Lincoln Solar Permit Guide

01 / Know your path

Two approvals.
One project.

A local permit and utility permission to operate are different approvals. Check the local sequence and requirements below.

02 / Prepare your application

What you need.

• Solar PV Residential permit application, submitted electronically via the City of Lincoln's Citizen Access system or over-the-counter at the Development Services CenterRequired when: always; systems 25 kW AC or less on single-family or duplex rooftops are eligible for streamlined review using standard electrical plans and structural engineering evaluation criteria
• LES interconnection agreement (Net Metering 25 kWAC or Less Agreement for Interconnection)Required when: always, for grid-tied systems
• Additional coordination and approval through Lincoln Electric SystemRequired when: always, alongside the City's own inspection process

Permit fees

Some supporting official material could not be independently confirmed from the full source in GridPermit's latest review. Verify the current requirement with the authority before relying on it.

Not yet verified.

Rebates on record

Utility and generation supplier

Permit authority

Inspection steps

• Once all City of Lincoln permits to construct the solar PV system have been issued and the system has been installed, it must be inspected before final approval is granted to operate the system; inspections can be scheduled through Citizen Access or by calling 402-441-5999
• Additional coordination and approvals are required through Lincoln Electric System beyond the City's own inspection

Eligibility constraints

• Property types: residential
• Max system size (AC): 25 kW
• Max system size (DC): Not yet verified.
• Max thermal capacity: Not yet verified.
• Program/pathway: City of Lincoln's streamlined residential solar PV permit review (systems 25 kW AC or less on single-family or duplex rooftops), combined with LES's net metering program under Nebraska's statewide Net Metering statute (Neb. Rev. Stat. §§ 70-2001 to 70-2005, enacted 2009 via LB 436).
• Other conditions:
  • A 'qualified facility' under Nebraska's statewide statute must have a rated capacity at or below 25 kilowatts, be located on and controlled by the customer-generator's own premises, interconnect and operate in parallel with the local distribution system, and be equipped to automatically isolate itself during a power outage.
  • Net metering credits the customer-generator at the full retail rate for each kWh that offsets their own electricity use during a billing period; any net excess generation beyond the customer's own usage is instead compensated at the local utility's avoided cost of electric supply (Neb. Rev. Stat. § 70-2002(6)).
  • The customer-generator's minimum monthly fee may not exceed that charged to other customers in the same rate class, and no additional standby, capacity, demand, interconnection, safety-testing, or liability-insurance requirement beyond the statute's own standards may be imposed.
  • A local distribution utility is not required to accept additional net-metering customers once the combined capacity of all its net-metering customer-generators reaches 1% of its average aggregate customer monthly peak demand forecast for that calendar year — though a utility may voluntarily offer net metering above this cap or for systems above 25 kW at its own discretion.

Official contacts

Official sources

Frequently Asked Questions

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