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Renewable Energy System — Residential Photovoltaic (PV) Permit in Boulder City, Nevada

Required for installation of rooftop residential solar photovoltaic systems in Boulder City. Governed by the City's 2018 IRC, 2018 IBC, and 2017 NEC (with Southern Nevada Building Code Amendments), plus the City's Residential and Small Commercial Photovoltaic Permit Process guide. Net metering applies via the City's own municipal utility.

Verified 2026-07-03 · Source

When you need this permit

  • Site plan indicating solar modules in relation to the existing structure, roof configuration (hips, gables, valleys), fire-code clearance dimensions, and electrical components (junction boxes, conductors, inverter, combiner, raceways)
  • One-Line Electrical Diagram with conduit/conductor schedule, module count in series source circuit, and equipment schedule
  • Structural information on roof pitch, rafter spacing, framing type (conventional or engineered truss), and existing roof covering material
  • Manufacturer's specification sheet for the inverter
  • Required clearances: minimum 3 feet to the ridge; hip roofs require 3 feet from eave to ridge; gable roofs require 3 feet at each gable; commercial roofs require a 6-foot minimum clear path; modules near skylights require a 4-foot pathway; maximum array size is 150 feet by 150 feet
  • Net Metering Interconnection Agreement signed (wet signature preferred) by the property owner, submitted with the permit package
  • The Building and Safety Division forwards plans/forms to the utility and schedules the utility's net-meter installation as part of the 'one-stop shop' process

Required documents

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This checker covers one permit. A full project usually triggers several — our checklist will assemble all of them, free →

Fee schedule

Building Permit Fee — Table A, valuation-based (project bid value used as valuation; no dedicated residential solar fee waiver found)2026 Administrative Code, Table A; Residential and Small Commercial Photovoltaic Permit Process guide confirms 'Application Fee: No utility fee — only fees associated with the building permit apply'
$27.00 minimum ($1-$500), scaling per Table A of the 2026 Administrative Code
Permit Issuance Fee2026 Administrative Code, Section 110.2(A)
$40.00
Commercial Grid Photovoltaic System — All-Inclusive Permit (for reference; commercial grid-scale only, not applicable to standard residential rooftop)2026 Administrative Code, Table J — included for context; residential rooftop PV uses the standard Table A valuation-based fee, not Table J
$6,000.00 per megawatt (AC), plus $40.00 issuance

Review timeline

Plan reviewBoulder City’s published plan-review target
14–21 business days

How long did your Renewable Energy System — Residential Photovoltaic (PV) Permit permit actually take in Boulder City?

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

Inspection process

  1. 1

    Rough Electrical

    Conduit runs and disconnect placement before energizing

  2. 2

    Final

    Panel mounting, roof penetration sealing, inverter, and interconnection verified; utility replaces the meter with a net meter

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

Tips

  • The plan review timeframe for a first review of a Renewable Energy System — Residential PV permit is 2-3 weeks. Source: City of Boulder City Renewable Energy System Residential PV Permit Submittal Checklist (02/16/2021 V1).
  • Net metering credits are based on the utility's average avoided wholesale energy cost, recalculated annually at year-end and applied starting the following July billing period — contact Utility Services Billing for the current rate.
  • The City does not offer rebates for net metering installations.
  • The Building and Safety Division acts as the single point of contact ('one-stop shop') for permitting, fees, inspections, and forwarding the Net Metering Agreement to the utility.

Frequently asked questions

Boulder City requires a renewable energy system — residential photovoltaic (pv) permit for: Site plan indicating solar modules in relation to the existing structure, roof configuration (hips, gables, valleys), fire-code clearance dimensions, and electrical components (junction boxes, conductors, inverter, combiner, raceways); One-Line Electrical Diagram with conduit/conductor schedule, module count in series source circuit, and equipment schedule; Structural information on roof pitch, rafter spacing, framing type (conventional or engineered truss), and existing roof covering material; Manufacturer's specification sheet for the inverter; Required clearances: minimum 3 feet to the ridge; hip roofs require 3 feet from eave to ridge; gable roofs require 3 feet at each gable; commercial roofs require a 6-foot minimum clear path; modules near skylights require a 4-foot pathway; maximum array size is 150 feet by 150 feet; Net Metering Interconnection Agreement signed (wet signature preferred) by the property owner, submitted with the permit package; The Building and Safety Division forwards plans/forms to the utility and schedules the utility's net-meter installation as part of the 'one-stop shop' process. If your project isn't listed, confirm with City of Boulder City Community Development Department, Building and Safety Division at (702) 293-9282 before starting work.

No. Per the City's Residential and Small Commercial Photovoltaic Permit Process guide: 'Application Fee: No utility fee — only fees associated with the building permit apply.'

Boulder City's published plan-review target for a renewable energy system — residential photovoltaic (pv) permit is 14–21 business days.

You'll need: Renewable Energy System — Residential PV Permit Submittal Checklist; Boulder City Net Metering Interconnection Agreement. Depending on your project, Boulder City may also ask for: Boulder City Net Metering Policy. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Boulder City requires 2 inspection(s) for a renewable energy system — residential photovoltaic (pv) permit, in order: Rough Electrical, Final. Schedule each through City of Boulder City Community Development Department, Building and Safety Division ((702) 293-9282).

Apply through City of Boulder City Community Development Department, Building and Safety Division at 401 California Avenue, Boulder City, NV 89005. Phone: (702) 293-9282, email: buildingpermits@bcnv.org. Office hours: Monday through Thursday, 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (excluding holidays); applications submitted after office hours are processed the next available work day. Inspection scheduling hotline: (702) 293-9327 or buildinginspections@bcnv.org; inspection requests must be received by 3:30 p.m. for next-business-day scheduling (no Friday/weekend/holiday inspections).. Official information: https://www.bcnv.org/163/Building-Permits.

Boulder City, Nevada has adopted: Nevada has no mandatory statewide building code; NRS 701.220 requires the Nevada Governor's Office of Energy (GOE) to adopt, on a triennial basis, the most recently published International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) as a statewide ENERGY floor only — local governments may not adopt an energy code less stringent than the GOE-adopted IECC edition, but building-code editions for structural/life-safety codes vary city-by-city under home rule. The 2024 IECC was adopted by the GOE effective August 18, 2024, as the current statewide energy floor. Source: NRS 701.220 (Nevada Revised Statutes, Chapter 701 — Energy Policy), https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/nrs-701.html; Nevada Governor's Office of Energy, Building Energy Codes / State Adoption Status, https://www.energy.nv.gov/programs/building-energy-codes/state-adoption-status/. Confirm your city's specific adopted energy-code edition — Boulder City's own adopted edition is documented separately below and is older than the current statewide floor edition (a home-rule city choice, not a floor violation, since IECC 2018 was the floor at the time of Boulder City's last code-cycle adoption).; Boulder City runs its own independent building-permit program (Community Development Department, Building and Safety Division) — it is NOT administered by Clark County. Verified via the City's official Building and Safety Division page and the City's own Administrative Code, fee schedule, and permit-submittal-checklist library, all published on bcnv.org. Source: City of Boulder City Building and Safety Division, https://www.bcnv.org/163/Building-Permits; 2018 International Building Code (IBC), with Southern Nevada Building Code Amendments — applies to buildings other than single-family residential homes and townhomes (2026 Administrative Code Section 101.5.1). Source: City of Boulder City Permit Fee Schedule and Valuation Table (eff. 8/3/2020) 'Currently Adopted Codes/Standards' list, and Residential New Construction (Custom) Permit Submittal Checklist (02/16/2021 V1) 'Applicable Codes' section; 2018 International Existing Building Code (IEBC) — governs additions/modifications to existing buildings (2026 Administrative Code Section 101.5.2); 2018 International Residential Code (IRC), with Southern Nevada Building Code Amendments — applies to single-family homes and townhomes (2026 Administrative Code Section 101.5.3); 2018 Uniform Mechanical Code (UMC), with Southern Nevada Building Code Amendments — Nevada's Southern Nevada jurisdictions use the Uniform Mechanical Code, not the International Mechanical Code; 2018 Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC), with Southern Nevada Building Code Amendments — not the International Plumbing Code; 2017 National Electrical Code (NEC), with Southern Nevada Building Code Amendments; 2018 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC), with Southern Nevada Building Code Amendments; 2018 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), with Southern Nevada Building Code Amendments — this is Boulder City's own locally adopted energy-code edition (older than the current 2024 IECC statewide floor under NRS 701.220; confirm current status with Building and Safety before relying on this edition for new submittals); 2012 International Fire Code (IFC) per the 2020 Fee Schedule flyer; the 2026 Administrative Code Section 101.5.9 separately lists 'the currently adopted International Fire Code' generically without repeating the edition year — the 2012 edition is the last edition year found published by the City; Southern Nevada Amendments apply to all the above codes per 2026 Administrative Code Section 101.5.10 ('the provisions of the currently adopted Southern Nevada Amendments shall apply to all matters of all of the above mentioned codes'); City of Boulder City Building and Safety Division Administrative Code, 2026 edition — the local administrative/procedural code (permit application, fees, inspections, exemptions); contains substantial copyrighted material from the 2012 IBC per its title page. Source: https://www.bcnv.org/DocumentCenter/View/16731/2026-Building-and-Safety-Division-Administrative-Codepdf; All of the above code editions and amendment references are confirmed current via the City's Permit Submittal Checklists (each dated 02/16/2021 V1, and independently re-served live from bcnv.org as of this review) for Residential New Construction (Custom), Electrical, Plumbing, Mechanical, Demolition, Fence and Retaining Wall, Renewable Energy System Residential PV, and Residential Accessory Building — all list the identical 2018/2018/2018/2017/2018 code-edition set with Southern Nevada Amendments, corroborating the 2020 Fee Schedule flyer. Local amendments apply — see the Boulder City overview page for the full list.

Sources & verification

Verified against official sources. Last reviewed 2026-07-03.

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 Boulder City building department before you submit. PermitBase is an independent reference and is not affiliated with any government agency.