Home / Solar site surveys / Arizona
Solar site surveys · ArizonaA technician on the roof, in the attic and at the service panel, with the survey read against the code editions, AHJs and utilities that apply in Arizona.
Arizona has no statewide building or electrical code for most construction, so the NEC, IRC and fire code editions depend on the city or county that issues the permit, and neighboring jurisdictions can be several code cycles apart. Export compensation also splits by utility: APS, TEP and UNS Electric follow the Arizona Corporation Commission's RCP export rate, while SRP sets its own solar price plans. Surveys should plan for extreme summer heat, monsoon wind and dust, negligible snow load in the low deserts, and tile roofs on many homes.
The capture spec is the same everywhere. What the engineer and the plan reviewer read it against is not.
Low-desert summers are extreme: Phoenix logged a record 70 days at or above 110°F in 2024, so roof work and survey visits need early-morning scheduling and heat-illness precautions. Arizona's ADOSH runs a heat-hazard emphasis program, and state workplace heat guidelines (water, shade, rest, acclimatization) were approved in April 2026.9,10,11
Concrete and clay tile roofs are common on Phoenix-area homes. They need tile hooks or replacement flashings, and the underlayment beneath older tile often wears out in desert heat and UV, so check its age and condition before mounting an array.12,13
The monsoon season (officially June 15 to September 30) brings downbursts, dust storms, hail and flash flooding. Maricopa County design criteria list a 115 mph wind speed and no ground snow load; higher-elevation counties set their own snow loads, so check local design criteria outside the low desert.14,15
HOAs cannot ban solar in Arizona but can adopt reasonable placement rules, and a homeowner who substantially prevails against an HOA board in court recovers attorney fees. Note any HOA placement rule during the survey because it can affect which roof planes get used.16
Who reviews the plan set, and what the state layers on top.
APS, TEP and UNS Electric are investor-owned and regulated by the Arizona Corporation Commission. SRP is a public entity whose own elected board sets its rates, so its solar plans are not set by the ACC.23
Largest Arizona utility, serving about 1.4 million customers in 11 of 15 counties; installers submit interconnection applications through APS's PowerClerk portal, and solar customers must be on a time-of-use plan.24,25,26
Interconnection page ↗Public power utility serving much of the Phoenix area; installers apply through SRP's PowerClerk portal, an SRP design consultant reviews the electrical design, and the customer has six months to finish installation and commissioning.27,28
Interconnection page ↗Serves the Tucson area; installers use TEP's PowerClerk portal, TEP sets a production meter, and the system may not be energized until TEP issues permission to operate.29
Interconnection page ↗Serves Mohave and Santa Cruz counties; its rooftop solar export credits are set by the ACC under the same RCP method as APS and TEP.30,31,32
Interconnection page ↗One standard, one visit, the same record in Arizona as everywhere else. What it gets checked against is the code stack above.
There is no single statewide edition, because each city and county adopts its own. As of September 2026, Phoenix enforces the 2023 NEC (effective August 1, 2025), while unincorporated Maricopa County still lists the 2017 NEC, so confirm with the AHJ for the address.1,2
No. ARS 33-1816 bars associations from prohibiting solar energy devices, though they may adopt reasonable placement rules that do not impair performance or raise cost. Deed restrictions that effectively prohibit solar are void under ARS 33-439.16,22
APS, TEP and UNS Electric customers are credited at the ACC's RCP export rate, locked for 10 years; APS's rate for new applicants dropped to about 5.55 cents/kWh on September 1, 2026. SRP customers are on SRP's own solar price plans instead.32,34,35
Yes, in many places. Phoenix, unincorporated Maricopa County and Tucson accept SolarAPP+ for eligible residential rooftop systems, and state law allows jurisdictions to use a qualified automated platform to verify code compliance. Eligibility rules differ, so check each AHJ.19,20,21,17
Metro pages for Arizona: Phoenix.
Roof, attic and service panel in one visit
Explore →Roof, structure and switchgear
Explore →Terrain, build and operations
Explore →Roof and electrical, one visit
Explore →Stamped sets, six days from survey
Explore →SA, TOF and TSRF per plane
Explore →Every local fact on this page links to where it came from. Codes, programs and tariffs change: confirm the current requirement with the AHJ and the utility before you design.
Bring your monthly job count and the AHJs you submit into, and we will tell you straight whether we fit.
Book a 15-min callIn-person site surveys, engineering and inspection for residential, C&I and utility-scale solar, delivered as live data.