Practical guidance for Texas solar contractors. Articles cover the fundamentals; the city directory reads the same authority records TexPTO watches for its customers — when we learn a Plano gotcha, you see it here too.
City leaderboards
The fastest (and slowest) cities for solar permit approvals, ranked by median days to approval from real permit outcomes.
SB 1202 third-party reviewers
Certified plan reviewers for Texas jurisdictions that accept third-party review — credential, license number and counties served, each one checked by our permit desk.
The Texas Solar Permitting Report
The statewide picture from our Texas authority records — how much of Texas we have catalogued, what our research says about review times, and what offices ask for most often. Every figure states its sample size.
49 articles
How Texas AHJs permit residential batteries: the UL 9540 baseline, fire-code location and spacing rules, DER application impacts, and where cities diverge.
Updated August 2026
How Texas solar permits expire, what failed finals really cost, and the tracking discipline that keeps a permit portfolio from quietly rotting.
Updated August 2026
How main panel upgrades change a Texas solar job: the busbar math that triggers them, the alternatives (supply-side, derate, PCS) and the ripple effects.
Updated August 2026
Texas adopted NEC 2023 as its floor while cities enforce their own editions. The solar-relevant changes worth knowing, and designing to the right code.
Updated August 2026
Roof replacement and solar interact constantly in hail-country Texas. How to sequence the permits, handle detach-and-reset, and keep insurance honest.
Updated August 2026
The anatomy of a permit-ready Texas solar plan set: site plan, one-line, equipment sheets, structural detail, labels — plus the per-AHJ layer that decides.
Updated August 2026
SolarAPP+ issues instant permits for eligible rooftop solar. Houston runs it; here's how it works, what the data says about speed, and how to decide per job.
Updated August 2026
Which Texas cities require PE-stamped structural documentation, what drives wind-load design across the state, and how to make engineering a fast lane.
Updated August 2026
Texas Local Government Code §214.904 gives cities 45 days on building permits, and HB 14 added a third-party review path. What installers can do with it.
Updated August 2026
What Texas inspectors check on residential solar finals — disconnects, labeling, rapid shutdown, as-built accuracy — and how to stop failing for paperwork.
Updated August 2026
Texas solar licensing explained: no solar-specific license, TDLR electrical contractor rules, who pulls permits, and the new solar retailer registration.
Updated August 2026
How solar permitting works in Texas: AHJ variation, the 45-day rule, codes, licensing, and the process from plan set to final inspection.
Updated August 2026
Most unincorporated Texas counties don't require solar permits — but the state electrical code, the utility's process and liability still apply.
Updated August 2026
What Texas Senate Bill 1036 requires: residential solar retailers must register with TDLR, effective September 1, 2026. Not legal advice.
Updated July 2026
A plain-English guide to solar permits and PTO in Texas: AHJ vs. utility, the seven real steps, what each DFW city wants, and what changed in 2026.
Updated April 2026
How Austin Energy interconnection works: the DG application, AE technical standards, PV metering, value-of-solar compensation, and how rebates interlock.
Updated August 2026
CPS Energy solar interconnection: the application package, equipment standards, review timelines, net billing compensation, and rebate sequencing.
Updated August 2026
AEP Texas solar interconnection after the TCC/TNC merger: when to apply, the PUCT framework, in/out metering, REP buyback, and the enrolled-installer incentive program.
Updated August 2026
CenterPoint's solar interconnection process: the DG portal, required documents, photo inspections, the AC disconnect rule, and avoiding violation status.
Updated August 2026
Which home energy equipment triggers a utility DER application in Texas, and which just triggers load math. Chargers, batteries, V2G, and how to paper each.
Updated August 2026
PTO isn't the finish line: meter reprogramming, ERCOT profile updates, and REP reporting decide when export credits actually appear. The timelines, by utility.
Updated August 2026
Oncor's solar interconnection step by step: eTRACK, the two required signatures, the PUCT four-week clock, meter reprogramming and common holdups.
Updated August 2026
What PTO means in Texas solar, how long it takes with Oncor and CenterPoint, what happens if you energize early, and how installers keep it on schedule.
Updated August 2026
PUCT Project 54233 is rewriting Texas DER interconnection: new §25.210, amended §25.211, replaced §25.212. What the drafts propose and what to watch.
Updated August 2026
Texas electric co-ops set their own solar interconnection rules, mostly outside PUCT requirements. How installers work Pedernales, CoServ and Bluebonnet.
Updated August 2026
Texas has no statewide net metering. Export compensation depends on REP buyback plans in deregulated areas and utility programs elsewhere. How it works.
Updated August 2026
Texas interconnection explained: TDUs vs munis vs co-ops, PUCT rules 25.211/25.212, what utilities can charge, and how installers keep PTO on schedule.
Updated August 2026
TNMP solar interconnection step by step: why the application comes before installation, the Letter of No Objection, the DG meter fee, and completion photos.
Updated August 2026
Why Texas utilities cap or study residential solar over local transformer capacity, what triggers it, and the design and sales moves that keep jobs alive.
Updated August 2026
The deficiencies Texas utilities flag most on interconnection applications: equipment mismatches, phase errors, disconnect specs, signature gaps — and fixes.
Updated August 2026
The most common Texas solar plan review rejections — one-line errors, structural gaps, code mismatches — and the process fixes that raise first-pass approval.
Updated August 2026
Austin solar permitting runs through Austin Energy: the Auxiliary Power permit, AB+C portal, AE's own inspections, and why homeowner permits aren't allowed.
Updated August 2026
Dallas solar permits explained: building + electrical permits, the PE-sealed structural requirement, building contractor registration, and how to submit clean.
Updated August 2026
El Paso is the Texas exception: outside ERCOT, served by El Paso Electric, with real net metering. How permitting and EPE interconnection work out west.
Updated August 2026
How to permit solar in Houston: the iPermits building + electrical permits, the SolarAPP+ instant path for registered contractors, and CenterPoint sequencing.
Updated August 2026
San Antonio solar permitting runs two tracks at once: the city's Development Services permit and CPS Energy's interconnection. How to run both clean.
Updated August 2026
Fort Worth solar permits: the building + electrical permit pair, the city's online routing, PE-stamp thresholds, and how Cowtown compares to Dallas next door.
Updated August 2026
The workbook export: everything your team has put into TexPTO, in one .xlsx, downloadable any time — the record is yours.
Updated August 2026
The import wizard: upload the spreadsheet you run jobs in today, match columns to TexPTO fields, preview every row, and commit — nothing created until you confirm.
Updated August 2026
The real cost model for permitting delay: financing carry, cancellation risk, crew utilization and cash cycle — with the formula to run your numbers.
Updated August 2026
Why the permit-tracking spreadsheet works at 10 jobs and fails at 100: the five failure modes, the signals you've hit the wall, and what replaces it.
Updated August 2026
How to run the permitting coordinator function: the daily rhythm, internal SLAs worth enforcing, handoff contracts between teams, and when to split the role.
Updated August 2026
The permitting metrics that actually drive improvement: first-pass approval, detection latency, signature turnaround and four more — with definitions.
Updated August 2026
A repeatable pre-entry sprint for a new Texas market: jurisdiction mapping, utility onboarding, first-job derisking — and why the play scales nationally.
Updated August 2026
A homeowner's checklist for vetting Texas solar companies: the license lookups, the questions that expose weak operators, and the red flags the state polices.
Updated August 2026
The honest Texas solar timeline from contract to PTO: what each stage is for, what drives the waits, and why the install itself is the fast part.
Updated August 2026
Texas Property Code §202.010 stops HOAs banning solar but allows real restrictions. What HOAs can and can't require, and how installers get approvals.
Updated August 2026
The Residential Solar Retailer Regulatory Act: TDLR registration, contract and disclosure rules, the five-day cancellation right, and the compliance timeline.
Updated August 2026
Texas Tax Code §11.27 makes the value solar adds to a home exempt from property tax — if Form 50-123 is filed. How it works, deadlines, and who files.
Updated August 2026
What each city asks for, checked by our permit desk. Updated whenever the office changes it.
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