Is there a tax or municipal fee on solar panels in Lebanon?
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Short answer
None is confirmed. As of October 2026, our sources show no tax or municipal fee on solar panels[1]. A joint decision of 9 September 2026 mentioned municipal fees with no amount, but the Council of Ministers dropped it and referred solar rules to the electricity regulator, which has not published its charges[2,3,4]. Ask your municipality what it charges.
Also asked as: “Solar panel tax Lebanon” · “Do I pay the municipality to install solar panels?” · “Is there a fee to register solar panels in Lebanon?” · “Can a generator owner charge extra if I have solar?”
Key facts
- Solar tax or municipal fee
- None confirmed as of October 2026[1]
- What happened to it
- dropped; referred to the National Authority for Regulating the Electricity Sector[2,3,4]
- Its fee rule
- decision within 15 days; silence = accepted after municipal fees[1], with no amount published
- Generator extras for solar users
- Banned: solar surcharges, maintenance fees and unregistered VAT (September 2026 notice)[5]
- Model-house tax discount
- 50% off for five years[6] on built-property tax, with approved solar panels
What the dropped decision would have charged
Joint Decision No. 1234 came from the Ministers of Interior and Municipalities, Public Works and Transport, and Energy and Water. It set conditions for solar systems below 1.5 MW until the electricity regulator issued its own procedures[1,2,3]. You would have applied to the municipality, or to the qaimaqam where there is no municipality[1,3].
The only charge it mentioned was a municipal fee. The municipality had to decide within 15 days, and if it stayed silent, the application counted as accepted once the due municipal fees were paid[1]. No amount was published, and the decision is no longer in force[2,3,4]. For the permit side, see whether you need a permit for solar panels.
What could still cost you something
Before the decision was dropped, the Energy Ministry said some documents were already required: engineering certificates and the easement and planning certificate[2]. The ministry did not say which earlier rule required them. We found no published fee for these documents, so ask the engineer and the issuing office what they charge before you commission anything.
What the regulator will require is unknown. A Lebanon24 writer said on 18 September 2026 that under Law 318/2023 the pricing, grid-use costs and the export of surplus power remain unresolved[4]. If you plan to connect your panels to the grid, ask EDL what applies at the time you apply.
The debate over fees
Whether panel owners should pay anything at all is still argued in public. According to a Lebanon24 opinion piece of 18 September 2026, solar regulation should not become a way to collect money from panel owners, and registration should be electronic, free or low cost, with unified technical standards. MP Bilal Hashimi said the state should not become "a machine for fees, taxes and paperwork"[3,4]. None of this is a rule in force.
Charges you should not pay, and a discount you might get
Your generator owner may not charge you extra because you also use solar. The Ministry of Energy and Water's September 2026 tariff notice, published on 1 October 2026, says generator owners may not add to the official tariff any solar surcharge, any maintenance fee, or VAT unless they are registered for it with the Ministry of Finance[5]. If you are billed a solar surcharge, see what to do when your generator owner overcharges.
Solar can lower one tax. Under Law 294/2022, houses built to the official model designs get 50% off for five years[6] on built-property tax if solar panels are approved. Two thirds of the external walls in natural stone, or at least two thirds of the roof in red tile, also qualify. The law runs for five years from its publication on 21 April 2022, so until about April 2027. More in the model-design house discount.
How to check what you will pay before you install
- Ask the Order of Engineers which certificates apply now. The Energy Ministry said engineering certificates and the easement and planning certificate were required even before September 2026[2]. Under the dropped decision, the easement and planning certificate came from the Directorate General of Urban Planning, and the liability statements from engineers registered with the Order of Engineers[1,3]. Whether these are still required is not confirmed, so ask what each costs and who issues it today.
- Get your building's consent if the roof is shared. Top roofs are common parts[8,9]. The owners' association can install equipment with at least 75% of owners' votes. No source says that rule covers solar, so have a lawyer confirm it. See solar panels on a shared roof.
- Check your next generator bill. Compare it with the month's official tariff, and refuse any line added because you have solar[5].
It depends on
- Your municipality. No national solar fee is confirmed, and the municipal fee in the dropped decision had no published amount[1]. Ask your own municipality what it charges, if anything.
- A house built to a model design. Approved solar panels can bring 50% off for five years[6] on built-property tax under Law 294/2022. Ask the Ministry of Finance how approval is shown.
- Renting. The dropped decision required the owner's consent when a tenant applied, and that rule lapsed with it[1]. Tenants and landlords should still put solar consent in writing in the lease.
Common questions
Do I have to pay the municipality to install solar panels in Lebanon?
Can my generator owner charge more because I have solar panels?
No. The Energy Ministry's September 2026 notice bars solar surcharges, maintenance fees and unregistered VAT on generator bills[5].
Do solar panels reduce my property tax?
Only for houses built to the official model designs. Under Law 294/2022 they get 50% off for five years[6] on built-property tax if solar panels are approved. The law runs until about April 2027.
Sources
Checked against these sources. The numbers in the text point here.
- 1.New conditions for installing solar panels in Lebanon
Al-Modon · 10 Sept 2026 · read 17 Oct 2026
- 2.Solar energy: the government drops the decision and regulation continues
IMLebanon (Nidaa al-Watan) · 12 Sept 2026 · read 17 Oct 2026
- 3.Controversy in Lebanon after new rules on solar panel installation
Arabi21 · 12 Sept 2026 · read 17 Oct 2026
- 4.Solar in Lebanon: how to regulate the sector without making citizens pay
Lebanon24 · 18 Sept 2026 · read 17 Oct 2026
- 5.Private generator tariff for September 2026
Beirut24 (reproducing National News Agency / Ministry of Energy and Water statement) · 1 Oct 2026 · read 17 Oct 2026
- 6.Law 294 of 14/4/2022: temporary reduction of fees for some building permits built to model designs
Lebanese University Legal Informatics Center (DGU copy of Law 294/2022) · 14 Apr 2022 · read 17 Oct 2026
- 7.Decentralized Renewable Energy Law
LCEC (Lebanese Center for Energy Conservation) · undated · read 17 Oct 2026
- 8.Managing the ownership of floors and flats (Dr Nader Abdel Aziz Chaffi, Army Magazine issue 302-303, August 2010)
Lebanese Army (Army Magazine, "We and the Law" section) · August 2010 · read 17 Oct 2026
- 9.Legislative Decree No. 88 of 16/9/1983 on co-ownership of built property
Joseph Wanis Official Site (lawyer Joseph Wanis) · 22 Mar 2019 · read 17 Oct 2026
- 10.Banque de l'Habitat - Renovation Loan (USD) details
Banque de l'Habitat S.A.L. · undated · read 17 Oct 2026
- 11.Banque de l'Habitat - Renovation Loan in LBP: loan details
Banque de l'Habitat (BDH) · undated · read 17 Oct 2026
- 12.Banque de l'Habitat - Construction loan details
Banque de l'Habitat S.A.L. (BDH) · undated · read 17 Oct 2026
Related questions
- Do I need a permit to install solar panels in Lebanon, and what happened to the September 2026 decision?It is unclear: Decision 1234 of 9 September 2026 set solar permit rules and was dropped days later. What it required and whom to ask now.
- Can I put solar panels on my building's shared roof, and do the other owners have to agree?Probably: the top roof is a common part and new equipment likely needs 75% of owners' votes. The law, the dropped solar rule, tenants and safety.
- How much does a solar system cost for an apartment in Lebanon?No price list is published; one household paid about USD 3,000 for 6 panels (Oct 2026). What to compare, roof consent, permits and BDH loans.
- Can I connect rooftop solar to the grid with net metering in Lebanon?Net metering has a legal basis, but no household procedure is published. What Law 318/2023 covers, who regulates rooftop solar and what to ask EDL.
- What can I do if my generator owner overcharges or has no meter?Check your bill against the Energy Ministry's monthly tariff, ask for the mandatory meter, refuse banned surcharges. No complaint route is published.
- Can I get a loan to buy solar panels in Lebanon?We found no dedicated solar loan, but a Banque de l'Habitat renovation loan can include solar. Amounts, rates, co-owner approval, other options.
- How is the built-property tax calculated in Lebanon and who pays it?A tax of 4% to 14% on each property's net rental revenue, with an LBP 360m deduction for homes owners live in. Brackets, deductions and sale clearance.
