Who pulls the solar permit, me or the installer?

Owners can pull permits in their own name, but Fairfax County recommends a licensed contractor pull them as the responsible party. We pull every permit on our jobs.

Does Fairfax County charge a solar permit fee?

No. Land Development Services waives the permit fee for solar permit applications. A heavy-up on the same job is a separate electrical record under the county's normal fee schedule.

How long does the Fairfax County solar permit take?

The county publishes current review times on its Land Development Metrics page, and they move with the queue. We tell you the current range when you sign.

Does a passed inspection mean I can turn the system on?

No. The utility still has to finish its side and send permission to operate. The system stays off until then.

My house is in the Town of Vienna. Is the process different?

One step is added. Vienna and Clifton projects need the town's approval uploaded to the county record before the county review. We get the town approval and file both.

Process, step 3

The Solar Permit and Inspection Process, Step by Step

Name: AJ Long Electric
Address: 2724 Dorr Ave, Suite 102, Fairfax, VA, 22031, US
Telephone: (571) 444-6886

In Fairfax County, a home solar job runs on one residential solar record in the county's PLUS system, with the fee waived, then a county inspection before the utility will turn the system on. We file the record, answer the reviewers, and meet the inspector.

Get a roof study Call (571) 444-6886

Reviewed 2026-09-24

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Answer first

The short answer

We submit one residential solar record in PLUS with the drawings and forms the county lists, the county reviews it and issues the permit, we install, and the county inspects. After the inspection passes, the utility can finish its side and the tax exemption paperwork moves forward.

One record: Fairfax County no longer requires a separate electrical record for the solar equipment. A heavy-up or service change still gets its own electrical record.
No county fee: Land Development Services waives the permit fee for solar permit applications.
Town approval first in Vienna and Clifton: the town's approval is uploaded to the county record.
Inspections booked in PLUS by 11:59 p.m. for the next business day, with a two-hour arrival window emailed that morning.

One residential solar record in PLUS

Fairfax County Land Development Services requires a residential solar permit for roof-mounted and free-standing systems. It is filed online in PLUS under the Building tab as a residential solar (SOLARR) record, and the related electrical equipment is entered on that same record. A standalone electrical record is needed only when there is other electrical work, like replacing the service or a heavy-up, and we file both when your job has both.

The county recommends that a licensed contractor pull the permit as the responsible party. We do, under Virginia Class B license 2705031092. The building code treats condominium and apartment buildings as commercial, so the residential record covers detached one- and two-family homes and townhouses up to three stories.

Which permit office applies to your address

What we submit

The county lists what a first submission may need, depending on scope. For a typical roof array, the set includes:

The Fairfax coversheet, uploaded separately from the drawings.
Architectural and structural drawings that meet the county's minimum submission requirements, or the county's typical details.
A house location plat, or the grading plan number when there is land disturbance.
Town approval for addresses inside the towns of Vienna or Clifton.
Owner forms only when needed: a property ownership affidavit when the tax record shows a prior owner.

Who reviews it, and how long it takes

Depending on the property, staff from the Permit Application Center, Building Plan Review, the Site Technician team, the Fire Marshal's Office, Zoning, and the Health Department when the home is on a well or septic may review the record. If a reviewer leaves a comment, PLUS sends correction instructions, and we answer every open comment and resubmit.

The county publishes its current review times on the Land Development Metrics page. We do not print a fixed number here because the queue moves month to month, and the proposal gives you the current picture when you sign.

When every review is approved, the permit card and approved plans download from PLUS. Land Development Services waives the fee on solar permit applications, so there is no county permit line on a Fairfax County proposal.

How inspections work

The permit holder schedules inspections, so that is us. Fairfax County runs combination inspections, which means related inspections for one project are scheduled on the same day. An inspection requested in PLUS before 11:59 p.m. can be scheduled for the next business day.

The morning of the inspection, the county emails a two-hour arrival window with the inspector's name and phone number. Virtual inspections are available at the inspector's discretion. Results go to the applicant and the on-site contact.

A master electrician is on site for every solar project, so the person who built the system is the person walking the inspector through it.

After the inspection passes

A passed county inspection is not permission to operate. It is what the utility asks for next: Dominion's application has a section completed after the local inspection passes, and the utility then finishes its metering work before it sends permission to operate.

The tax exemption also moves. Fairfax County's five-year solar equipment exemption is applied for with the permit, and once the equipment is installed and the inspections are approved, Land Development Services forwards the submission to the Department of Tax Administration, which sends you a letter confirming the exemption and its term.

Outside Fairfax County

The steps are similar and the offices differ. Our city pages cover each one.

Permit offices outside Fairfax County
Jurisdiction	How the permit is filed
Loudoun County	Building and electrical applications in LandMARC with wet-sealed plans; zoning permit and plat for ground mounts
Prince William County	Building and electrical application in the county ePortal; qualifying residential solar fees marked waived
City of Manassas	City building and electrical permits after Manassas Electric's conditional approval

Straight answers

Questions

Who pulls the solar permit, me or the installer?: Owners can pull permits in their own name, but Fairfax County recommends a licensed contractor pull them as the responsible party. We pull every permit on our jobs.
Does Fairfax County charge a solar permit fee?: No. Land Development Services waives the permit fee for solar permit applications. A heavy-up on the same job is a separate electrical record under the county's normal fee schedule.
How long does the Fairfax County solar permit take?: The county publishes current review times on its Land Development Metrics page, and they move with the queue. We tell you the current range when you sign.
Does a passed inspection mean I can turn the system on?: No. The utility still has to finish its side and send permission to operate. The system stays off until then.
My house is in the Town of Vienna. Is the process different?: One step is added. Vienna and Clifton projects need the town's approval uploaded to the county record before the county review. We get the town approval and file both.

Sources

Next step

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