Building code

Effective January 1, 2003 a simplified legislation has been adopted in the Netherlands. According to the Department of VROM in the Netherlands a homeowner does not need a permit provided the PV installation on his home complies with the following minimum set of rules:

	the energy produced must be consumed in the property itself. You as a homeowner are allowed to place PV panels on the roof of the garage or the shed or whatever next to your home as long as it is within the boundaries of the property and the electricity produced is for use by you as the homeowner in the property where the installation belongs to.
	on a sloping roof: the panels must be installed in the plane of the roof and may not stick out upwards or sidewards.
	on a flat roof: the height of the installation must be equal or less the distance between the installation and the edge of the roof. In this way visibility from the ground will be minimal.
	on a flat roof: the angle betrween the horizontal plane and the plane of the panels may not exceed 35 degrees.
	for monuments and architecturally protected properteis, villages and cities a building permit will remain necessary.

This set of rules also applies to solar thermal installations. Your planned installation must comply with the bestemmingsplan of the neighbourhood where you live. In other words, when the homeowner considers buying the standard four or six panels for his [standard] home, he won't need to go to town hall. When the plan includes complex installations, or when you are a lucky owner of an official monument, find our way to town hall. The municipal building specialist will be eager to assist you, and so will the trusted company that sells PV panels. There have been instances that town clerks demanded a permit which according to the above rules was absolutely not necessary!

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