For board members and property managers. Plug-in solar is written into state law (the list, with cites and dates), and residents everywhere can buy a panel that hangs on a railing and plugs into an outlet. None of those laws says what an association should require before saying yes. This standard is drafted against Maryland's statute (Md. Code, Pub. Util. § 7-321, effective July 1, 2026) as the worked example; in another state, swap the cite in [brackets] for your own, or delete it.
It covers what a board worries about: appearance, structural safety, insurance, access for maintenance, and precedent. None of that depends on the statute. It is free, with no signup.
Download the standard as a Word document (.docx, 17 KB). Read it in full first:
Bracketed terms are the Association's to set.
[ASSOCIATION NAME]
Standard for Plug-In Solar Devices
Adopted: [DATE] · Applies to: all units and lots within [ASSOCIATION NAME]
1. Purpose
Plug-in solar devices are lawful for residents to buy and install [in Maryland, under Md. Code, Pub. Util. § 7-321, effective July 1, 2026]. The Association expects requests from residents. This standard sets out what the Association requires, so that applications are decided consistently and residents know the criteria before they buy equipment.
Adopting this standard does not commit the Association to approving any application.
2. What this covers
A plug-in solar device means a movable photovoltaic device that connects to a resident's own electrical system through a standard electrical outlet, with a maximum power output of not more than 1,200 watts, as defined at Md. Code, Pub. Util. § 7-321(A).
This standard does not cover roof-mounted photovoltaic systems, systems requiring connection to the building's electrical panel, or any installation requiring an electrical permit or a licensed contractor. Those remain subject to [THE ASSOCIATION'S EXISTING ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW PROCESS].
3. Approval required
A resident shall obtain the Association's written approval before installing a plug-in solar device. Applications are made to [BOARD / ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW COMMITTEE] on the form at §9.
4. What the Association looks for
The [BOARD / COMMITTEE] considers the following when reviewing an application. Meeting them does not entitle an applicant to approval, and the [BOARD / COMMITTEE] retains its discretion under the governing documents:
(a) Equipment. The device is certified by Underwriters Laboratories or an equivalent nationally recognized testing laboratory, as required by § 7-321(A)(4). The applicant provides the certificate number and the issuing laboratory. Total output does not exceed 1,200 watts, and not more than one system is installed per electric meter, per § 7-321(B).
(b) Location and mounting. The device is located [ON THE INTERIOR FACE OF A BALCONY OR PATIO RAILING / OTHER PERMITTED LOCATIONS] and does not project beyond [THE RAILING LINE / THE UNIT'S BOUNDARY]. Mounting uses clamps or other non-penetrating attachments. No drilling, anchoring, or penetration of any common element, limited common element, or exterior surface is permitted without separate written approval.
(c) Structural. Total installed weight does not exceed [WEIGHT] pounds. The Association may require an engineer's confirmation, at the applicant's expense, where the proposed weight exceeds [THRESHOLD] pounds or where the Board reasonably considers the attachment point may be affected.
(d) Appearance. Frames and mounting hardware are [BLACK / DARK ANODISED / A COLOUR MATCHING THE RAILING]. Wiring is secured and not left hanging. No advertising, lettering or logo is visible from outside the unit.
(e) Electrical. The device connects only to an outlet serving the applicant's own unit, on the applicant's own circuit and meter. It draws on no common electrical supply.
(f) Utility notification. The applicant has notified the electric company as required by § 7-321(E)(1) and provides a copy. This duty falls on the resident, not the Association.
(g) Insurance. The applicant carries insurance covering the device and provides evidence on request. The Association is not obliged to insure a resident's device.
(h) Responsibility. The applicant is responsible for installation, maintenance, repair, insurance and removal, and for any damage arising from the device.
5. Removal and access
The applicant shall remove the device at their own expense, on [30] days' written notice, where the Association requires access for maintenance, repair or replacement of any common element, and shall reinstate it at their own expense afterwards. In an emergency the Association may require immediate removal.
On sale or transfer of the unit, or on the end of occupancy, the applicant shall remove the device and restore any affected surface, unless the incoming resident applies and is approved under this standard.
6. Decisions and timing
The [BOARD / COMMITTEE] shall decide a complete application within [45] days of receipt and give its decision in writing. Where an application is refused, the decision shall state the reason and identify what change would make it acceptable.
Where a decision is not given within [45] days, the applicant may [TREAT THE APPLICATION AS APPROVED / REQUEST THE MATTER BE PLACED ON THE NEXT MEETING AGENDA].
Note to the Board: a deemed-approval clause is a choice, not a requirement. Several states use one. Maryland does not require it for this class of device. Delete this bracket as the Board prefers.
7. Conditions and variation
The Association may attach reasonable conditions to an approval. An approval is personal to the applicant and to the unit, and does not run to a successor without a fresh application.
8. What this standard does not do
This standard governs the Association's approval only. It does not affect a resident's obligations to their electric company, to any mortgagee, to any landlord, or under any applicable county or municipal requirement. A resident is responsible for determining whether any permit is required for their installation. The Association takes no position on that question.
9. Application form
| Resident name and unit | |
| Device manufacturer and model | |
| Total output, watts | |
| Certifying laboratory and certificate number | |
| Installed dimensions and total weight | |
| Proposed location, with photograph or drawing | |
| Mounting method (attach specification) | |
| Date electric company notified (attach copy) | |
| Insurance confirmation | |
| Signature and date |
By signing, the applicant confirms they have read this standard, accept responsibility for installation, maintenance, insurance and removal, and will remove and reinstate the device at their own expense if the Association requires access.
Who wrote this, and what adopting it does
Drafted by LAN Holdings LLC, a Maryland company, which prepares the approval pack residents can buy on this site to apply under a standard like this one. This policy is free to boards on purpose, so a board can take it from a public page rather than from an applicant’s packet.
Statutory basis: Md. Code, Pub. Util. § 7-321 (Ch. 353 of 2026, effective July 1, 2026), quoted in the standard where it is relied on, as the worked example. The other eight statutes are on the laws page and in the approval pack's state law sheet. A plug-in statute constrains utilities; none requires an association to approve anything.
What adoption commits you to: a published procedure and criteria, nothing else. Nothing in the standard obliges the association to approve any application. Every approval remains the board’s call, application by application.
What it is not: legal advice, or a substitute for your association’s counsel reviewing what you adopt. It is a working draft that saves a volunteer board the blank page.