Solar Panels On Condo Roof

While solar access laws protect your right to install solar on your roof solar easements provide a legal avenue for homeowners to protect their home s access to sunshine.

Solar panels on condo roof.

Going solar in a condo. If a condo owner wants to install solar panels onto a common rooftop garage or carport a solar site survey could be required. Yes you read that right. First you need to get permission from the board of directors of your condominium.

In states with solar easements property owners can negotiate with their neighbors to protect their right to sunlight and prevent obstructions such as trees or structures on a neighbor s lawn that cast shade on their panels. As one would guess the primary area of dispute in an association controlled development is not usually the use of solar panels or whether energy saving devices are permitted or not but rather where those panels may or may not be located on the roof of the home or condo. We ve tried it so there s a good chance you can too. You can go solar even if you live in a condo.

Installing solar on a condo roof. This will vary based on the building type and ownership type but it s an important requirement. Solar panels are the wave of the future and present an attractive option for homeowners looking to harness the sun as a natural energy source. In a unit owner project one or more unit owners pay to install a solar panel system on the roof of the condominium for their personal use.

Under civil code 714 1 if a condo owner wants to install solar panels on their own rooftop or adjacent garage or carport hoas can no longer prohibit them or require a member vote for approval. If you propose a unit owner project you will need to get approval from the condo association and obtain an easement to authorize system installation and maintenance. To install solar on the rooftop of your condominium you need to be sure you actually own a portion of the building s roof. First they ll need to gain permission from their condominium board of directors or homeowners association hoa by confirming that solar will not damage their building s roof and if it does it is covered under a warranty and will increase the property s value.

The cost saving benefits of the usage of solar energy and the reduction of the carbon footprint of a neighborhood are excellent reasons why homeowners consider solar energy. If you wanted to place solar panels on the small roof at the back of this house west southwest the hoa could require that you exhaust the usable space on the south southeast roof first. They cannot force you to put solar panels on the roof at the back of the house because it is not withing 45 degrees of true south orientation. In your request you should include assurances that you will not damage the building s roof or any structure and that any wires you will.

Here s what you can do. We now use a 1 5 kw solar panel system that generates enough power for our 2 bedroom home.