Getting a permit for a small solar panel install turned into a 4-month mess

I started the process for a simple rooftop solar setup on my house in Austin back in March, thinking the city permit would take maybe a month. It ended up needing three separate revisions to the site plan and two in-person visits to the permit office, finally getting approved in July. Has anyone else dealt with local red tape making a green project way harder than it should be?

2 comments

2 Comments

hart.mark1d ago

Austin's permit office is a classic case. It's the same thing with trying to get a simple patio cover approved, or even a fence. The rules are so scattered and the feedback is never clear the first time. You end up playing this guessing game with city staff, wasting months. Makes you wonder if they actually want people to improve their own homes.

betty_price141d ago

My neighbor over on Kinney Avenue said he had to submit his solar plans five times last year. I mean, the trick is to call the specific reviewer listed on your first rejection and ask them to walk you through every single note, line by line. Idk, maybe it's just me but I started taking a tablet to the office to make the changes right there in the waiting area after they told me what was wrong. It still took forever, but at least it stopped the back and forth mailing.