Solar installation in the Canton of ZurichFrom Zumikon, for Zurich.

Permit: notification to the building office

The Canton of Zurich implements Art. 18a of the Spatial Planning Act through the building procedure ordinance (Bauverfahrensverordnung, BVV). Sufficiently well-integrated solar systems on roofs do not need a building permit. You notify the project to the local building office using the electronic notification form. In some communes, the notification goes through the eBaugesucheZH platform.

After confirmation of receipt, a 30-day period starts. If the commune does not order otherwise during that time, you may build. We fill in the form, attach plans and module data sheets, and also register the system with the grid operator.

A permit is needed in historic core zones and in protected townscape and heritage protection areas. Facade systems are possible under the notification procedure (Meldeverfahren) on single-family homes and on buildings up to 11 metres high. For taller buildings, a permit is needed as long as there is no fire protection standard.

Subsidies in the Canton of Zurich

The federal government pays the one-off payment (Einmalvergütung, EIV) through Pronovo. Since 1 April 2025 there has been no base amount. It is CHF 360 per kWp for add-on systems under 30 kWp and CHF 400 per kWp for integrated systems.

The Canton of Zurich does not directly subsidise photovoltaics. Some cities and communes have their own programmes, for example the city of Zurich. The conditions and amounts change, so we check them at the time of your quote. We file the subsidy applications and can pre-finance the amounts on request.

For tax purposes, the system on an existing building counts as a deductible investment in renewable energy. The cantonal tax office requires that the installation takes place at least one year after the new build and that the house has been lived in for at least one year since.

Grid operator and power price

In the Canton of Zurich, the Elektrizitätswerke des Kantons Zürich (EKZ) supply 131 of the 160 communes. There are also Infrastruktur Zürichsee, Energie Uster, EW Wald, EW Lindau and other small utilities. The cantonal median is 24.8 ct./kWh (excluding VAT, household category H4, ElCom 2026), which is 2.9 ct. below the Swiss median of 27.7 ct. Prices do differ noticeably between communes, as the table on this page shows.

Your grid operator pays for the electricity you feed into the grid. The rate differs from one utility to the next. In the quote we calculate with the tariff of your utility.

Roofs in the Canton of Zurich

Around 59% of residential buildings in the canton were built before 1980. For older roofs, it pays to plan the solar system and the roof renovation together. At the site visit we check the condition of the roof, the structural capacity and the electrical installation. A heat pump or an EV charger raises the self-consumption of your solar power.