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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 FeeBuilding 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; no distinct solar fee line exists either. Confirm current fee directly with City Hall. Re-chased 2026-07-20: since Wallace's building official is contracted from the City of Kellogg, checked whether Kellogg publishes a fee schedule Wallace might reuse — 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 was recoverable either. No newer/superseding fee resolution was found for either city. Re-chased again 2026-07-23: found and reviewed the City's Sept. 3, 2025 workshop minutes on the draft consolidated fee resolution (Resolution #2025-222) — as of that workshop it was 'a very rough draft' still needing Planning & Zoning review before a public hearing could be scheduled. Checked every subsequent City Council meeting packet through the July 8, 2026 meeting (10 consecutive regular/special meetings, Oct. 2025 – July 2026) and Resolution #2025-222 never reappeared on any agenda for adoption. The City's Nov. 12, 2025-adopted Building Permit Process and Procedures handout confirms fees are collected 'based on the current fee schedule' but does not publish that schedule's figures, and the Dec. 10, 2025-adopted Kellogg building-inspection interlocal agreement 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 the solar-specific fee, which still does not exist as a distinct line) was recoverable anywhere; call 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

Tips

  • Do not skip the Certificate of Appropriateness step for a solar installation — because Wallace is entirely a National Historic Landmark district, this file 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.

Other permits in Wallace

Residential Building Permit (New Construction / Addition / Alteration)Certificate of Appropriateness (Historic Preservation)Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Station / EVSE Permit (Certificate of Appropriateness + State Electrical Permit)

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