Worcester County to seek state grant to implement SolarAPP Plus plan-review system

Worcester County Commissioners on Feb. 4 voted to apply for state grant funding to cover local costs of implementing SolarAPP Plus, an online plan-review program the county must adopt under a recently passed state law. The motion to apply for the grant passed with five votes in favor and one opposed; one commissioner was absent.

County Development Review and Permitting Director Jennifer Keener told commissioners the state requires local jurisdictions to adopt an approved plan-review software by Aug. 1, 2025. "This program, it's mandatory based on state law that was passed last year that we adopt a plan review software, either SolarAPP plus or something similar to it. It has to go be implemented by August first of this year," Keener said. She described the requested grant as reimbursing implementation costs such as training, IT work and staff time.

Keener and commissioners described how SolarAPP Plus functions as an automated plan review for roof-mounted solar only. "A good way of equating it...they look at it as like a TSA pre check," Keener said. Contractors enter system data; if the submission meets code and local inputs (for example, locally specified wind and snow loads), SolarAPP Plus will return a completed plan-review document. Keener said the software does not evaluate zoning or site-specific requirements such as flood-plain compliance; properties that require additional local review (for example, in a flood zone) will be excluded from the automated pathway.

Commissioners asked whether the system would reduce local authority over permitting. Commissioner Bertino pressed on autonomy and local criteria; Keener said local amendments such as wind and snow loads can be included in the system’s inputs, but zoning review remains the county’s responsibility. Commissioner Guatino asked whether neighbors or the board would have an opportunity to contest an automated approval. Keener said the program covers the plan-review portion and is not a substitute for zoning processes that currently require hearings: "It would cover permits we're issuing today that do not require a public hearing."

Keener also confirmed SolarAPP Plus is free to counties to use but that contractors pay a separate processing fee through the SolarAPP website. "It's free. So...the ancillary costs are roughly $7,000 in the grant we cover that," Keener said when describing estimated reimbursable staff time and implementation expenses. Keener said contractors would pay about a $35 processing fee through the state’s site; those funds go to the state and not to the county. Commissioners noted the system currently handles only roof-mounted systems and that the program could expand later to other types of solar installations.

After discussion, Commissioner Fiore moved to approve applying for the grant; Commissioner Matresic seconded. The motion passed with five votes in favor and one opposed; one commissioner was absent. The county will pursue the first-come, first-served state reimbursement to document and recoup eligible implementation costs ahead of the state’s August deadline.

Questions raised during discussion included how frequently the county would rely on the automated reviews, what standards would be included as local inputs, and whether the program’s scope could broaden from rooftop installations to ground-mounted or agricultural projects in future updates. Keener said those expansions are possible but not part of the current mandatory roof-mounted implementation. The board did not adopt any changes to local permitting rules during the session; the action approved only seeking grant funding to implement the required system.