Can I put solar panels on the ground in my Texas yard, and will my HOA allow it?

What the HOA statute lets an association refuse in a yard

Property Code 202.010, as the statute reads (the copy cited here may predate the latest session), voids an association rule that prohibits or restricts a solar energy device, and then lists exceptions. Several are about where a device sits. An association may prohibit one on association or commonly owned property, one outside the roof or a fenced yard or patio, one taller than the fence line, and one installed without prior approval.

Ask the association which of those it applies to your lot. Other exceptions reach any array, wherever it sits: frames in a color other than silver, bronze or black, visible piping or wiring, a device that voids material warranties, and one a court has found threatens public health or safety or violates a law.

The association has to answer within a reasonable period, and it may not withhold approval when the conditions are met unless it finds in writing that the placement substantially interferes with the use and enjoyment of land. In a development of fewer than 51 planned homes, the developer may restrict devices during the development period. Send the site plan to the association and keep its written answer with the contract.

What Texas ground-mount solar costs: the model price

Our model puts a typical 7 kW ground-mounted system at $20,200 to $26,900 for a typical 7 kW ground-mounted system, before any incentive. It combines four national ranges, applies Texas's solar installer wage ratio of 0.91 and adds a typical city solar permit fee of $153. That's an estimate and not a quote, and nothing comes off for a federal credit that doesn't apply to 2026.

It leaves out a long trench, a panel upgrade, fencing and financing. Ask what the quote assumes about trench length and who restores the lawn.

Estimated range. Built from national published ranges (4 sources), adjusted by Texas's solar installer median wage ratio to the US (0.91, BLS May 2025), plus the city solar permit fee where the city publishes one. Not a quote. One Texas installer publishes its own current price on its own page (Palmetto, per watt), too few to build a range from; the others print blog or market averages or dated figures, which we do not count. We have no Texas company price for this job, so the range is our national estimate alone. Full method. Prices as of Oct 24, 2026.

The trench run and who may wire it

The run from the array to the house carries power. TDLR licenses electrical contractors for installing or altering conductors used for light, heat or power, and Houston's solar permit page names Occupations Code Chapter 1305, the electricians chapter, as its authority, so ask the company for its TDLR electrical contractor license number and who pulls the permit.

A homeowner may do electrical work on a dwelling they own and live in without the state license, though TDLR notes that cities may add their own rules. Lubbock's solar permit form, for one, is limited to electrical contractors holding the state license.

Distance shows up in utility rules too. CenterPoint requires an AC disconnect that is visible and accessible, typically within 10 feet of its meter, with a placard if it sits farther away, so ask where the disconnect will go on a ground system.

The permit and the code edition

Cities issue the permit under the codes they adopt. TDLR made the 2026 NEC the state electrical code effective September 1, 2026, but Denton's solar page still cites the 2020 NEC, so the edition depends on your city. TDLR, the PUCT and the Comptroller don't publish a statewide cap on solar permit fees on the pages cited here, so ask your permit office for its own amount before a company prices the job.

Some rows scale with size. Austin's residential table, updated March 28, 2025, lists a $74.44 solar inspection fee for 1 to 50 kW and $148.89 for 51 to 100 kW. Killeen's schedule, which ran to September 30, 2026 and may since have been replaced, lists $100 per application and $5 per panel. Houston prints $91.06 for its Solar Panel Permit and a $33.56 admin fee, and Frisco $150 from October 1, 2026.

Property tax, the utility and the seller

Tax Code 11.27 exempts from property tax the appraised value a solar device adds when it is mainly for on-site use. Form 50-123 is the Comptroller's application, and your appraisal district can say how it handles a ground system.

Texas doesn't mandate net metering. Utilities Code 39.916, as the statute reads, has a utility allow interconnection of distributed renewable generation of up to 2,000 kW when it carries a five-year warranty and its rated capacity doesn't exceed the utility service capacity, and the PUCT says the buyback rate is part of your contract with your electric provider.

TDLR's solar retailer registration covers contracts for household solar panels signed after September 1, 2025, whether they go on a roof or not. Ask the seller for its registration number and its salesperson's.

When a yard array needs a 911 call

What to line up before you request quotes

1. Read your HOA's written rules on yard placement and fence height.
2. Mark where the array could sit and how far it is from the panel.
3. Ask each company for its TDLR electrical contractor license number and solar retailer registration.

Permits for a ground-mounted array

Cities issue the permit and set their own fees. Houston, Frisco and Austin print solar rows, and the interconnection page lists the others.

Your utility's application and agreement are a separate step, and PUCT rule 25.211 puts both before you connect.

Ask for the company's contractor license number and look it up with your state's licensing board before you sign.

Questions people ask

Keep reading

Guides

• Solar quotes: what to compare, and what to get in writing, before you sign
• Net metering, distributed generation and net billing: how each state credits the power you send out
• Roof age and solar: when to replace the roof first, and what the codes say about the roof itself

Related services

• Solar panel installation
• Interconnection and permits
• Solar removal

Texas licensing, code and permit facts · Report a wrong price or rule