IL
Illinois House Bill HB3265

Illinois 2025-2026 Regular Session

Illinois House Bill HB3265 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.
OldNewDifferences
11 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 HB3265 Introduced , by Rep. Marcus C. Evans, Jr. SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: New Act Creates the Residential Automated Solar Permitting Platform Act. Provides that on or before July 1, 2026, municipalities with a population of more than 5,000 residents and all counties must adopt a residential automated solar permitting platform. Requires the public reporting of information about such a platform on the official website of the municipality and county. Provides that a person or entity aggrieved by a violation of the Act or any rule adopted under the Act may file a civil action in the county in which the alleged offense occurred or where any person who is party to the action resides, without regard to exhaustion of any alternative administrative remedies provided in the Act. Provides that a person or entity whose rights have been violated under the Act by a municipality or county is entitled to collect: (i) up to 50% of the total cost of the residential photovoltaic system installation for which the permit is requested; (ii) in the case of unlawful retaliation, all legal or equitable relief as may be appropriate; and (iii) attorney's fees and costs. Creates a statute of limitations for a civil action 3 years from the date that a person or entity requested a permit for a residential photovoltaic system. LRB104 10241 JRC 20315 b A BILL FOR 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 HB3265 Introduced , by Rep. Marcus C. Evans, Jr. SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: New Act New Act Creates the Residential Automated Solar Permitting Platform Act. Provides that on or before July 1, 2026, municipalities with a population of more than 5,000 residents and all counties must adopt a residential automated solar permitting platform. Requires the public reporting of information about such a platform on the official website of the municipality and county. Provides that a person or entity aggrieved by a violation of the Act or any rule adopted under the Act may file a civil action in the county in which the alleged offense occurred or where any person who is party to the action resides, without regard to exhaustion of any alternative administrative remedies provided in the Act. Provides that a person or entity whose rights have been violated under the Act by a municipality or county is entitled to collect: (i) up to 50% of the total cost of the residential photovoltaic system installation for which the permit is requested; (ii) in the case of unlawful retaliation, all legal or equitable relief as may be appropriate; and (iii) attorney's fees and costs. Creates a statute of limitations for a civil action 3 years from the date that a person or entity requested a permit for a residential photovoltaic system. LRB104 10241 JRC 20315 b LRB104 10241 JRC 20315 b A BILL FOR
22 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 HB3265 Introduced , by Rep. Marcus C. Evans, Jr. SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
33 New Act New Act
44 New Act
55 Creates the Residential Automated Solar Permitting Platform Act. Provides that on or before July 1, 2026, municipalities with a population of more than 5,000 residents and all counties must adopt a residential automated solar permitting platform. Requires the public reporting of information about such a platform on the official website of the municipality and county. Provides that a person or entity aggrieved by a violation of the Act or any rule adopted under the Act may file a civil action in the county in which the alleged offense occurred or where any person who is party to the action resides, without regard to exhaustion of any alternative administrative remedies provided in the Act. Provides that a person or entity whose rights have been violated under the Act by a municipality or county is entitled to collect: (i) up to 50% of the total cost of the residential photovoltaic system installation for which the permit is requested; (ii) in the case of unlawful retaliation, all legal or equitable relief as may be appropriate; and (iii) attorney's fees and costs. Creates a statute of limitations for a civil action 3 years from the date that a person or entity requested a permit for a residential photovoltaic system.
66 LRB104 10241 JRC 20315 b LRB104 10241 JRC 20315 b
77 LRB104 10241 JRC 20315 b
88 A BILL FOR
99 HB3265LRB104 10241 JRC 20315 b HB3265 LRB104 10241 JRC 20315 b
1010 HB3265 LRB104 10241 JRC 20315 b
1111 1 AN ACT concerning civil law.
1212 2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
1313 3 represented in the General Assembly:
1414 4 Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
1515 5 Residential Automated Solar Permitting Platform Act.
1616 6 Section 5. Definitions. As used in this Act:
1717 7 "Baseline residential code" means an edition of the
1818 8 International Residential Code for One- and Two-Family
1919 9 Dwellings first published by the International Code Council
2020 10 during the current year or preceding 9 calendar years
2121 11 excluding Parts IV and VII.
2222 12 "Residential automated solar permitting platform" means
2323 13 software or a combination of software that automates plan
2424 14 review, automatically produces code-compliant approvals,
2525 15 accepts online payments for permitting fees if permitting fees
2626 16 are levied, and instantly issues permits and permit revisions
2727 17 for residential photovoltaic systems upon online submission of
2828 18 permitting fee payments, if permitting fees are levied, and a
2929 19 code-compliant application. The residential automated solar
3030 20 permitting platform shall be available for residential
3131 21 photovoltaic systems up to the maximum capacity allowed with a
3232 22 200-amp main service disconnect and installed to the
3333 23 requirements of the baseline residential code that may include
3434
3535
3636
3737 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 HB3265 Introduced , by Rep. Marcus C. Evans, Jr. SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
3838 New Act New Act
3939 New Act
4040 Creates the Residential Automated Solar Permitting Platform Act. Provides that on or before July 1, 2026, municipalities with a population of more than 5,000 residents and all counties must adopt a residential automated solar permitting platform. Requires the public reporting of information about such a platform on the official website of the municipality and county. Provides that a person or entity aggrieved by a violation of the Act or any rule adopted under the Act may file a civil action in the county in which the alleged offense occurred or where any person who is party to the action resides, without regard to exhaustion of any alternative administrative remedies provided in the Act. Provides that a person or entity whose rights have been violated under the Act by a municipality or county is entitled to collect: (i) up to 50% of the total cost of the residential photovoltaic system installation for which the permit is requested; (ii) in the case of unlawful retaliation, all legal or equitable relief as may be appropriate; and (iii) attorney's fees and costs. Creates a statute of limitations for a civil action 3 years from the date that a person or entity requested a permit for a residential photovoltaic system.
4141 LRB104 10241 JRC 20315 b LRB104 10241 JRC 20315 b
4242 LRB104 10241 JRC 20315 b
4343 A BILL FOR
4444
4545
4646
4747
4848
4949 New Act
5050
5151
5252
5353 LRB104 10241 JRC 20315 b
5454
5555
5656
5757
5858
5959
6060
6161
6262
6363 HB3265 LRB104 10241 JRC 20315 b
6464
6565
6666 HB3265- 2 -LRB104 10241 JRC 20315 b HB3265 - 2 - LRB104 10241 JRC 20315 b
6767 HB3265 - 2 - LRB104 10241 JRC 20315 b
6868 1 an energy storage system up to the maximum capacity allowed
6969 2 under the baseline residential code, a main panel upgrade, or
7070 3 a main breaker derate.
7171 4 Section 10. Adoption of platform. On or before July 1,
7272 5 2026, municipalities with a population of more than 5,000
7373 6 residents and all counties shall adopt a residential automated
7474 7 solar permitting platform. The municipality or county shall
7575 8 anticipate that the residential automated solar permitting
7676 9 platform will have the capability to process at least 75% of
7777 10 residential solar applications on existing construction
7878 11 submitted to authorities having jurisdiction in the State.
7979 12 For a solar photovoltaic system approved by such a
8080 13 platform under this Section, municipalities and counties may
8181 14 not require manual review at any time during the permitting
8282 15 and inspection processes, including, but not limited to,
8383 16 before issuing a permit or before conducting or finalizing the
8484 17 inspection. This does not preclude an inspector from examining
8585 18 construction documents.
8686 19 Section 15. Reporting.
8787 20 (a) On or before July 1, 2026, municipalities with a
8888 21 population of more than 5,000 residents and all counties shall
8989 22 include on their websites the availability of a residential
9090 23 automated solar permitting platform and how to access it.
9191 24 (b) Municipalities and counties shall publish compliance
9292
9393
9494
9595
9696
9797 HB3265 - 2 - LRB104 10241 JRC 20315 b
9898
9999
100100 HB3265- 3 -LRB104 10241 JRC 20315 b HB3265 - 3 - LRB104 10241 JRC 20315 b
101101 HB3265 - 3 - LRB104 10241 JRC 20315 b
102102 1 reports to their official website when the municipality or
103103 2 county is in compliance with Section 10. The reports shall be
104104 3 published within 60 days of the municipality or county
105105 4 becoming compliant with Section 10. The reports shall include
106106 5 the following:
107107 6 (1) the date of compliance;
108108 7 (2) the software used for compliance;
109109 8 (3) confirmation that the municipality or county is:
110110 9 (A) using a residential automated solar permitting
111111 10 platform to issue permits instantly and issue permit
112112 11 revisions instantly for residential solar photovoltaic
113113 12 systems; and
114114 13 (B) not requiring manual review at any time during
115115 14 the permitting and inspection processes, including,
116116 15 but not limited to, before issuing a permit or before
117117 16 conducting or finalizing the inspection for solar
118118 17 photovoltaic systems approved by the residential
119119 18 automated solar permitting platform; and
120120 19 (4) an explanation as to why the municipality or
121121 20 county anticipates the residential automated solar
122122 21 permitting platform has the capability to process at least
123123 22 75% of the residential solar photovoltaic permit
124124 23 applications on existing construction submitted to
125125 24 municipalities and counties in the State. Municipalities
126126 25 and counties may provide explanations that are based on,
127127 26 but are not necessarily limited to, statements from the
128128
129129
130130
131131
132132
133133 HB3265 - 3 - LRB104 10241 JRC 20315 b
134134
135135
136136 HB3265- 4 -LRB104 10241 JRC 20315 b HB3265 - 4 - LRB104 10241 JRC 20315 b
137137 HB3265 - 4 - LRB104 10241 JRC 20315 b
138138 1 provider of the residential automated solar permitting
139139 2 platform.
140140 3 (c) Municipalities and counties of more than 5,000
141141 4 residents and all counties shall publish annual reports on
142142 5 their website on the usage of the residential automated solar
143143 6 permitting platform. A municipality and county shall publish
144144 7 the report annually by April 1st each year, covering the
145145 8 previous calendar year, starting on April 1, 2027. This annual
146146 9 reporting requirement shall become inoperative on April 2,
147147 10 2036. The reports shall include the following:
148148 11 (1) the number of permits issued through the
149149 12 residential automated solar permitting platform and
150150 13 relevant characteristics of those systems;
151151 14 (2) the number of residential photovoltaic solar
152152 15 permits issued by means other than the residential
153153 16 automated solar permitting platform and relevant
154154 17 characteristics of those systems;
155155 18 (3) the software used for compliance; and
156156 19 (4) confirmation that the municipality or county is:
157157 20 (A) using a residential automated solar permitting
158158 21 platform to issue permits instantly and issue permit
159159 22 revisions instantly for residential solar photovoltaic
160160 23 systems;
161161 24 (B) not requiring manual review at any time during
162162 25 the permitting and inspection processes, including,
163163 26 but not limited to, before issuing a permit or before
164164
165165
166166
167167
168168
169169 HB3265 - 4 - LRB104 10241 JRC 20315 b
170170
171171
172172 HB3265- 5 -LRB104 10241 JRC 20315 b HB3265 - 5 - LRB104 10241 JRC 20315 b
173173 HB3265 - 5 - LRB104 10241 JRC 20315 b
174174 1 conducting or finalizing the inspection for permits
175175 2 and permit revisions issued by the residential
176176 3 automated solar permitting platform; and
177177 4 (C) plan to increase usage of the residential
178178 5 automated solar permitting platform if fewer than 75%
179179 6 of residential solar photovoltaic permits are issued
180180 7 through the automated permitting platform on existing
181181 8 construction.
182182 9 Section 20. Remedies.
183183 10 (a) A person or entity aggrieved by a violation of this Act
184184 11 or any rule adopted under this Act by a municipality or county
185185 12 may file a civil action in the county in which the alleged
186186 13 offense occurred or where any person who is party to the action
187187 14 resides, without regard to exhaustion of any alternative
188188 15 administrative remedies provided in this Act. Actions may be
189189 16 brought by one or more persons or entities for and on behalf of
190190 17 themselves and other persons similarly situated. A person or
191191 18 entity whose rights have been violated under this Act by a
192192 19 municipality or county is entitled to collect:
193193 20 (1) up to 50% of the total cost of the residential
194194 21 photovoltaic system installation for which the permit is
195195 22 requested;
196196 23 (2) in the case of unlawful retaliation, all legal or
197197 24 equitable relief as may be appropriate; and
198198 25 (3) attorney's fees and costs.
199199
200200
201201
202202
203203
204204 HB3265 - 5 - LRB104 10241 JRC 20315 b
205205
206206
207207 HB3265- 6 -LRB104 10241 JRC 20315 b HB3265 - 6 - LRB104 10241 JRC 20315 b
208208 HB3265 - 6 - LRB104 10241 JRC 20315 b
209209 1 (b) The right of an interested party or aggrieved person
210210 2 to bring an action under this Act terminates after 3 years from
211211 3 the date that a person or entity requested a permit for a
212212 4 residential photovoltaic system. This limitation period is
213213 5 tolled if a municipality or county has deterred a person's
214214 6 exercise of rights under this Act.
215215 7 Section 25. Local ordinances. Beginning July 1, 2026, any
216216 8 municipal building code or county building code must regulate
217217 9 photovoltaic systems and stationary storage battery systems in
218218 10 one-family and 2-family dwellings in a manner that is at least
219219 11 as stringent as the baseline residential code.
220220 12 Section 30. Remote inspections. On or before July 1 2026,
221221 13 municipalities with a population of more than 5,000 residents
222222 14 and all counties shall provide an option for remote
223223 15 inspections via recorded video or photo that can be submitted
224224 16 electronically for projects permitted by the residential
225225 17 automated solar permitting platform. These inspections shall
226226 18 be offered at no greater cost and shall be available with no
227227 19 greater delay than in-person inspections.
228228 20 (1) A municipality or county shall require no more
229229 21 than one inspection for projects permitted by the
230230 22 automated solar permitting software unless the first
231231 23 inspection failed.
232232 24 (2) A municipality or county that does not require a
233233
234234
235235
236236
237237
238238 HB3265 - 6 - LRB104 10241 JRC 20315 b
239239
240240
241241 HB3265- 7 -LRB104 10241 JRC 20315 b HB3265 - 7 - LRB104 10241 JRC 20315 b
242242 HB3265 - 7 - LRB104 10241 JRC 20315 b
243243
244244
245245
246246
247247
248248 HB3265 - 7 - LRB104 10241 JRC 20315 b