Arizona solar interconnection
Two of Arizona's big three utilities answer to the Corporation Commission. The third answers to its own elected board — and that one fact reorganizes everything about how you file.
The regulatory split
The key structural fact about Arizona interconnection: APS and TEP are regulated by the Arizona Corporation Commission; SRP is not.
- APS and TEP interconnect under the ACC's Distributed Generation Interconnection Rules (A.A.C. R14-2-2601 through R14-2-2628, effective February 25, 2020) — the DGIR. The rules set the application levels and their clocks: Level 1 Super Fast Track (inverter-based, 20 kW or less, certified equipment; notification within 14 calendar days), Level 2 Fast Track (under 2 MW; 21 calendar days), Level 3 Study Track, and supplemental review. Each utility layers its own technical manual, forms, and portal on top.
- SRP is a political subdivision of the State of Arizona — a public power district whose publicly elected Board sets its prices and fees. The ACC rules do not apply. SRP's requirements come from its own Distributed Generation Interconnection Handbook, which defines its own DER classes (I–IV), screens, review stages, and clearance path.
So an installer working the Phoenix metro area can face both regimes on opposite sides of a street: ACC levels and rule clocks in APS territory, Handbook classes and SRP's published stage estimates in SRP territory. The three utilities do share one surface similarity — all take applications through PowerClerk-based portals — but the forms, screens, and review paths behind the portals differ.
Utilities covered
APS
Phoenix & statewide · ACC DGIR
ACC levels and clocks, the PowerClerk packet, three-line diagram and PE-stamp rules, and the PTO path.
TEP
Tucson · ACC DGIR
ACC levels with screens A–J, TEP's Interconnection Manual, installer-filed PowerClerk applications, and the metering material kit.
SRP
Phoenix metro · SRP Handbook (non-ACC)
SRP's own Handbook — DER classes I–IV, its application screens, the AHJ-submitted clearance rule, and commissioning.
What changes between the two regimes
| Dimension | APS / TEP (ACC DGIR) | SRP (Handbook) |
|---|---|---|
| Who sets the rules | Arizona Corporation Commission rulemaking; utility manuals implement it | SRP's publicly elected Board; the Handbook is the governing document |
| Project sorting | Levels 1–3 by size, certification, and screens (R14-2-2617 through R14-2-2619) | DER classes I–IV by AC size, each with its own review path |
| Review clocks | Rule clocks: 14 calendar days (Level 1), 21 calendar days (Level 2); Level 3 by study | SRP-published stage estimates in business days (application, design, technical, final review, commissioning) |
| Clearance handling | Permit clearance ("green tag") or accepted letter in lieu, submitted with final documents | Clearance must come to SRP from the AHJ itself, or a Certificate In-Lieu of Electrical Clearance signed by customer and contractor |
| Shared ground | PowerClerk-based intake, UL 1741 / IEEE 1547-2018 equipment certification, three-line diagram expectations, Arizona PE stamps where required, and PTO before operation | |
Filing in Arizona every month?
Design partners get 5 free filings and their territory encoded first — packets produced with dual human review while the software is built.
Related pages
- Interconnection fees by utility — the published fee structures side by side, with verify flags on every revision-sensitive amount.
- Interconnection glossary — ACC DGIR, three-line diagrams, UL 1741 SB, IEEE 1547-2018, and the rest of the vocabulary, defined.