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Home  /  Solar site surveys  /  Indiana  /  Indianapolis

Solar site surveys · Indianapolis, IN

Solar site surveys in Indianapolis

Roof, attic and service panel captured in one visit, with the plan set built for the Indianapolis AHJ you submit into and the utility that serves the address.

Book a 15-min callPermitting in Indianapolis
NEC 2008Electrical code in effect
1AHJs covered here
48 hrsSurvey to deliverable
Nationwide500+ technicians
Short answer

In Indianapolis, the Department of Business and Neighborhood Services issues the electrical, structural and improvement location approvals a rooftop system needs, and the city's checklist asks for plans reviewed or sealed as needed by an Indiana professional engineer plus a signed AES Indiana interconnection agreement. Marion County's code values are 20 psf ground snow and 115 mph wind, and new AES Indiana systems are credited under Rate EDG.

What changes in Indianapolis

Indiana state rules apply here, plus whatever the local AHJ amends.

IN · INDIANAPOLISIndianapolis
Code stack
2008NEC 2008National Electrical Code · effective Aug 26, 2009. The Indiana Electrical Code, 2009 Edition (675 IAC 17-1.8) adopts the 2008 NEC and is still the rule in force. A replacement adopting the 2023 NEC as the 2026 Indiana Electrical Code (LSA Document #26-62) went through public comment and a July 23, 2026 public hearing but had not been published as a final rule by late September 2026, so confirm the edition with the AHJ at permit time.1,2,3
2018IRC 2018The 2020 Indiana Residential Code (675 IAC 14-4.4) adopts the 2018 IRC with state amendments for one- and two-family dwellings (Class 2 structures). Its Table R301.2(1) is replaced with county-by-county design values.1,4
2012IFC 2012The 2014 Indiana Fire Code (675 IAC 22-2.5) is based on the 2012 IFC, and the 2014 Indiana Building Code is based on the 2012 IBC. Drafts adopting the 2024 IFC and 2024 IBC as 2026 Indiana codes were posted by the Department of Homeland Security in 2026 but carried no effective date.1,5,6
Rooftop fire access. Indiana's residential code adopts the 2018 IRC without amending Section R324, so one- and two-family homes fall under R324.6: two 36-inch eave-to-ridge pathways on separate roof planes, one facing the street or driveway, and 18-inch clearances each side of a ridge (36 inches once the array covers more than a third of the roof). Commercial (Class 1) buildings follow Section 605.11 of the 2012-based Indiana Fire Code, which calls for perimeter and centerline access.4,7

Climate and site factors

Snow and wind

Marion County's row in the state residential code sets a 20 psf ground snow load, a 115 mph design wind speed and seismic design category B.4

Engineer review

The city checklist expects solar plans to be reviewed or designed, and sealed where needed, by an Indiana-registered professional engineer, so rafter size, spacing and span need to be documented.8

Special districts

Applicants must confirm compliance with zoning, planned development, historic and conservation districts, and the city also expects private deed restrictions and HOA covenants to be respected even though it does not enforce them.8

Interconnection first

The checklist lists an executed AES Indiana interconnection agreement among permit documents, and AES installs a bi-directional meter only after the agreement is signed.8,9

Permitting in Indianapolis

The main AHJs, and how the rest of the metro splits up.

Indianapolis Department of Business and Neighborhood Services (DBNS)

The city's Solar Photovoltaic Systems Required Documents Checklist (updated August 2026) lists electrical, structural and improvement location approvals for residential and commercial systems, drainage review if needed, and extra permits in special district zones. Plans must be reviewed or designed, and sealed if needed, by an Indiana-registered professional engineer.10,8

Official page ↗

Across the metro

Every Indiana jurisdiction enforces the same state codes, but plan submittal for homes is set by local ordinance, so suburbs outside Marion County run their own building departments and checklists.4

Indiana-wide rules that still apply

Utilities and interconnection

AES Indiana serves Indianapolis and parts of surrounding central Indiana communities, and the city's checklist requires its interconnection agreement; Duke Energy Indiana serves much of the rest of the state, so check which utility serves a suburban address.14,8,15

Duke Energy Indiana Duke

Indiana's largest electric utility, serving about 928,000 customers in 69 of the state's 92 counties. The IURC approved its excess distributed generation tariff with instantaneous netting in Cause No. 45508 in July 2022.15,16

Interconnection page ↗

AES Indiana AES

Serves more than 500,000 customers in Indianapolis and nearby parts of central Indiana. Level 1 applications (up to 10 kW, no fee) cover most homes, inverters must meet IEEE 1547-2018 and UL 1741, and systems installed after June 30, 2022 are credited under Rider 16, Rate EDG.14,17,9

Interconnection page ↗
Export compensation. Under Senate Enrolled Act 309 (2017), the large investor-owned utilities closed net metering to new systems after June 30, 2022; systems installed before 2018 keep it until July 1, 2047 and those from 2018 to mid-2022 until July 1, 2032. New systems receive Excess Distributed Generation credits priced at 1.25 times the utility's average marginal energy price from the prior year, and the Indiana Supreme Court upheld instantaneous netting, which credits each exported kWh at that rate while imports are billed at retail, in January 2023.9,18,19

What we capture on every Indianapolis survey

The same capture standard as every other Indiana job, so the plan set is built on what the technician verified on site.

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

Indianapolis solar survey FAQ

What permits does a rooftop solar system need in Indianapolis?

DBNS lists electrical, structural and improvement location approvals for residential systems, plus drainage review if needed and any extra permits for special district zones.8

Do Indianapolis solar plans need an engineer's seal?

The city's checklist says plans must be reviewed or designed by an Indiana-registered professional engineer and sealed if needed, so expect structural documentation of the roof.8

How does AES Indiana credit exported solar?

Systems installed after June 30, 2022 are on Rider 16, Rate EDG, which credits exported energy at an annually updated rate, with unused credit carried forward while the customer stays on service.9,17

What snow load applies to Indianapolis roofs?

The state residential code lists 20 psf ground snow for Marion County, with a 115 mph design wind speed.4

Services and further reading

State-level detail is on the Indiana page; every location is on the solar site survey hub.

Residential

Roof, attic and service panel in one visit

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Commercial & Industrial

Roof, structure and switchgear

Explore →

Utility-Scale

Terrain, build and operations

Explore →

Site surveys

Roof and electrical, one visit

Explore →

Permitting & engineering

Stamped sets, six days from survey

Explore →

Shading analysis

SA, TOF and TSRF per plane

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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://www.in.gov/dhs/boards-and-commissions/fpbsc-rules
  2. https://iar.iga.in.gov/register/20260311-IR-675260062RAA
  3. https://iar.iga.in.gov/register/20260617-IR-675260062PHA
  4. https://iar.iga.in.gov/register/20191225-IR-675190330FRA
  5. https://www.in.gov/dhs/files/Fire-Code-LSA-Document-6.1.2026.pdf
  6. https://www.in.gov/dhs/files/Building-Code-LSA-Document-6.1.2026.pdf
  7. https://up.codes/viewer/indiana/ifc-2012/chapter/6/building-services-and-systems
  8. https://us-east-1-indy.graphassets.com/ActDBC5rvRWeCZlNNnLrDz/cmtbopvpy1x0207ldpsc0yt8t
  9. https://www.aesindiana.com/solar-faqs
  10. https://www.indy.gov/activity/solar-energy
  11. https://codes.findlaw.com/in/title-32-property/in-code-sect-32-25-5-3-5-4/
  12. https://www.ksnlaw.com/blog/indiana-solar-panels-hoa-associations/
  13. https://codes.findlaw.com/in/title-32-property/in-code-sect-32-25-5-3-5-5/
  14. https://www.aesindiana.com/aes-indiana-history
  15. https://www.in.gov/iurc/files/5.-SRF_26_Duke-Energy-Indiana.pdf
  16. https://secure.in.gov/oucc/electric/key-cases-by-utility/duke-energy-rates/duke-energy-distributed-generation-tariff
  17. https://www.aesindiana.com/customer-owned-generation
  18. https://www.in.gov/iurc/files/2017-07-20-IURC-Tech-Conf-Handout-re-IC-8-1-40.pdf
  19. https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/in-supreme-court/2142635.html

Researched September 30, 2026.

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