Vermont / Local permit guide
Vermont (Statewide) Solar Permit Guide
Your local requirements. The official sources. A clearer next step.
- Permit authority
- Vermont Public Utility Commission (PUC) — statewide net-metering Certificate of Public Good / Registration processSource linked
- Electric utility
- Green Mountain Power (GMP)Source linked
- Local pathway
- Net-Metering Registration (streamlined path, PUC Rule 5.100/5.500)Project-specific eligibility conditions apply.
- Review time
- Up to 15 business daysOnly the stated upper bound is verified. The source's project scope and conditions apply.See source scope and conditions below.
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Research coverage
Your permit path,
at a glance.
This shows what GridPermit has verified for Vermont (Statewide). It does not show the status of a specific project.
- 01Permit authorityVermont Public Utility Commission (PUC) — statewide net-metering Certificate of Public Good / Registration processAuthority sourced
- 02DocumentsChecklist includes conditional itemsConditions apply
- 03InspectionCurrent inspection sequence needs confirmationNot verified
- 04Utility & PTOGreen Mountain Power (GMP)Utility path sourced
01 / Know your path
Two approvals.
One project.
Permit & inspection
Vermont Public Utility Commission (PUC) — statewide net-metering Certificate of Public Good / Registration process
Local 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 Vermont 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.
Permit timeline
Up to 15 business days
Only the stated upper bound is verified. The source's project scope and conditions apply.
GMP's own page states that for projects of 0-15kW (the typical single-family residential rooftop solar case), 'GMP emails you about any issues with the project by the 15th day following complete application' — a business-day figure for GMP's own review step under the state-centralized process. This is not a total end-to-end timeline including the PUC's own CPG issuance/denial step, which was not separately stated with a day-count.
Sources & confidence
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
- Net-Metering Registration Application Fee (Department of Public Service / Public Utility Commission): $100 (flat fee, paid at time of application)
Per 30 V.S.A. § 248c(d)(1), verbatim: 'There shall be a fee of $100.00 for each electric generation facility less than or equal to 50 kW in plant capacity, or for a rooftop project... filing a net metering registration.' A separate $25.00 fee applies for modifications (§ 248c(d)(2)). Companies that pay the state's gross receipts tax are exempt from this fee.
Sources & confidence
Rebates on record
Rebates on record
Renewable Energy Sources Property Tax Exemption (32 V.S.A. § 3845) — Local Option
This is explicitly a LOCAL OPTION, not an automatic statewide exemption: per the statute's own text, 'At an annual or special meeting warned for that purpose, a TOWN MAY, by a majority vote of those present and voting, exempt renewable energy sources... from real and personal property taxation.' The exemption only takes effect in a given town if that town's voters affirmatively adopt it at town meeting, and 'shall continue until voted otherwise, in the same manner, by the town.' The statute explicitly covers net-metering systems regulated by the PUC under 30 V.S.A. § 8010 (i.e. ordinary residential rooftop solar) used for private/domestic/agricultural purposes, not for resale. Whether any specific Vermont town has actually adopted this exemption is NOT determined by this statewide record — it must be verified per-town, which this record (representing the state-centralized PUC process generically, not any one municipality) does not do.
Status on file: unknown. Verify current status before relying on this.
Sources & confidence
Utility and generation supplier
Utility
Green Mountain Power (GMP)
Green Mountain Power is Vermont's largest electric utility by customer count, directly confirmed via GMP's own site. Vermont also has several other utilities not covered by this record, including Vermont Electric Cooperative, Burlington Electric Department (a municipal utility), and a number of smaller municipal utilities — each would need its own separately-researched record rather than being assumed to follow GMP's specific interconnection timelines.
Sources & confidence
Generation supplier
Green Mountain Power (GMP) (utility)
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.
Sources & confidence
Interconnection
https://greenmountainpower.com/help/net-metering-project-requirements-process/
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.
Inspection steps
Not yet verified.
Eligibility constraints
- Property types: residential
- Max system size (AC): 15 kW
- Max system size (DC): Not yet verified.
- Max thermal capacity: Not yet verified.
- Program/pathway: Net-Metering Registration (streamlined path, PUC Rule 5.100/5.500)
- Other conditions:
- Roof-mounted photovoltaic systems up to 500kW are eligible for the simpler ePUC 'Registration' path; ground-mounted systems are only eligible for Registration up to 15kW, and require the fuller 'Application'/CPG process above that
- Interconnection approval from GMP is required before Net-Metering Registration for most system sizes; systems of 15kW or less are exempt from the separate interconnection-approval step per GMP's page
Sources & confidence
Official contacts
Official contacts
- GMP Distributed Resources team, phone: 802-770-3399, email: DR@greenmountainpower.com, official website
Need a solar installer who handles permits in Vermont (Statewide)?
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
- Green Mountain Power (homepage), Green Mountain Power (utility). Accessed 2026-08-12.
- Net-Metering, Vermont Public Utility Commission (puc). Accessed 2026-08-12.
- Interconnecting Customer Generation, Green Mountain Power (utility). Accessed 2026-08-12.
- 32 V.S.A. § 3845 — Renewable energy sources (property tax exemption, local option), Vermont General Assembly (government). Accessed 2026-08-13.
- 30 V.S.A. § 248c — Fees; Department of Public Service and Public Utility Commission, Vermont General Assembly (government). Accessed 2026-08-14.
Frequently Asked Questions
What utility serves solar customers in Vermont (Statewide), Vermont?
Green Mountain Power (GMP) is the interconnection and distribution utility for Vermont (Statewide). The same utility is also listed as the default electricity generation supplier.
How long does a residential solar permit take in Vermont (Statewide)?
GMP's own page states that for projects of 0-15kW (the typical single-family residential rooftop solar case), 'GMP emails you about any issues with the project by the 15th day following complete application' — a business-day figure for GMP's own review step under the state-centralized process. This is not a total end-to-end timeline including the PUC's own CPG issuance/denial step, which was not separately stated with a day-count. Only the stated upper bound is verified. The source's project scope and conditions apply.
What documents are required for a solar permit in Vermont (Statewide)?
Commonly required documents include: Net-Metering Registration Form (filed via the Vermont PUC's ePUC portal).
Who do I contact about solar permits in Vermont (Statewide)?
GMP Distributed Resources team, phone 802-770-3399, email DR@greenmountainpower.com.