What about the permit requirements for a carport with solar panels?

Installing solar panels in Flanders is usually exempt from a planning permit and, with rare exceptions, no notification is required. These general rules also apply to a wooden carport with solar panels. We will guide you through it.

Sloping roofs

On a sloping roof, the installation of solar panels is exempt as long as they are integrated into the sloping roof surface. Solar panels integrated into the sloping roof surface are understood to mean:

solar panels mounted on top of the actual roof covering and therefore at the same incline but against it or a few centimetres above it,
solar panels placed in between or as a replacement for it and consequently functioning as roof covering themselves.

Modern carport with black timber cladding and horizontal slats as a side wall, gravel driveway with hedge.

Flat roofs

Solar panels on a flat roof are only exempt if they protrude no more than one metre above the roof edge.

Timber carport among trees with a parked car and motorcycle, hedge in the foreground.

Exceptions

The exemption from permit requirements does not apply:
- if you do not have a permit for the wooden carport;
- if the planning regulations (BPAs) or the subdivision regulations expressly prohibit the installation of solar panels.
It is possible that a municipal planning regulation exists (approved by the municipal council and the deputation) that makes the installation subject to notification. In that case there is no permit requirement, but the installation must be reported at least 20 days prior to the works. If in doubt, it is best to check with your municipality.
For the installation of a modern carport at a protected monument or a property located in a heritage landscape or protected townscape or village scene, an exemption has been possible since 1 December 2010. In that case, however, you do need a separate authorisation from the Agency for Spatial Planning and Heritage.

You can find all relevant information on this on the website of Spatial Planning Flanders.