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• <br />•l [OXVL• <br />Attachment D <br />D <br />0 <br />•l D <br />Where and when are the International Residential Code 0 RC) requirements for residential solar energy <br />systems? <br />Section R324 of the 2020 Minnesota Residential Code includes new provisions for the design and installation of solar <br />photovoltaic (PV) systems. Effective March 31, 2020, solar PV <br />systems must be designed and installed in accordance with <br />Section R324, NFPA 70, and the manufacturer's installation <br />instructions. Panels must be tested and listed in accordance <br />with UL 1703 or UL 61730. <br />Are permits required to install solar PV systems? <br />A building permit is required for all solar PV installations <br />where the State Building Code is enforced by a municipality. <br />All PV installations must comply with the State Building <br />Code, which includes the Minnesota Residential Code. <br />Electrical permits are also required for solar PV systems. <br />Is a structural engineer required to design the roof <br />support of roof -mounted solar PV systems? <br />Roof -mounted solar PV systems add weight and snow- Photo credit: Equisolar Solar Company <br />drift loads to the roof. For wood -framed buildings, structural <br />compliance with the additional weight of the solar PV system can be determined using the standardized load tables <br />developed by the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry and Minnesota Department of Commerce (see <br />http://mn.gov/commerce-stat/pdfs/standardized-load-table-report.pdf). If the roof structure is not listed in the load <br />table, a structural engineer must certify the design. <br />Are setbacks from property lines regulated by the 2020 Minnesota Residential Code? <br />The Minnesota Residential Code does not address minimum property line setback requirements for PV systems. Solar <br />PV system installations may be regulated by local zoning ordinances for property line setbacks and locations on the <br />building. <br />Which residential solar PV system installations need to comply with Section R324 of the 2020 Minnesota <br />Residential Code? <br />The 2020 Minnesota Residential Code regulates solar PV systems on buildings classified as IRC-1 (one -family), IRC-2 <br />(two-family), IRC-3 (townhouses) and IRC-4 (accessory structures). The 2020 Minnesota Building Code Section 3111 <br />regulates solar PV systems installed on all other buildings (not classified as IRC-1, IRC-2, IRC-3, or IRC-4), structures <br />and appurtenances connected or attached to them. <br />How are ground -mounted solar PV systems regulated? <br />Ground -mounted installations accessory to IRC-1, IRC-2, or IRC-3 buildings are classified as IRC-4 and are designed <br />and installed in accordance with 2020 Minnesota Residential Code, Section R301. <br />What are some of the new provisions in Section R324 of the 2020 Minnesota Residential Code? <br />Roof -mounted solar PV systems must allow for roof access, including access pathways from the lowest roof edge to <br />the ridge and setbacks at the ridge. Access to the ridge is necessary for smoke ventilation in the event of a fire. <br />