Solar installation in the Canton of Basel-CityNotify, don't apply.

Permit: notification instead of a building application

Under Art. 18a RPG, sufficiently well-integrated solar systems on roofs do not need a building permit. Basel-City regulates this in § 7 para. 1 of the implementing provisions to the building and planning ordinance (ABPV). Well-integrated systems on roofs must be notified in numbered zones (Nummernzonen), agricultural zones, zones for public use and conservation zones (Schonzonen), and in the industrial and commercial zone. Facade systems must be notified in numbered zones, agricultural zones and conservation zones if they are well integrated.

The notification goes to the Building and Hospitality Inspectorate at least two weeks before work starts, using the electronic form for buildings subject to notification. In protection zones and on heritage-protected buildings, a building application (Baubegehren) is still needed. We clarify the zone before planning.

In 2025 the Government Council (Regierungsrat) passed a revised solar offensive to the Grand Council. It provides for a solar obligation for existing buildings with more than 100 m² of suitable roof area, with a 15-year transition period. At the site visit we tell you which status applies to your building.

Subsidies in the Canton of Basel-City

The federal government pays the one-off payment (Einmalvergütung, EIV) through Pronovo. Since 1 April 2025 there has been no base amount, and add-on systems under 30 kWp receive CHF 360 per kWp. We file the application and, on request, pre-finance the subsidy for you.

The canton does not directly subsidise photovoltaic systems on their own. One exception is the Aktion Solarkraftwerk Basel: if you renovate the roof or facade for energy efficiency and cover the renovated area with modules, you receive CHF 100 per m² of roof or CHF 140 per m² of facade. The programme runs for as long as the approved budget lasts, and the application must be submitted before building work starts.

For existing buildings in private ownership, investments in renewable energy are deductible, according to the tax office’s information sheet.

Grid operator and power price

In all three communes of the canton, IWB supplies the electricity. In 2026 the cantonal median is 33.2 ct. per kWh excluding VAT, well above the Swiss median of 27.7 ct. Every kilowatt hour from your own roof replaces electricity you would otherwise buy at this price. That favours high self-consumption, for example with a heat pump or an EV charger.

The grid operator pays for the electricity you feed in. The rate differs from one utility to the next, and we calculate with the tariff of your utility.

Building stock in the city

Around 88% of residential buildings in the canton were built before 1980, and more than half are apartment buildings. At the site visit we check the structural capacity, the roof build-up and the shading. On request we combine the system with a heat pump or an EV charger.