General Assembly |
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January Session, 2015 |
LCO No. 5433 | ||
*05433HB06435ET_* | |||
Referred to Committee on ENERGY AND TECHNOLOGY |
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Introduced by: |
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(ET) |
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AN ACT STREAMLINING THE PERMITTING PROCESS FOR RESIDENTIAL SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEMS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2015) (a) As used in this section:
(1) "Residential solar photovoltaic system" means equipment and devices that have the primary purpose of collecting solar energy and generating electricity by photovoltaic effect, have a nameplate capacity of twelve kilowatts or less, are installed on the roof of a single-family or multifamily home, conform to the National Electrical Code, and State Building and Fire Safety Codes and do not exceed the maximum building height authorized by the municipality where such home is situated;
(2) "Municipality" means any town, consolidated town and city or consolidated town and borough;
(3) "Permit" means a permit to install and interconnect a residential solar photovoltaic system to the electric grid;
(4) "Permit applicant" means a natural person or household seeking a permit to install a residential solar photovoltaic system;
(5) "Inspection" means a structural, electrical and fire safety inspection of the permit applicant's residential solar photovoltaic system.
(b) Not later than January 1, 2016, each municipality shall develop a permitting process for residential solar photovoltaic systems. Each municipality shall develop and post on the municipality's Internet web site a permit application for the installation of a residential solar photovoltaic system. A municipality may allow for electronic submission of such application. Each municipality may charge a flat fee for such permit, unless the municipality exempts such systems from payment of permit fees pursuant to section 29-263 of the general statutes.
(c) Not more than three business days after receipt of a permit application, a municipality shall inspect the applicant's residential solar photovoltaic system. Not more than one inspection is required for each residential solar photovoltaic system, unless a health or safety issue is detected during the inspection of such system. A municipality may perform a separate fire safety inspection if deemed necessary by the municipality. Review of the permit application shall be limited to whether the residential solar photovoltaic system meets all health and safety requirements of municipal, state and federal law. If the municipality makes a finding that a residential solar photovoltaic system does not meet municipal, state or federal health and safety requirements, such municipality may require the permit applicant to apply for a special use permit.
(d) Not more than ten business days after receipt of a permit application, a municipality shall inform such permit applicant whether such application is approved or denied.
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections: | ||
Section 1 |
October 1, 2015 |
New section |
Statement of Purpose:
To streamline the permitting process for residential solar photovoltaic systems.
[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not underlined.]