InstaBidsHow much will solar panels cost in Pittsburgh?
$19,065 was the median declared permit value for data years 2023-2026 in Pittsburgh, PA. Residential solar permits issued in Pittsburgh declared a typical range (middle half of 929 City of Pittsburgh PLI permit data points, Pittsburgh, PA, 2023-2026) of $12,120 to $26,107.
Updated 2026-10-28
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| What was measured | Median declared value | Declared value range (middle half) |
|---|---|---|
| Residential solar permits issued in Pittsburgh declared | a median declared value on building permits of $19,065 | the typical range (middle half of 929 City of Pittsburgh PLI permit data points, Pittsburgh, PA, 2023-2026) was $12,120 to $26,107 |
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 Pittsburgh, Department of Permits, Licenses and Inspections (PLI), via the Western Pennsylvania Regional Data Center (WPRDC), data read 23 October 2026.
These figures are estimates from City of Pittsburgh, Department of Permits, Licenses and Inspections (PLI), via the Western Pennsylvania Regional Data Center (WPRDC), data years 2023-2026, read 23 October 2026, for Pittsburgh, PA. 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 do Pittsburgh solar permits declare?
Each Pittsburgh 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 Pittsburgh, Department of Permits, Licenses and Inspections (PLI), via the Western Pennsylvania Regional Data Center (WPRDC).
The selection keeps permits marked Residential whose descriptions match solar work. Records with blank descriptions are excluded, and exact duplicate selected rows are removed before classification.
Before matching, the selection left out 11 permits whose descriptions also named another job.
Of the 933 matched permits, 931 carried a declared value. The low-value check removed 2 records, leaving 929 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.
Which solar permit scope applies in Pittsburgh?
Example rule, Pittsburgh solar residential permit classification: “Work on single and two-family homes and structures accessory to them requires a Residential permit, while all other work requires a Commercial permit.”
Source: City of Pittsburgh electrical permit guidance, read 9 November 2026.
Example rule, Pittsburgh solar work in an existing house: “The addition/alteration work type applies to the alteration of existing systems or installation of new systems in an existing house.”
Source: City of Pittsburgh electrical permit guidance, read 9 November 2026.
Example rule, Pittsburgh ground-mounted solar addition or alteration: “Ground Mounted Solar PV Array: installation or modification of a PV array that is mounted on the ground and/or not on the roof of a building.”
Source: City of Pittsburgh electrical permit guidance, read 9 November 2026.
Example rule, Pittsburgh roof-mounted solar addition or alteration: “Roof Mounted Solar PV Array: installation or modification of a PV array that is mounted on the roof of a building.”
Source: City of Pittsburgh electrical permit guidance, read 9 November 2026.
Example rule, Pittsburgh rooftop solar occupancy condition: “Installation is limited to buildings with a valid certificate of occupancy.”
Source: City of Pittsburgh electrical permit guidance, read 9 November 2026.
How does Pittsburgh zoning treat rooftop solar?
Example rule, Pittsburgh solar setback definition, section 925.06: “Setbacks refer to the required unoccupied open space between the furthermost projection of a structure and the property line of the lot on which the structure is located, except as modified by the standards of this section.”
Source: City of Pittsburgh Zoning Code, Chapter 925, read 9 November 2026.
Example rule, Pittsburgh solar setback exceptions, section 925.06: “Required setbacks shall be unobstructed from the ground to the sky except as specified in this section.”
Source: City of Pittsburgh Zoning Code, Chapter 925, read 9 November 2026.
Example rule, Pittsburgh features allowed within setbacks, section 925.06.A.2: “Solar energy and small wind energy systems when located on rooftops;”
Source: City of Pittsburgh Zoning Code, Chapter 925, read 9 November 2026.
Example rule, Pittsburgh exemption from height standards, section 925.07.C.9: “HVAC units, solar energy systems, similar mechanical equipment, and any necessary screening thereof.”
Source: City of Pittsburgh Zoning Code, Chapter 925, read 9 November 2026.
Which Pittsburgh solar application details should you settle first?
Pittsburgh’s residential electrical-permit guidance limits roof-mounted solar installations to buildings with a valid certificate of occupancy. Locate that document before assembling the rooftop application; the permit-value records above do not establish the occupancy status of a particular house.
Source: City of Pittsburgh, Electrical Permit, selected solar guidance, read 31 October 2026.
Pittsburgh lists ground-mounted solar arrays separately from roof-mounted arrays in its residential addition and alteration work scopes. Identify whether the panels will stand on the ground or on a building when describing the proposed installation; use the matching work scope when preparing the electrical application.
Source: City of Pittsburgh, Electrical Permit, selected solar guidance, read 31 October 2026.
The city’s electrical-permit guidance says some exterior work may need Zoning or Fire Department review. Before submitting an exterior solar scope, consult the city’s Other Agency Involvement guidance to identify which reviews apply to the proposed work.
Source: City of Pittsburgh, Electrical Permit, selected solar guidance, read 31 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 Pittsburgh permit block reports declared values by job.
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Sources for the figures on this page
- City of Pittsburgh, Department of Permits, Licenses and Inspections (PLI), via the Western Pennsylvania Regional Data Center (WPRDC), https://data.wprdc.org/dataset/pli-permits, read 23 October 2026. Source: PLI Permits, City of Pittsburgh via WPRDC, CC BY (https://www.opendefinition.org/licenses/cc-by); 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.
- 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.
- City of Pittsburgh electrical permit guidance, www.pittsburghpa.gov/Business-Development/Permits-Licenses-and-Inspections/Permitting/Electrical-Permit, read 9 November 2026.
- City of Pittsburgh Zoning Code, Chapter 925, ecode360.com/45479639, read 9 November 2026.