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Stephenson County · Illinois

Solar installation and repair in Freeport, Illinois

We install new systems, take panels off when your roof needs work, and fix systems other companies walked away from. Based in Rockford since 2021.

Local intro

The utility here, and the drive from Rockford.

This page covers Freeport, Winnebago, Pecatonica, Lena and German Valley in Stephenson County, Illinois. Freeport is about 25 miles west of Rockford on US-20, with Winnebago and Pecatonica on the way. If your address is on the edge of that, send it and we'll tell you straight whether we can serve you properly.

ComEd. ComEd serves Freeport, Lena and German Valley in Stephenson County and Pecatonica and Winnebago in Winnebago County. The nearest co-op, Jo-Carroll Energy, stops at the Jo Daviess and Carroll county lines, so every town on this page is a ComEd account.

Permitting

How a permit runs in Freeport.

We pull the permit and file the utility interconnection on every job. Here is who issues it and what they ask for.

City of Freeport

Freeport requires a construction permit by ordinance and a city contractor licence for any work inside the city limits, with forms downloaded rather than filed online. The city's 2018 solar ordinance, No. 2018-40, is more specific than most: panels on a pitched roof sit no more than 10 inches above the roof surface, a flat-roof array stays under 15 feet above the roofline, an array over 1,000 square feet keeps a 36-inch clearance at the roof edge and 36-inch eave-to-ridge walkways at intervals of 75 feet or less, ridges and roof equipment keep an 18-inch pathway, and panels attach to a truss or support beam rather than to the decking alone.

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Stephenson County Zoning

Unincorporated Stephenson County issues a Non-Commercial Scale Solar Power Permit at $95 for a system up to 10 kW, $150 from 11 to 50 kW and $300 from 51 to 100 kW.

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Village of Pecatonica

Pecatonica's Ordinance 2024-19, adopted 17 December 2024, requires a building permit from the Village Clerk. Pitched-roof panels sit flush or within 5 degrees of the roof pitch and below the ridge, a flat-roof array stays under 15 feet with a 3-foot fire setback, and a licensed Illinois structural engineer certifies the roof in writing. Ground mounts go in the rear yard only, no taller than 5 feet, 5 feet off the lot lines, covering no more than 30% of the yard, behind a privacy fence.

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Village of Lena

Lena's Zoning Chairperson issues zoning certificates and building permits, (815) 369-4016, under Article XIX of the village code, Solar Panel Use and Regulations, which sets out five installation types with a certificate of occupancy and fees.

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Village of Winnebago

The Village of Winnebago issues its own building permits through the Building Inspector at 108 West Main Street, (815) 335-2020, with approval in 48 to 72 hours.

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Services offered

What we do in Freeport.

Home solar

Find out whether your roof and your bill make it worth doing, before anyone designs you a system.

Check my fit

Service and repair

Offline, underproducing, or the company that installed it is gone. $400 covers the visit and the first two hours. On site within five business days.

Request service

Storm solar check

Get the solar side checked before the roofer starts. We document what happened to the array, coordinate the removal, and put it back properly.

Storm Solar Check

Incentives

What Illinois Shines pays here.

ComEd serves this area, which puts a home here in Illinois Shines Group B. The program buys fifteen years of your system's renewable energy credits at a price the state fixes for each program year; since 1 June 2026 a home-scale system receives 50% at energization and the rest over six years. Illinois Shines figures are estimates until the program approves them, and Illinois Shines is not free solar.

ComEd also pays a distributed generation rebate of $300 per kW on a system interconnected with a smart inverter, and Illinois lets you file form PTAX-330 so the array should not raise your assessment once you file the claim form.

The federal residential credit ended for installations completed after 31 December 2025. Business-owned systems still qualify for the 30% Section 48E credit if the project is in service by 31 December 2027. See what changed in 2026 for the full picture.

See what's still available

Tell us what you need.

Whether that's a quote, a second opinion on someone else's quote, or a system that stopped working, you'll get a straight answer and a real next step.

Or call(815) 443-3155Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm

Tell us what you need

A recent bill lets us give you real numbers instead of a range. If the upload doesn't take, have it ready for the first call.

Tell us what's going on. If solar doesn't suit your roof we'll say so on the first call.

Call (815) 443-3155Get a Straight Answer