City of Dallas

A city address is usually permitted by the city, not the county — but not always, and some authorities keep building and hand electrical to someone else. Getting this wrong costs the whole submittal, because every requirement below belongs to whoever actually holds jurisdiction. Check the overlays in the same pass: an HOA, a historic district, a windstorm certification or a system-size cap can reshape the design, and all of them are cheaper to find now than after the array is laid out.

• Is this authority the AHJ for residential solar at this address? Yes 95% · published checklist
• What does this authority permit itself, and what does it delegate? Both 95% · department inspection configuration sheet
• Is a permit required for a residential rooftop PV system? Yes 95% · published checklist
• Is there a separate electrical permit, or is it combined? Combined — one application, two permits issued 90% · published checklist + inspector presentation
• Is a HOA or architectural approval required first? No — the City does not require HOA or architectural approval first 75% · published checklist
• Is there a historic-district review? Yes, where the property sits in a historic overlay or conservation district 65% · department record-type list + checklist
• Is a wind or windstorm certification required? No 65% · published checklist

Several authorities require the electrical permit to be pulled by a licensed electrician, or require the contractor to be registered with them BEFORE applying. Registration is not same-day. This is second on the list rather than fourth because it is the step most likely to stop the job before the drawings matter.

• Who is allowed to pull the electrical permit? Licensed electrician — a registered electrical contractor pulls the electrical permit, and Dallas-amended NEC 705.8 requires a TDLR-licensed Master Electrician or Journeyman Electrician on site during the installation 90% · adopting ordinance (Chapter 56 amendments)
• Must the contractor be registered with this authority before applying? Yes — must be registered with the City as a general/building contractor before applying; separate electrical contractor registration is needed if you do the electrical yourself (Master Electrician must appear in person at 320 E Jefferson Blvd, Room 210) 90% · portal job aid
• Is a homeowner permitted to self-install and self-permit? Effectively no for the PV interconnection 65% · department form

Almost everywhere wants a site plan, a one-line or three-line electrical diagram, equipment cut sheets with listings, and a structural attachment detail. Build it against the published checklist rather than the last jurisdiction you worked in — the checklist is what the reviewer marks against.

• What documents make up a complete submittal? Residential: completed permit application; two sets of all construction documents sealed by a licensed PE; two copies of manufacturer's installation instructions; number of panels; location of panels (site plan may be required); roof plan showing existing condition and proposed equipment location; building elevations showing total height with equipment; engineered construction documents or sealed assembly/installation plans of the PV system; three-line electrical diagram complete with calculation; engineered construction documents of the connection to the structure (framing plans, connection details, structural calculations or load diagrams); declaration of whether a battery/ESS is present with total kWh; attestation of compliance with Zoning, PD and Conservation Districts. Electrical plan review additionally wants spec sheets showing listing and testing laboratory, and conductor calculations for all conductors including correction, adjustment and duty factors 92% · published checklist
• How many copies, and in what format? Two sets of construction documents; minimum text size 3/32"; sheet size minimum 11"x17", maximum 36"x48" ('E' size). Submittal is now electronic via DallasNow 75% · published checklist
• Is a site plan required, and what must it show? Conditionally — residential checklist says 'Location of solar panels. A site plan may be required (refer to commercial requirements)'. Where required it must show all property lines with length and metes and bounds, building lines, easements, a north arrow, all existing structures and the proposed solar equipment. Electrical plan review separately requires a site plan with equipment locations shown. A roof plan showing existing condition and proposed equipment location, and building elevations showing total height with equipment, are required unconditionally 85% · published checklist + inspector presentation
• Is a one-line / three-line diagram required? Yes — three-line diagram 95% · published checklist
• Are string and conductor calculations required? Yes 88% · inspector presentation + checklist
• Is a structural PE stamp required, and at what threshold? Yes — required on every residential PV job, no size threshold. All construction documents must be reviewed or designed and sealed by a licensed professional engineer to comply with Dallas Residential Code R301.1.3 or Dallas Building Code Chapter 16; engineered construction documents of the PV system's connection to the structure (framing plans, connection details, structural calculations or load diagrams) are separately required 90% · published checklist
• Is an electrical PE stamp required, and at what threshold? No separate electrical PE stamp is called out, but checklist general requirement 2 requires 'all construction documents and plans' to be sealed by a licensed PE, which on its face includes the electrical sheets 60% · published checklist

Most authorities now take the whole application through a portal, and several states cap or constrain what a residential solar permit may cost. Check whether plan check is billed separately before you quote the job.

• Which permit portal does this authority use? DallasNow — Accela Citizen Access, at https://aca-prod.accela.com/DALLASTX/Default.aspx 95% · portal landing page
• Can the whole application be completed online? Yes 90% · portal job aid
• What does a residential solar permit cost? Approximately $281 — Table B-II base permit fee $181 per dwelling unit plus $100 for the additional trade 60% · published fee schedule (eff. 1 Jul 2025)
• How is the fee calculated? Flat — flat base per dwelling unit plus a flat amount per additional trade (Table B-II), not valuation-based 60% · published fee schedule (eff. 1 Jul 2025)

Interconnection is a separate process from the permit and usually the longer pole. Where the utility does not depend on the permit being issued, running both at once is the single biggest saving available on a residential job.

• How long is an issued permit valid before it expires? 2 years (730 days) to make progress 88% · city code chapter
• Which utility handles interconnection here? Oncor Electric Delivery Company LLC 80% · utility service territory page
• Where does the utility sit in the sequence? Parallel 60% · utility interconnection process page

The NEC edition a jurisdiction enforces is often a cycle behind the newest one published, and local amendments sit on top of it. Rapid shutdown, conductor sizing and labelling all change between editions, so the edition in force is the first thing to establish, not the last.

• Which NEC edition is in force? 2023 NEC 95% · adopting ordinance + department letter
• Which building code edition is in force? 2021 IBC as Chapter 53 (Dallas Building Code) and 2021 IRC as Chapter 57 (Dallas Residential Code, Ordinance 33099), both with Dallas amendments, effective 12 May 2023. 2021 IEBC is Chapter 58 90% · department code list
• Which fire code edition is in force? 2021 International Fire Code with Dallas amendments, as Chapter 16 (Dallas Fire Code), effective 10 February 2023 90% · adopting ordinance
• Are there local amendments to any of the above? Yes — every code is adopted with Dallas amendments (city code chapters 16, 52–62) 95% · department code list + adopting ordinances
• What is the installation judged against? 2023 NEC as amended by Dallas City Code Chapter 56, together with the 2021 IRC as Chapter 57 (Dallas Residential Code) for the structural side; administration is Chapter 52 92% · adopting ordinance

Ridge setbacks and roof access pathways are fire-service requirements and they constrain the array layout. They are the most common cause of a redesign after the fire department comments on a plan set.

• What ridge setback and access pathways are required? 2021 IFC Section 1204 (Solar Photovoltaic Power Systems) as adopted, with no Dallas amendment 72% · adopting ordinance (proved absence of local amendment)

Which rapid-shutdown rule applies follows directly from the NEC edition in force, and the initiation device has to be at a location the fire service can reach and identify. This is inspected, and it is labelled.

• Is rapid shutdown required, and to which NEC edition? Yes — 2023 NEC 690.12, unamended by Dallas 85% · adopting ordinance

The NEC sets a baseline for permanent markings at the service equipment and the disconnecting means. On top of that, an authority may specify its own wording, and the utility may specify more again. Where any of them writes its own text, a generic off-the-shelf label set will not pass — this is the detail most often fixed on a return visit.

• Which placards does this authority require at the service equipment? The 2023 NEC set (690.13(B) disconnect marking, 690.56 PV system markings, 705.10 directory, plus 690.12 rapid-shutdown labelling), unamended by Dallas — PLUS Oncor's caution placards on the visible lockable labeled AC disconnect (Class 1, 2 or 3 depending on distance to the Oncor meter). Oncor also requires the words 'Visible Lockable Labeled Disconnect' spelled out at least once on both the layout sketch and the one-line diagram 82% · utility DG requirements + adopting ordinance
• Does the authority specify placard wording of its own? No 85% · adopting ordinance (proved absence)
• Does it specify letter height, colour or material? No City specification. Oncor specifies MATERIAL but not letter height or colour: placards must be UV-resistant and follow the same material standards as the NEC; colour cast acrylic is acceptable, as are sticker-type materials if outdoor-rated and of similar NEC specification; both must carry a UV inhibitor rated for exterior use. If cast acrylic is used the customer must also supply double-sided exterior adhesive tape, preferred brand 3M Scotch VHB (4956, 4941, 4936 or 4926), minimum 1 inch wide 82% · utility placard guideline
• Is a site plan / facility map placard required, and what must it show? Yes for Oncor Class 3 installations (DG fed from an Oncor pad-mounted transformer, or a high-voltage delivery point with remote DG). The site map must show: (1) location of the Oncor meter and Oncor delivery equipment, (2) location of the generator's main AC disconnect, (3) the facility address, (4) a north indicator with basic street and building layout, (5) a title, e.g. 'Solar System Disconnecting Means'. Three sets are required — one for existing Oncor equipment, one spare for when Oncor equipment is replaced, one for the customer's main equipment. NEC 705.10 also applies unamended 85% · utility placard guideline
• Does the UTILITY specify placards beyond the AHJ's? Yes — this is where the real placard specification lives for Dallas. Oncor requires caution/warning placards on ALL distributed generation projects, graded by how far the visible lockable labeled disconnect (VLLD) sits from the Oncor meter. Class 1: VLLD within 10 ft of the Oncor meter — a basic caution placard, e.g. 'CAUTION / POWER TO THIS SERVICE IS ALSO SUPPLIED FROM ON-SITE SOLAR/WIND GENERATION / AC SYSTEM DISCONNECT'. Class 2: VLLD more than 10 ft away — a placard at the Oncor meter naming where the disconnect is, e.g. '...DISCONNECT LOCATED ON WEST WALL OF THIS STRUCTURE', plus one on the disconnect. Class 3: pad-mounted transformer or HV delivery with remote DG — caution placard plus site map, three sets, and for pad-mount an extra pre-drilled caution placard attached to the secondary cables inside the Oncor transformer. Placard proofs must be uploaded to the Placards section of the eTRACK installer portal; Class 1 proofs may instead be shown on the layout sketch, and installers may reuse a Class 1 template. Class 2 and 3 placards are unique per project 90% · utility DG requirements
• Where must the labels be placed? On the visible lockable labeled AC disconnect — explicitly NOT on the Oncor meter. Oncor also requests identical placards on the customer's main equipment for additional recognition. For Class 2, an additional placard goes at the Oncor meter location pointing to where the disconnect is. For Class 3 pad-mount, an extra placard attaches to the secondary cables inside the Oncor transformer, and Oncor's own operations group mounts the placards on Oncor equipment (the contractor furnishes the placards and adhesive tape) 90% · utility placard guideline

Where the AC disconnect must sit relative to the meter is usually the utility's rule, not the building department's. Battery storage frequently carries its own permit, its own inspection and its own fire conditions.

• Where must the AC disconnect be, relative to the meter? A single separate Visible Lockable Labeled AC Disconnect (VLLD) must be located BETWEEN the Oncor meter and ALL sources of distributed generation, on an accessible exterior wall, within 10 feet of the Oncor meter. If it is more than 10 ft from the meter, Class 2 or Class 3 placards must be used. It must have an external handle, be lockable in the open position, and have a visual break appropriate to the voltage; molded-case breakers are NOT acceptable as VLLDs. It must be accessible at all times. The distance between the disconnect and the Oncor meter must be stated in feet on both the layout sketch and the one-line diagram, and the words 'Visible Lockable Labeled Disconnect' must be written out at least once on each before the acronym VLLD may be used. No meter collars — the space within the meter socket is reserved for Oncor 95% · utility DG requirements
• Must equipment be on a specific approved list? Yes — equipment must be listed and labeled by a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory. Spec sheets submitted at plan review must show the listing and the testing laboratory; the department points to OSHA's current NRTL list 90% · inspector presentation + checklist
• Are batteries permitted, and under what conditions? Yes. The solar permit application requires a declaration of whether a battery/energy storage system is present and its total kWh of storage. ESS is governed by 2021 IFC Section 1207 as adopted in Dallas Fire Code Chapter 16, unamended locally, and a fire operational permit is required under Dallas Fire Code 105.5.14 for stationary and mobile energy storage systems regulated by Section 1207. Oncor separately requires batteries and ESS to appear on the layout sketch and one-line with manufacturer, model, quantity and voltage 75% · adopting ordinance + checklist
• Is there a separate ESS permit or inspection? Yes for the fire operational permit — Dallas Fire Code 105.5.14 requires an operational permit for stationary and mobile energy storage systems regulated by Section 1207. There is no separate ESS building permit: storage is declared on the same Solar/PV permit application, and the RES-SOLAR record already carries a Fire Specialty Inspection (code 603) 70% · adopting ordinance
• Is there a local rule on service upgrades or busbar sizing? Yes — Chapter 56 amendment no. 13 (Article 220) requires calculations to be provided when loads are added. Related amendments the department flagged for attention: NEC 215.18 surge protection required on feeders supplying dwellings, and 230.85(C) emergency disconnect required when replacing service equipment 80% · adopting ordinance + department letter

Booking is a portal, a phone call or an email depending on the authority, and the notice required is rarely zero. Book before the work is finished rather than after — the lead time, not the work, is usually what sets the date.

• How is an inspection booked? Portal or Phone — online via DallasNow, or by IVR at 214-670-5313 (the IVR has been upgraded for voice activation) 95% · department page
• How much notice is required? 1 working day 90% · city code chapter
• Are same-day or AM/PM windows offered? No AM/PM windows are published. The practice is that your assigned field inspector's name and phone number are printed on the issued permit, and you call that inspector between 8:00 and 8:30 AM to get a timeframe for their arrival 55% · inspector presentation (dated)

Some authorities inspect their own solar work; some delegate it, and a few do not inspect the PV equipment itself at all. Who is coming determines what they will look at.

• Does this AHJ perform its own final solar inspection? Yes — the City performs its own, but since 1 Sep 2025 the applicant may elect third-party inspection 88% · department page + state statute
• If delegated, to whom? Not delegated — City of Dallas inspectors, in the Building Inspection Division of Planning & Development. Optional third-party route under TX LGC §247.0025 is elected by the applicant, not delegated by the City 85% · department page

A rough-in or mid-roof inspection, where one is required, has to happen before the work it covers is closed up. Missing a stage means opening something back up, and it is the most expensive kind of correction.

• Which inspections are required, and in what order? For the Residential Solar/PV Permit record (RES-SOLAR) the department's Inspection Configuration Sheet lists these inspection types and IVR codes: Building Final 100, Building Rough All Above Floor 102, Building Rough Ceiling 103, Building Rough Walls 104, Electrical Final 300, Electrical Rough All Above Floor 302, Electrical Rough Below Floor 303, Electrical Rough Ceiling 304, Electrical Rough Walls 305, Electrical Service 306, Mechanical Final 400, Mechanical Rough Above Floor 403, Mechanical Rough Below Floor 405, Fire Specialty 603, Zoning Final 914 — with the note 'Required inspection may vary depending on the scope of work'. Order: electrical inspections must precede all building inspections for the same phase of construction. In practice roughly 99% of single-family PV jobs are just two: Electrical Final then Building Final 85% · department inspection configuration sheet
• Is a rough-in or mid-roof inspection required? No for a typical rooftop retrofit — rough inspections are required only where something will be covered 80% · inspector presentation

The approved plan set, the permit, and the equipment listings should be on site and reachable. Inspectors routinely verify that installed equipment matches what was approved, and that the labels are the ones the plan set promised.

• Is there a published inspection checklist? No 70% · department pages (proved absence)
• What must be on site at inspection? City approved and stamped plans; the engineer's sealed structural drawings; a clearly posted building address and permit card; and a qualified electrician (TDLR Master or Journeyman) on site to open any energized equipment. The work must actually be ready and accessible 85% · city code + inspector presentation
• Does the inspector verify labels and listings? Yes 62% · inference from checklist + presentation + city code

Passing gives you a final or an equivalent sign-off. That is not the same as permission to operate: PTO comes from the utility, and who tells the utility the inspection passed varies. A system left switched off for weeks is usually waiting on this handover.

• What is issued on pass? Final — approved Building Final (100) and Electrical Final (300) inspections on the permit. No Certificate of Occupancy is issued for a solar retrofit 62% · department inspection configuration sheet (inference)
• Who notifies the utility for PTO? Installer 90% · utility interconnection process page
• Is there a re-inspection fee? $125 per trade inspection 65% · published fee schedule (eff. 1 Jul 2025)
• How are corrections issued and cleared? Chapter 52 §304.4: on inspection the building official either indicates the portion inspected is satisfactory as completed, or notifies the permit holder or their agent how the construction fails to comply. Non-complying work must be corrected and must not be covered or concealed until authorized. Any reinspection fees assessed must be paid before any further inspections are made on that job site. Results and status are visible in DallasNow, and reinspection is rebooked the same way as the original 70% · city code chapter