Two approvals: the utility's and the city's
Michigan's distributed generation program governs how a home system connects, and it replaced legacy net metering: DTE's Rider 16 is closed to new applicants, and Consumers Energy's program took effect January 1, 2021. Public Act 235 of 2023, in effect since February 27, 2024, raised the program cap from 1 percent to 10 percent, and the program covers systems up to 550 kW. The MPSC approved each utility's updated tariff on March 13, 2025 (DTE Electric in case U-21798, Consumers Energy in U-21796), and customers must interconnect before operating.
The city side is separate. LARA's state form applies only where LARA is the enforcing agency, so ask your city or township which office issues yours. Either way the permit is pulled under the electrical contractor's Michigan license number. Ask in writing who files which application, because the answer belongs on the quote.
Interconnection and permit fees: what utilities and cities charge
This service has no estimate range, because the model prices what installers charge and nothing here is that. The rows are fees that DTE, Consumers Energy and the cities print, each with the date or fiscal year of its schedule.
No federal credit applies to a system installed in 2026. Several cities print per-panel or per-kW rates, so your total depends on the size of the array, and a city amount here is the electrical permit; a building permit is separate where the city requires one.
| Item | Figure | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| DTE Rider 18 application, Level 1 and 2 | $50 | DTE's interconnection procedures dated July 1, 2026. Study or construction fees may apply if triggered. |
| Consumers Energy distributed generation application review, Levels 1 to 3 | $50 | Consumers' interconnection cost table. Supplemental review, system impact and facilities study are listed at $0. |
| Solar photovoltaic electrical permit, Detroit | $278 per inverter connection per visit (grid-connected); $165 per visit (no grid) | BSEED fee schedule effective January 1, 2024. A subsequent installation inspection visit is $176 each. |
| Electrical permit, alternative power, Grand Rapids | $42.00 for the first 10 kW, then $4.00 per added kW | FY2027 fee schedule, electrical. |
| Electrical permit, solar per kW, Royal Oak | $20.00 per kW | Master fee schedule effective July 1, 2025. |
| Electrical permit, alternative power, Wyoming | $40.00 for the system and first 10 kW, then $4.00 per added kW | Fee schedule effective 2026. The electrical application fee is $50.00 and includes one inspection. |
| Electrical permit, solar panels, Taylor | $19.00 per panel, plus a $50.00 application fee | 2025-2026 schedule. |
| Electrical permit, per PV module up to 20 kW, Kalamazoo | $7.00 per module, plus an $83.00 application fee | 2026 application. Residential PV also needs a building permit. |
| Expedited residential solar electrical permit, Ann Arbor | $0 for line-item solar fees | The city's 2020 checklist and fee sheet say it doesn't charge for them; an inspection is $35.00 if applicable. The city may have changed fees since. |
| Electrical permit, solar panel modules, East Lansing | $12 per module | City electrical permit fees, undated. The building side is separate: a $60 solar permit application fee, and $140 for systems under 10 kW covering the application and rough and final inspections. |
| Electrical permit, alternative energy up to 50 kW, Battle Creek | $50.00 | Schedule effective July 1, 2026. Per-panel rows of $2.00 and $1.00 are also printed; ask the city whether both apply. |
| State electrical permit schedule, solar photovoltaic system | $75.00 application, then $2.00 or $1.00 per panel | LARA's state form applies only where the state inspects, and its column layout is ambiguous. |
These rows are fees that utilities and cities publish, each with the date or fiscal year of the schedule. None is an installer's price, and the estimate model has no row for this service. Full method. Prices as of Oct 23, 2026.
DTE: the steps and the clock
DTE charges $50 for a Level 1 or Level 2 application under Rider 18, and its supplemental procedures say there are no additional application fees for the program, though study or construction fees may apply if they're triggered. Within 10 business days of a complete application and fee, DTE says whether it's conforming, incomplete or non-conforming. The applicant then has 60 business days to fix deficiencies, with up to two resubmissions; those two deadlines come from DTE's Level 1 and 2 procedures dated July 1, 2026.
DTE's undated overview adds the rest. After approval the installer has 180 days to install and upload an approved electrical inspection sticker signed by the local governing authority. The customer, not the installer, signs the Parallel Operating Agreement, and the process takes "approximately six weeks." Your first Rider 18 bill takes one to two billing cycles to arrive, and the utility timelines guide lays out the full sequence from application to that bill.
Consumers Energy: levels, fee and the online form
Consumers Energy sorts systems into Level 1 up to 20 kW, Level 2 over 20 to 150 kW and Level 3 over 150 to 550 kW, with one $50 application review fee across all three. Its cost table lists supplemental review, system impact and facilities studies at $0. A Level 1 application can be filed online through PowerClerk. The steps are the application, a check that the system matches approved specs, a commissioning test, and signing the Generator Interconnection Operating Agreement.
Consumers Energy's interconnection pages don't give a review deadline for Level 1, so ask Consumers how long reviews are running when the application goes in, and write the answer on the quote.
What cities charge for the electrical permit
Cities set their own fees, and the rows in the table below are what each city's published schedule says, not an installer's price. They're built in different ways. Detroit charges $278 per inverter connection per visit for a grid-connected system, and Taylor $19.00 per panel with a $50.00 application fee. Royal Oak charges $20.00 per kW, while Grand Rapids and Wyoming charge a base amount for the first 10 kW and $4.00 for each added kW. East Lansing charges $12 per module. Battle Creek's schedule, effective July 1, 2026, prints both a $50.00 row for alternative energy up to 50 kW and per-panel rows of $2.00 and $1.00. It doesn't say whether both apply to one system, so ask the city.
The LARA state schedule, a $75 application fee and $2 or $1 per panel, applies only where the state inspects, and its column layout is ambiguous. Westland's form prints $10 and $15 per panel on rows worded like the state's, so confirm Westland's amounts with its Building Division before you count on them.
City rules beyond the fee
Many cities also want a building permit. The city amounts on this page cover only the electrical one, and Dearborn requires both for solar, gives 10 business days for review, wants the contractor registered with the city, and strongly discourages homeowners from applying directly. Kalamazoo's checklist asks for an electrical and a building permit with one inspection of each, and requires a master's and contractor's license through the state. It gives 3 to 5 business days for review, against up to two weeks on the city's online page. East Lansing's building side lists a $60 solar permit application fee and $140 "for systems under 10kw (app, rough & final inspections)," and the city wants a Certificate of Appropriateness in its Historic District.
Ann Arbor's 2020 checklist listed 3 to 5 business days for expedited residential solar, which needs only an electrical permit. For your own city, start with its building office. Per the cities' pages, Grand Rapids' Development Center is at 616-456-4100, and Royal Oak's building department is at 248-246-3210, where inspectors take code questions weekdays from 8 to 9 a.m. or 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. The permit guide covers a city visit.
The codes the permit checks against
Michigan's electrical code is the 2023 National Electrical Code, effective March 12, 2024, and LARA's code page adds that residential requirements are contained in the Michigan Residential Code. For houses, LARA lists the 2015 Michigan Residential Code as current, and a July 7, 2025 Court of Claims order holds off the 2021 code, as of LARA's notice. Michigan's amendment, R 408.30521a, says rooftop PV must meet Section R324 and NFPA 70, that the roof must support the loads, and that penetrations are flashed and sealed.
Ann Arbor was one of 12 communities selected in 2022 to compete in Step 2 of the SolarAPP+ Prize. If you live there, ask the city's Building, Rental and Inspection Services office how it takes a residential solar application now.
When to call 911 and when it can wait
- Smoke, a burning smell or fire at the inverter, panels or wiring is a 911 call. Leave the equipment alone.
- An application the utility hasn't answered yet.
- A permit sheet you haven't been able to find.
What to settle before the paperwork starts
- Ask who files the utility application and who pulls the city permit.
- Ask your building department for its current solar sheet and whether a building permit is also needed.
- Ask the company which of these fees its price includes.
- Look up its electrical contractor license number with LARA.
- Ask for the utility's approval to operate in writing before the final payment.
Who pulls the permit, and what a homeowner may do
The state electrical permit application asks for the contractor's Michigan license number, so the permit is pulled under it. Plans aren't required on that form when the service is 400 A or less and the building is 3,500 square feet or less. Cities use their own forms; Dearborn requires a valid State of Michigan electrical license and city registration, and Detroit issues its own licenses locally.
A homeowner doing their own work in an owner-occupied single-family home is exempt from the license under MCL 339.5737(3)(g), not from the permit or the utility.
Ask for the company's contractor license number and look it up with your state's licensing board before you sign.
Questions people ask
How long does DTE take to approve a solar system?
DTE says the process takes approximately six weeks. It has 10 business days to say whether an application is complete, and you have 60 business days to fix deficiencies.
How much does a solar permit cost in Michigan?
There's no statewide figure, because each city sets its own fee. The cities we cite run from $0 in Ann Arbor, on a 2020 sheet, to $278 per inverter connection per visit in Detroit.
Does Michigan require a building permit for solar too?
Many cities do, including Dearborn, Kalamazoo and East Lansing. Ask your building department what it needs.
Can I file a Consumers Energy solar application online?
Yes, a Level 1 application can be filed online through PowerClerk. Consumers charges one $50 application review fee across Levels 1 to 3.
Who signs the utility agreement for a solar system?
On DTE's side, the customer signs the Parallel Operating Agreement, not the installer. Consumers Energy's last step is signing the Generator Interconnection Operating Agreement.
- DTE Electric Generator Interconnection Procedures, Levels 1 and 2 (July 1, 2026) Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Consumers Energy: Generator Interconnection Information Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Consumers Energy: Distributed Generation Read Oct 23, 2026.
- City of Detroit BSEED Fee Schedule (effective January 1, 2024; file dated March 31, 2025) Read Oct 23, 2026.
- City of Grand Rapids FY 2027 Planning, Design, and Development Fee Schedule Read Oct 23, 2026.
- City of Royal Oak Master Administrative Fee Schedule (eff. July 1, 2025) Read Oct 23, 2026.
- City of Wyoming, Fee Schedules (Effective 2026) Read Oct 23, 2026.
- City of Taylor Building Fees 2025-2026 and 2025-2026 Electrical Permit Application Read Oct 23, 2026.
- City of Kalamazoo Electrical Permit Application 2026 and Solar PV System and Energy Storage System Permitting Checklist Read Oct 23, 2026.
- City of Ann Arbor Solar PV System Permitting Checklist (Nov 2020) and Electrical Permit Fees (eff. Jan 2020) Read Oct 23, 2026. Confirm with the source before you rely on it.
- City of East Lansing Electrical Permit Fees and Fees pages Read Oct 23, 2026.
- City of Battle Creek Fee, Bond & Insurance Schedule (eff. July 1, 2026) Read Oct 23, 2026.
- LARA BCC-339 Electrical Permit Application (10/16 version) Read Oct 23, 2026. Confirm with the source before you rely on it.
- MPSC: Distributed Generation and Interconnection (2023 Energy Legislation workgroup) Read Oct 23, 2026.
- MPSC: Distributed Generation Read Oct 23, 2026.
- DTE: Solar Panel Interconnection Process Overview Read Oct 23, 2026.
- DTE Electric: Rooftop Solar Distributed Generation Rider 18 letter Read Oct 23, 2026.
- LARA BCC-339 Electrical Permit Application (Wayback copy 2025-11-06) Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Development Center, City of Grand Rapids Read Oct 23, 2026. One caveat: confirm the figures and dates with the source itself before you act on them.
- Royal Oak building department Read Oct 23, 2026. One caveat: read the source yourself before you rely on the details.
- Building, Rental and Inspection Services, City of Ann Arbor Read Oct 23, 2026. One caveat: treat this entry as a pointer to the source, and confirm the figures and phone numbers with the source itself.
- City of Dearborn Residential Solar Checklist Read Oct 23, 2026.
- City of Westland Electrical Permit Application (Revised 7-1-2026) Read Oct 23, 2026. Confirm with the source before you rely on it.
- Building Division (Planning & Building Department), City of Westland Read Oct 23, 2026. One caveat: confirm this with the county or agency before you act on it.
- Mich. Admin. Code R. 408.30801 (Cornell LII) Read Oct 23, 2026.
- LARA Bureau of Construction Codes: Code Books Read Oct 23, 2026.
- LARA notice: 2021 Code Injunction, Residential Part 5 and Energy Part 10 Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Mich. Admin. Code R. 408.30521a (Cornell LII) Read Oct 23, 2026.
- NREL: SolarAPP+ Prize Helps Communities Adopt Automated Solar Permit Processing (Wayback 2025-03-03) Read Oct 23, 2026.
- MCL 339.5737 (legislature.mi.gov) Read Oct 23, 2026.
- LARA: Electrical Examination, Licensing/Registration & Application Information Read Oct 23, 2026.