City of Houston

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% · permit page
• What does this authority permit itself, and what does it delegate? Both 95% · published guide (CE-1198, rev. March 2024)
• Is a permit required for a residential rooftop PV system? Yes 95% · published guide
• Is there a separate electrical permit, or is it combined? Separate — two permits (structural + electrical), but issued under one shared project/permit number 90% · published guide
• Is a HOA or architectural approval required first? No — there is no city HOA or architectural approval step. But CE-1198 opens with a duty on the applicant: 'Prior to application, verify deed restrictions with the civic association or county real property records regarding placement of solar panels on the subject property.' Houston has civic associations and deed restrictions rather than zoning, so this check sits with the applicant and is not something the city adjudicates. 85% · published guide
• Is there a historic-district review? Yes — a historic district triggers an additional review, but it is currently benign. CE-1198 states properties located in a historic district 'will be subject to additional requirements'; Exhibit 2 elaborates: 'If the property is in a historic district, it will trigger a review by Planning, currently with no issues regarding solar panels.' (The same exhibit notes floodplain properties trigger a Floodplain Management Office review requiring the FMO Project Cost Estimate Worksheet, placed in the Flood folder of the Form section in ProjectDox; and properties in designated areas near an airport are also subject to additional requirements.) 80% · published guide (Exhibit 2, OCR of embedded image)
• Is a wind or windstorm certification required? No separate TDI/windstorm certification is called for by the city. Wind compliance is instead demonstrated inside the permit drawings: for buildings under the 2021 IRC, plans must show compliance with the minimum wind speed for the specific address per Table R301.2(1) footnote n and the ASCE 7 Hazard Tool (https://asce7hazardtool.online/), with the tool's printout included; for buildings under the 2021 IBC, the same via §1609.3. 'All roofing and equipment assemblies must comply with the appropriate minimum wind design.' 2022 ASCE 7 is separately adopted as a Houston construction code. Windborne debris matters in one concrete way: projects in windborne debris regions (basic wind speed design ≥140 mph) are excluded from SolarAPP+ and must go through traditional plan review. 78% · published guide + SolarAPP+ announcement

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 — specifically a registered licensed electrician (Texas-licensed master/contractor, registered with the City of Houston) 95% · published guide + department page
• Must the contractor be registered with this authority before applying? Yes 95% · department page
• Is a homeowner permitted to self-install and self-permit? No 75% · published guide (Exhibit 3, OCR of embedded image)

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? Per CE-1198: (1) Building Permit Application via iPermits; (2) Declaration Supporting Building Permit Application, signed by the property owner and validated against HCAD records — plus proof of ownership if HCAD does not match; (3) cover sheet, index of plans and a code analysis sheet listing 2021 IRC or 2021 IBC (not both), 2023 NEC, 2021 IFC, 2021 IEBC, 2021 IECC, 2021 UMC, 2021 UPC, 2021 ISPSC and the Houston Amendments, Code Words and HFD Life Safety Bureau Standards; (4) site/plot plan to scale from a property survey; (5) roof plan to scale with panel layout, existing penetrations, rail/mounting locations relative to rafters, cross-section anchorage detail, and total sq ft of roof planes carrying panels; (6) structural letters, calculations, details and manufacturer installation instructions sealed by a Texas PE; (7) a sealed Texas engineer's letter that the existing structure complies, or sealed plans showing added framing; (8) ASCE 7 hazard tool wind-speed printout for the specific address; (9) electrical plans signed/sealed by a licensed electrician or Texas engineer showing NEC Art. 690 compliance; (10) spec sheets with approved listing-lab logos for all solar and associated electrical equipment; (11) labelling and placards per NEC Art. 690, 691 and 705; (12) dimensioned roof layout showing access, pathways and spacing per 2021 IFC 1205; (13) calculations/tabulations showing how the system was sized. Documents marked preliminary or 'not for construction' are returned without review. 92% · published checklist (CE-1198, rev. March 2024)
• How many copies, and in what format? Electronic only — no paper copies. 'The application process and the submittal of plans must be done electronically': application via iPermits, plans and documents uploaded to ProjectDox. File standards (Solar Panel EPR User Guide v9.2, Fall 2024): DOC, DOCX and PDF accepted for calculations/reports; flat (unlayered) vector PDF or JPEG for drawings; plans to scale with a minimum output dimension of 24" x 36"; 1" clear border with a 4½" title block; a 2½"W x 3½"H area reserved at the upper right of each drawing for the approval stamp. 88% · EPR submittal guide v9.2, Fall 2024
• Is a site plan required, and what must it show? Yes. A site or plot plan drawn to scale based on a survey of the property, showing: size and location of new construction and existing structures; distances to all property/lot lines; easements; setbacks; exterior equipment and pads; and storage batteries. There must be no encroachment into easements by the solar panels, rack/rail systems or equipment. A separate roof plan to scale must show panel layout, existing roof penetrations/chimneys/vents, rail and mounting locations relative to rafters, a cross-section anchorage detail, and the total square footage of the roof planes carrying panels. Exhibit 5 adds: multiple buildings labelled, property and setback lines labelled, duplex/townhouse fire-barrier location labelled, escape windows not blocked, a legend for eaves/ridges/rakes/hips/valleys, roof levels and planes labelled, flat roofs and parapets labelled, roof materials labelled, scale and north arrow shown. 90% · published checklist
• Is a one-line / three-line diagram required? Yes — one-line diagram is an explicit required item on the electrical plans 95% · published checklist
• Are string and conductor calculations required? Yes 90% · published checklist
• Is a structural PE stamp required, and at what threshold? Yes — required on every residential PV job, with no size threshold. Structural letters, calculations, plans, details and rail/rack/attachment manufacturer instructions must be 'designed and sealed by a Texas Professional Engineer (PE)' to address added loads and anchorage to the existing structure, plus foundations for anything at grade. Either a sealed Texas engineer's letter confirming the existing structure complies, or sealed/signed/dated plans identifying additional framing. 'All engineered sheets shall be sealed, signed and dated by a Texas licensed engineer.' A SECOND PE involvement is required after construction: a post-installation special inspection letter (template CE-1387) certifying the completed install conforms to the city-approved design. 88% · published guide + CE-1387 template
• Is an electrical PE stamp required, and at what threshold? No electrical PE stamp required. CE-1198: 'Electrical plans shall be prepared and signed/sealed by either a licensed electrician or a Texas engineer' — the licensed electrician is an accepted alternative, so a PE is optional on the electrical side. (Contrast the structural side, where a Texas PE is mandatory.) 85% · published guide

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? Two systems in tandem: iPermits (https://www.pdinet.pd.houstontx.gov/ILMS_Online_Permits/default.asp) for the permit application, fee payment and inspection scheduling; ProjectDox / Avolve (https://projectdox.houstonelectronicplanreview.org/ProjectDox/index.aspx) for electronic plan review upload and markups. SolarAPP+ (https://solarapp.nrel.gov/) is an additional route for eligible projects since 15 July 2024. NOTE: the city is building a replacement called HouPermits, which will replace iPermits (customer-facing), ILMS (back office) and Telework (inspector app); no launch date is published. 95% · permit page + HouPermits project page
• Can the whole application be completed online? Yes 90% · published guide
• What does a residential solar permit cost? There is NO solar-specific fee line item. The published components (2026 rates) are: minimum permit fee $91.06; administrative fee $33.56 (non-refundable); non-refundable plan review fee of 25% of the estimated building permit fee, payable once the application is finalised; reinspection fee $94.00 if needed. The Solar Panel Permit page itself quotes $91.06 permit + $33.56 admin. The structural portion above the minimum is charged from the one- and two-family residential tables (area/tier based); the electrical portion is charged from per-item schedules. Fees rose 1.3910% (CPI) effective 1 January 2026. 80% · 2026 Building Code Enforcement Permit Fee Schedule
• How is the fee calculated? Tiered — with a floor. A minimum permit fee ($91.06) plus a flat administrative fee ($33.56) always apply. Above the minimum, the structural/building portion for one- and two-family dwellings is charged from tiered tables (a base charge per tier plus an incremental charge per additional square-foot increment, varying by construction type IA/IB/IIA/IIB etc.); the electrical portion is charged per item from a fixed schedule (e.g. meter loop and service up to 50kW $94.00; panels with eight or more circuits $9.39 each; heaters/generators over 10 kW $8.05 plus $1.81 per additional kW). Plan review is a percentage: 25% of the estimated building permit fee. 70% · 2026 fee schedule
• Is there a separate plan-check fee? Yes — 25% of the estimated building permit fee, non-refundable, paid once the application is finalised 95% · 2026 fee schedule + CE-1198

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.

• What is the stated plan-review turnaround? No turnaround is published for the traditional plan review route. However, since 15 July 2024 Houston accepts SolarAPP+ (NREL's automated plan review): eligible rooftop PV submitted by a contractor registered as an installer with both SolarAPP+ and the City is processed 'without needing traditional plan review' — i.e. the plan review step is eliminated rather than shortened. Projects in windborne debris regions (basic wind speed design ≥140 mph) are NOT eligible for SolarAPP+ and must use traditional plan review. 70% · department announcement
• How long is an issued permit valid before it expires? Two years (≈730 days). Administrative Code Provisions for the 2023 NEC, §303.4: 'If work is not commenced under a permit within two years after the date of issuance or is abandoned at any time for a period of two years, the permit shall expire.' To recommence, the holder pays the full permit fee again and resubmits compliant plans. §303.4.1 lets the building official grant written extensions of not more than 180 days each. Separately, §304.3: an application for which no permit is issued within 180 calendar days expires by limitation (one extension of up to 180 days available). 80% · adopting ordinance / administrative code provisions
• Which utility handles interconnection here? CenterPoint Energy (Houston Electric) — the TDU 95% · city guide (naming the utility) + utility page
• Where does the utility sit in the sequence? Parallel, but with a hard gate before construction. The city requires the CenterPoint interconnection application to be submitted directly to CenterPoint and approved BEFORE installation starts — it does not make city permit issuance conditional on it, so the two run alongside each other. CenterPoint's five-step sequence is: Customer inquiry and application → CenterPoint design and review → construction → CenterPoint final review → PTO issued. 70% · city guide + utility 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 (NFPA 70). State-mandated in Texas effective 1 September 2023; the City of Houston's Administrative Code Provisions for the 2023 NEC were adopted by Ord. No. 2023-907, passed 25 October 2023, effective 1 January 2024. 95% · adopted codes list (CE-1199) + adopting ordinance
• Which building code edition is in force? 2021 International Residential Code (with Houston Amendments) for one- and two-family dwellings, and 2021 International Building Code (with Houston Amendments) — both effective 1 January 2024. CE-1198 requires the code analysis sheet to cite '2021 IRC or 2021 IBC (not both)'. Also in force: 2022 ASCE 7 (Minimum Design Loads), 2021 IEBC, 2021 IECC, 2021 UMC, 2021 UPC, 2021 ISPSC, all with Houston Amendments and all effective 1 January 2024. Collectively the 2021 Houston Construction Code, adopted by Ord. No. 2023-907 on 25 October 2023. 95% · adopted codes list (CE-1199)
• Which fire code edition is in force? 2021 International Fire Code with Houston Amendments (Exhibit F to Ord. No. 2023-907), effective 1 January 2024. Houston Fire Department Life Safety Bureau (LSB) Standards are separately in force and CE-1198 requires them to be cited on the code analysis sheet. 95% · adopting ordinance Exhibit F
• Are there local amendments to any of the above? Yes — extensive Houston Amendments to every adopted code (Ord. No. 2023-907, Exhibits A–L). For solar specifically, three findings matter, two positive and one negative: (POSITIVE) Houston IBC §1613.3 prohibits ballasted roof-mounted PV outright — see Q35. (POSITIVE) Houston NEC administrative provisions §504.1.1 impose a bespoke available-fault-current label — see Q40. (NEGATIVE, PROVED) the Houston IFC amendments do NOT amend §1205 (Solar Photovoltaic Power Systems) or §1207 (ESS): §1205 appears in the amendments only inside the referenced-standards list, and the only Chapter 12 amendment is §1203.4.2 on emergency/standby power scheduling. Likewise the Houston 2023 NEC provisions contain zero occurrences of '690', '705', 'solar', 'photovoltaic' or 'rapid shutdown', and §513 'Articles Not Adopted' lists only NEC 240.91(B), 312.5(C) and 645.25. 92% · adopting ordinance exhibits A–L
• What is the installation judged against? CE-1198 verbatim: 'The inspection requirements for installation of solar photovoltaic panels shall be based on the approved plans, the manufacturer's installation manual, and the Houston Construction Code, whichever is more restrictive.' Structurally, the same whichever-is-more-restrictive test is applied to the manufacturer's installation specifications vs the Houston Construction Code. Electrically, plans must show compliance with NEC Article 690, with 2023 NEC Article 705 'incorporated into the electrical design', and panels listed to UL Standard 1703. 95% · published guide

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? Governed by 2021 IFC Section 1205, adopted UNAMENDED (proved — see Q32). The city's own plan-review checklist (CE-1198 Exhibit 6) states how it reads it: '18" required on both sides if panels are on both sides of hip or valley. When on 1 side of the hip or valley, solar panels can go up to the edge.' The exhibit's roof diagram is annotated 18", 18" and 36". Checklist questions: 'Ridge, rake, & valley, duplex-townhouse dividing line pathways?', 'Arrays maximum of 150' in either direction?', 'Equipment clearances shown?'. Dimensioned roof layout plans showing roof access, required pathways and spacing per 2021 IFC §1205 are a required submittal item. 80% · published checklist (Exhibit 6, OCR) + adopted IFC

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 — rapid shutdown per 2023 NEC 690.12, applying unamended. 80% · NEC administrative code provisions (proved absence) + adopted codes list

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? Two layers. (1) Model code, adopted unamended: CE-1198 requires 'Labeling and placards as required in NEC Article 690, 691 & Article 705: Interconnect Electrical Power Production Systems', and adds 'Compliance with 2023 NEC Article 705 Interconnect Electrical Power Production Systems must be incorporated into the electrical design.' 'Current Labels & Markings' is a required item on the electrical plans. (2) Houston's own, at the service equipment: the available fault current label under NEC administrative provisions §504.1.1 — see Q40. Panels must be listed to UL 1703 and spec sheets with approved listing-lab logos supplied for all solar and associated electrical equipment. 88% · published guide + NEC administrative code provisions
• Does the authority specify placard wording of its own? No — for PV placards. Houston prescribes no placard wording of its own for solar; it points at NEC Articles 690, 691 and 705. The single Houston-written label specification anywhere in the electrical code (§504.1.1, available fault current) prescribes size, colour and required content, but not exact wording. 85% · NEC administrative code provisions (proved absence)
• Does it specify letter height, colour or material? Yes — for one label, and it is Houston's own. Administrative Code Provisions for the 2023 NEC, §504.1.1 Available Fault Current Labeling: 'In lieu of the maximum available fault current marking as required by 110.24, a permanently affixed label shall be applied with the available fault current at the time of installation and calculation. The label shall be 2 inches by 3 inches in size and shall be blue lettering on a contrasting background. This label shall also include the date of the calculation.' So: size 2" x 3", blue lettering, contrasting background, permanently affixed, must carry the calculation date. NO letter height, colour or material is specified by Houston for any PV-specific placard — those default to NEC Articles 690/691/705. 88% · adopting ordinance Exhibit D (NEC administrative code provisions)
• Is a site plan / facility map placard required, and what must it show? No local addition. 2023 NEC 705.10 applies as adopted — Houston does not amend Article 705 and does not list it among the articles not adopted. CE-1198 requires the plan-drawing equivalent (site/plot plan to scale showing structures, property lines, easements, setbacks, exterior equipment and pads, and storage batteries; dimensioned roof layout showing access and pathways), but imposes no site-plan-placard requirement beyond the NEC's. 70% · NEC administrative code provisions (proved absence)
• Where must the labels be placed? Placement follows the NEC (Articles 690/691/705) — Houston adds no general PV placement rule. The one Houston-specific placement instruction is for the available fault current label under §504.1.1: 'permanently affixed', and because it stands in lieu of the NEC 110.24 marking, it belongs at the service equipment. §504.2 separately fixes the service disconnect operating handle between 4 ft and 6 ft 7 in above floor or finished grade, which constrains where service-adjacent labelling is read from. 70% · NEC administrative code provisions

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.

• Must equipment be on a specific approved list? Yes — listing by an approved agency is mandatory, though not a single named list. Administrative Code Provisions for the 2023 NEC, §508: 'All electrical materials and equipment shall be listed and labeled for intended use and shall be included in a list published by an approved agency', and 'The maker's name, trademark, or other identification symbol shall be placed on all electrical materials, apparatus, devices, appliances, fixtures, and equipment used or installed under the provisions of this code.' CE-1198 adds that panels 'shall be listed for compliance with UL Standard 1703' and requires 'Specification sheets with approved logos for all solar and associated solar electrical equipment showing listing by a recognized testing laboratory.' NEW module products not previously permitted, not considered mainstream, or missing labelling/listings or code approvals may require an Alternative Method submittal under city handout CE-1103. 90% · NEC administrative code provisions + CE-1198
• Are batteries permitted, and under what conditions? Permitted, and governed by Houston Residential Code §R328 (Stationary Storage Battery Systems) for one- and two-family dwellings. Submittal: storage batteries must be shown on the site/plot plan, and battery size, type AND weight must appear on the electrical plans. Houston has published TWO formal interpretations, both specific to residential ESS and both recent: CODE WORD 2021-R12 'Impact Protection for Residential ESS' (published 15 April 2025) and CODE WORD 2021-R13 'ESS in Residential Garages, Locations Requiring Impact Protection' (published 28 May 2025). R12 imports the 2024 IRC §R330.8.3 barrier menu as acceptable to the Building Official: bollards (48" x 3" Sch 80 steel pipe in a 12"-deep x 6"-dia concrete pier, ≥36" exposed, concrete-filled, max 5 ft spacing, ≥6" from the ESS; or 36" x 3" Sch 80 welded to a ≥8" x ¼" plate bolted with four ½" anchors ≥3" embedment, max 60" spacing, ≥6" from the ESS; or premanufactured concrete-filled steel bollards per manufacturer instructions at max 60" spacing); wheel barriers (concrete or polymer 4"H x 5"W x 70"L anchored every ≤36", ≥54" from the ESS; or premanufactured per manufacturer instructions); or any approved method resisting 2,000 psf in the direction of travel at 24" above grade. R13 defines when protection is triggered in a garage: the 'normal driving path' is the space from the garage vehicle opening to the interior face of the back wall, to 48" above finished floor, at the width of the garage door opening. Protection is required for an ESS on the back wall within 36" left or right of that path, or on a side wall within 24" of the back wall and 36" of the path. Exemption: where the clear height of the garage opening is ≤7 ft 6 in, an ESS mounted ≥36" above finished floor needs no impact protection. Fire-code side: the Houston IFC amendments do NOT amend §1207, and the retroactive FMEA requirement for pre-2018 lithium-ion ESS (Houston IFC §1107.1) carries the express 'Exception: Detached one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses'. 88% · 2021 Code Words (formal interpretations) + IFC amendments + CE-1198
• Is there a separate ESS permit or inspection? No separate ESS permit appears to exist — batteries are handled inside the solar permit package. CE-1198 folds storage batteries into the ordinary solar submittal (shown on the site/plot plan; size, type and weight on the electrical plans) and never mentions a distinct ESS permit or a distinct ESS inspection. 55% · published guide (inference from silence)
• Is a ground mount treated as a structure? Yes. CE-1198 Exhibit 4: 'Ground-mounted panels are counted as structures and have setback requirements.' Exhibit 7 confirms the review treatment for a ground-mounted structure: address checked, setbacks checked, equipment checked, FOUNDATION checked, engineer's seal checked. The main text requires 'detailed structural design of new foundations or structures located at grade', sealed by a Texas PE. Two related rules from the same exhibit: all single-family residential buildings are classified R3 and R3 accessory (not Group U); each address requires a separate solar permit; and 'Solar panels are prohibited from installation on un-permitted structures.' 85% · published guide (Exhibits 4 and 7, OCR) + main text
• Is there a local rule on service upgrades or busbar sizing? Three Houston-specific electrical rules bear on the service: (1) §504.1.1 Available Fault Current Labeling — in lieu of the NEC 110.24 marking, a permanently affixed label showing the available fault current at time of installation and calculation, 2 inches by 3 inches, blue lettering on a contrasting background, including the date of the calculation. (2) §504.2 Service Disconnect — the centre of the operating handle must be not less than 4 ft and not more than 6 ft 7 in above floor or finished grade (tiered metering on multifamily may vary 2 ft 6 in to 6 ft 6 in). §504.2.1 permits the service disconnect and meter disconnect to be the same where approved and space is insufficient. (3) CE-1198 requires main breaker side tap conductors to be minimum #6 AWG copper or #4 aluminium. There is NO Houston busbar-sizing amendment for PV interconnection — NEC 705.12 is not amended. 85% · NEC administrative code provisions + CE-1198
• Is a specific mounting system or attachment spacing required? Yes — Houston prohibits an entire mounting class. Houston Amendment to the 2021 IBC, §1613.3 Ballasted photovoltaic panel systems: 'Ballasted, roof-mounted photovoltaic panel systems shall not be installed on roofs within Houston. All roof-mounted photovoltaic panel systems shall conform to Section 3111.' Beyond that, attachment spacing is not prescribed by the city — it is set by the manufacturer's installation instructions or the Houston Construction Code, whichever is more restrictive, and must be shown on the plans: rail and mounting locations clearly identified relative to roof rafters, with a cross-section anchorage detail and anchorage specifications, all sealed by a Texas PE. Where manufacturer cut/installation sheets document options, the engineer or installer must designate the specific code-compliant product to be installed. 82% · adopting ordinance Exhibit A (Houston IBC amendments)

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. Scheduled by the licensed electrical contractor performing the work, not the homeowner. 'Inspections may be scheduled online or by calling the IVR system at 713-222-9922. A 4-digit scheduling PIN is required.' Online scheduling/lookup is at https://www.pdinet.pd.houstontx.gov/cohilms/webs/Inspection_Lookup.asp. Note: the inspector-side app (Telework) and the scheduling back end are both due to be replaced by HouPermits. 92% · department page

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 — with a documented split. The city performs the electrical inspection itself (Houston Public Works Electrical Inspections, 832.394.8860) and holds Structural Inspections (832.394.8840). But the post-installation STRUCTURAL verification is not done by a city inspector: 'The structural engineer must provide a special inspection letter certifying that the completed installation conforms to the city approved design.' So the city inspects, and a private Texas PE certifies the structure. 92% · published guide
• If delegated, to whom? Only the structural post-install certification is delegated, and it goes to the project's own Texas-licensed structural engineer — not to another authority or third-party agency. The special inspection letter (template CE-1387) may be handed to the field inspector during the final field inspection, or delivered to the Structural Inspections Office at 1002 Washington Avenue, 4th Floor, Houston, TX 77002. The CE-1387 template shows what it must confirm: rails bolted to roof rafters per manufacturer specification or the Houston Construction Code (whichever is more restrictive), lag bolt size and spacing, flashing and waterproofing method, no damage to structural elements, and that the array does not obstruct egress from any egress door or emergency escape and rescue window. 85% · CE-1387 template + CE-1198

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 a residential rooftop PV job the published sequence is short: (1) the licensed electrical contractor schedules an inspection at the time of completion of the work; (2) at that inspection the contractor must be on the job with one of the solar panels, the drawings and all relevant paperwork, and the inspector verifies labels, listings and conformance to the approved plans; (3) the structural engineer's post-installation special inspection letter is provided — either handed to the field inspector at the final field inspection, or delivered to the Structural Inspections Office. Separately, if existing roof coverings must be removed (not adequate for covering over; wood shake, slate, clay, cement, asbestos; or two or more existing layers) a roofing permit is required, and CE-1198 Exhibit 11 notes it 'can combine with solar permit'. 82% · published guide
• Is a rough-in or mid-roof inspection required? No 65% · published guide (proved absence in the solar-specific document)

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? Yes — form CE-1198 'Solar Photovoltaic Panel Permit & Inspection Guide and Checklist' (rev. March 2024, 8 pages), whose stated purpose is 'to identify requirements associated with the plan review and inspection process related to the installation of solar photovoltaic systems and serve as a checklist prior to submission to the Plan Review group'. Eleven exhibits carry the plan-review check items. The CE-1387 letter template separately references 'the approved Solar Inspection Checklist'. 92% · published checklist (CE-1198)
• What must be on site at inspection? CE-1198 verbatim: 'The manufacturer's installation manual and the permit drawings shall remain on the jobsite during all inspections.' At the inspection itself: 'The licensed electrical contractor shall be on the job, and have one of the solar panels, the drawings, and all relevant paperwork for the inspector.' Plus the structural engineer's post-installation special inspection letter, which may be submitted to the field inspector during the final field inspection. 95% · published guide
• Does the inspector verify labels and listings? Yes — explicitly and in writing 95% · published guide

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 — the permit is 'finaled' on the project number. Code Word 2021-E01 uses that terminology: 'Upon approval by the inspector, the electrical permit on the primary project number will be finaled.' Separately, Electrical Inspections lists 'Performing utility releases' among its responsibilities, i.e. the city's approval is what releases the utility connection. 55% · 2021 Code Words 2021-E01 (analogous, not solar-specific)
• Who notifies the utility for PTO? Installer. CenterPoint's own process page: 'Customer's installer company applies online through the utility grid interconnection portal' (https://plus.anbetrack.com/cnp-dg/#/), and the five-step sequence ends 'CenterPoint's final review → PTO issued'. After construction and confirmation of the as-built design, CenterPoint issues the PTO and remotely reprograms the meter to capture excess generation export readings. The City of Houston does not notify the utility for PTO — the city's 'utility release' function is a separate thing, releasing the electrical service connection, not granting interconnection permission. 85% · utility process page
• Is there a re-inspection fee? $94.00 (2026 rate) 80% · 2026 fee schedule
• How are corrections issued and cleared? For PLAN REVIEW corrections: issued inside ProjectDox as markups and changemarks, with standard markup names and colours per reviewing discipline so the applicant can tell which discipline raised what; a markup may carry more than one changemark. The applicant corrects and resubmits through the portal. (For the paper One-Stop Walk-In route, which does not apply to solar: 'If revisions are needed, update your plans and upon return request a new ticket for plan review.') For FIELD INSPECTION corrections, no process is published — see not_found. 70% · EPR submittal guide