AN ACT CONCERNING FACILITATION OF THE MUNICIPAL RESIDENTIAL SOLAR APPLICATION PROCESS.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:

Section 1. Section 16-245nn of the 2016 supplement to the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):

(a) As used in this section:

(1) "Residential solar photovoltaic system" means equipment and devices that have the primary purpose of collecting solar energy and generating electricity by photovoltaic effect, have a nameplate capacity rating of twelve kilowatts or less, are installed on the roof of a single-family home and conform to the Connecticut State Building Code;

(2) "Municipality" means any town, city, borough, consolidated town and city or consolidated town and borough;

(3) "Electronic submission" means the act of a permit applicant who submits his or her completed application to a municipality for review by means of electronic mail, facsimile or electronic application available on a municipality's Internet web site.

(b) Not later than January 1, 2016, each municipality shall incorporate residential solar photovoltaic systems in its building permit application process or utilize a residential solar photovoltaic system permit application supplement. In furtherance of such requirement, any municipality may choose to adopt the standardized solar photovoltaic permit application form approved by the Connecticut Green Bank, as described in subsection (g) of this section, for this purpose. Each municipality may (1) develop and post on the municipality's Internet web site a permit application for the installation of a residential solar photovoltaic system, (2) allow for electronic submission of such application, and (3) exempt such system from payment of permit fees pursuant to subsection (c) of section 29-263.

(c) Not more than thirty days after receipt of a permit application, a municipality shall inform such permit applicant whether such application is approved or disapproved.

(d) In conducting inspections of work completed pursuant to a residential solar photovoltaic system permit, a local building official may use additional resources as described in the International Residential Code portion of the Connecticut State Building Code. Inspections shall be performed pursuant to said International Residential Code portion of the Connecticut State Building Code.

(e) Nothing in this section shall authorize any person to cause any home or structure located within a historic district established pursuant to section 7-147b to be altered, as defined in section 7-147a.

(f) Not later than December 1, 2015, the Connecticut Green Bank, in consultation with the office of the State Building Inspector, shall plan, implement and host five residential solar photovoltaic system permit training seminars, in different municipalities for the purpose of providing guidance and information to municipal officials developing a permitting process in accordance with this section. The Connecticut Green Bank may consult with the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities, the Connecticut Council of Small Towns, the Renewable Energy and Efficiency Business Association and any other organization or representative of such organization in the planning and implementation of the training seminars.

(g) Not later than December 1, 2016, the Connecticut Green Bank, in consultation with the State Building Inspector, shall approve a standardized solar photovoltaic system permit application form for all solar photovoltaic systems, including, but not limited to, residential solar photovoltaic systems. Not later than January 1, 2017, the Connecticut Green Bank shall: (1) Inform each municipality that such standardized form is available, and (2) post such standardized form on the Connecticut Green Bank's Internet web site for adoption by any such municipality.

Statement of Purpose:

To require the Green Bank to approve a standardized solar photovoltaic system permit application form for use by municipalities.

[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not underlined.]