On March 3, Director of Intergovernmental Relations Dominic Butchko submitted written testimony to the Environment and Transportation Committee in opposition to HB 1104 – Residential Solar Energy Systems – Local Inspections and Permitting.
This bill would require counties to implement a highly prescriptive “solar permitting software” by August 1, 2027, mandate remote inspections (by recorded video or photograph) for projects permitted through that software, prohibit any manual review at any point in the permitting or inspection process for those projects, cap local permitting and inspection fees, and authorize the Attorney General to pursue judicial enforcement.
MACo cautions that a highly prescriptive state mandate could undermine local flexibility, strain budgets, and compromise safety safeguards. While counties have worked proactively to streamline permitting and inspection processes, this rigid framework risks significant unfunded costs, technical integration challenges, and the loss of practical inspection discretion essential to protecting structural and electrical safety.
Counties support expanding residential solar and have consistently worked to
improve permitting and inspection workflows. However, HB 1104 takes a rigid, one-size-fits-all approach that would impose significant costs and operational disruptions, remove practical on-site inspection discretion, and raise safety concerns—while also creating technical requirements that may not align with existing local permitting systems.
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