US Solar Codes
30 terms in the us solar codes category.
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AHJ (Authority Having Jurisdiction)
Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) is the local government entity — usually a city or county building department — that enforces electrical, building, and zoning codes and issues solar PV permits. Every solar project must satisfy its AHJ before construction.
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ASCE 7-16
ASCE 7-16 is the 2016 edition of the American Society of Civil Engineers' Minimum Design Loads standard. Still adopted by many US AHJs as the structural load reference for solar PV design, transitioning to ASCE 7-22 through 2024–2026.
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ASCE 7-22
ASCE 7-22 is the 2022 edition of the American Society of Civil Engineers' Minimum Design Loads and Associated Criteria for Buildings. It governs wind, snow, seismic, ice, and rain load calculations for rooftop and ground-mount solar PV structural design and supersedes ASCE 7-16.
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CSA C22.2
CSA C22.2 is the Canadian Standards Association's electrical safety standard series, including solar PV listings. Equivalent to UL listings for the US; harmonized in many cases via UL/CSA joint testing.
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Fire Setback
Fire setbacks are mandated clearances around rooftop solar PV arrays to provide firefighter access for roof ventilation and operations. Required by IFC 1205 and various state amendments (California Title 19, IBC, IRC).
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FM Global Approval
FM Global Approval is a third-party listing for equipment that meets FM Global's stringent loss-prevention standards. Common for solar racking in HVHZ regions and high-fire-risk insurance carriers.
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HVHZ (High-Velocity Hurricane Zone)
High-Velocity Hurricane Zone (HVHZ) is the Florida designation for areas (Miami-Dade and Broward Counties) with the most severe hurricane wind exposure. Stricter solar PV structural design requirements apply, including FBC HVHZ provisions on top of ASCE 7.
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IBC (International Building Code)
The International Building Code (IBC) is the model US building code for commercial and multi-residential construction, published by ICC. References ASCE 7 for structural loads and IFC for fire safety. Most US states adopt IBC with state-specific amendments.
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IEEE 1547
IEEE 1547 is the IEEE standard for interconnection and interoperability of distributed energy resources (DERs) with associated electric power systems. The 2018 edition expanded requirements to include autonomous and utility-dispatched grid-support functions, becoming the basis for UL 1741-SB inverter listings.
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IEEE 1547.1
IEEE 1547.1 is the conformance test procedure standard that defines how to verify a distributed energy resource (DER) inverter meets the requirements of IEEE 1547. Used by UL labs to test inverters for UL 1741-SB listing.
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IRC (International Residential Code)
The International Residential Code (IRC) is the US model code for one- and two-family dwellings. Section M2302 and AM112/AM113 cover rooftop solar PV installations on residential properties.
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NABCEP
NABCEP (North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners) is the leading certification body for solar professionals in North America. Offers credentials for installation, design, sales, and inspection — the industry gold standard for solar professional certification.
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NBT (Net Billing Tariff)
Net Billing Tariff (NBT) is the formal name for California's NEM 3.0, effective April 15, 2023. Solar exports compensated at hourly avoided-cost rates instead of retail; imports billed at retail TOU. Shifts residential solar economics toward storage.
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NEC 480 (Storage Batteries)
NEC Article 480 governs stationary storage batteries (lead-acid, nickel-cadmium, vented vs. sealed). Modern lithium ESS primarily governed by NEC 706, but 480 still applies for ventilation and battery room requirements.
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NEC 690
NEC Article 690 is the section of the National Electrical Code that governs solar photovoltaic systems. It covers maximum system voltage, conductor sizing, overcurrent protection, grounding, rapid shutdown, arc-fault detection, disconnects, and labeling for every grid-tied PV installation in the United States.
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NEC 705
NEC Article 705 governs interconnection of multiple power sources (solar PV, energy storage, generators) with the utility electrical service. It defines the 120% rule, sum-of-busbar rule, supply-side connection, line-side tap, and load-side breaker requirements.
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NEC 706
NEC Article 706 governs the installation of stationary energy storage systems (ESS), including lithium battery storage paired with solar. Defines disconnects, OCPDs, room ventilation, signage, and integration with solar PV via NEC 690.
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NEC 710
NEC Article 710 governs stand-alone (off-grid) solar PV systems and related storage. Covers DC charge controllers, battery banks, inverters, and load distribution without grid connection.
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NEC 712
NEC Article 712 governs Direct Current (DC) microgrids — systems with multiple DC sources (solar, batteries, fuel cells) and DC loads connected on a common DC bus. Less common than AC distribution but growing in datacenters and remote applications.
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NEM 3.0
NEM 3.0, formally the Net Billing Tariff (NBT), is California's solar export compensation scheme effective April 15, 2023. Solar exports are compensated at avoided-cost rates (averaging $0.05–0.08/kWh) instead of retail rates, dramatically shifting residential solar economics toward battery storage.
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Rule 21
Rule 21 is California Public Utilities Commission Electric Tariff Rule 21, governing interconnection of distributed energy resources (DERs) to the distribution grids of PG&E, SCE, and SDG&E. It defines technical requirements, smart inverter functions, and application timelines for solar PV and storage.
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SolarApp+
SolarApp+ is an automated permit issuance platform developed by NREL and partners. AHJs adopting SolarApp+ enable residential solar installers to obtain compliant permits in minutes instead of weeks, via a structured template-driven workflow.
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Title 24
California Title 24 Part 6 is the state Building Energy Efficiency Standard requiring solar PV on most new low-rise residential construction since 2020 and adding battery storage requirements for new non-residential and high-rise residential since 2023.
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UL 1703
UL 1703 was the safety listing standard for flat-plate PV modules in North America. Largely superseded by UL 61730 (aligned with IEC 61730) in 2020+. Modern modules carry UL 61730 listings.
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UL 1741
UL 1741 is the base inverter listing standard published by Underwriters Laboratories for inverters, converters, and controllers used with distributed energy resources. Supplements UL 1741-SA and UL 1741-SB add testing for grid-support functions.
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UL 1741-SA
UL 1741-SA (Supplement A, published 2016) is the inverter listing supplement that tested compliance with California Rule 21 Phase 1 and 2 smart inverter functions. Superseded by UL 1741-SB (2020) for new installations in most US jurisdictions.
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UL 1741-SB
UL 1741-SB is Supplement B to UL 1741, the inverter listing standard published by Underwriters Laboratories. UL 1741-SB explicitly tests inverter compliance with IEEE 1547-2018 grid-support functions and is required for new solar installations in most US states.
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UL 3741 (PV Hazard Control System)
UL 3741 is the safety listing standard for PV Hazard Control Systems — a system-level engineering approach to NEC 690.12 rapid shutdown that allows higher conductor voltages within the array boundary without per-module electronics (MLPE).
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UL 61730
UL 61730 is the current safety listing standard for crystalline PV modules, aligned with international IEC 61730. Tests electrical safety, mechanical durability, fire performance, environmental endurance.
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UL 9540 (Energy Storage System)
UL 9540 is the safety listing standard for stationary energy storage systems (ESS), including lithium battery storage paired with solar. UL 9540A is the thermal runaway propagation test. Required by NEC 706 and NFPA 855 for installation in most US jurisdictions.
