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Solar PV Installation (Building Permit + Certificate of Appropriateness) in Wallace, Idaho

Wallace has no dedicated solar-PV application, no separate solar fee line, and no historic-district exemption for solar installations. Because the entire City of Wallace is a National Historic Landmark district, a rooftop or ground-mount solar PV system is exterior work and therefore requires a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Planning & Zoning/Historic Preservation Commission (Wallace City Code Title XV, Ch. 155) BEFORE the standard Building Permit (Wallace City Code Ch. 153) can be issued — the same two-step sequence used for any other exterior alteration in this city. Neither the Wallace City Code nor the city's published Certificate of Appropriateness materials carry any solar-specific carve-out, streamlined review, or fee. Electrical interconnection work is permitted and inspected by the State of Idaho (Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses/Division of Building Safety), not the city.

Reviewed 2026-07-20 · Source

When you need this permit

  • A Certificate of Appropriateness is required BEFORE a building permit for any exterior alteration citywide, including a roof- or ground-mounted solar PV installation — Wallace City Code Title XV, Ch. 155; confirmed no solar-specific exemption or streamlined path exists in the ordinance or the city's published COA guidance
  • Certificate of Appropriateness application must include a clear statement of proposed work (materials, colors, layout), plans/elevations sufficient to describe the completed appearance, and a site plan — per Wallace City Code § 155.078(B)
  • Ask the City Clerk whether a rooftop solar installation qualifies for the Historic Preservation Commission's 'pre-approved' minor-project list, which can receive immediate Certificate of Appropriateness approval without waiting for the monthly hearing — not confirmed either way for solar specifically, so ask directly
  • Once the Certificate of Appropriateness is approved, a standard Building Permit application (Wallace City Code Ch. 153) is required for the structural/racking installation, reviewed by the contracted City of Kellogg Building Official against the State Residential Code (2020, IRC-based)
  • Electrical interconnection/wiring is permitted and inspected by the State of Idaho (Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses/Division of Building Safety, 1-800-955-3044), not the City of Wallace
  • Idaho Code § 55-3208 (2022) prohibits a homeowners' association from banning rooftop solar outright (subject to reasonable orientation/placement conditions) — relevant if the property is also HOA-governed, though this does not override the city's own historic-district Certificate of Appropriateness requirement

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Certificate of Appropriateness Application FeeNo fee is stated on the Certificate of Appropriateness application form itself; confirm with City Hall (208-752-1147) whether an application fee applies
Not published
Building Permit Fee
Building permit and Building Department fees in Wallace are set by City Council resolution (Wallace City Code § 153.001(E)) rather than published online — no fee schedule PDF is posted on… Show full citationBuilding permit and Building Department fees in Wallace are set by City Council resolution (Wallace City Code § 153.001(E)) rather than published online — no fee schedule PDF is posted on wallace.id.gov, and no distinct solar fee line exists. Because Wallace's building official is contracted from the City of Kellogg, Kellogg's schedule is the natural adjacent source, but Kellogg's own building fees are likewise 'set by resolution of the Kellogg city council' with no published dollar schedule (kellogg.id.gov/departments/building/), so no adjacent-jurisdiction figure is available either, and no newer or superseding fee resolution has been adopted by either city. A consolidated fee resolution has been drafted but not adopted: the City's Sept. 3, 2025 workshop minutes describe draft Resolution #2025-222 as 'a very rough draft' still needing Planning & Zoning review before a public hearing could be scheduled, and it has not reappeared on any City Council agenda for adoption across the 10 consecutive regular/special meetings from Oct. 2025 through the July 8, 2026 meeting. The City's Building Permit Process and Procedures handout (adopted Nov. 12, 2025) confirms fees are collected 'based on the current fee schedule' but does not publish that schedule's figures, and the Kellogg building-inspection interlocal agreement (adopted Dec. 10, 2025) states only that Wallace remits 100% of plan-check fees and 75% of building-inspection fees to Kellogg — percentages, not dollar amounts. No dollar figure for the building permit fee (or a solar-specific fee, which does not exist as a distinct line) is published anywhere; confirm the current fee with City Hall, (208) 752-1147.
Not published

Review timeline

Plan reviewWallace’s published plan-review target
1–45 business days

How long did your Solar PV Installation (Building Permit + Certificate of Appropriateness) permit actually take in Wallace?

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

Inspection process

  1. 1

    Building Official Inspection(s)

    Inspection(s) by the contracted City of Kellogg Building Official at applicable construction phases for the racking/mounting structural work

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

Tips

  • Do not skip the Certificate of Appropriateness step for a solar installation — because Wallace is entirely a National Historic Landmark district, this record found no solar-specific exemption anywhere in the city's historic-preservation ordinance or published COA materials, unlike some other historic districts nationally that carve out low-visibility or rear-facing solar arrays.
  • Ask the City Clerk whether your specific solar project (e.g., a rear-facing, low-visibility array) might qualify for the Historic Preservation Commission's pre-approved minor-project list for immediate approval, rather than waiting for the monthly hearing.
  • Neither the Certificate of Appropriateness nor the building permit has a published fee for Wallace — budget time to call City Hall (208-752-1147) for current amounts before applying.
  • Electrical interconnection is handled entirely by the State of Idaho (DOPL/Division of Building Safety), not the city — apply for that separately.

Frequently asked questions

Yes. Because the entire City of Wallace is a National Historic Landmark district, installing solar panels is exterior work requiring a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Planning & Zoning/Historic Preservation Commission before the standard building permit can be issued. No solar-specific exemption from this requirement was found in the city's ordinance or published guidance.

Not published. Both the Certificate of Appropriateness and the building permit fee are set administratively/by City Council resolution rather than published online, and there is no distinct solar fee line — confirm current amounts directly with City Hall, (208) 752-1147.

Wallace's published plan-review target for a solar pv installation (building permit + certificate of appropriateness) is 1–45 business days.

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

Wallace requires 1 inspection(s) for a solar pv installation (building permit + certificate of appropriateness), in order: Building Official Inspection(s). Schedule each through City of Wallace — Planning & Zoning / Building Department (building official services contracted to the City of Kellogg) ((208) 752-1147).

Apply through City of Wallace — Planning & Zoning / Building Department (building official services contracted to the City of Kellogg) at 703 Cedar Street, Wallace, ID 83873. Phone: (208) 752-1147, email: kristina.larson@wallace.id.gov. Office hours: Mon–Fri 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM (closed holidays). Official information: https://wallace.id.gov/departments/.

Wallace, Idaho has adopted: International Building Code (IBC), 2018 Edition, as adopted by the State of Idaho / State Building Code Board, together with any State Building Code Board amendments — Wallace City Code § 153.001(A)(1); State Residential Code (based on the International Residential Code), 2020 Edition, as adopted by the State of Idaho / State Building Code Board — Wallace City Code § 153.001(A)(2); State Energy Conservation Code (based on the International Energy Conservation Code), 2020 Edition, as adopted by the State of Idaho / State Building Code Board — Wallace City Code § 153.001(A)(3); State Existing Building Code (based on the International Existing Building Code), 2018 Edition, as adopted by the State of Idaho / State Building Code Board — Wallace City Code § 153.001(A)(4); State Manufactured Home Installation Standard, as developed by the Idaho Division of Building Safety — Wallace City Code § 153.001(A)(5); American National Standard ICC/ANSI A117.1 (accessibility) — Wallace City Code § 153.001(A)(6); Uniform Code for Building Conservation (International Conference of Building Officials, latest edition), adopted specifically to regulate building and construction within the city's historical districts — Wallace City Code § 153.004. Local amendments apply — see the Wallace overview page for the full list.

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Other permits in Wallace

Residential Building Permit (New Construction / Addition / Alteration)Commercial Building Permit (New Construction, Additions, Remodels & Tenant Improvements)Certificate of Appropriateness (Historic Preservation)Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Station / EVSE Permit (Certificate of Appropriateness + State Electrical Permit)

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