.
  • By Colorado statute, the combined total of every governmental fee charged for a solar installation (Town + State) cannot exceed $500 for residential or $1,000 for commercial systems, regardless of how the individual Town and State fees are itemized.
  • Contact Y-W Electric before installation for their required Pre-Application Interconnection Data Form — this is a utility interconnection step separate from both the Town and State permits.

Frequently asked questions

Akron requires a solar photovoltaic (pv) permit for: Town Building Permit required for the structural/racking portion, with a Plot Plan showing panel/array location; Manufacturer Installation Directions must be submitted with the Town building permit application; Before installation, the local electric utility, Y-W Electric, requires a Pre-Application Interconnection Data Form; Colorado State Electrical (Photovoltaic) permit required from the State Electrical Board (DORA) for the wiring/interconnection portion, since Akron has no local electrical program — obtainable online by a homeowner, licensed electrical contractor, or PV installer; Solar electrical plan review may be completed via SolarApp+ or Symbium per DORA's submittal guidelines for Alternative Energy systems; By statute (C.R.S. § 24-48.5-113 / HB21-1284), the aggregate of all permit fees and charges imposed by any Colorado governmental body (town + state) for an active solar energy system installation is capped at $500 residential / $1,000 commercial, with charges above that floor limited to actual cost or a 5% annual increase toward the cap. If your project isn't listed, confirm with Town of Akron — Office of the Building Inspector (Town Hall) at 970-345-2624 before starting work.

The combined Town building permit and State Electrical Board permit fees cannot exceed $500 for a residential system, per the statewide cap in C.R.S. § 24-48.5-113 (HB21-1284). Akron's own building fee is valuation-based with no fixed published figure; the State Electrical Board fee is also valuation-based, but the combined total is capped at $500.

Akron does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact Town of Akron — Office of the Building Inspector (Town Hall) at 970-345-2624 for current turnaround.

You'll need: Town of Akron Building Permit Application; Manufacturer Installation Directions; Y-W Electric Pre-Application Interconnection Data Form; Colorado State Electrical (Photovoltaic) Permit Application. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Akron requires 3 inspection(s) for a solar photovoltaic (pv) permit, in order: Town Building/Structural Inspection, State Electrical Rough Inspection, State Electrical Final Inspection. Schedule each through Town of Akron — Office of the Building Inspector (Town Hall) (970-345-2624).

Apply through Town of Akron — Office of the Building Inspector (Town Hall) at 250 Main Ave, Akron, CO 80720. Phone: 970-345-2624, email: deputyclerk@townofakron.com. Office hours: Monday - Thursday, 7:30 AM - 5:30 PM; closed Fridays. Fax: 970-345-2617. Per Town Code 10-1-1, the Building Inspector is appointed by the Board of Trustees at its first regular meeting following each biennial election and serves as chief enforcement officer for all Title 10 building regulations (except fire prevention code); there is no separate physical 'Building Department' office distinct from Town Hall in this small Eastern Plains town (2020 Census population 1,757).. Official information: https://www.townofakron.com/179/Building.

Akron, Colorado has adopted: 2018 International Building Code (IBC), chapters 1-35 plus appendices C, E, G, H, I, and J — Town Code 10-2-1, adopted by Ordinance 514 (1-6-2014), amended by Ordinance 589 (6-5-2023). The Ord. 589 amendment did NOT change the underlying edition year — Town Code 10-2-1 as currently published still names the 2018 IBC specifically, not a newer cycle — so the 2023 ordinance is treated as a re-adoption/amendment of the same 2018 edition rather than a code-cycle update, per direct reading of the current Town Code text (American Legal Publishing, checked 2026-07-06).; 2009 International Residential Code (IRC), chapters 1-43 plus appendices B, C, D, E, G, H, J, and K — Town Code 10-3-1, adopted by Ordinance 515 (1-6-2014). This is a materially older code cycle than the Building Code (2009 IRC vs. 2018 IBC); no evidence of a later IRC re-adoption was found anywhere in the Town Code, the Town's ordinances index, or web search as of this review.; No standalone plumbing, mechanical, fuel gas, or electrical code chapter exists anywhere in Town Code Title 10 (Building and Development) — Chapters run: Ch.1 General Building Provisions, Ch.2 Building Code (IBC 2018), Ch.3 Residential Code (IRC 2009), Ch.4 Building Numbers (addressing), Ch.5 Colorado Plains Regional Airport Overlay Zoning, Ch.6 Shipping Containers. Checked the full Title 10 table of contents and walked every chapter node directly on American Legal Publishing's code library (codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/akron_co) — confirmed no electrical/plumbing/mechanical/energy chapter exists.; No energy code (IECC or otherwise) has been adopted by the Town of Akron — no such chapter exists in Title 10, and no ordinance adopting an energy code was found via direct Town Code review or web search. See localAmendments for the HB22-1362 analysis.. Local amendments apply — see the Akron overview page for the full list.

No. Akron's Town Code has no electrical chapter, so the electrical/interconnection portion of a solar installation is permitted directly by the Colorado State Electrical Board (DORA), the same as all other electrical work in Akron.