Residential PV Site-Survey Quick Checklist
Most permit and install delays trace back to something nobody measured on the first visit. This is the capture list to run before you leave the driveway — get it all on the first trip and the design, permit, and install stop bouncing back for one more photo. Pair it with your AHJ's specific submittal requirements.
Electrical service
- Main service panel: bus rating + main breaker size (photo of label)
- Available backfed breaker space / busbar calc inputs
- Meter location + meter number (clear photo)
- Service entrance: overhead or underground
- Sub-panels present? Location and ratings
Roof / array area
- Roof material and approximate age
- Rafter / truss size and spacing (measure, don't eyeball)
- Roof planes: azimuth, pitch, usable dimensions each
- Obstructions: vents, chimneys, skylights — measured offsets
- Shading: trees, neighboring structures, time-of-day notes
Routing & equipment
- Proposed inverter / equipment location
- Conduit run path from array to panel (rough footage)
- Attic access for wire routing — photo
- Point of interconnection decided and documented
Before you leave the site
- Wide photos of every roof plane + the full electrical setup
- A measurement for every dimension the designer will need
- Homeowner contact + any HOA constraint noted
- Address confirmed against the utility account / AHJ records
How to use it
- The cheapest measurement is the one you take on the first trip. The most expensive is the second trip.
- Photograph more than you think you need — the panel label answers questions you haven't been asked yet.
- If a number isn't written down, it didn't get measured. Memory is not a site survey.