Under the notification procedure, you submit a notification with plans and system data to the local building authority before construction starts – no building application, no publication. A response period of 20 to 30 days then runs, depending on the canton: if the municipality doesn't raise objections, construction may proceed. The key to fast clearance is a complete dossier – most delays arise from queries about missing documents, not from the authority. (As of September 2026)
Key points in brief
- The notification goes to the municipality's building authority before construction starts – that's the one step that can't be made up for later.
- The dossier should include a site plan, a roof plan with module fields, and the system's technical key data.
- After submission, a response period runs; without objections from the municipality, the system is considered cleared.
- Delays almost always arise in the dossier, not at the counter: incomplete notifications trigger queries.
- Whether your system falls under the notification procedure at all is clarified by the article on the procedure question – this one here shows the implementation.
What does the notification procedure achieve – and what doesn't it?
The notification procedure is the simplified track for standard solar systems: the federal government has exempted reasonably adapted roof systems in building and agricultural zones from the requirement for a building permit, and the cantons implement this with a notification duty. Instead of a building application with publication and an objection period, a notification to the municipality is enough.
It's important to classify the procedure correctly. It's not a free pass: the notification is a real duty with real documents, and the municipality checks whether the system actually falls under the simplified procedure. And it's not a substitute for the other registrations: the connection application to the grid operator and the Pronovo registration for the incentive run independently of it – three strands that need to be planned in parallel.
Whether the notification procedure applies to your property at all, or whether a building application is needed after all – for example in a core zone or for protected properties – is the upstream question; the article Building permit or notification procedure answers it. Here we're dealing with the case that applies to most people: the notification procedure applies, and now it should go through quickly.
Which documents belong in the notification?
The core of every notification dossier is three elements – municipalities usually provide their own forms for this:
The site plan. It shows which building on which parcel is involved. The cadastral plan is the basis; the system is located on it.
The roof plan with module fields. The most important plan: it shows where on the roof the modules sit, how the array is arranged and what distances remain to roof edges and structures. This is what the authority uses to judge whether the system is «reasonably adapted» – a compact, calm array rather than scattered individual modules.
The technical key data. System output, mounting type (on-roof/roof-integrated/flat-roof mounting), details on the modules and, where relevant, the height of the structure. For flat roofs, what counts is that the mounting stays moderate in height.
On top of that come the administrative details: ownership, the client, and the company carrying out the work. Sounds like little – and that's exactly the point: the dossier is manageable, but it has to be correct. A missing plan or an unclear module layout turns a formality into a paper trail.
What happens after submission?
After the notification, the municipality takes over – and for you, the waiting phase begins with clear rules:
1. Receipt and review. The building authority checks whether the notified system meets the requirements of the notification procedure. 2. The response period runs. Within the applicable deadline – 30 days in the Canton of Zurich, 20 in Zug, Schwyz and Thurgau, 30 days in Aargau and Schaffhausen – the municipality can raise objections or, if it doesn't consider the system eligible for notification, demand an ordinary building application. 3. Clearance. If the authority doesn't raise objections, construction may proceed. Some municipalities actively confirm this, others let the deadline pass – both count as clearance. 4. Build and document. The execution must match the notification; changes to the module array need to be reported afterwards.
The specific deadline and the forms required depend on the cantonal rules and your municipality's practice – its current publications apply.
A detail that's easily overlooked: clearance concerns the construction project, not the grid connection. Anyone planning the installation without the connection application to the utility having been submitted ends up with a built system waiting for export clearance. The strands need to be interlinked in time – in the overall process, the notification is one step out of seven.
Which mistakes cost the most time?
Notifying after ordering. The classic case: materials ordered, installation date fixed – and the notification not yet submitted. If a query then comes in, or the municipality demands a building application, the materials sit waiting in storage. The notification belongs at the start of planning, not the end.
The incomplete dossier. Every query from the authority costs a round of correspondence – and may restart the deadline. A complete dossier on the first attempt is the single biggest accelerator of the whole procedure.
The wrong track. Anyone who registers an inventoried property, a core-zone property or a system that isn't reasonably adapted through the notification procedure provokes redirection into a building application – costing weeks. Since 1 January 2026, facade systems have also been eligible for notification under federal law if they're reasonably adapted – cantons are updating their fact sheets on this at different speeds. Checking the zone before notifying avoids exactly that.
Building before the deadline expires. Anyone who doesn't wait out the response period builds at their own risk: if the municipality does raise objections, the system may, in the worst case, have to be modified. The few weeks of patience are well invested.
In our projects in the Zurich region, the notification procedure is almost never the bottleneck – if the dossier is right. Our routine: we draw up the roof plan with the module fields for planning anyway; the notification annex is produced from that in the same step. What we've learned: municipalities differ less in their requirements than in their speed – and a clean, complete dossier is processed faster everywhere than an incomplete one with queries. The second lesson concerns the order: we submit the notification and the connection application in parallel, so the system doesn't end up waiting on the meter at the end.
Frequently asked questions
Can I submit the notification myself, or does the installer do that?
Both are possible – the notification can be submitted by the owner or by the commissioned company. In practice, the installer handles it, because the plans and technical details come from their planning anyway. What matters is just that it happens before construction starts and that responsibility is clear.
What does the notification procedure cost?
The notification procedure is considerably leaner than a building application; whether and which fees apply is regulated by the municipality. The real cost factor isn't the fee but a delay from queries or redirection into a building application – both can largely be avoided with a clean dossier.
Do I have to include the battery storage or the wallbox in the notification?
Storage inside the building and the wallbox aren't building-law projects – they run via the connection application to the grid operator and the electrical installation, not via the building authority. The notification is about the system on the roof.
What do I do if the municipality demands a building application?
Then the ordinary procedure applies – usually because the system has some particularity: zone, protected status, design. It's especially annoying when this comes to light late. The chances of success remain good, but it takes more time and sometimes an adapted design; for protected properties, the article on core zones and heritage protection helps.
Does the notification remain valid indefinitely if I build later?
The notification relates to a specific project; anyone who delays construction for a long time or changes the project should clarify the status with the municipality and re-notify if necessary. The rule of thumb: notification and implementation belong in the same planning horizon.
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Sources: Spatial Planning Act (RPG Art. 18a) and Spatial Planning Ordinance, cantonal fact sheets on the notification procedure (Canton of Zurich, Building Directorate), municipal building authorities.
Last updated: 9 July 2026 · Author: ecoEn editorial team
