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Home  /  Solar site surveys  /  Arkansas

Solar site surveys · Arkansas

Solar site surveys in Arkansas

A 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 Arkansas.

NEC 2026Electrical code in effect
2Utilities covered here
48 hrsSurvey to deliverable
Nationwide500+ technicians
Short answer

Arkansas sets building, residential and fire rules statewide through the Arkansas Fire Prevention Code, the 2021 I-Codes with state amendments in effect since January 1, 2023, and sets the electrical code through the Board of Electrical Examiners, whose current rule adopts the 2026 NEC in place of the 2020 edition. Since Act 278 of 2023, systems interconnected after September 30, 2024 no longer get full retail netting, and exports are valued at the utility's avoided cost. Residential net-metering systems are capped at the lesser of 25 kW AC or the customer's highest monthly usage.

What changes in Arkansas

The capture spec is the same everywhere. What the engineer and the plan reviewer read it against is not.

AR · METROSLittle Rock
Code stack
2026NEC 2026National Electrical Code. The Board of Electrical Examiners' rule (17 CAR 210-401) now adopts the 2026 NEC with Arkansas modifications, after a spring 2026 rulemaking to move off the 2020 NEC that had been the state code since August 1, 2022; a 2024 proposal to adopt the 2023 NEC did not become the state code. Cities are adopting the 2026 Arkansas Electrical Code by ordinance on their own timelines, so confirm the edition the AHJ enforces.1,2,3,4,5
2021IRC 2021The 2021 IRC with Arkansas amendments is Volume III of the Arkansas Fire Prevention Code, effective statewide January 1, 2023; the state's amendments to Chapter 3 do not change the R324 solar provisions.6,7
2021IFC 2021The 2021 IFC is Volume I of the Arkansas Fire Prevention Code, adopted by the State Fire Marshal with no Arkansas changes to Chapter 12, Energy Systems.6,7
Rooftop fire access. Because Arkansas adopted the 2021 IRC and IFC without changing their solar sections, homes follow IRC R324.6 (two 36-inch eave-to-ridge pathways and 18-inch ridge setbacks, 36 inches above 33% coverage, roofs of 2:12 or less exempt) and other buildings follow IFC Section 1205.7,8,9

Climate and site factors

System size

Residential systems cannot exceed the lesser of 25 kW AC or the customer's highest monthly usage over the prior year, so pull 12 months of bills before sizing.10,11

Export value

New systems earn avoided cost for exports rather than retail credit, so self-consumption and storage weigh more in design than under legacy net metering.10,12

Code edition

The state electrical rule now adopts the 2026 NEC, but city code sheets such as Little Rock's January 2023 list still show the 2020 NEC, so confirm which edition the inspector applies.1,13

Roof access

IRC R324.6 pathways and ridge setbacks apply to pitched residential roofs statewide through AFPC Volume III, unchanged by Arkansas amendments.7,8

Permitting in Arkansas

Who reviews the plan set, and what the state layers on top.

Utilities and interconnection

Act 278 applies to investor-owned utilities and electric co-ops alike, with each municipal utility's governing body setting its own avoided cost.10

Entergy Arkansas

The utility the City of Little Rock signed interconnection agreements with for its own 4.9 MW AC solar project in 2024. The process starts with a Preliminary Interconnection Site Review Request and one-line diagram, the customer pays for any required studies, and the signed Standard Interconnection Agreement is due 30 days before interconnection; customers connecting after September 30, 2024 take the Non-Legacy Net Metering schedule.11,14

Interconnection page ↗

First Electric Cooperative First Electric

An electric cooperative with local offices in Jacksonville and Benton, near Little Rock. It charges a one-time $320 interconnection review fee for systems up to 25 kW, and since September 29, 2024 bills delivered energy at the tariff rate while crediting exports on a separate meter channel at the prior year's avoided cost.12

Interconnection page ↗
Export compensation. As of September 2026, Act 278 of 2023 lets customers who had interconnection agreements in before September 30, 2024 keep the old rate structure until June 1, 2040. Newer systems are billed under a structure the utility chooses: all exports credited at avoided cost (for most utilities, the prior year's average MISO or SPP market price), or netting with a monthly grid charge per kW; Entergy Arkansas buys net excess at its estimated annual average avoided cost.10,11,12

What we capture on every Arkansas survey

One standard, one visit, the same record in Arkansas as everywhere else. What it gets checked against is the code stack above.

Roof and structure

  • Measured roof planes: pitch, azimuth, dimensions
  • Every penetration and obstruction, located
  • Rafter or truss size, spacing and span
  • Decking type and condition
  • Layer count at a cut edge
  • Setbacks and fire pathway constraints
  • Horizon shading capture per array area

Electrical and interconnection

  • Main breaker and bus bar rating, photographed separately
  • Meter location and configuration
  • Slot count: used, open, tandem, double-tapped
  • Available interconnection points
  • Existing loads and sub-panels
  • Conduit route, measured along the actual path
  • Grounding electrode and bonding path

Commercial buildings

  • Membrane type, age and condition, with drainage pattern
  • Bar joist depth, spacing and span
  • Deck type and gauge
  • Switchgear and available bus capacity
  • Access and lift constraints for the install crew

Every visit

  • Roof and electrical in one visit, no second trip
  • 48-hour turnaround from survey to deliverable
  • Photo documentation throughout
  • Permit sets available, stamped, 6 days from survey

Arkansas solar survey FAQ

Which NEC edition applies to solar in Arkansas?

The Board of Electrical Examiners' rule now adopts the 2026 NEC, replacing the 2020 edition in force since August 1, 2022. Local adoption and enforcement timing varies, so confirm with the AHJ.1,2,4

What changed in Arkansas net metering after Act 278?

Systems interconnected after September 30, 2024 no longer get full retail netting; exports are valued at avoided cost or netted with a monthly grid charge, while earlier systems keep the old structure until June 1, 2040.10,11

How large can a home solar system be in Arkansas?

For net metering, the lesser of 25 kW AC or the customer's highest monthly usage in the previous 12 months.10,11

Which fire code sets solar roof pathways in Arkansas?

The Arkansas Fire Prevention Code, 2021 edition: IRC R324.6 in Volume III for homes and IFC Section 1205 in Volume I for other buildings, effective January 1, 2023.6,7

Services and further reading

Metro pages for Arkansas: Little Rock.

From Field Notes

Sources

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.

  1. https://labor.arkansas.gov/wp-content/uploads/17CARpt-210-Final.pdf
  2. https://labor.arkansas.gov/wp-content/uploads/Notice-of-Public-Hearing-Electrical-2026.pdf
  3. https://labor.arkansas.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023-NEC-Rule-Summary.pdf
  4. https://sas.arkansas.gov/wp-content/uploads/CurrentCodes072023.pdf
  5. https://highfillarkansas.gov/public-hearing-proposed-adoption-of-electrical-code/
  6. https://media.ark.org/dps/ASP-Foreword-Fire-Code-Rules-Redlined_10-2024.pdf
  7. https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FAssembly%2FMeeting+Attachments%2F040%2F5095%2FD.21.c+DPS+DASP+2021+Arkansas+Fire+Prevention+Code.pdf
  8. https://up.codes/s/roof-access-and-pathways
  9. https://codes.iccsafe.org/s/IFC2021P1/chapter-12-energy-systems/IFC2021P1-Pt03-Ch12-Sec1205.2.1
  10. https://arkleg.state.ar.us/Acts/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2023R%2FPublic%2F&file=278.pdf&ddBienniumSession=2023%2F2023R
  11. https://www.entergyarkansas.com/net-metering/
  12. https://www.firstelectric.coop/net-metering
  13. https://www.littlerock.gov/media/18644/enforced-construction-codes-2023-c-sized-sheet.pdf
  14. https://littlerock.gov/little-rock-reaches-solar-project-milestone/

Researched September 30, 2026.

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