New York / Local permit guide
New York City Solar Permit Guide
Your local requirements. The official sources. A clearer next step.
- Permit authority
- New York City Department of Buildings (DOB)Source linked
- Electric utility
- Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc. (Con Edison)Source linked
- Local pathway
- Standard NYC DOB permit path (Registered-Design-Professional-prepared construction documents plus a separately filed electrical permit) combined with Con Edison's Standardized Interconnection Requirements (SIR) self-certification path for grid-tied systems at or below 50kW-AC.Project-specific eligibility conditions apply.
- Review time
- Not yet verified.
New York City (the boroughs/counties of New York (Manhattan), Kings (Brooklyn), Queens, Bronx, and Richmond (Staten Island)) ·
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Your permit path,
at a glance.
This shows what GridPermit has verified for New York City. It does not show the status of a specific project.
01 / Know your path
Two approvals.
One project.
Interconnection & PTO
Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc. (Con Edison)
Utility requirementsA local permit and utility permission to operate are different approvals. Check the local sequence and requirements below.
How to read this guide
GridPermit collects New York residential solar and permitting facts directly from official sources (city, county, and state government sites, utilities, and public utilities commissions) and shows only what we can verify, with a confidence score and a link to where it came from. Nothing here is estimated or inferred beyond what's stated below. See our methodology for the rules this page follows.
Battery/solar incentive program on record
No battery/storage incentive program is on record for this locality.
02 / Prepare your application
What you need.
Sources & confidence
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.
- DOB construction permit filing fee: amount not verified (Calculated by the Department's computer system based on the Registered Design Professional's stated value of the work, per NYC Building Code Section 28-112.2)
Per DOB's own Solar FAQ page. A separate fee is calculated for the electrical permit; neither is published as a flat solar-specific dollar figure.
Sources & confidence
Rebates on record
Rebates on record
Not yet verified.
Utility and generation supplier
Utility
Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc. (Con Edison)
Con Edison's own Solar Photovoltaics Guide states it 'provides electric services to 3.4 million customers in New York City and portions of Westchester County' — the dominant, near-universal electric utility across all five boroughs.
Sources & confidence
Generation supplier
Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc. (utility)
New York is a retail-choice state — customers may select an alternate Energy Service Company (ESCO) for generation supply while Con Edison remains the distribution utility responsible for interconnection and net metering credits. Con Edison is recorded as the default generation/distribution utility for customers who do not choose an alternate ESCO.
Sources & confidence
Interconnection
Con Edison's own guide confirms residential systems fall under the New York State Standardized Interconnection Requirements (SIR) self-certification path for projects at or below 50kW-AC — approximately 98% of Con Edison's interconnection applications are small-scale (<50kW-AC) residential jobs. Net metering credits are governed by 'Phase One NEM' for systems installed on/after March 9, 2017: full retail-rate 1:1 kWh crediting that carries over month-to-month and year-to-year with no forced annual cash-out (unlike the older 'Grandfathered NEM' tier, which cashes out banked credits every January by default unless the customer elects a different cash-out month).
Inspection steps
- Special and Progress Inspections during construction, as required by the NYC Building Code
- Final inspection performed by the project's Registered Design Professional to confirm Code compliance
- A complete set of the DOB-approved drawings must be available on site for the final inspection, and the installer (with the electrician recommended to attend for electrical inspections) must be available to present the completed work
Sources & confidence
Eligibility constraints
- Property types: residential
- Max system size (AC): 50 kW
- Max system size (DC): Not yet verified.
- Max thermal capacity: Not yet verified.
- Program/pathway: Standard NYC DOB permit path (Registered-Design-Professional-prepared construction documents plus a separately filed electrical permit) combined with Con Edison's Standardized Interconnection Requirements (SIR) self-certification path for grid-tied systems at or below 50kW-AC.
- Other conditions:
- Systems with renewable energy generating capacity of 25kW or greater require a qualified commissioning agent and a commissioning report filed with DOB prior to sign-off.
- Con Edison's own materials state approximately 98% of its interconnection applications are small-scale (<50kW-AC) residential jobs eligible for the simplified self-certification review path.
- A separate DOB filing for the solar installation itself is only required when the owner is pursuing the NYC Solar Property Tax Abatement; otherwise it may be filed as part of the primary construction application.
Sources & confidence
Official contacts
Official contacts
- DOB Solar & Green Roof inquiries, email: greenroofandsolar@buildings.nyc.gov, official website
- Con Edison residential net metering billing, phone: 212-780-6600, email: netmetering@coned.com, official website
Need a solar installer who handles permits in New York City?
EnergySage is an independent solar marketplace where you can request property-specific pricing from installers familiar with local permitting.
Compare quotes from solar installers →You'll continue on EnergySage's website. GridPermit links to EnergySage as an independent third-party resource. This link is not currently tracked for compensation.
Official sources
Official sources
- Solar Installation Frequently Asked Questions, New York City Department of Buildings (government). Accessed 2026-08-14.
- Project Requirements for Owner: Solar Energy, New York City Department of Buildings (government). Accessed 2026-08-14.
- Solar Photovoltaics Guide, Version 5 / July 2022, Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc. (utility). Accessed 2026-08-14.
Frequently Asked Questions
What utility serves solar customers in New York City, New York?
Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc. (Con Edison) is the interconnection and distribution utility for New York City. The default electricity generation supplier is Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc., a utility, separate from Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc. (Con Edison).
What documents are required for a solar permit in New York City?
Commonly required documents include: Construction documents prepared and submitted by a Registered Design Professional (licensed Professional Engineer or Registered Architect), including a structural analysis of the roof's capacity to support the added panel weight; Electrical work permit application (ED16A form, with Box 'E' checked to ensure qualified inspectors are assigned) filed by a NYC Licensed Electrician; Con Edison interconnection approval — for systems <=50kW-AC, a self-certification form uploaded through Con Edison's Power Clerk portal after construction and inverter testing are complete; Commissioning report, filed with DOB prior to sign-off, performed by a qualified commissioning agent.
Who do I contact about solar permits in New York City?
DOB Solar & Green Roof inquiries, email greenroofandsolar@buildings.nyc.gov.