InstaBidsHow much will solar panels cost in Saint Paul?
$6,256 was the median declared permit value for data years 2023-2025 in Saint Paul, MN. Single-family and duplex solar permits issued in Saint Paul declared a typical range (middle half of 366 City of Saint Paul permit data points, Saint Paul, MN, 2023-2025) of $4,176 to $9,470.
Updated 2026-10-28
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| What was measured | Median declared value | Declared value range (middle half) |
|---|---|---|
| Single-family and duplex solar permits issued in Saint Paul declared | a median declared value on building permits of $6,256 | the typical range (middle half of 366 City of Saint Paul permit data points, Saint Paul, MN, 2023-2025) was $4,176 to $9,470 |
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 (0 rows). Source: City of Saint Paul, Department of Safety and Inspections, data read 23 October 2026.
These figures are estimates from City of Saint Paul, Department of Safety and Inspections, data years 2023-2025, read 23 October 2026, for Saint Paul, MN. 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.
What do Saint Paul solar permits declare?
Each Saint Paul 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 Saint Paul, Department of Safety and Inspections.
The selection covers single-family and duplex building permits whose descriptions match solar work. The source is frozen at June 30, 2025. The selected permits run from January 2023 through June 2025, so the data years are 2023-2025.
Before matching, the selection left out 4 permits for a new dwelling or work not on an existing home, 10 permits for legalisation, as-built work, revisions, supplements or renewals, and 11 permits whose descriptions also named another job.
Of the 378 matched permits, 366 carried a declared value. No values were removed by the low-value check, leaving 366 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 solar rules apply at the Ford Site?
Example rule, Saint Paul Ford Site solar plan drawings: “Plan applications for solar energy systems shall be accompanied by to-scale horizontal and vertical (elevation) drawings.”
Source: Saint Paul Ford Site Zoning and Public Realm Master Plan, read 9 November 2026.
Example rule, Saint Paul Ford Site solar location drawing: “The drawings must show the location of the system on the building or on the property for a ground-mount system, including the property lines.”
Source: Saint Paul Ford Site Zoning and Public Realm Master Plan, read 9 November 2026.
Example rule, Saint Paul Ford Site pitched-roof solar elevation: “For all roof-mounted systems other than a flat roof, the elevation must show the highest finished slope of the solar collector and the slope of the finished roof surface on which it is mounted.”
Source: Saint Paul Ford Site Zoning and Public Realm Master Plan, read 9 November 2026.
Example rule, Saint Paul Ford Site solar plan approval scope: “Plan approval does not indicate compliance with Building Code or Electric Code.”
Source: Saint Paul Ford Site Zoning and Public Realm Master Plan, read 9 November 2026.
Example rule, Saint Paul Ford Site solar utility interconnection: “All grid-intertie solar energy systems shall comply with the interconnection requirements of the electric utility.”
Source: Saint Paul Ford Site Zoning and Public Realm Master Plan, read 9 November 2026.
Example rule, Saint Paul Ford Site off-grid solar exception: “Off-grid systems are exempt from this requirement.”
Source: Saint Paul Ford Site Zoning and Public Realm Master Plan, read 9 November 2026.
Example rule, Saint Paul Ford Site solar color: “The color of the solar collector is not required to be consistent with other roofing materials.”
Source: Saint Paul Ford Site Zoning and Public Realm Master Plan, read 9 November 2026.
What solar inspections does Saint Paul require?
Example rule, Saint Paul solar electrical standard: “All work must be done to the standards of the latest edition of the National Electrical Code adopted by the State of Minnesota.”
Source: Saint Paul Department of Safety and Inspections, read 9 November 2026.
Example rule, Saint Paul solar inspection booking: “Contractors with one- and two-family residential permits can schedule their inspections online here.”
Source: Saint Paul Department of Safety and Inspections, read 9 November 2026.
Example rule, Saint Paul solar inspection attendance: “the contractor must be present for all Solar/PV Electrical permit inspections.”
Source: Saint Paul Department of Safety and Inspections, read 9 November 2026.
Example rule, Saint Paul solar permit expiration: “Each permit issued shall expire if the work authorized by the permit is not commenced within 180 days from the date issued, or if the work is suspended or abandoned at any time after the work has begun for a period of 180 days.”
Source: Saint Paul Department of Safety and Inspections, read 9 November 2026.
Example rule, Saint Paul solar exterior completion: “In addition, exterior work done on a single-family or two-family dwelling (including garages) must be completed within one year from the date issued.”
Source: Saint Paul Department of Safety and Inspections, read 9 November 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 Saint Paul permit block reports declared values by job.
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Sources for the figures on this page
- City of Saint Paul, Department of Safety and Inspections, https://information.stpaul.gov/datasets/cb618c6b5f8f46b696674e74a3fb5b2d, read 23 October 2026. InstaBids computed medians and middle-half ranges. This data are provided to you “as is” and without any warranty as to their performance, merchantability, or fitness for any particular purpose. The City of Saint Paul does not represent or warrant that the data or the data documentation are error-free, complete, current, or accurate. You are responsible for any consequences resulting from your use of the data or your reliance on the data. If you transmit or provide the data (or any portion of it) to another user, the data must include this disclaimer.
- 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.
- Saint Paul Ford Site Zoning and Public Realm Master Plan, www.stpaul.gov/sites/default/files/2023-08/MP_Amended 07-28-23.pdf, read 9 November 2026.
- Saint Paul Department of Safety and Inspections, www.stpaul.gov/departments/safety-inspections/building-and-construction/construction-permits-and-inspections/electrical-permits-inspections/solar-pv-systems-electrical, read 9 November 2026.