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STERLING HEIGHTS — A new ordinance has been introduced that will allow residents in Sterling Heights to install solar panels — with restrictions.
At its Aug. 19 meeting, the Sterling Heights City Council unanimously voted to adopt a new ordinance allowing solar panels to be installed on properties in certain zoning districts in the city.
The new ordinance, which was presented by City Planner Jake Parcell, will allow for roof-mounted, ground-mounted and building-integrated solar systems, with height and setback restrictions to reduce glare from panels.
“It has to be designed and located in order to prevent reflective glare. That’s something the sustainability commission was very involved with,” Parcell said. “That way people in the public right-of-way and adjacent property owners aren’t having glare created from solar.”
The ordinance was drafted by the Sterling Heights Sustainability Commission in 2024 and in February of this year, they made a recommendation that the City Council adopt it. Before coming before the council, it was reviewed by the Planning Commission in July, which voted unanimously to send it to the council.
The ordinance allows residents to install solar panels in a variety of fashions, including roof-mounted units, which Parcell said most people are familiar with. They would be permitted on principal and accessory buildings such as sheds and garages, he said. Solar panels mounted in this way would not be required to sit flush against the structure but cannot exceed 10 feet above the roof.
“So if you think of a commercial or an industrial building that has it on the roof, they’re allowed to tilt up to a maximum height of 10 feet,” he said. “That way, it can kind of catch the sun at its appropriate angle.”
The recommended angle for a roof-mounted solar panel in Sterling Heights is 30 degrees, he said, so they don’t anticipate them to be tilted to a very significant degree.
Under the new ordinance, ground-mounted solar panels will also be allowed, though they cannot exceed 15 feet in height, or 10 feet in height in residential lots less than a quarter acre. They must also be placed in the side yard and may be subject to a three-foot rear and side setback.
Integrated solar devices will also be allowed under the new ordinance.
“So there are shingles and other types of technology that actually can be solar panels now, and they lie flat, flush on the roof, so they’re integrated into the structure itself, rather than placed on top of the existing structure,” he said. “This would be allowed in any zoning district where the underlying building is allowed.”
Parcell also said solar panels would be allowed on carports. However, Sustainability Commission member Nathan Inks said they wouldn’t be allowed on residential carports.
“If anybody’s familiar with Michigan State University’s parking lots and what they’ve installed for their carport solar up there, this would allow solar panels that are actually forming the carports themselves, as opposed to going on top of an existing carport,” he said.
Inks said these would likely be seen in industrial sites or large commercial sites. These would not be allowed in any residential districts, he said.
However, Parcell said, all solar systems would need a permit.
While Mayor Pro Tem Liz Sierawski said she thinks it’s a “brilliant” idea, she asked if the solar panels would generate any heat.
“Our neighbors are going to have this reflective thing, and is it going to create a little heat, wind or heat area cushion right in front of or behind their home?” she asked.
Parcell said he doesn’t believe they generate any heat.
Councilman Michael Radtke Jr. said he was happy to support the ordinance.
“I think it’s very smart. It basically mimics accessory structures throughout our community,” he said. “If you can put up a shed, you can now put up a solar array, and I think that that makes a lot of sense. It’s almost kind of like an ordinance in a box.”
