A home solar system in Spain needs four things on paper: the town hall has to be told, the installation has to be certified by an authorised installer, it has to be registered with the region, and your electricity contract has to be set up for the power you export. Most of this is done by the installer. What you need to know is what applies, who does it, and what you have to provide.
This guide describes the rules in the Valencian Community, where most of our work is, and in the Región de Murcia. It reflects the regulations as they stood in 2026. Town halls add their own procedures and fees, so the exact steps for your address are something we check before we start.
1. The town hall
Valencian Community
For solar panels on an existing private building, the town hall is informed through a declaración responsable: a statement that the work meets the rules, submitted with a description and plans of the installation, rather than a full building licence that has to be granted first. This is set in the regional law on renewable energy (Decreto-ley 14/2020, article 14.7). The declaration also covers practical matters such as the start date and how rubble is handled.
Exceptions: buildings or areas protected as cultural heritage need a full licence, and some installations on non-developable land follow a different route. Municipal taxes and fees, such as the construction tax (ICIO) and a processing fee, still apply unless your municipality offers a reduction.
Región de Murcia
The regional planning law also puts solar panels for self-consumption on buildings under a declaración responsable (Ley 13/2015, article 264.2.g), unless they affect historic heritage. Listed buildings, or buildings protected in the local plan, need a licence.
2. The electrical certificate
The installation is carried out and certified by an authorised low-voltage electrical installer. Before it is connected, the installer prepares the technical documentation required by the low-voltage regulations (REBT):
- up to 10 kW: a memoria técnica de diseño, the installer’s technical design document
- above 10 kW: a technical project signed by a qualified engineer
and issues the certificate of the electrical installation (certificado de instalación eléctrica).
3. Registration with the region
Valencian Community
The installer files the certificate and technical documents online with the regional industry department (Servicios Territoriales de Industria, Energía y Minas), using the procedure for self-consumption installations: one for systems up to 10 kW, another above 10 kW. You do not file anything yourself. The region then registers the installation in the self-consumption register on its own initiative and informs the distributor, which updates your access contract.
Región de Murcia
The installation is registered with the regional directorate for industry and energy through the low-voltage installation register. Murcia’s official guidance on this dates from 2021; we check the current procedure when we work there.
Grid permits
Home systems with surplus up to 15 kW of inverter power on urban land, and all systems without surplus, are exempt from the separate grid access and connection permits. Larger systems with surplus need them.
4. Your electricity contract
For the power you export to be credited, your retailer has to set up a surplus compensation agreement once the registration has reached the distributor. This is also the moment to check whether your contract suits a solar home. See selling excess solar electricity.
5. Community of owners and urbanisation
If the roof is shared, the community of owners has to agree, usually at a meeting. Some urbanisations also have their own approval for anything visible on the outside. That is separate from the town hall’s paperwork, and both apply. One customer’s urbanisation turned down the first design:
“Because we did not get the urbanisation’s approval for our original plan, we reached a good solution in consultation with Joëlle and José.”
Herman D., Google review, translated from Dutch
6. Grants and tax reductions
Some municipalities give a reduction on the IBI property tax or on the ICIO construction tax for solar installations, and national and regional schemes change over time. Applying usually needs the documents above. See our guide to IBI discounts on the Costa Blanca and our subsidies page for background; we check what applies to your address.
What you provide
The installer handles the filing. From you we need a few documents and your signature authorising us to act for you. The checklist below lists them.
How long it takes
The paperwork takes longer than the installation, and its pace depends on the town hall, the region, the distributor and the retailer. How long does installation take sets out the stages.
Where we work
We handle this paperwork for customers across the province of Alicante, including Alicante and Elche, and in the Región de Murcia. Many of our customers mention the paperwork in their reviews. How we install is on solar panel installation.
