InstaBidsHow much will solar panels cost in Boston?
$30,395 was the median declared permit value for data years 2023-2026 in Boston, MA. One- to four-family home solar building permits issued in Boston declared a typical range (middle half of 5,705 City of Boston permit data points, Boston, MA, 2023-2026) of $18,668 to $46,161.
Updated 2026-10-28
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| What was measured | Median declared value | Declared value range (middle half) |
|---|---|---|
| One- to four-family home solar building permits issued in Boston declared | a median declared value on building permits of $30,395 | the typical range (middle half of 5,705 City of Boston permit data points, Boston, MA, 2023-2026) was $18,668 to $46,161 |
Declared permit values are what applicants reported to the city; final contract prices can differ.
How measured: residential single-job permits; declared values below the low-value floor for the same job removed (3 rows). Source: City of Boston, 'Approved Building Permits' (Analyze Boston), data read 22 October 2026.
These figures are estimates from City of Boston, 'Approved Building Permits' (Analyze Boston), data years 2023-2026, read 22 October 2026, for Boston, MA. They are not a quote, and they are not a promise of what any contractor on InstaBids will charge. Your price depends on your home, the materials and the contractor. Get written bids before you decide.
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What the job includes, the line items to ask for and how to compare bids: the national solar panel system cost guide.
Which documents does Boston request for rooftop solar?
Example rule, Boston solar short-form checklist: roof assessment: “Structural engineer’s report”
Source: Boston Inspectional Services solar application guidance, read 9 November 2026.
Example rule, Boston solar short-form checklist: storage location plans: “Engineer-stamped plans”
Source: Boston Inspectional Services solar application guidance, read 9 November 2026.
Example rule, Boston solar long-form checklist: submission diagrams: “Location and layout diagrams”
Source: Boston Inspectional Services solar application guidance, read 9 November 2026.
Example rule, Boston solar long-form checklist: storage descriptions: “Descriptions of energy storage management systems”
Source: Boston Inspectional Services solar application guidance, read 9 November 2026.
Example rule, Boston solar long-form checklist: load documentation: “Structural support details”
Source: Boston Inspectional Services solar application guidance, read 9 November 2026.
Example rule, Boston solar long-form checklist: emergency route on roof plans: “safe emergency access”
Source: Boston Inspectional Services solar application guidance, read 9 November 2026.
What roof information belongs in a Boston solar scope?
Boston’s short-form solar checklist names a structural engineer’s roof-condition report. Before requesting bids, gather any roof assessment you already have and ask each bidder to identify who will prepare the report. Keep roof repairs separate from the panel installation in your scope so you can see which work each proposal includes.
Source: City of Boston, Install or Replace Solar Panels, read 31 October 2026.
The city’s long-form checklist separately names structural support details. If your project uses that route, ask the designer to identify those details in the submission package rather than treating a panel layout as the complete structural description. Source: City of Boston solar permit guidance, read October 31, 2026.
Source: City of Boston, Install or Replace Solar Panels, read 31 October 2026.
How should a Boston solar request describe battery storage?
Boston’s short-form checklist calls for engineer-stamped plans showing the battery location. Decide whether battery storage is part of your request before comparing proposals; if it is, ask each bidder to identify the proposed location and responsibility for those plans. A panel-only proposal and a proposal including storage describe different work. Source: City of Boston solar permit guidance, read October 31, 2026.
Source: City of Boston, Install or Replace Solar Panels, read 31 October 2026.
What do Boston solar permits declare?
Each Boston figure above is a declared permit value: what the applicant told the permit office the solar job was worth when applying. It is not an invoice.
The count covers building permits on one- to four-family homes whose description uses the word solar, PV or photovoltaic.
Some permits were left out first: 22 legalisation, as-built, revision, supplemental or renewal permits, and 45 that also named another job. None were for a new home or demolition only.
Of the 5,717 matched permits, 5,708 carried a declared value. Three values fell below the low-value floor for this job and were removed, which leaves the 5,705 permits behind the figures.
The Census American Housing Survey used on other cost pages has no solar item, so the low-value floor here is a fixed one rather than one taken from that survey.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, AHS 2023 Value Labels Package, read 16 October 2026.
How does Boston compare with New York State program records (NYSERDA)?
The Boston median declared value sits below the New York State program median for owned home systems. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority publishes the project cost reported for each system in its programs, and the block below keeps only homes that bought their system rather than leasing it or signing a power purchase agreement.
Source: NYSERDA, Solar Electric Programs Reported by NYSERDA, read 16 October 2026.
| What was measured | Median | Typical range (middle half) |
|---|---|---|
| Home solar systems bought outright and completed under NYSERDA programs in New York State had | a median of $38,702 | the typical range (middle half of 12,001 NYSERDA program data points, New York State (NYSERDA program data), 2025-2026) was $28,520 to $51,000 |
| By system size | a median of $3.84 per watt | the typical range (middle half of 12,001 NYSERDA program data points, New York State (NYSERDA program data), 2025-2026) was $3.20 per watt to $5.09 per watt |
How measured: owned, completed home systems, untrimmed; project cost divided by system size in watts. Source: NYSERDA, Solar Electric Programs Reported by NYSERDA: Beginning 2000, data read 16 October 2026.
These figures are estimates from NYSERDA, Solar Electric Programs Reported by NYSERDA: Beginning 2000, data years 2025-2026, read 16 October 2026, for New York State (NYSERDA program data). They are not a quote, and they are not a promise of what any contractor on InstaBids will charge. Your price depends on your home, the materials and the contractor. Get written bids before you decide.
Full national guide: How much will solar panels cost?
The two are different kinds of record: a program figure is what was reported to a state program for a finished system, while a permit value is what an applicant wrote down before the work began. This page keeps them apart and never blends them into one number.
The New York block also has a per-watt row, which puts systems of different sizes on one scale. The Boston block is by job only.
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Sources for the figures on this page
- City of Boston, 'Approved Building Permits' (Analyze Boston), https://data.boston.gov/dataset/approved-building-permits, read 22 October 2026. InstaBids computed medians and middle-half ranges.
- NYSERDA, Solar Electric Programs Reported by NYSERDA: Beginning 2000, https://data.ny.gov/Energy-Environment/Solar-Electric-Programs-Reported-by-NYSERDA-Beginn/3x8r-34rs, read 16 October 2026. Used under the OPEN-NY Terms of Use; no endorsement by New York State or NYSERDA is implied.
- Boston Inspectional Services solar application guidance, www.boston.gov/boston-permitting/install-or-replace/install-or-replace-solar-panels, read 9 November 2026.
- U.S. Census Bureau, AHS 2023 Value Labels Package, www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/ahs/2023/AHS 2023 Value Labels Package.zip, read 16 October 2026.