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Home  /  Solar site surveys  /  Utah

Solar site surveys · Utah

Solar site surveys in Utah

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 Utah.

NEC 2023Electrical code in effect
1Utilities covered here
48 hrsSurvey to deliverable
Nationwide500+ technicians
Short answer

Utah's Legislature adopts the State Construction Code by statute: as of July 1, 2026 it pairs the 2021 IRC with the 2023 NEC and the 2024 IBC, and the State Fire Code is the 2024 IFC. Rocky Mountain Power's Schedule 137 net billing credits exports at an avoided-cost rate reset each March. Surveys along the Wasatch Front must account for Utah's own ground snow load table, high seismic design categories and downslope wind events.

What changes in Utah

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

UT · METROSSalt Lake City
Code stack
2023NEC 2023National Electrical Code · effective Jul 1, 2025. Utah Code 15A-2-103 adopts the 2023 NEC as part of the State Construction Code. That edition has been in the statute since July 1, 2025 and was kept when the section was amended in 2026.1,2
2021IRC 2021The State Construction Code keeps the 2021 IRC for homes, with Utah amendments in Title 15A, Chapter 3. The 2024 IBC, IECC and IEBC took effect July 1, 2026.1
2024IFC 2024Utah Code 15A-5-103 adopts the 2024 IFC, without its appendices and with statewide amendments, as the State Fire Code, effective July 1, 2026.3
Rooftop fire access. No statewide Utah amendment to the IRC solar section or the IFC's PV provisions turned up in Title 15A. Salt Lake City's PV packet applies the model-code pathway approach: an 18-inch setback on each side of a horizontal ridge when panels cover 33% or less of the viewable roof area, 36 inches above that, and dimensioned access paths on the site plan.4,5

Climate and site factors

Snow

Utah replaces the IRC snow map with its own table and the Utah Snow Load Study. Salt Lake City is listed at 28 psf at 4,239 feet, while mountain towns such as Heber City (60 psf) and Coalville (57 psf) are far higher.4

Seismic

The Wasatch fault runs along the populated Front. The state's worst-case planning scenario is a magnitude 7.0 quake on its Salt Lake City segment, and the March 2020 M5.7 Magna earthquake damaged buildings and homes in the valley.6,7

Wind

Easterly downslope wind events can drive damaging gusts into Wasatch Front valleys, as in September 2020, when widespread damage and outages hit northern Utah. Check attachment spacing against the local design wind speed.8,9

HOAs

HOA rules alone cannot ban solar on detached homes, but associations can impose reasonable conditions, such as not extending above the roof line or matching frame colors to the roof. Record any HOA condition at the survey.10

Permitting in Utah

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

Utilities and interconnection

Rocky Mountain Power is regulated by the Utah Public Service Commission, which approves its Schedule 137 export credit rate each year. Earlier Schedules 135 (net metering) and 136 (transition) are closed to new applicants.12,13

Rocky Mountain Power RMP

Installers apply online with a photo of the meter and wait for approval, then permit, install and upload the passed inspection before RMP sets the meter (about 7 to 10 days) and authorizes the system to be turned on. Inverters must use RMP's required settings, and 5-jaw meter-mounted adapters are not permitted.13

Interconnection page ↗
Export compensation. New Rocky Mountain Power solar customers take service under Schedule 137 net billing, where exports earn an export credit rate recalculated each year. Effective March 1, 2026, the PSC approved 4.855 cents/kWh for June through September (down from 5.704) and 4.033 cents/kWh for October through May (down from 4.199).12,13

What we capture on every Utah survey

One standard, one visit, the same record in Utah 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

Utah solar survey FAQ

Which NEC edition applies to solar in Utah?

The 2023 NEC. The Legislature adopts it by statute in Utah Code 15A-2-103, and it has been in force statewide since July 1, 2025.1,2

How are solar exports credited by Rocky Mountain Power in Utah?

New customers are on Schedule 137 net billing. Since March 1, 2026, exports earn 4.855 cents/kWh from June to September and 4.033 cents/kWh from October to May, and the rate is reset each year.12

Can a Utah HOA prohibit rooftop solar?

Not through its rules for lots with detached homes; only the declaration can restrict it, and adding a ban requires a vote of at least 67% of voting interests. HOAs can still set conditions such as keeping panels below the roof line.10

What ground snow load should a Utah rooftop array be designed for?

Use Utah's own snow load table and the Utah Snow Load Study rather than the IRC map. Salt Lake City is 28 psf, but mountain towns such as Heber City reach 60 psf.4

How long does Rocky Mountain Power interconnection take?

RMP publishes a typical step-by-step timeline and notes that some projects take longer than 70 business days, especially if its equipment needs upgrades. After the passed inspection is uploaded, meter installation takes about 7 to 10 days.13

Services and further reading

Metro pages for Utah: Salt Lake City.

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://le.utah.gov/xcode/Title15A/Chapter2/15A-2-S103.html
  2. https://le.utah.gov/xcode/Title15A/Chapter2/C15A-2-S103_2025070120250507.html
  3. https://le.utah.gov/xcode/Title15A/Chapter5/15A-5-S103.html
  4. https://le.utah.gov/xcode/Title15A/Chapter3/15A-3-S202.html
  5. https://www.slcdocs.com/building/Solar_PV_Packet_6-16-26.pdf
  6. https://www.shakeout.org/utah/scenarios/
  7. https://geology.utah.gov/map-pub/survey-notes/the-ugs-response-to-the-march-18-2020-magnitude-5-7-magna-utah-earthquake-and-aftershock-sequence/
  8. https://www.deseret.com/utah/2020/9/8/21427345/salt-lake-city-utah-downslope-winds-why/
  9. https://msd.utah.gov/316/Codes-and-Design-Criteria
  10. https://le.utah.gov/xcode/Title57/Chapter8A/57-8a-S701.html
  11. https://msd.utah.gov/27/About-Us
  12. https://pscdocs.utah.gov/electric/26docs/26035T03/343975TrfAprvlLtrfromPSC2-23-2026.pdf
  13. https://www.rockymountainpower.net/savings-energy-choices/customer-generation.html

Researched September 29, 2026.

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