Solar Installer License Requirements by State
Installs and services solar PV systems. This page compares solar installer licensing requirements across all 50 US states and the District of Columbia. Every row links to the verified state page with statute citations, fees, exam scope, insurance, and renewal rules.
- Published guides
- 51
- Require trade exam
- 5
- Require surety bond
- 10
- Local / municipal
- 43
- Avg published experience
- 3.8 yr
Comparison table — all 51 jurisdictions
Scroll horizontally on smaller screens. Use the sort control to compare low-fee states, high-bond states, or the jurisdictions with the heaviest published experience requirements. Click any state to open the verified license page.
43 of these published jurisdictions rely on local or municipal licensing instead of a single statewide credential.
| State | License | Exam | Experience | Bond | Initial fee | Renewal | NASCLA | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Alabama Solar Contractor Licensing Guide | No | 4 yr | — | $150 | 1 yr | Accepted | Timing depends on AECB approval of the experience package |
| Alaska Local / municipal | Alaska Solar PV — Electrical Contractor and Electrical Administrator Path | No | — | $10,000 | $0 | 2 yr | — | State administrator approval/exam timing |
| Arizona | Arizona C-11 Electrical Contractor with Solar Qualification (Commercial PV) | No | 4 yr | $2,500 | $480 | 2 yr | — | Timing depends on examination completion |
| Arkansas Local / municipal | Arkansas Solar Systems Contractor / Electrical Contractor | No | — | $10,000 | $0 | 1 yr | — | Varies by the selected contractor route |
| California Local / municipal | California Class C-46 — Solar Contractor | No | 4 yr | $25,000 | $200 | 2 yr | — | CSLB does not publish one fixed C-46 processing timeline |
| Colorado Local / municipal | Colorado Solar PV — Electrical Contractor or Photovoltaic Installer Framework | No | — | — | $0 | — | — | Varies by the business path |
| Connecticut | Connecticut PV-1 Limited Solar Electric Contractor / PV-2 Journeyperson | No | 2 yr | — | $150 | 1 yr | — | — |
| Delaware Local / municipal | Delaware Solar PV — Electrical License and Contractor Business License | No | 6 yr | — | $203 | 2 yr | — | — |
| District of Columbia Local / municipal | DC Electrical Contractor/Master Electrician Path and DOB Solar Permits | No | — | $4,000 | $120 | 2 yr | — | — |
| Florida Local / municipal | Florida Certified or Registered Solar Contractor | Yes | 4 yr | — | $145 | 2 yr | — | Timing varies with experience review |
| Georgia Local / municipal | Georgia — No Standalone Solar License (Electrical Contractor Class I or Class II Unrestricted) | Yes | 3 yr | — | $0 | 2 yr | — | 90 – 180 days from application to wallet card |
| Hawaii Local / municipal | Hawaii C-60 Solar Power Systems Contractor License | No | 4 yr | — | $260 | 2 yr | — | CLB review |
| Idaho | Idaho Limited Electrical Contractor — Solar Photovoltaic | No | 2 yr | — | $125 | 1 yr | — | DOPL does not publish a standard processing time |
| Illinois Local / municipal | Illinois Commerce Commission Distributed Generation Installer Certification (Solar PV) | No | — | — | $0 | 1 yr | — | — |
| Indiana Local / municipal | Indiana Solar — No State Solar Contractor License (Local Approval Path) | No | — | — | $0 | 1 yr | — | There is no statewide solar-contractor credential |
| Iowa | Iowa Electrical Contractor License for Solar PV Work | No | — | — | $291.64 | 3 yr | — | Timing depends on the business application |
| Kansas Local / municipal | Kansas Solar Contractor Requirements — Local Electrical and Permit Framework | No | — | — | $0 | — | — | No statewide solar-license timeline applies |
| Kentucky Local / municipal | Kentucky Solar Installation Requirements — Electrical Contractor and Local Permits | No | — | — | $0 | — | — | There is no standalone solar-license timeline |
| Louisiana Local / municipal | Louisiana Solar Energy Equipment Contractor License Guide | No | — | — | $0 | 1 yr | — | Timing depends on qualifying-party documentation |
| Maine Local / municipal | Maine Solar — No Standalone Solar License (Electrical and Local Approval Path) | No | — | — | $0 | 1 yr | — | There is no standalone solar credential |
| Maryland Local / municipal | Maryland MHIC Contractor License and State Electrician Licensing | No | 7 yr | — | $25 | 2 yr | — | — |
| Massachusetts Local / municipal | Massachusetts Solar Contractor Requirements (Electrical, HIC, CSL, and Local Permits) | No | — | — | $0 | 3 yr | — | Project readiness varies by the electrical license held |
| Michigan | Michigan Electrical Contractor License with Master Electrician | No | 6 yr | — | $300 | 3 yr | — | The standard master pathway entails at least 12 |
| Minnesota | Minnesota Residential Building Contractor or Residential Remodeler License (Residential Solar PV Contracting) | Yes | — | — | $500 | 2 yr | — | — |
| Mississippi Local / municipal | Mississippi Solar and Wind Construction / Residential Solar License | No | — | — | $0 | 1 yr | — | MSBOC says complete applications are processed weekly |
| Missouri Local / municipal | Missouri Solar Contractor Requirements — Statewide Electrical and Local Permit Path | No | — | — | $200 | 3 yr | — | OSEC does not publish a universal processing time in the sources reviewed |
| Montana Local / municipal | Montana Solar Contractor Requirements — Electrical, Construction and Permit Guide | No | — | — | $300 | 2 yr | — | Timing depends on the construction-contractor application |
| Nebraska Local / municipal | Nebraska Solar PV — Electrical Licensing, Contractor Registration, and Interconnection | No | 1 yr | — | $187.5 | 2 yr | — | NSED does not publish a solar-contractor timeline |
| Nevada Local / municipal | Nevada Solar Contractor License — C-2 Electrical and C-2g Photovoltaics | No | 4 yr | — | $600 | 2 yr | — | Allow time for document review |
| New Hampshire Local / municipal | New Hampshire Master Electrician / Electrical Business License for Solar PV | No | — | — | $0 | 2 yr | — | For a new master |
| New Jersey Local / municipal | New Jersey Electrical Contractor License and Business Permit for Solar PV | No | 5 yr | $1,000 | $225 | 3 yr | — | At least five years for the ordinary electrical-contractor experience path |
| New Mexico | New Mexico Solar PV Contractor Requirements — Electrical License and CID Permits | No | — | — | $0 | — | — | There is no standalone solar credential timeline |
| New York Local / municipal | New York Solar Contractor — No State Solar License; Local Electrical and Permit Rules | No | — | — | $0 | — | — | No statewide solar-license timeline |
| North Carolina Local / municipal | North Carolina Electrical Contractor License for Solar Photovoltaic Work | No | — | — | $100 | 1 yr | — | Timing depends on the selected classification’s experience review |
| North Dakota Local / municipal | North Dakota Solar PV — Contracting Master Electrician and Contractor Requirements | No | 5 yr | — | $50 | 1 yr | — | — |
| Ohio Local / municipal | Ohio OCILB Electrical Contractor License | Yes | 5 yr | — | $25 | 1 yr | — | 90 – 180 days from application to wallet card |
| Oklahoma Local / municipal | Oklahoma Electrical Contractor License for Solar PV Work | No | — | $5,000 | $300 | 1 yr | — | CIB does not publish a standard solar-PV timeline |
| Oregon Local / municipal | Oregon Solar Contractor Licensing — CCB plus BCD Electrical Credential | Yes | 2 yr | $20,000 | $400 | 2 yr | Accepted | CCB says its completed application process may take six to eight weeks |
| Pennsylvania Local / municipal | Pennsylvania Solar — HIC Registration and Local Electrical Approval Path | No | — | — | $100 | 2 yr | — | There is no statewide solar credential |
| Rhode Island Local / municipal | Rhode Island Renewable Energy Professional (REP) Certificate / Electrical License Path | No | — | — | $240 | 2 yr | — | DLT does not publish a universal REP processing time |
| South Carolina Local / municipal | South Carolina Residential Specialty Contractor Registration — Solar | No | — | — | $0 | 2 yr | — | LLR does not publish a universal processing time for RBS Solar registration. |
| South Dakota Local / municipal | South Dakota Electrical Contractor License for Solar-PV Work | No | 2 yr | $10,000 | $200 | 2 yr | — | — |
| Tennessee Local / municipal | Tennessee Contractor License — S-Solar Panel Installation / CE Electrical Work | No | — | — | $250 | 2 yr | — | — |
| Texas Local / municipal | Texas — No State Solar License (TDLR Electrician + local permits) | No | — | — | $0 | — | — | No standalone state solar-license timeline |
| Utah Local / municipal | Utah S202 Solar Photovoltaic Contractor — Specialty Contractor Path | No | — | — | $0 | 2 yr | — | DOPL does not publish a universal S202 processing timeline |
| Vermont Local / municipal | Vermont Solar Electrical and Heating License Guide | No | — | — | $150 | 3 yr | — | Timing depends on the actual electrical/heating credential |
| Virginia Local / municipal | Virginia Alternative Energy Systems (AES) Contractor Specialty | No | 2 yr | — | $235 | 2 yr | — | DPOR does not publish a standard AES processing time |
| Washington Local / municipal | Washington Solar Contractor Requirements (Electrical Contractor License, Construction Registration, and Local Permits) | No | — | $4,000 | $354 | 2 yr | — | — |
| West Virginia Local / municipal | West Virginia Electrical Contractor and Contractor License Requirements for Solar PV | No | — | — | $0 | 1 yr | — | Depends on State Fire Marshal qualification review and examination scheduling |
| Wisconsin Local / municipal | Wisconsin Solar PV — Electrical Contractor and Electrician Credentials | No | — | — | $0 | 4 yr | — | Depends on the selected role |
| Wyoming Local / municipal | Wyoming Electrical Contractor License for Solar-PV Installation | No | — | — | $0 | 1 yr | — | — |
National picture for solar installer
Of the 51 jurisdictions currently published in this dataset, 5 require a trade examination administered by PSI, Prometric, NASCLA, Pearson VUE, ICC, or the state board directly. 10 require an explicit surety bond filed with the regulator before the license issues, and 2 accept the NASCLA Accredited Examination as a path toward reciprocal licensure for this line of work. Where the regulator publishes a numeric threshold, the average documented experience requirement is 3.8 years.
The comparison above is generated at build time directly from the state license entries on this site. Every value is traceable to the regulator's published rule. If you spot a discrepancy, the state page is the source of truth and will be re-verified against the official source set.
Choosing where to license first
- Lowest barrier to entry: sort by initial fee and look closely at rows where Exam = No or the state is marked Local / municipal.
- Strongest reciprocity downstream: states marked NASCLA Accepted, because the same exam can unlock multiple jurisdictions later.
- Lowest upfront cost: focus on combinations with the smallest initial fee and no bond requirement.
- Fastest path to wallet card: compare the Time column, but remember that municipal programs can still involve multiple city registrations.
Related trades
Scope of work overlaps at the edges of every classification. Contractors researching solar installer licensing often also need the comparison hub for these adjacent trades:
Related reading
Original cross-state analyses from our dataset that add context to the solar installer table above — who runs the exams, where the burden is heaviest, and what a criminal record means for eligibility.
The Contractor Licensing Atlas
What mapping 867 licenses revealed about exam providers, bonds, and where a trade needs no state license at all.
Contractor license difficulty index
Where each state ranks on exam, experience, and bond burden — hardest to easiest.
License costs ranked by state
Cheapest to most expensive states once fees, bond, and first-year insurance are counted.
Licensing with a criminal record
A 50-state look at background checks and which convictions actually block a license.
Data is sourced from the issuing boards' published rules. Latest completed source-check date represented in the dataset: 2026-09-21.