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Small Solar Energy Conversion System (SECS) Permit — Rooftop/Accessory Solar in Unincorporated Washington County, Colorado

Washington County's Solar Power Production Facilities Zoning Regulations define a 'Small Solar Energy Conversion System' (small SECS) as a solar energy conversion system occupying less than 7 acres of total land that is an accessory use (i.e., primarily energy production by the property owner where it is sited) — this covers ordinary residential rooftop and small ground-mount solar. Per the regulations: 'All small SECS require a building permit from the County' and small SECS are explicitly EXEMPT from the county's Solar Power Production Facility (SPPF) regulations, which instead require a Use by Special Review plus a building permit for larger, non-accessory, or 7+ acre commercial solar farms. A small SECS therefore uses the same general Building Permit Application as other construction (see residential-building-permit) — there is no dedicated solar application form or published flat fee, but Colorado's statewide fee cap on active solar energy system permits applies regardless of any locally calculated valuation-based fee.

Verified 2026-07-20 · Source

When you need this permit

  • A 'small SECS' (solar energy conversion system under 7 acres of total land, accessory to the principal use/structure on the same lot, primarily for the property owner's own energy production) is exempt from the county's SPPF (Solar Power Production Facility) zoning regulations and Use by Special Review process — see Washington County Solar Power Production Facilities Zoning Regulations, Sections 2.C and 4 (definitions)
  • A small SECS still requires a building permit from the County, per the regulations' definition of 'Small Solar Energy Conversion System': 'All small SECS require a building permit from the County'
  • Use the same general Building Permit Application (Rev. 06-14) used for other construction/additions/accessory structures — no separate solar-specific application form was found published
  • Colorado's statewide fee cap (C.R.S. § 24-48.5-113, enacted by HB21-1284) limits the aggregate of all fees a Colorado local government may charge to install an active solar energy system to the lesser of actual permit-issuance/review costs or $500.00 for a residential permit / $1,000.00 for a nonresidential (commercial) permit — this cap applies to Washington County's building permit fee for a small SECS regardless of the county's own declared-value-based fee calculation
  • A larger installation (7+ acres, or not accessory to the property owner's own use — an SPPF) instead requires a Use by Special Review application plus a building permit, under the full Solar Power Production Facilities Zoning Regulations — out of scope for a typical residential/rooftop system

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Building Permit Fee — small SECS (residential)Washington County's general Building Permit Application leaves the fee blank for County staff/the Commissioner Chairman to complete based on declared project value (same mechanism as residential-building-permit); Colorado's statewide cap under C.R.S. § 24-48.5-113 (HB21-1284) limits this to $500.00 residential regardless of the county's own calculation method
Not published as a fixed valuation table locally; statutorily capped at the lesser of the County's actual permit-issuance/review costs or $500.00
Building Permit Fee — small SECS (nonresidential/commercial, still under the small-SECS/accessory-use threshold)C.R.S. § 24-48.5-113 (HB21-1284)
Statutorily capped at the lesser of the County's actual permit-issuance/review costs or $1,000.00

Review timeline

Plan review
Not published — contact the department

How long did your Small Solar Energy Conversion System (SECS) Permit — Rooftop/Accessory Solar permit actually take in Unincorporated Washington County?

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

Inspection process

  1. 1

    Commissioner Chairman Review & Approval

    Same general approval step used for other Building Permit Applications; the county's forms do not describe a separate multi-stage field-inspection sequence for a small SECS

Tips

  • Do not confuse a small residential/rooftop system with a Solar Power Production Facility (SPPF) — an SPPF is 7+ acres or not accessory to the owner's own use, and requires a Use by Special Review in addition to a building permit; a small SECS (under 7 acres, accessory, owner's own energy production) is explicitly exempted from that heavier process.
  • Even though Washington County has no published solar-specific fee, Colorado's statewide HB21-1284 fee cap ($500 residential / $1,000 nonresidential, or actual cost if lower) legally limits what the county can charge for a small SECS building permit — cite this if the county's declared-value-based fee calculation would otherwise exceed the cap.
  • As with all electrical work referenced elsewhere in this file, confirm with the Land Use Office whether the PV interconnection itself is inspected by the county's designated inspector or routed through a state program — this file did not find a dedicated county electrical-permit process distinct from the general Building Permit.

Frequently asked questions

Yes — a 'small Solar Energy Conversion System' (under 7 acres, accessory to your property, for your own energy production) requires a building permit from the County, per the county's Solar Power Production Facilities Zoning Regulations. It does NOT require the heavier Use by Special Review process that applies to larger commercial solar farms (SPPFs).

Colorado's statewide fee cap, C.R.S. § 24-48.5-113 (enacted by HB21-1284), limits the total of all fees a Colorado local government may charge to install an active solar energy system to the lesser of its actual permit-issuance costs or $500.00 for a residential permit ($1,000.00 for a nonresidential/commercial permit). This overrides the county's general declared-value-based fee calculation for a solar-specific project.

Unincorporated Washington County does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact Washington County Land Use Office (Planning & Zoning Department) at (970) 345-2701 ext. 234 (fax (970) 514-7710, per the department's live webpage — resolved as current: a 2020 Wayback capture of the same page shows fax 345-2702 with then-Zoning-Official Denise Chavez named, while the live page today shows no named official ('temporary') and the new fax, indicating the webpage was updated since 2020 and the number changed; the Building Permit Application form (Rev. 06-14, unrevised since 2014) still carries the older 345-2702 and is treated as stale on this one field) for current turnaround.

You'll need: Building Permit Application. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Unincorporated Washington County requires 1 inspection(s) for a small solar energy conversion system (secs) permit — rooftop/accessory solar, in order: Commissioner Chairman Review & Approval. Schedule each through Washington County Land Use Office (Planning & Zoning Department) ((970) 345-2701 ext. 234 (fax (970) 514-7710, per the department's live webpage — resolved as current: a 2020 Wayback capture of the same page shows fax 345-2702 with then-Zoning-Official Denise Chavez named, while the live page today shows no named official ('temporary') and the new fax, indicating the webpage was updated since 2020 and the number changed; the Building Permit Application form (Rev. 06-14, unrevised since 2014) still carries the older 345-2702 and is treated as stale on this one field)).

Apply through Washington County Land Use Office (Planning & Zoning Department) at Washington County Courthouse, 150 Ash Avenue, 2nd Floor, Akron, CO 80720. Phone: (970) 345-2701 ext. 234 (fax (970) 514-7710, per the department's live webpage — resolved as current: a 2020 Wayback capture of the same page shows fax 345-2702 with then-Zoning-Official Denise Chavez named, while the live page today shows no named official ('temporary') and the new fax, indicating the webpage was updated since 2020 and the number changed; the Building Permit Application form (Rev. 06-14, unrevised since 2014) still carries the older 345-2702 and is treated as stale on this one field), email: planning@co.washington.co.us (per the Foundation Permit and Mobile/Manufactured Home Permit forms; also matches the address shown for then-Zoning-Official Denise Chavez on a 2020 Wayback capture of the department's own webpage — the current live webpage's visible text does not repeat an email address, but nothing found contradicts this one, so it is carried forward as still-current pending direct confirmation). Office hours: Not published as specific hours for this department; the County's website states only that proposed regulations are available for inspection 'during normal business hours' at 150 Ash Avenue. The Planning Commission's regular meeting is the third Monday of each month at 7:00 p.m. in the old courtroom at the Courthouse (date subject to change).. Official information: https://washingtoncounty.colorado.gov/departments/administration/planning-and-zoning.

Unincorporated Washington County, Colorado has adopted: No model building code (IBC/IRC/NEC) found published online — see the FAQ below for what governs instead; Manufactured/mobile homes: Colorado Division of Housing state standards apply, not a county-adopted code; County Zoning Resolution is in force but not published online — full scope on this point unconfirmed; HB22-1362 (2022, Colorado's statewide model energy/low-carbon code law) population-based carve-out analysis: unincorporated Washington County's population is approximately 3,060 (county total 4,817 per 2020 Census, minus Akron's 1,757 — Akron is the only incorporated municipality in the county per this corpus's counties.json), which is ABOVE the law's 2,500-resident exemption threshold, so the population carve-out alone would not exempt the county. HB22-1362's model-code mandate is triggered only when a jurisdiction adopts or updates a building code; within the bound of what this file could actually read online, no building code (energy or otherwise) was found to have been affirmatively adopted, so no adoption/update event was found for the law's mandate to attach to. Given the unpublished-Zoning-Resolution caveat above, this is stated as 'no trigger event found' rather than an affirmative certainty that none exists. Re-check if the County adopts any future code, or if the Zoning Resolution's actual text is obtained and found to reference one — either would trigger the law's Model Low Energy and Carbon Code requirement (binding on any update after July 1, 2026).. Local amendments apply — see the Unincorporated Washington County overview page for the full list.

Other permits in Unincorporated Washington County

Building Permit (New Construction, Addition, Remodel, Accessory Structures)Mobile or Manufactured Home Permit (with Foundation Permit if applicable)Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Station / EVSE Permit

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