Albuquerque Ground Solar: Build a Complete Site Plan

Make One Drawing Connect the Whole Project

The checklist requests a scaled site plan showing the array, major equipment, main electrical service and equipment clearances (PDF p. 1). Ask the installer to put the proposed panel field and the connection point on the same drawing.

Add the yard features you want preserved and the route proposed for construction access. Mark a future shed, patio or planting project as a homeowner preference, not an approved obstruction. This gives the designer a chance to explain conflicts while the layout is still easy to change. Confirm that the parcel is under Albuquerque’s permitting authority before using its packet.

Resolve the Foundation Before Ordering the Rack

The 2020 document calls for engineering information for supports and attachments and a stamped foundation design (PDF p. 1). Ask Building Safety which current submittals apply to your proposed system and who is responsible for preparing them.

Have the proposal identify the mounting system and the person resolving soil, foundation and structural assumptions. Compare a bid with those decisions completed against one carrying an unexplained foundation allowance. Ask how changed ground conditions or a revised array location would affect the drawings, construction scope and equipment order.

Coordinate the Cable Route With Access and Drainage

Page 2 brings fire access, equipment identification and drainage/transportation review into the packet. It is a reminder to ask about the whole site; its historical numerical thresholds are not used here as current permit rules.

Have the installer and any excavation contractor review the same route. Ask where a trench crosses paving, irrigation or a gate, and who restores each surface. Identify who will answer any drainage or access comments from reviewers. A foundation drawing and an electrical drawing can each look complete while leaving responsibility for the work between them unclear.

Separate the Permit Package From the Sales Proposal

The city’s current solar-resources page identifies building and electrical permits and says a contractor must obtain the electrical permit. It continues to link the ground-mounted checklist. That current reference confirms the permitting contact, not that every code citation in the older PDF remains operative.

Request a written list of deliverables: layout, equipment data, required engineering, electrical drawings, review responses and final records. Name the person handling each. Ask separately about the serving utility’s connection process and keep its correspondence with the project file. Before excavation, compare the approved documents with the equipment and location actually included in the contract.

Sources And Local Resources

Official sources checked October 17, 2026. Confirm current requirements with the authority responsible for your property.

• City of Albuquerque: Ground-Mounted Solar Building Permit Submittal ChecklistPrinted and PDF pp. 1–2. Revision footer states 07-20-2020. Supports site/equipment plan, foundation and mounting engineering, electrical documents, fire access and drainage/transportation review categories; old code editions and thresholds are not asserted as current.
• City of Albuquerque: Solar ResourcesCurrent city page links the ground/roof checklists and identifies building and electrical permits, with electrical permits obtained by a contractor. No processing time, incentive or utility authorization is inferred.