InstaBidsHow much will solar panels cost in Fort Worth?
$23,328 was the median declared permit value for data years 2023-2026 in Fort Worth, TX. Single-family residential solar permits filed in the city declared a typical range (middle half of 2,517 City of Fort Worth permit data points, Fort Worth, TX, 2023-2026) of $14,620 to $35,740.
Updated 2026-10-28
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| What was measured | Median declared value | Declared value range (middle half) |
|---|---|---|
| Single-family residential solar permits filed in the city declared | a median declared value on building permits of $23,328 | the typical range (middle half of 2,517 City of Fort Worth permit data points, Fort Worth, TX, 2023-2026) was $14,620 to $35,740 |
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 (2 rows). Source: City of Fort Worth (Development Services), CFW Open Data - 'CFW Development Permits Table' (ArcGIS item d2740f4d746b4bfaa03e25de0376238b; former Socrata quz7-xnsy, redirected to ArcGIS Hub), data read 23 October 2026.
These figures are estimates from City of Fort Worth (Development Services), CFW Open Data - 'CFW Development Permits Table' (ArcGIS item d2740f4d746b4bfaa03e25de0376238b; former Socrata quz7-xnsy, redirected to ArcGIS Hub), data years 2023-2026, read 23 October 2026, for Fort Worth, TX. 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 Fort Worth application details apply to solar work?
Example rule, Fort Worth residential solar accessory structures: building authorization: “All accessory structures require a building permit.”
Source: Fort Worth Development Services residential permitting, read 9 November 2026.
Example rule, Fort Worth solar electrical services: trade authorization: “Changing, moving, or repairing electrical equipment, including electrical services requires an electrical permit.”
Source: Fort Worth Development Services residential permitting, read 9 November 2026.
Which Fort Worth construction rules cover a solar installation?
Example rule, Fort Worth Building Administrative Code: roof loading, section 106.1: “It shall be unlawful to place, or cause or permit to be placed, on any floor or roof of a building, structure or portion thereof, a load greater than is permitted by the Technical Codes.”
Source: Fort Worth Building Administrative Code, read 9 November 2026.
Example rule, Fort Worth Building Administrative Code: equipment instructions at inspection, section 107.2.13: “Manufacturer's installation instructions, as required by this Code, shall be available on the job site at the time of inspection.”
Source: Fort Worth Building Administrative Code, read 9 November 2026.
Example rule, Fort Worth Building Administrative Code: electrical permit documents, section 107.2.7: “Plans, specifications, engineering calculations, diagrams, and other data shall constitute the submittal documents and shall be submitted in one or more sets with each application for a permit.”
Source: Fort Worth Building Administrative Code, read 9 November 2026.
What location details belong in a Fort Worth solar request?
Fort Worth lists solar panels among accessory structures requiring a building permit and notes zoning requirements tied to location, height and lot size. Mark the intended array location on a sketch before requesting proposals. Ask bidders to describe the proposed placement so the permit discussion starts from the same layout.
Source: City of Fort Worth, Residential Permitting, read 31 October 2026.
How should a solar scope handle roof work?
Fort Worth identifies replacement of roof decking, sheathing and rafters as work requiring a building permit. If your solar project includes those repairs, list them separately in the request and ask who will document them. Keep the roof work visible alongside the panel scope.
Source: City of Fort Worth, Residential Permitting, read 31 October 2026.
What electrical work should a Fort Worth homeowner describe?
Fort Worth says changing, moving or repairing electrical equipment, including services, requires an electrical permit. Describe any planned service changes with the solar request and ask who will handle the electrical submission. Keep that responsibility explicit when comparing proposals.
Source: City of Fort Worth, Residential Permitting, read 31 October 2026.
What do Fort Worth solar permits declare?
Each Fort Worth 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 records come from City of Fort Worth (Development Services), CFW Open Data - 'CFW Development Permits Table' (ArcGIS item d2740f4d746b4bfaa03e25de0376238b; former Socrata quz7-xnsy, redirected to ArcGIS Hub).
The selection covers single-family residential building and accessory-structure permits filed from January 2023 through October 2026. Dates follow the application filing month because the dataset has no issue-date field.
Before matching, the selection left out 7 permits for a new dwelling or work not on an existing home, 1 permit for legalisation, as-built work, revisions, supplements or renewals, and 58 permits whose descriptions also named another job.
Of the 2,553 matched permits, 2,519 carried a declared value. The low-value check removed 2 records, leaving 2,517 permits behind the figures.
The low-value check uses a fixed floor because the American Housing Survey has no hired-out figure for solar.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, AHS 2023 Value Labels Package, read 16 October 2026.
What do New York State program records (NYSERDA) measure?
The Census Bureau's American Housing Survey, used for the national figures on other cost pages, has no solar item, so the second block comes from New York State program records (NYSERDA).
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, AHS 2023 Value Labels Package, read 16 October 2026.
The New York State program records measure the reported project cost of completed residential solar systems bought outright. The selection keeps purchases and excludes leases and power purchase agreements.
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 New York State block includes both a whole-system row and a per-watt row. The Fort Worth permit block reports declared values by job.
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Sources for the figures on this page
- City of Fort Worth (Development Services), CFW Open Data - 'CFW Development Permits Table' (ArcGIS item d2740f4d746b4bfaa03e25de0376238b; former Socrata quz7-xnsy, redirected to ArcGIS Hub), https://services5.arcgis.com/3ddLCBXe1bRt7mzj/arcgis/rest/services/CFW_Open_Data_Development_Permits_View/FeatureServer/0, read 23 October 2026. Source: City of Fort Worth (Development Services), CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). InstaBids computed medians and middle-half ranges. The City of Fort Worth does not warrant the data; these figures are for informational purposes only.
- 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.
- Fort Worth Development Services residential permitting, www.fortworthtexas.gov/departments/development-services/permits/residential-information, read 9 November 2026.
- Fort Worth Building Administrative Code, codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/ftworth/latest/ftworth_tx/0-0-0-5697, 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.