Sunprint
The short answer
Home solar inside a Texas city still goes through the city in some form, but the rules aren't what they were. Senate Bill 1202 lets a licensed master electrician or an electrical inspector do the plan review and inspection for home solar and batteries in place of the city, and makes the city issue the permit within three business days. Senate Bill 1252 bars cities from regulating the installation or inspection of small home backup systems. Each city applies them in its own way, and city-owned utilities like Austin Energy keep their own rules.
Zoning, building and fire review still apply. A separate electrical permit is needed for any change to the home's wiring.
Its guide (March 2024) says a licensed electrician buys the electrical permit, and CenterPoint approves first.
Every system needs an Auxiliary Power Electrical Permit and an approved interconnection agreement.
The two 2025 laws
- For a “home backup power installation”: generation, storage or standby equipment for a one- or two-family home, connected at 600 volts or less.
- A licensed master electrician or an electrical inspector may review the plans and do the inspections instead of the city.
- The city has to issue the permit within three business days of the approving notice, and work can start once that notice is submitted.
- The city isn't liable for the third party's work; the reviewer is liable for negligence.
- Covers a “residential energy backup system” that supplies no more than 50 kW or stores no more than 100 kWh.
- A city may not adopt or enforce an ordinance, rule or electrical code amendment that regulates its installation or inspection.
- City-owned utilities, like Austin Energy, keep their authority in their own service areas.
Both took effect September 1, 2025. SB 1252 applies to installations started on or after that date. Neither law changes what your utility requires to connect a system to its lines; SB 1202 says so in so many words.
Dallas
The City of Dallas's Service First Bulletin #204 explains how it applies the two laws to residential solar, batteries and backup generators. It doesn't do an electrical review on solar permits anymore, but it still reviews zoning, the building code's rooftop solar rules (Residential Code R324.3 and R324.6, which cover roof access and pathways) and fire safety. Any change to the home's own wiring, such as a service upgrade, a new disconnect, a panel replacement or new circuits, needs a separate electrical permit.
If you go the third-party route, the homeowner signs a letter acknowledging that a third party hired by the contractor does the review and inspection, releasing the city from liability, and noting that third-party firms aren't required to carry insurance. A project stays on whichever path it starts on.
Houston
Houston's solar permit guide, last revised in March 2024, requires at least a structural permit and an electrical permit for any solar system, issued under one project number, with electronic plans showing the roof layout and attachment details. It says a registered licensed electrician must buy the electrical permit and that CenterPoint Energy has to approve the interconnection before installation starts. Houston lists the solar panel permit at $91.06 plus a $33.56 administrative fee, with plan review at 25% of the permit fee. The guide predates SB 1202 and SB 1252, so ask the city how it applies them now.
Austin
In Austin Energy's territory, the utility's May 2026 Solar Permitting Manual governs. Every solar system, battery or interconnected generator needs an Auxiliary Power Electrical Permit, applied for through the Austin Build + Connect portal by a contractor registered with the city, and a residential project's interconnection agreement has to be approved by Austin Energy before the permit is activated. Ground-mounted systems and solar shingles inside city limits also need residential plan review, engineer-stamped plans and a building permit. In the extraterritorial jurisdiction or outside city limits, no City of Austin building permit is needed, but the Auxiliary Power permit still is. Austin Energy inspects the system itself. As a city-owned utility, it's outside SB 1252's limits.
Other cities and the county
- Other cities. Under SB 1202, a city has to post the rules, standards and fee schedule a third party needs, or send them within two business days; a city that hasn't posted a fee schedule can't charge a fee on that path. Your city's development services office is the place to ask.
- Outside city limits. Counties that adopted Local Government Code chapter 233 standards can require notice and inspections for new houses, but not prior approval. Our off-grid guide covers the county rules.
- Who does the work. The state electrician license law and its homeowner exemption are covered in our DIY solar guide.
- HOAs. A separate approval, with limits set by state law; see our HOA guide.
The utility is separate
A city permit doesn't connect your system. PUC rules require an application and a signed interconnection agreement before a system connects to a utility's lines, and co-ops and city utilities run their own processes. In Houston, CenterPoint's approval comes before installation; in Austin, the interconnection agreement comes before the permit is activated. Our utility guides cover each one, starting with Oncor, CenterPoint and Austin Energy.
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Common questions
Do I need a permit for solar panels in Texas?
Inside a city, expect one. State law since September 2025 lets a licensed master electrician or electrical inspector handle the review and inspection for home solar and batteries instead of the city, and limits city rules for small home backup systems, but cities still apply zoning and building rules.
What is Texas SB 1202?
A 2025 law that lets a licensed master electrician or an electrical inspector review plans and conduct inspections for a home backup power installation, including solar and batteries, in place of the city. The city must issue the permit within three business days of the approving notice.
What is Texas SB 1252?
A 2025 law that bars cities from adopting or enforcing rules that regulate the installation or inspection of a residential energy backup system supplying no more than 50 kW or storing no more than 100 kWh. City-owned utilities keep their authority.
How much is a solar permit in Dallas?
Dallas lists a $15 technology fee, a $577 plan review fee and a $125 building inspection fee for residential solar, battery and backup generator permits, plus $196 for a separate electrical permit and a $100 inspection if the home's wiring changes.
How much is a solar permit in Houston?
Houston lists its solar panel permit at $91.06 plus a $33.56 administrative fee, with a plan review fee of 25% of the permit fee. Its guide says a structural and an electrical permit are both required.
What permits does Austin require for solar?
In Austin Energy's territory, every system needs an Auxiliary Power Electrical Permit and an approved interconnection agreement. Ground-mounted systems and solar shingles inside city limits also need a building permit with engineer-stamped plans.
Related guides
- Can you install your own solar panels in Texas?
- Texas HOA solar rules
- Texas solar laws
- Solar batteries and Texas power outages
- Solar for Oncor customers
- Solar for CenterPoint customers
Permit rules and fees change, and cities apply the 2025 laws differently. Check with your city before you start. Not legal advice. Sources: Texas Legislature: SB 1202, enrolled (2025) · Texas Legislature: SB 1252, enrolled (2025) · City of Dallas: Service First Bulletin #204 (PDF) · City of Houston: solar PV permit and inspection guide (PDF) · City of Houston: solar panel permit · Austin Energy: Solar Permitting Manual, May 2026 (PDF) · PUC: 16 TAC 25.211 (PDF). Reviewed October 2026.
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