A passed solar inspection is not the last step before an Oberlin Municipal Light and Power System customer can use a new array. The City’s rooftop-solar instructions put the utility agreement and bidirectional meter after the Building Office’s inspection notification. The installer turns on the array after the meter is installed. City solar instructions
That handoff matters when an installation looks finished but is not yet operating. Ask which event is pending rather than asking only whether “solar is approved.” This guide covers the City’s published rooftop process, not ground-mounted systems or properties served by another utility.
Find the missing handoff
The following is LSL’s troubleshooting aid, not an official approval form:
| What you have | What to ask next |
|---|---|
| Completed installation | Have all required building and electrical inspections passed? |
| Passed inspections | Has the Building Office notified OMLPS? |
| Utility contact | Has the interconnection agreement been signed? |
| Signed agreement | Has OMLPS installed the bidirectional meter? |
| Meter installation | Has the installer confirmed the project is ready for activation under the City’s instructions? |
Use the actual permit and utility correspondence to answer each question. A contractor’s progress invoice is not evidence that the City sent the notification, and a planned meter appointment is not an installed meter. The distinction is especially useful when the owner, installer and utility are discussing different meanings of “complete.”
Before installation: coordinate the two applications
The solar page requires building and electrical permits, professionally stamped plans and an interconnection-meter/agreement application. It directs applicants to OMLPS at 440-775-7261 for utility forms. Historic-landmark properties have an additional preservation-approval step before permits. Rooftop application instructions
Ask the installer to identify who will obtain each application, answer plan-review comments and request inspections. Put those responsibilities in the project scope before treating an installation date as a guaranteed operating date.
The Building Division confirms that permits precede construction or alterations and directs readers to its current fee schedule. Its published office is 69 S. Main Street, second floor. Confirm the current submission method and charges there rather than importing a fee from a saved solar-page printout.
Use the Building Division contact to resolve conflicting phone guidance
The solar page gives different inspection numbers in its residential/general and commercial sections. Its residential/general number, 440-775-7182, matches the permit technician’s number on the Building Division page. The commercial section instead prints 440-774-3428. LSL has not confirmed the purpose or current operation of that second number. Use the verified Building Division contact to ask where to schedule the project’s inspection. Solar page · Current staff contact
When calling, provide the permit number and whether the request is for building or electrical work. Ask which inspections remain and what work must remain accessible. Record the response before arranging the next contractor visit; this avoids treating a requested inspection as a passed inspection.
If the array is installed but not operating
Send a focused question to the party responsible for the missing handoff: “For permit [number] at [address], has [inspection notification/agreement/meter installation] occurred, and who handles the next action?” Include the relevant confirmation rather than a complete folder of unrelated paperwork.
LSL compared the complete City solar and Building Division pages on September 20, 2026. We did not test an installation, inspect a private permit, confirm an appointment or calculate production, savings or net-billing credit. The useful addition here is the handoff diagnosis and the documented contact discrepancy, not a promise of utility approval.