City of Riverhead: Energy Conservation Device Permitting Fees

The Town of Riverhead on Long Island has made a special allowance in its building permit fee structure to provide a discount to people wishing to install energy conservation devices on residential or commercial buildings. The provision in the town code applies to any energy conservation device "installed in or on a structure which qualifies for any federal, state or local tax exemption, tax credit or tax rebate", but explicitly mentions solar panels as eligible for favorable treatment. Those wishing to install such devices now pay a flat permitting fee of $150, whereas prior to the code revision permitting fees for solar panel installations often approached $1,000.