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Solar Permit in Unincorporated Madison County, Idaho

Madison County issues its own dedicated 'Solar Permit' for both roof-mounted and ground-mounted PV installations in unincorporated Madison County, via a distinct Solar Permit Application form separate from the general Building Permit application. Roof-mounted systems do not require Planning and Zoning review (and so cost less); ground-mounted systems do require P&Z review of setbacks and cost more. Directly confirmed by the county's own published 4-page Solar Permit Application and Submittal Checklist. Electrical inspection is performed under the county's contract with the City of Rexburg (per Idaho Code 54-1001), not by the county Building Department directly and not by DOPL.

Verified 2026-07-20 · Source

When you need this permit

  • Solar Permit Application required for both roof-mounted and ground-mounted PV systems; select 'Roof Mount' or 'Ground Mount' on the application
  • Recorded Warranty Deed (from the Clerk's Office); a notarized 'Affidavit of Legal Interest' is required if the applicant is not the legal property owner
  • Site Plan showing setbacks for ground-mounted systems (front/back/side, from structure to property line, easements, right-of-way lines, and open surface water) or the panel location on the roof
  • Copy of the Building Contractor's State Registration (Idaho contractor registration) Contractor
  • Full plan set (electronic PDF, drawn to scale no smaller than 1/8" = 1'), covering PV array configuration, grounding, wire management, conductors, rapid shutdown of PV systems on buildings, charge controllers, disconnects, inverters, batteries, and anchoring type — ALL plans must bear a current Engineer's stamp
  • Preliminary Elevation Certificate required before building permit issuance if the parcel is in a mapped floodplain; Final Elevation Certificate required before a Certificate of Occupancy is issued
  • Copy of subdivision covenants if the property is located in a subdivision with covenants
  • Fire Plan Review by the Madison County Fire District if determined necessary by the Building Department
  • Ground-mount setback requirements per the county's published Site Plan Requirements: Agricultural (AG) zone — Front 30/60 ft, Side 10 ft, Back 25 ft; Trans-Agricultural (TRANS) zone — same; a 200 ft setback from 5 ft above the high-water mark of any waterway applies per Sec. 117-63(t)
  • Review process requires a minimum of 10 working days (not counting the submittal day) after all required documents are submitted — an incomplete application is not accepted into the review queue at all

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Permit Fee Deposit (both Roof Mount and Ground Mount)Madison County Solar Permit Application, Permit Application Submittal Checklist item 7 — directly read from the county's own 4-page application PDF.
$45.00
Roof Mount — remaining feeMadison County Solar Permit Application, Submittal Checklist item 7. Roof-mounted solar panels do not need Planning and Zoning review, which is why the total is lower than ground mount.
$125.00 (for a total of $170.00 including the $45 deposit)
Ground Mount — remaining feeMadison County Solar Permit Application, Submittal Checklist item 7. Higher than roof mount because ground-mounted systems require Planning and Zoning setback review.
$150.00 (for a total of $195.00 including the $45 deposit)

Review timeline

Plan reviewUnincorporated Madison County’s published plan-review target
10–10 business days

How long did your Solar Permit permit actually take in Unincorporated Madison County?

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

Inspection process

  1. 1

    Building Department Inspection(s)

    Verifies mounting/anchoring, array configuration, and structural work per the engineer-stamped plans; permit number and address must be posted and visible from the road or inspection will not be performed

  2. 2

    Electrical Inspection (City of Rexburg contract)

    Performed under Madison County's contract with the City of Rexburg per Idaho Code 54-1001 — not by the county Building Department directly and not by DOPL, since Madison County (unlike most other Idaho counties in this corpus) has a county-city inspection arrangement instead

See the full Unincorporated Madison County inspection guide — scheduling & re-inspection fees →

Tips

  • Roof-mounted solar is meaningfully cheaper to permit than ground-mounted ($170 vs $195 total) specifically because roof-mount does not trigger Planning and Zoning setback review — confirm which category your installation falls under before budgeting.
  • Every plan sheet (array configuration, grounding, wire management, conductors, rapid shutdown, charge controllers, disconnects, inverters, batteries, anchoring) must carry a current Engineer's stamp — this is a more demanding plan-review bar than some neighboring counties that only require a stamp for larger/complex structures.
  • An incomplete Solar Permit application is not accepted into the 10-working-day review queue at all — gather every checklist item (recorded deed, site plan, contractor registration, full engineer-stamped plan set, flood/covenant documentation) before submitting. Contractor
  • Madison County's electrical inspection is handled by the City of Rexburg under an intergovernmental contract (Idaho Code 54-1001) — a different arrangement than the direct-to-DOPL model used in most other Idaho counties in this corpus. Apply/schedule via https://apply.rexburg.org/publicapp/.

Frequently asked questions

Unincorporated Madison County requires a solar permit for: Solar Permit Application required for both roof-mounted and ground-mounted PV systems; select 'Roof Mount' or 'Ground Mount' on the application; Recorded Warranty Deed (from the Clerk's Office); a notarized 'Affidavit of Legal Interest' is required if the applicant is not the legal property owner; Site Plan showing setbacks for ground-mounted systems (front/back/side, from structure to property line, easements, right-of-way lines, and open surface water) or the panel location on the roof; Copy of the Building Contractor's State Registration (Idaho contractor registration); Full plan set (electronic PDF, drawn to scale no smaller than 1/8" = 1'), covering PV array configuration, grounding, wire management, conductors, rapid shutdown of PV systems on buildings, charge controllers, disconnects, inverters, batteries, and anchoring type — ALL plans must bear a current Engineer's stamp; Preliminary Elevation Certificate required before building permit issuance if the parcel is in a mapped floodplain; Final Elevation Certificate required before a Certificate of Occupancy is issued; Copy of subdivision covenants if the property is located in a subdivision with covenants; Fire Plan Review by the Madison County Fire District if determined necessary by the Building Department; Ground-mount setback requirements per the county's published Site Plan Requirements: Agricultural (AG) zone — Front 30/60 ft, Side 10 ft, Back 25 ft; Trans-Agricultural (TRANS) zone — same; a 200 ft setback from 5 ft above the high-water mark of any waterway applies per Sec. 117-63(t); Review process requires a minimum of 10 working days (not counting the submittal day) after all required documents are submitted — an incomplete application is not accepted into the review queue at all. If your project isn't listed, confirm with Madison County Building Department at 208-359-6262 before starting work.

In Unincorporated Madison County, the published Permit Fee Deposit (both Roof Mount and Ground Mount) is: $45.00. Additional published fees: Roof Mount — remaining fee — $125.00 (for a total of $170.00 including the $45 deposit); Ground Mount — remaining fee — $150.00 (for a total of $195.00 including the $45 deposit). These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

A minimum of 10 working days after all required documents are submitted, not counting the submittal day itself — the same figure the county applies uniformly across its Building Permit, Agricultural Exempt, Manufactured Home, Solar, and Demolition permit applications. An incomplete application does not enter the review queue. Source: Madison County Solar Permit Application (PDF).

You'll need: Solar Permit Application (Madison County Building Department); Engineer-Stamped Plan Set; Recorded Warranty Deed. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Unincorporated Madison County requires 2 inspection(s) for a solar permit, in order: Building Department Inspection(s), Electrical Inspection (City of Rexburg contract). Schedule each through Madison County Building Department (208-359-6262).

Apply through Madison County Building Department at 134 E Main St., Ste. 206, Rexburg, ID 83440. Phone: 208-359-6262, email: ddecker@co.madison.id.us. Office hours: Mon–Fri 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (Madison County government offices; closed all federal holidays) — hours confirmed on the co-located Planning & Zoning Dept page (134 E Main St. Ste. 208); Building Department page itself does not publish separate hours. Official information: https://www.madisoncountyid.gov/departments/building_department/index.php.

Yes. Madison County publishes a dedicated Solar Permit Application (distinct from its general Building Permit application), with a $45 deposit plus either $125 (roof mount, total $170) or $150 (ground mount, total $195) in remaining fees — ground mount costs more because it requires Planning and Zoning setback review, which roof mount does not. Source: Madison County Building Department, Solar Permit Application (PDF).

Yes — the county's Solar Permit Application explicitly requires that all plans (PV array configuration, grounding, wire management, conductors, rapid shutdown, charge controllers, disconnects, inverters, batteries, and anchoring type) have a current Engineer's stamp, for both roof-mount and ground-mount systems.

Sources & verification

Verified against official sources. Last reviewed 2026-07-20.

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 Unincorporated Madison County building department before you submit. PermitBase is an independent reference and is not affiliated with any government agency.

Other permits in Unincorporated Madison County

Residential Building Permit (New Construction / Addition / Accessory Structure)Agricultural Exempt PermitManufactured Home Installation PermitEV Charger / EVSE Permit

Solar Permit in other cities

American Falls, IdahoAmmon, IdahoBlackfoot, IdahoBoise, IdahoBuhl, IdahoBurley, IdahoCaldwell, IdahoCascade, Idaho

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