Labels are the last item installed and often the last item drafted. The inspector walks the roof, the meter and the panel with the plan set in hand. Each label the code requires has to be on the equipment, and the plan set has to show what it says and where it goes. When the two disagree, the inspection fails over a strip of printed plastic.
This guide is written for the installer operations manager or permit coordinator who owns the label schedule. It lists each required solar label with its NEC 2020 and NEC 2023 section, wording rule, location and plan sheet. NEC here means NFPA 70, the National Electrical Code. We checked each source on 31 October 2026.
Quick answer. A US solar plan set needs a label schedule that lists every required marking with its NEC section, exact wording, location and sheet. The core set covers rapid shutdown (690.56(C) in NEC 2020, 690.12(D) in NEC 2023), disconnects, maximum DC voltage and DC circuit marking. It also covers the 705.10 directory, 705.12 busbar warnings and storage disconnects. Every field-applied warning must also meet 110.21(B). Confirm the adopted edition with the AHJ.
Which labels does a US solar plan set need, and where is each one in the code?
NEC text is behind a login at NFPA. The table therefore rests on the sources named under it. They are a state agency handout for 2020, IAEI and Mike Holt articles for 2023, a continuing education publisher that reproduces code text, an inspection agency summary, and NFPA’s own public input reports, which reproduce 2023 text for Article 690 and section 705.12. Where those sources disagree or were not available, the cell says so. Even where a cell is settled, read the text your AHJ has adopted before you print the label.
| # | Label | NEC 2020 section | NEC 2023 section | Wording or content rule | Location | Plan sheet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rapid shutdown building label | 690.56(C) | 690.12(D) | Title “SOLAR PV SYSTEM IS EQUIPPED WITH RAPID SHUTDOWN” in capitals at least 3/8 in. high, with a simple building and roof diagram showing the initiation devices. 2020: title black on yellow, other text at least 3/16 in. black on white. 2023: the color rule and the 3/16 in. rule were removed, and text must be legible against its background | Each service equipment location the PV system connects to, or an approved readily visible location | Label sheet, site plan callout, SLD note |
| 2 | Rapid shutdown switch label | 690.56(C)(2) | 690.12(D)(2) | “RAPID SHUTDOWN SWITCH FOR SOLAR PV SYSTEM”, capitals at least 3/8 in., white on red, reflective. Same wording, size, color and reflective rule in the 2020 text and in the 2023 text of 690.12(D)(2) | On the switch or no more than 3 ft from it | Label sheet, site plan |
| 3 | Roof diagram for mixed shutdown types | 690.56(C)(1) | 690.12(D)(1) | Required when a building has both shutdown types, or one system with shutdown and one without. A detailed plan view of the roof shows each PV system, with a dotted line around areas that stay energized after the switch operates | With the building label | Roof plan, label sheet |
| 4 | Maximum DC voltage | 690.53 | 690.7(D) | Permanent, readily visible label with the highest maximum DC voltage, calculated under 690.7. The installer provides it | One of three places: the DC PV system disconnect, the power conversion equipment, or associated distribution equipment | SLD and calculations sheet for the value, label sheet |
| 5 | PV system disconnect | 690.13(B) | 690.13(B) | The disconnect plainly shows open or closed. It is permanently marked “PV SYSTEM DISCONNECT” or equivalent. Where the line and load terminals may be energized in the open position, it is marked “WARNING, ELECTRIC SHOCK HAZARD, TERMINALS ON THE LINE AND LOAD SIDES MAY BE ENERGIZED IN THE OPEN POSITION” or equivalent. The 2026 edition deletes that warning from 690.13 | Each PV system disconnecting means | SLD, label sheet |
| 6 | AC point of interconnection | 690.54 | No 690.54 in the 2023 Article 690 | 2020: marked as a power source, with the rated AC output current and the nominal operating AC voltage. 2023: this section does not appear. The NFPA public input reproduction of 2023 Article 690 goes from the Part VI heading straight to 690.56 and 690.59, and a pre-publication Solar Builder piece says the field marking was dropped because the source equipment listing covers it. We did not find the 2023 text that replaced it. Do not cite 690.54 for a 2023 jurisdiction, and ask the AHJ whether it still wants the label | 2020: at the disconnecting means at the point of interconnection, in an accessible location | SLD for the values, label sheet |
| 7 | DC circuit marking on wiring methods | 690.31(D)(2) | 690.31(D)(2) | “PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER SOURCE” or “SOLAR PV DC CIRCUIT”, capitals, at least 3/8 in., white on red, visible after installation, on every section separated by enclosures, walls, partitions, ceilings or floors, spaced no more than 10 ft apart. The 2023 text matches the 2020 text on wording, color, size and spacing | Exposed raceways, cable trays and other wiring methods, covers of pull and junction boxes, and conduit bodies with unused openings, unless the purpose is evident | Conductor and conduit schedule, roof plan, label sheet |
| 8 | Power source plaque or directory | 690.56(B) and 705.10 | 705.10 | ”CAUTION: MULTIPLE SOURCES OF POWER”. It shows the location of each power source disconnecting means. Any posted diagram is oriented to its location. The marking meets 110.21(B). 2023 also allows a label and adds emergency phone numbers for off-site entities that service the power sources | Each service equipment location, or an approved readily visible location | Site plan showing disconnect locations, label sheet |
| 9 | Backfed breaker, 120% method | 705.12(B)(3)(2) | 705.12(B)(2) | Permanent warning label on the distribution equipment adjacent to the back-fed breaker from the power source. The 2023 text reads “WARNING: POWER SOURCE OUTPUT DO NOT RELOCATE THIS OVERCURRENT DEVICE” or equivalent wording, and the label must comply with 110.21(B). Some vendor labels add the word CONNECTION to the title, and the code allows equivalent wording | Adjacent to the backfed breaker | SLD, panel schedule, label sheet |
| 10 | Sum of breakers method | 705.12(B)(3)(3) | 705.12(B)(3) | Permanent warning labels on the distribution equipment. The 2023 text reads “WARNING: EQUIPMENT FED BY MULTIPLE SOURCES. TOTAL RATING OF ALL OVERCURRENT DEVICES EXCLUDING MAIN SUPPLY OVERCURRENT DEVICE SHALL NOT EXCEED AMPACITY OF BUSBAR” or equivalent wording, and the label must comply with 110.21(B) | On the distribution equipment | SLD, panel schedule, label sheet |
| 11 | Energy storage system disconnect | 706.15(C), 2020 text not read | 706.15(C) | “ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEM DISCONNECT”, with open or closed indication. Added data: source identification, nominal voltage, available fault current, an arc-flash label and the calculation date, with an exception for one- and two-family dwellings. Shock warning where terminals can stay energized when open | At the ESS disconnect | ESS sheet, SLD, label sheet |
| 12 | Separate battery disconnect | Not checked | 706.15(E) | Legibly marked in the field and durable. Nominal battery voltage, available fault current, an arc-flash label and the calculation date. If remote controls are not in sight, their location is marked on the disconnect | At the battery disconnect | ESS sheet, label sheet |
| 13 | Emergency disconnect, one- and two-family dwellings | 230.85 | 230.85 | Wording by type: “EMERGENCY DISCONNECT, SERVICE DISCONNECT”, “EMERGENCY DISCONNECT, METER DISCONNECT, NOT SERVICE EQUIPMENT” or “EMERGENCY DISCONNECT, NOT SERVICE EQUIPMENT”. 2023 adds red background, white letters at least 1/2 in., and a plaque or directory when other source isolation disconnects are not adjacent | Outside front of the disconnect enclosure | Site plan, SLD, label sheet |
| 14 | Every field-applied warning above | 110.21(B) | 110.21(B) | Effective warning, permanently affixed, durable for the environment, not hand written except variable portions. See the materials section | All of the above | Label schedule notes |
Sources for the table: the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry 2020 NEC labeling handout for the 2020 column. John Wiles in IAEI Magazine, March 2023 for the 690.12(D), 690.7(D), 690.56 and 690.31 moves. NFPA’s Code-Making Panel 4 public input responses for the 2023 text of 690.12(D), 690.31(D)(2) and 705.12(B), taken from Public Input 1340 (Article 690) and Public Input 2517 (705.12), both filed against NFPA 70-2023, and the 690.13 page at ElectricalLicenseRenewal, which prints the 2023 code language for 690.13(B). The pre-publication Solar Builder 2023 outlook for the 690.54 note. The 690.12(D) page and 705.10 page at ElectricalLicenseRenewal, which reproduce 2023 text. Mike Holt on energy storage, January 2024 for 706.15. The New York Electrical Inspection Agency 230.85 summary for the 2023 emergency disconnect marking. The 705.12 numbers follow our NEC 705.12 guide, which cites IAEI for the 2023 numbering.
Three notes help when you read the table.
- Sheet names are drafting practice. The code says where a label goes. It does not say which sheet shows it. The sheet column is how we organize a set so a reviewer can match each label to a location.
- Architecture changes the rows. A microinverter set has no DC circuit leaving the array, so row 7 may not apply. The microinverter versus string inverter guide covers which rows change.
- Multiple sources also trigger a marking on the equipment. John Wiles reports in IAEI Magazine, December 2023 that 705.30(C) in NEC 2023 requires such equipment to be marked to show all sources.
What changed for labels between NEC 2020 and NEC 2023?
Eight changes affect a label schedule. Each one names the edition and the source.
- Rapid shutdown marking moved. The marking left 690.56(C) and now sits in 690.12(D), titled “Buildings with Rapid Shutdown” (Wiles, IAEI, 2023). Christian Eder of Fronius USA calls the marking changes minor in Solar Power World, January 2024.
- The building label lost its color and 3/16 in. rules. NEC 2020 specified black on yellow for the title and black on white for the rest. The 2023 text keeps capitals at least 3/8 in. high for the title and asks for legibility against the background (ElectricalLicenseRenewal, 2023 NEC page).
- The maximum DC voltage label moved from 690.53 to 690.7(D). The installer still provides it at one of three locations (Wiles, IAEI, 2023).
- Power source marking consolidated in 705.10. In 2023, 690.56 points to 705.10. The 705.10 text allows a label as well as a plaque or directory. It adds emergency phone numbers for off-site entities that service the sources (ElectricalLicenseRenewal and Mike Holt, 2024).
- Battery disconnect marking is new in 706.15(E). It applies where the battery is separate from the ESS electronics and serviced in the field (Mayfield, EC&M, February 2024).
- 705.12 subsections were renumbered. The 120% method moved from 705.12(B)(3)(2) to 705.12(B)(2). The sum of breakers method moved from (B)(3)(3) to (B)(3).
- The emergency disconnect text grew. NEC 2020 already had 230.85 with the same three wordings and the line “Markings shall comply with 110.21(B)” (ElectricalLicenseRenewal, 2020 text). The red background, the 1/2 in. letters and the plaque rule appear in the 2023 summary from the New York Electrical Inspection Agency. We did not find them in the 2020 text we read.
- Carports, trellises and shade structures are excepted from 690.12. NEC 2023 added the exception (Eder, 2024). Where an AHJ has adopted 2023, the rapid shutdown labels may not apply to those structures. Ask the AHJ before you delete them.
The NEC 2023 versus 2020 changes guide covers the wider code differences. For which edition your state enforces, use the state edition guide.
What material, color and reflectivity rules apply to solar labels?
Start with 110.21(B), the field-applied hazard marking rule. The 705.10 text and the 230.85 text both point to it, as the Minnesota handout and the 2020 page show. A manufacturer field guide that quotes the code lists three tests, and an ElectricalLicenseRenewal page that reproduces the 2014 text shows the same three.
- The marking warns of the hazard with effective words, colors, symbols or a combination.
- The label is permanently affixed to the equipment or wiring method. It is not hand written, except for portions that are variable or may change.
- The label is durable enough for the environment involved.
We did not read the 110.21(B) text of the 2020 or 2023 editions directly. Confirm the three tests in the edition your AHJ enforces.
What the ANSI Z535 reference means. An informational note under 110.21(B) points to ANSI Z535.4, Product Safety Signs and Labels, for font sizes, words, colors, symbols and location. The note in the 2014 text cites the 2011 edition. A 2023 edition of the standard exists, per the HellermannTyton field guide. We did not check which edition the 2020 or 2023 note cites. NEC 90.5(C) says informational notes are not enforceable as requirements of the Code (2020 wording). The standard is design guidance unless your AHJ makes it a requirement.
Where a section sets its own words, color or size, use them. The table gives them for rows 1, 2, 7 and 13. Row 5 allows “or equivalent” wording, and row 11 fixes the words without a color rule. Everything else falls back to 110.21(B).
| Label | Color rule | Reflective | Edition note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rapid shutdown building label | 2020: black on yellow title, black on white text. 2023: none, legible contrast | 2023 text has no reflectivity rule. The 2020 code text read shows none either. Some vendor guides say 2020 required it, so treat 2020 as conflicted | 2023 text read |
| Rapid shutdown switch label | White on red, both editions | Yes, in both the 2020 text read and the 2023 text | Same in both editions |
| DC circuit marking | White on red, 2020 and 2023 | 2017 required reflective. The 2020 page we read and the 2023 text do not | 2023 text read |
| Emergency disconnect | 2023: white on red, at least 1/2 in. | Not stated in the sources read | 2020 text has no color rule in the page read |
UL 969 is an AHJ request, not a code citation we could find. The Pacode Alliance residential solar packet, revision 12-01-23, asks plans to show the labels and locations used for NEC 690 and UL 969. It also says permanent labels use a red background with white lettering and that printed material resists fading per UL 969. That is one agency’s form. Check whether yours has the same line.
One vendor claim we could not confirm. A label vendor says NEC 2023 requires outdoor labels to be fastened with screws, bolts or rivets. We found no such wording in any code text or inspector summary we read. Do not put it on a plan set as a code requirement. Do ask your AHJ, because some inspectors prefer mechanical fasteners on exterior equipment.
Office printer paper fails the durability test outdoors in our judgement. So does a handwritten disconnect name. Use labels made for outdoor service for anything outside, name UL 969 where the AHJ does, and keep the datasheet with the as-built file.
Which plan sheet should show each label?
Every label should appear once on a dedicated label schedule sheet and once at its location on a working sheet. The Pacode packet asks plans to show the labels and their locations together. The SolarAPP+ inspection checklist lists “Signs, placards, directories, and markings” as one of its six sections.
| Sheet | Labels it should show | What the reviewer matches |
|---|---|---|
| Label schedule sheet | Rows 1 to 13 that apply, with artwork | Wording, size, color and edition against the AHJ list |
| Site plan | Rows 1, 2, 8 and 13 with the location of each device | Initiation device and disconnect positions against the field |
| Roof plan | Rows 3 and 7, plus conduit marking intervals | Roof diagram against array layout |
| Single-line diagram | Rows 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11 | Voltage, current and breaker values against datasheets |
| Panel schedule and calculations | Rows 4, 9 and 10 | Busbar method against the label that goes with it |
| Storage sheet | Rows 11 and 12 | ESS disconnect data against the battery datasheet |
What the label schedule should list. Give each label an ID. Then add the code section and edition, the exact text, the size, the color, the material, the location and the sheet where the location is drawn. A blanket note that says “labels per NEC” gives the reviewer nothing to check. Our permit package checklist and AHJ submission guide show where the label sheet sits.
The label values come from other sheets. The maximum DC voltage on row 4 comes from the cold temperature string calculation. The AC current on row 6 comes from the inverter datasheet. If the equipment changes after the set is drawn, the labels change with it. Our microinverter versus string inverter guide shows that effect.
If your team keeps answering label comments, the US solar permit design service prepares US permit plan sets for installers. Scope items such as the label schedule are agreed at scoping, and stamping requirements are confirmed at quote stage.
Why do solar labels fail inspection?
We cannot give you a failure rate, and we do not state one. What follows is practitioner judgement, backed where noted by the lists that label vendors and permit services publish. Treat those lists as vendor opinion, not AHJ data.
- No label schedule, or a blanket note. Both Solar Permit Solutions and GreenLancer list a missing label schedule among their failure items.
- Wrong edition. A set drawn to NEC 2023 numbers and colors goes to an AHJ still on NEC 2020, or the reverse. Row 1 shows how much the building label differs.
- Wording written from memory. Paraphrased text fails a reviewer who holds the code. Copy the wording from the adopted edition.
- Label for the wrong equipment. A microinverter set that carries string inverter wording is a mismatch. Our AHJ rejection reasons guide lists it as a common trigger.
- Location drawn, not built. The plan shows the switch label beside the switch, and the crew put it on the meter. Field changes need an as-built label sheet.
- Battery added later. A storage retrofit adds rows 11 and 12 and changes the row 8 directory. The battery retrofit guide covers that scope.
- Consumer labels outdoors. Paper and inkjet stock fails 110.21(B) durability in the field.
For rapid shutdown equipment and the boundary, read the rapid shutdown compliance guide and the rapid shutdown glossary entry. The article you are reading covers the label sections and numbers by edition. For the wider code, see the NEC 690 glossary entry and the NEC 705 entry.
How do you confirm the edition before you draw the labels?
Ask the AHJ which NEC edition it enforces and whether local amendments touch labels. A state may adopt one edition while a city amends it. The Minnesota handout is titled for the 2020 NEC. It is a good model of what an agency publishes, but it does not apply to a 2023 jurisdiction.
- Get the adopted NEC edition from the AHJ and note the date.
- Ask whether the AHJ publishes a label handout or a SolarAPP+ configuration, and read it.
- Draw the label schedule from the adopted edition’s text, not from a vendor chart.
- List every row where the AHJ requires something the code text does not, such as UL 969 or fasteners.
- Reissue the label sheet whenever equipment, disconnect location or edition changes.
Use the AHJ handout for local rules. Use the code for the wording.
FAQ
Do microinverter systems need DC labels?
Fewer, and sometimes none. A microinverter set has no DC circuit leaving the array, so the maximum DC voltage and DC circuit marking rows may not apply. The rapid shutdown, disconnect and power source rows still do. The architecture guide linked above shows the rows that change.
Does the rapid shutdown label apply to a carport array under NEC 2023?
Not necessarily. NEC 2023 added an exception to 690.12 for parking shade structures, carports and solar trellises (Eder, Solar Power World, 2024). An AHJ on NEC 2020 has no such exception. Confirm the adopted edition and ask whether the AHJ still wants the label.
Can I print solar labels on an office printer?
For outdoor equipment, our judgement is no. 110.21(B) asks for permanent labels that are durable for the environment and not hand written except variable portions. Some AHJs name UL 969 for printed material. Use a label made for outdoor use and keep its datasheet.
Which edition should the label schedule name?
The edition your AHJ enforces, written on the label sheet with the section number. Under NEC 2020 the rapid shutdown label is 690.56(C). Under NEC 2023 it is 690.12(D). A schedule that mixes the two invites a comment.
Get the label sheet right before submittal
Build the label table once per edition, then fill it per project. Put the schedule on its own sheet and the locations on the site and roof plans. Then compare the whole set against the AHJ handout.
For a US plan set with the label schedule drawn to the adopted edition, start with the US solar permit design service. Turnaround is agreed at scoping. You can review sample US permit packages first, or contact the team with the AHJ name and the equipment list.