Installing solar panels in France: the paperwork in order
What to file at the town hall, request from Enedis and sign with EDF Obligation d’Achat, with the timings, and what changes if you do not sell your surplus.
Putting solar panels on a house in France involves at least two formalities, whatever the system size. The first is planning: panels on a roof change the building’s appearance and require a prior declaration of works (déclaration préalable) at the town hall, processed in one month, two in a protected area; on the ground, a system under 3 kWp and at most 1.8 m high is exempt, outside protected areas. The second concerns the grid: if you sell your surplus, a connection request is filed with Enedis, the grid operator, and a 20-year purchase contract is then signed with EDF Obligation d’Achat; if you sell nothing, a self-consumption agreement without export is enough. The date of the complete connection request is decisive: it sets the feed-in tariff, 1.1 c€/kWh for requests filed since 5 June 2026, and the system must be completed within 24 months to keep a twenty-year contract. Sales income is tax-free up to 3 kWp.
Which formalities for your system?
Planning
Prior declaration
| Enedis connection | Request + feed-in contract |
| Sale income taxable | No (3 kWp or less) |
The file goes to the town hall; it is processed within one month, two in protected areas.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
The steps, from town hall to contract
| Step | With whom | When |
|---|---|---|
| Prior declaration of works (roof, or ground above the thresholds) | Town hall (mairie) | Before fitting; processed in 1 month, 2 in protected areas |
| Grid-connection request (surplus sales) | Enedis | Before fitting; its date sets the feed-in tariff |
| Self-consumption agreement without export (no sales) | Enedis | Before switching on |
| Surplus purchase contract | EDF Obligation d’Achat | After connection; 20 years |
| Declaring sales income | Tax office | Only above 3 kWp |
Order matters. File the prior declaration before fitting, and the connection request as soon as the project is settled if you want to sell surplus: its date, once the file is complete, determines the tariff that applies. The steps are described on the Service Public page on solar panels.
Planning: roof, ground, protected areas
On a roof, the prior declaration is the rule. On the ground, the planning code exempts systems under 3 kWp no higher than 1.8 m; above that, or in a protected area, permission is needed. Your commune’s local plan (PLU) may also set appearance rules: the mairie can tell you before you file.
Does your system qualify for 5.5% VAT?
Reduced 5.5% rate
Possible
| VAT at 5.5% | €303 |
| Price incl. 5.5% VAT | €5,803 |
| Conditions | 9 kWp max, ≤ 530 kgCO2/kWp |
Heavy-metal limits and an energy-management system are also required (order of 8 September 2025): the installer certifies it.
The grid: selling or not
With surplus sales, Enedis processes the connection request, fits or configures the meter, and EDF Obligation d’Achat then offers the contract. Since 5 June 2026 it pays 1.1 c€/kWh for surplus for 20 years (tariff details), and a surcharge of €9.84 a year before VAT is added to your electricity standing charge. Without sales, the self-consumption agreement without export is free and creates no contract; surplus then flows to the grid unpaid. The calculator works out both options for your commune.
After switching on
Track your output in the inverter’s app and compare it, over a full year, with what the calculator predicts for your commune and roof: a large gap points to shade, a fault or a set-up error. For a plug-in kit or a DIY kit, the same formalities apply, more simply when nothing is sold.
After switching on
The surplus purchase contract runs for 20 years. Each year you declare the kWh exported to the buyer, who pays you on that basis; keep the meter readings to compare them. On tax, income from a system of 3 kWp or less may be exempt, subject to conditions: check your case in the income tax return guidance. Finally, keep together the signed quote, the invoice, the certificate of compliance endorsed by Consuel, the town hall’s approval and the purchase contract: the insurer will ask for them after a claim, and a buyer will if you sell the house, as the purchase contract transfers to the new owner.