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Solar site surveys · MaineA 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 Maine.
Maine's building code is MUBEC, updated to the 2021 I-Codes on April 7, 2025, and the Electricians' Examining Board requires the 2026 NEC for electrical installations started on or after July 1, 2026. The state fire code is NFPA 1 rather than the IFC. Rooftop solar can still join net energy billing after a 2025 law closed the program to most new off-site projects, and CMP and Versant Power carry kWh credits for 12 months.
The capture spec is the same everywhere. What the engineer and the plan reviewer read it against is not.
MUBEC is mandatory only in towns of 4,000 or more, so small towns may not enforce a building code at all, while electrical permits and state inspection still apply.2,1
Because kWh credits expire 12 months after they are earned, summer surplus is meant to cover winter bills, which makes shading and orientation data per roof plane central to sizing.7,8
Portland, South Portland and Freeport use the MUBEC stretch energy code as their base, which matters when solar is part of new construction or a large renovation.2
Covenants created after September 30, 2009 cannot ban solar on an owner's home, but can set reasonable safety, historic or aesthetic conditions and keep panels off common elements.9
Who reviews the plan set, and what the state layers on top.
The utility decides the interconnection path and what an exported kilowatt-hour is worth.
One of Maine's two investor-owned utilities. Customers with self-generation must apply for permission to interconnect, and excess generation is banked as credits for use over the following 12 months.8,7
Interconnection page ↗Maine's other investor-owned utility, with separate net energy billing agreements and tariffs for its Bangor Hydro and Maine Public districts.12,7
Interconnection page ↗One standard, one visit, the same record in Maine as everywhere else. What it gets checked against is the code stack above.
The 2026 NEC, with Maine amendments, for electrical installations started on or after July 1, 2026, under the Electricians' Examining Board's Chapter 120.1
P.L. 2025, c. 430 (LD 1777) stopped new NEB agreements after December 31, 2025 for projects connected on the utility side of the meter, such as off-site community solar, while rooftop solar can still enroll; it also directed the state to design a new distributed generation program.13,10
Under the kWh credit program, credits offset later usage one-for-one and expire after 12 months.7,8
No. The State Fire Marshal's fire prevention code is NFPA 1 (2018 edition), and building work follows MUBEC's 2021 I-Codes.4,2
Not for instruments created after September 30, 2009: they cannot bar solar on an owner's residential property, though reasonable restrictions and limits on common elements are allowed.9
Metro pages for Maine: Portland, Maine.
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.
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