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Solar site survey checklist: everything to capture before design

A complete solar site survey checklist covers six areas — desk prep, roof, shading, structure, electrical, and site logistics — plus the photo set engineering needs to design without guessing. Capture all six in one visit and the project moves straight to design. Miss one and somebody drives back.

That drive-back is the real cost. The survey itself is an hour; the second visit is a week of calendar slip, because permitting and interconnection timelines are already the long pole in solar projects and a design revision resets the queue. The checklist below is organized the way the visit should run, front door to breaker panel.

Prints clean — checkboxes and sections only, no navigation or page furniture.

Before you roll: the desk-prep checklist

Ten minutes at the office saves thirty on the roof:

Customer contact confirmed, arrival window communicated
Twelve months of utility usage collected (or requested from the customer)
Satellite/aerial view reviewed — preliminary array area, obvious shading, roof complexity
Utility and AHJ identified for the address — their interconnection and permit quirks noted
HOA or historic-district review flagged if applicable
Battery interest asked in advance — it changes the electrical survey below

Roof assessment checklist

Roofing material and condition — note age and any repairs needed before racking goes on
Measurements per plane: dimensions, pitch, azimuth
Obstructions mapped: vents, chimneys, skylights, satellite mounts, existing conduit
Setback and pathway space checked per the local fire-code requirements
Gutters, eaves, and edge conditions noted for racking and safety planning
Ground-mount alternative assessed if roof area or condition falls short

Shading analysis checklist

Shade readings taken per array plane (measurement tool of your choice — record readings, not impressions)
Trees noted with height, distance, species if known, and owner (the neighbor’s oak matters as much as the customer’s)
Seasonal variation considered — winter sun angles, deciduous vs evergreen
Future shading risks flagged: saplings, planned construction, adjacent lots

Structural checklist

Attic or underside access confirmed and photographed
Rafter/truss size, spacing, and span recorded
Framing condition checked — water staining, sagging, prior modifications
Decking type and thickness noted

Electrical checklist

The section that causes the most second visits. Slow down here:

Main service panel: manufacturer, model, bus rating, main breaker rating — photograph the label, not your memory of it
Available capacity for backfeed assessed per the applicable NEC interconnection rules
Breaker space counted; sub-panels located and photographed
Meter location, number, and utility equipment photographed
Grounding system located and noted
Conduit path planned: array to inverter, inverter to interconnection point — measure the runs
Inverter and battery locations confirmed with the customer (wall space, clearances, temperature exposure)
Wi-Fi or cellular signal checked at the monitoring location

Site logistics checklist

Crew access assessed: driveway, gates, dogs, parking for the install day
Material staging area identified
Trenching path measured for ground mounts or detached structures
Special equipment needs flagged: steep-assist, lift, extra fall protection

The photo set engineering actually needs

If the survey produces one deliverable, it’s this. Every item above gets a photo, but these are the non-negotiables: full roof from multiple angles, every plane; attic framing; main panel with the door open and the label legible; meter and utility equipment; planned inverter/battery wall; the conduit path; anything odd. Photos, measurements, and notes captured on an offline-first mobile app beat a clipboard — rooftops and attics are exactly where signal dies, and a photo that lives on the job record can’t get lost in a camera roll.

How to run a solar site survey checklist without a second truck roll

Three habits separate shops that survey once from shops that survey twice.

First, the checklist lives on the job, not on paper. Captured items attach to the work order as documents and photos, so design, permitting, and the install crew all pull from the same record — the survey is step one of the same solar install workflow that carries the permits and inspections downstream.

Second, the survey has a definition of done. A surveyor should not be able to close the visit with the electrical section half-empty; an incomplete section is a scheduled revisit, decided in the driveway rather than discovered in design.

Third, review before you leave the site. Sixty seconds scrolling the photo set against this solar site survey checklist while still parked out front is the cheapest quality control in the industry.

Frequently asked questions

What is a solar site survey?

The on-site assessment done before system design: measuring the roof, analyzing shading, verifying the structure and electrical service, and capturing the photos and measurements engineering needs to design a system that will pass permitting and inspection.

How long does a solar site survey take?

Typically one to two hours on site for residential when the surveyor works from a structured checklist; complex roofs, ground mounts, and battery installs run longer. The desk-prep items above shorten the visit.

Who performs the site survey?

Practices vary: some shops send a dedicated surveyor, others a crew lead or service tech. What matters is that the capture is complete and structured — the checklist, not the job title, is the quality control.

What happens if the survey misses something?

Design either guesses or waits. A guess risks a failed inspection or a change order; a wait means a revisit and a week or more of slip. Both cost more than the extra ten minutes on site.