The city inspection that follows a solar permit
After a permit, the city inspects the work. Austin's residential table, updated March 28, 2025 and effective October 1, 2024, lists a solar inspection fee of $74.44 for systems of 1 to 50 kW and $148.89 for 51 to 100 kW, both with surcharges, and an optional pre-wire for solar inspection of $37.22. Killeen lists $100 per application and $5 per panel on a schedule that ran to September 30, 2026, so it may since have been replaced. Dallas lists a $125 building inspection service fee when a building inspection is required, on an undated bulletin.
Those are city charges, separate from anything a company charges you. Houston adds that plan review may apply depending on scope, priced by valuation.
What an inspection costs in Texas: the model and the city rows
The model prices a private inspection at $135 to $295 per inspection visit. It adjusts two national ranges by Texas's solar installer wage ratio of 0.91, adds no permit fee and is an estimate and not a quote.
The city rows below are what cities charge for their own inspections and are separate from the model. Ask a private inspector whether the price covers the written report.
| Item | Figure | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated range, not a quote | $135 to $295 per inspection visit | Built from 2 national published ranges, adjusted by the Texas solar installer median wage ratio (0.91). Before any incentive: there is no federal credit for a system installed in 2026. Basis: no Texas company price for this job, so the national estimate stands. |
| Solar photovoltaic installer wage, Texas median | $23.19 an hour | O*NET 2025 median from BLS May 2025 data: what installers are paid, not what you are charged. |
| Solar inspection, 1 to 50 kW, Austin | $74.44 total with surcharges | Fee table updated March 28, 2025; intake and base permit fees are separate. |
| Solar panel base fee, Killeen | $100 per application plus $5 per panel | Schedule ran to September 30, 2026, so it may have been replaced. |
| Building inspection service fee, Dallas | $125 | Charged when a building inspection is required; the Dallas bulletin prints step fees, not one total. |
Estimated range. Built from national published ranges (2 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 third-party option from 2025
As the City of Dallas's Service First Bulletin 204 summarizes SB 1202 and SB 1252, which took effect September 1, 2025, qualified third parties, meaning electrical inspectors or master electricians holding a license, may review documents and inspect home backup power installations of 600 volts or less, including solar, storage and generators. The city then has three business days from notice of an approved third-party review to issue the permit. Ask your permit office whether it accepts a third-party inspection for your job.
Houston takes another route for plan review: it has processed SolarAPP+ applications without traditional plan review since July 15, 2024, except where the design wind speed is 140 mph or more.
What the utility checks
Utilities run their own reviews. CenterPoint puts every interconnection through design review and looks for an AC disconnect that is visible and accessible, typically within 10 feet of its meter. Oncor reviews the application, has the customer sign an Interconnection Agreement and programs the meter to measure surplus outflow. Under PUCT rule 25.211, when a facility disconnected for not complying is restored, the utility has two business days to verify compliance.
A private check of an existing system
A private inspection looks at a system that is already running: the wiring, the mounting, the inverter display and the monitoring history. It isn't a permit inspection. Ask what the report will include, whether photographs come with it and whether the company also sells repairs, since the person who finds a problem may also quote its fix.
If the check finds wiring that needs work, ask the company that does it for a TDLR electrical contractor license number; Houston's solar permit page names the electricians chapter, Occupations Code 1305. CPS Energy's page adds that a system should be on your homeowner's insurance at full replacement cost.
How long the city side takes
Berkeley Lab's 2026 Data Update shows state permit times only as unlabeled dots, so it gives no Texas figure; its national median from application to issue was 6 days for PV-only systems installed in 2025. Ask your permit office for its own inspection scheduling time when you apply.
When an inspection finding is an emergency
- Smoke, flame, sparks or a burning smell at the inverter, panels or wiring is a 911 call.
- The inspector lists a loose fitting or a labeling gap that isn't hot.
- Production history shows a slow decline.
What to gather before an inspection
- Find the permit number and the final inspection record if you have them.
- Gather the monitoring history and any error codes.
- Ask for the inspector's report format and a sample.
Permit inspections in Texas
Cities inspect under their own codes and fee schedules. Ask your building department whether it inspects solar itself or accepts a third-party report under SB 1202, as Dallas's bulletin summarizes it.
Ask for the company's contractor license number and look it up with your state's licensing board before you sign.
Questions people ask
Is a city inspection the same as a private solar inspection?
No, a city inspection checks permitted work and a private inspection is a check you hire. The city sets the fee for the first and the company sets the price of the second.
How much does Austin charge to inspect solar?
Austin lists $74.44 for a 1 to 50 kW solar inspection, including surcharges. The table was updated March 28, 2025, and the intake and base permit fees are separate rows.
Can a third party inspect my system in Texas?
For home backup power, often yes under SB 1202, as Dallas's bulletin summarizes it. Ask your permit office whether it accepts a third-party report for your job.
Does a private inspection need a permit?
A private inspection doesn't. Work the inspector recommends may need one, so ask the city.
- O*NET OnLine (BLS May 2025 wage data): Solar photovoltaic installers (SOC 47-2231), Texas statewide, median hourly wage Read Oct 24, 2026.
- O*NET OnLine (BLS May 2025 wage data): Solar photovoltaic installers (SOC 47-2231), United States (national), median hourly wage Read Oct 24, 2026.
- SolarPanelMatch: how we estimate costs, Texas (editorial policy) Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Solar permit fee, Austin Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Solar permit fee, Killeen Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Solar permit fee, Dallas Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Solar permit fee, Houston Read Oct 24, 2026.
- CenterPoint Energy DER Application Tariff (PDF) Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Oncor: for installers Read Oct 24, 2026.
- PUCT Substantive Rule 25.211 (PDF); 25.212 PDF; PUCT DG page Read Oct 24, 2026.
- TDLR: Apply for a New Electrical Contractor License; Houston Permitting Center HPWCODE1119 Read Oct 24, 2026.
- CPS Energy: Rooftop Solar (residential) Read Oct 24, 2026.
- LBNL Distributed Solar & Storage 2026 Data Update, slide 12 Read Oct 24, 2026.