Pennsylvania Receives F Grade in Solar Permitting Scorecard

PHILADELPHIA, PA — Pennsylvania received an “F” grade for rooftop solar permitting barriers that increase costs and delay installations, according to a report released Tuesday by PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center and Frontier Group.

The Solar Permitting Scorecard, which evaluated all 50 states on policies affecting residential solar and battery installations, found Pennsylvania is among 22 states with failing grades due to regulatory and procedural obstacles.

The report cited complex, slow, and inconsistent permitting processes that require homeowners to secure approvals before installing rooftop solar systems, contributing to higher costs and longer timelines.

According to the findings, bureaucratic hurdles can add between $6,000 and $7,000 to the cost of a typical residential solar installation nationwide.

Pennsylvania’s grade reflects several policy gaps, including the lack of requirements or incentives for automated “instant permitting,” the absence of limits on inspection requirements, limited support for remote or third-party inspections, and rules allowing aesthetic concerns to delay projects.

The report recommends adopting automated permitting systems that allow applications to be processed digitally, which could reduce costs and speed up approvals.

“Red tape adds thousands of dollars to the cost of a rooftop solar array, stifling growth in this important energy sector,” said Belle Sherwood, a clean energy advocate with PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center. “Pennsylvania already lags behind nearly every state in the nation for bringing new renewable energy online.”

The analysis also noted that Pennsylvania allows third-party financing options such as power purchase agreements and leases, which can help reduce upfront costs for homeowners.

A separate study cited in the report found that aligning U.S. solar permitting practices with international standards could lead to 18 million additional households installing solar systems by 2040, generating approximately $1.2 trillion in utility bill savings and adding nearly 200 gigawatts of residential solar capacity.

More information is available at https://permitpower.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/10/Cheap-as-our-peers-1.pdf.

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