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Solar PV Installation Permit in Unincorporated Emery County, Utah

Emery County publishes no distinct solar/solar-PV permit or fee line. The county's Building Permit Requirements page lists 'Electrical work' among the categories requiring a permit on unincorporated land, and a rooftop or ground-mounted solar PV installation is processed under this same general Outside City Limits Building Permit — priced by the county's standard valuation-based fee schedule (ICBO 1997 UBC valuation/fee schedule) with a published $50 minimum, rather than a separate solar-specific charge.

Verified 2026-07-21 · Source

When you need this permit

  • Installation of a rooftop or ground-mounted solar photovoltaic (PV) system at a residential or commercial property in unincorporated Emery County
  • Electrical scope (panel/interconnection, inverter, wiring) shown on the plans submitted with the Building Permit Application — the county's Building Permit Requirements page lists 'Electrical work' among the categories requiring a permit
  • Licensed electrical contractor, or owner-performed work where allowed
  • Roof-mounted arrays: structural adequacy of the roof framing for the added dead load, per the adopted IBC/IRC
  • Zoning clearance/plot plan review by the County Zoning Administrator for ground-mounted arrays sited on the property

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Base Building Permit FeeEmery County Permit Process page: fee 'is based on the valuation of the project which is determined on a cost per square foot basis, according to ICBO 1997 UBC fee schedule recommendations.' No solar-specific valuation row or rate is published separately from this general schedule.
Valuation-based, per the ICBO 1997 Uniform Building Code (UBC) valuation/fee schedule applied to the solar PV installation's project valuation
Minimum Permit FeeEmery County Permit Process page: 'Fees: Minimum $50, calculated per square foot using ICBO 1997 UBC guidelines.' Applies to all building types including a solar PV installation, absent a distinct solar line item.
$50
Plan Check FeeEmery County Building Permit Application, Office Use Only section: '+Plan Check Fee (Base x .65)' — a flat rate applied uniformly across building/work types on the form, not a solar-specific rate.
65% of Base Building Permit Fee
State SurchargeEmery County Building Permit Application, Office Use Only section.
80% of 1% of the (Base + Plan Check) subtotal

Review timeline

Plan reviewUnincorporated Emery County’s published plan-review target
1–14 business days

How long did your Solar PV Installation Permit permit actually take in Unincorporated Emery County?

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

Inspection process

  1. 1

    Electrical Inspection

    Inspection of the PV system's electrical work — panel/interconnection, inverter, and wiring — part of the standard building-permit inspection sequence administered by Emery County Building & Zoning.

  2. 2

    Final

    For roof-mounted arrays, confirms structural attachment and completed work before the system is placed in service.

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

Tips

  • Emery County has no standalone solar/solar-PV permit category — a solar PV installation is filed as an electrical (and, for roof-mounted arrays, structural) scope under the general Outside City Limits Building Permit, using the same valuation-based fee schedule and $50 published minimum as every other work type on the county's fee-calculation form.
  • The county's Building Permit Requirements page (emery.utah.gov/home/department-directory/bz/building-permit/) and Permit Process page were both live-checked 2026-07-21 for 'solar,' 'photovoltaic,' and 'PV' terms — none were found; confirm valuation/fee treatment for a specific project with the Building & Zoning Department, building@emery.utah.gov, before applying.
  • Ground-mounted arrays sited away from the residence should confirm setback and zoning-clearance treatment with the Zoning Administrator before applying, since the county's published materials describe siting standards in terms of structures generally rather than solar arrays specifically.

Frequently asked questions

Unincorporated Emery County requires a solar pv installation permit for: Installation of a rooftop or ground-mounted solar photovoltaic (PV) system at a residential or commercial property in unincorporated Emery County; Electrical scope (panel/interconnection, inverter, wiring) shown on the plans submitted with the Building Permit Application — the county's Building Permit Requirements page lists 'Electrical work' among the categories requiring a permit; Licensed electrical contractor, or owner-performed work where allowed; Roof-mounted arrays: structural adequacy of the roof framing for the added dead load, per the adopted IBC/IRC; Zoning clearance/plot plan review by the County Zoning Administrator for ground-mounted arrays sited on the property. If your project isn't listed, confirm with Emery County Building & Zoning Department at (435) 381-3555 before starting work.

There is no published solar-specific fee. The general Building Permit fee schedule applies: a valuation-based base fee (ICBO 1997 UBC schedule) with a $50 minimum, plus a 65% Plan Check Fee and an 80%-of-1% State Surcharge on the subtotal. Contact the Building & Zoning Office at (435) 381-3555 for a project-specific estimate.

Unincorporated Emery County's published plan-review target for a solar pv installation permit is 1–14 business days.

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

Unincorporated Emery County requires 2 inspection(s) for a solar pv installation permit, in order: Electrical Inspection, Final. Schedule each through Emery County Building & Zoning Department ((435) 381-3555).

Apply through Emery County Building & Zoning Department at 75 East Main St, Room 106, PO Box 417, Castle Dale, UT 84513. Phone: (435) 381-3555, email: building@emery.utah.gov. Office hours: Mon–Fri 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM, except county holidays. Official information: https://emery.utah.gov/home/department-directory/bz/.

Unincorporated Emery County, Utah has adopted: 2021 International Residential Code (IRC), plus Appendix AQ of the 2021 IRC — Emery County Building & Zoning, with State of Utah Amendments — Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(b)/(c); unchanged by the July 1, 2026 revision — still the current edition; 2024 International Building Code (IBC), including Appendices C and J — Emery County Building & Zoning, with State of Utah Amendments — Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(a); current edition as of July 1, 2026 (2021 edition governed through June 30, 2026); 2024 International Plumbing Code (IPC) — Emery County Building & Zoning, with State of Utah Amendments — Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(d); current edition as of July 1, 2026 (2021 edition governed through June 30, 2026); 2024 International Mechanical Code (IMC) — Emery County Building & Zoning, with State of Utah Amendments — Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(e); current edition as of July 1, 2026 (2021 edition governed through June 30, 2026); 2020 National Electrical Code (NEC), as listed on the Emery County Building Permit Requirements page — NOTE: Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(g) sets the 2023 NEC as the statewide in-force edition, unchanged by the July 1, 2026 revision; the county page has not been updated to reflect the statewide 2023 adoption (same discrepancy documented in the Cache County file for this corpus).; 2024 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC) — Emery County Building & Zoning, with State of Utah Amendments — Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(f); current edition as of July 1, 2026 (2021 edition governed through June 30, 2026); 2024 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) — Emery County Building & Zoning, with State of Utah Amendments — Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(h); current edition as of July 1, 2026 (2021 edition governed through June 30, 2026); statute has no residential/commercial split — one edition applies to both; 2024 International Existing Building Code (IEBC) — Emery County Building & Zoning, with State of Utah Amendments — Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(i); current edition as of July 1, 2026 (2021 edition governed through June 30, 2026); 2024 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC), residential provisions — Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(n). ADDED 2026-07-16: this code is not listed on Emery County's own building-code pages, but it is adopted statewide by statute, so it applies here regardless of the county page's omission.; Utah Wildland Urban Interface Code — Emery County Building & Zoning; COUNTY-PAGE LAG (live-checked 2026-07-16): the Emery County Building Permit Requirements page (emery.utah.gov/home/department-directory/bz/building-permit/) still lists '2021' for IBC, IPC, IMC, IFGC, IECC, and IEBC (plus '2020' for NEC, noted above) — the page has not been updated for the July 1, 2026 statewide flip to 2024 editions. The 2024 editions and 2023 NEC listed in this array are the legally in-force editions per Utah Code § 15A-2-103, not the county page.; NOTE (verified 2026-07-16 against the live Utah Code § 15A-2-103 text, version headed 'Effective 7/1/2026 / Superseded 1/1/2027'): the 2024 editions of IBC, IPC, IMC, IFGC, IECC, and IEBC listed above took effect July 1, 2026, replacing the 2021 editions; IRC (2021) and NEC (2023, per statute — see county-page discrepancy note above) did not change. The 1/1/2027 version of the statute carries identical editions, so no further flip is expected then. This file previously forecast this change but still led with the 2021 editions as current — corrected on this date.. Local amendments apply — see the Unincorporated Emery County overview page for the full list.

No. Emery County has no distinct solar/solar-PV permit or fee line. A rooftop or ground-mounted solar PV installation is processed under the county's general valuation-based Outside City Limits Building Permit — the same $50 minimum fee, 65% Plan Check Fee, and 80%-of-1% State Surcharge that apply to other building and electrical work.

Sources & verification

Verified against official sources. Last reviewed 2026-07-21.

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

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