Solar permit leads: PV and battery permits
Updated · Rotomal
A residential solar permit shows that an address is installing PV, often with a battery, and names the installer of record. Solar installers use these permits mostly to measure competitor share and pricing by ZIP; electricians, battery installers and roofers use them as leads, because solar jobs often come with main panel upgrades, storage add-ons and roof work. Jurisdictions using automated permitting such as SolarAPP+ can issue these permits very quickly, so the data is close to real time.
What a solar permit record shows
- Property address
- Permit type: solar PV, energy storage (battery), or a combined electrical permit
- System size in kW and the number of modules in some jurisdictions
- Declared valuation, useful for price-per-watt benchmarking where system size is listed
- Installer as contractor of record
Who a solar permit is a lead for
| Trade | Why the permit matters |
|---|---|
| Solar installers | Competitor share and pricing by ZIP; which installers are growing in your area |
| Battery installers | PV-only systems are candidates for adding storage later |
| Electricians | Solar and battery jobs often need a main panel upgrade, which may appear as its own electrical permit |
| Roofers | An older roof under a planned array should be replaced first |
| EV charger installers | Solar homes are frequent EV charger buyers |
Automated permitting: SolarAPP+
SolarAPP+ is a free online platform for local governments that standardizes and automates residential solar permit review. The US Department of Energy reported in December 2023 that over 160 jurisdictions were using it. In those places, permits can be issued close to the day of application, which makes weekly permit lists an early signal.
Filtering the list
Search descriptions for: photovoltaic, PV, solar, kW, energy storage system (ESS), battery, main panel upgrade (MPU). Separate residential from commercial by valuation or system size, and track PV-only versus PV plus storage if you sell batteries.
Contacting owners: stay compliant
- Permit records are public, but phone and text outreach to homeowners is regulated: scrub numbers against the National Do Not Call Registry and follow TCPA rules before calling or texting.
- Most permit records do not include homeowner phone numbers or emails; the contractor of record and the property address are the reliable fields.
- Door hangers, mailers and B2B outreach to the contractor of record are the usual low-risk channels.
Questions
Can I see a competitor's solar installs?
Where the installer is listed as contractor of record, yes: grouping permits by contractor shows install volume by area over time.
Are battery installs permitted separately?
It varies. Some jurisdictions issue a separate energy storage permit; others include the battery in the solar or electrical permit.
Sources
- US Department of Energy: 160 Communities Now Automating Solar Permitting with SolarAPP+ (20 December 2023) Source: energy.gov
- US Census Bureau: Building Permits Survey Source: census.gov
- FTC: National Do Not Call Registry Source: donotcall.gov