Woodland, WA Solar Installers: Solar Panel Installation Since 2010
Sunbridge Solar installs home solar in Woodland, on both sides of the Cowlitz–Clark county line. We pull the City of Woodland or county building permit and the Washington L&I electrical permit, file the Cowlitz PUD or Clark PUD interconnection, and put the panels on in two to three days.
- Installing since 2010
- L&I registered, bonded & insured
- 10-yr workmanship · 25-yr product warranties
- 2–3 days on site
Who installs solar in Woodland, WA?
Sunbridge Solar does. Our own crew comes up from Washougal. We are a Southwest Washington company, not a national sales operation that subcontracts the roof work, and Woodland is the one town we serve that sits in two counties, which we sort out before we quote.
- Registered, bonded and insured in Washington. Contractor registration SUNBRSL882NF and electrical contractor license SUNBRSL857CK, both active with the Department of Labor & Industries.
- A track record you can look up. Clark County’s public permit records list more than 120 permitted Sunbridge installs in unincorporated Clark County since 2017, and we install on the Cowlitz County side of Woodland under the same license, the same crew and the same two warranties.
- Two warranties, kept separate on purpose. Ten years on our workmanship, 25 years on the panels and equipment from the manufacturer.
- No-pressure sales. A written quote, then the decision is yours.
Check us before you call us
Our Washington credentials
- Contractor registration SUNBRSL882NF, active
- Electrical contractor license SUNBRSL857CK, active
- Bond and liability insurance on file with L&I
- 120+ permitted installs in Clark County’s public records since 2017
- Energy Trust of Oregon verified
Both numbers are on every quote we write.
Which parts of Woodland do you serve?
All of them, but Woodland needs one extra question. The city straddles the Cowlitz–Clark county line, and many Woodland addresses are outside city limits altogether. Inside the city, the City of Woodland issues the building permit; outside it, Cowlitz County or Clark County does, depending on which side of the line you are on. The electrical permit goes through Washington L&I either way, and the county line also decides whether your utility is Cowlitz PUD or Clark PUD. We check the address before we quote.
Inside Woodland city limits
City of Woodland building permit + L&I electrical permit
- Downtown & Davidson Avenue
- Along the Lewis River
- Horseshoe Lake
- Near the I-5 exits
Good to know: the City takes solar applications through its CloudPermit portal, and we submit the whole package for you.
Woodland addresses outside the city
Cowlitz County or Clark County permit + L&I electrical
- Lewis River Road (Cowlitz)
- Cedar Creek (Clark)
- Toward Kalama
- Toward La Center
Nearby towns: Kalama, La Center, Ridgefield, Longview, or see every Washington town we serve.
Is your Woodland home a good candidate for solar?
Most Woodland homes are. Four things decide it: the roof (its direction, its pitch and how much life it has left) the shade on it, the size of your electrical service, and how much power you actually use. None of them depend on your zip code, and all four get checked on the first visit, before anyone talks about price.
Usually a yes
What we look for
- A roof plane facing south, east or west that the trees leave clear for most of the day.
- A composition or metal roof with ten or more years left. The panels are warrantied for 25, so the roof under them should not be the thing that fails first.
- A 200-amp service, or an electrical panel with room for a solar breaker.
- A bill worth cutting. A heat pump, an EV, a well pump or a shop is usually what puts a home in the middle of the 4 to 10 kilowatts we install most.
Still worth a look
None of these is an automatic no
- A shaded or wrong-facing roof. A ground mount or a shop roof often out-produces it, and the trench goes in the quote rather than turning up later.
- An older 100-amp panel. We check it on the first visit and price any upgrade in writing before you sign anything.
- A roof near the end of its life. We will tell you to replace it first rather than charge you to take the panels off and put them back.
- An HOA. Washington law (RCW 64.38.055) stops an outright ban; reasonable rules on placement and appearance go into the design from the start.
The only way to know for certain is to have someone look. We map a year of shade, check the service panel, size the system to your own Cowlitz PUD or Clark PUD bills rather than to the roof, and put a written number in front of you. No charge and no obligation.
What does a solar installer charge in Woodland?
The price depends on system size, your roof and whether you add a battery, not on your zip code or your county. Woodland has newer subdivisions in town that land in the middle of the 4 to 10 kilowatts we install most, and acreage up the Lewis River with a shop or a well pump that pushes toward the top. Two things keep a Woodland quote simple:
No sales tax on the system or the labor
Washington exempts 100% of state and local sales tax on solar systems up to 100 kW, including installation labor, through 2029 (RCW 82.08.962). One exemption certificate at purchase, filed by us.
No rebate to chase
Neither Cowlitz PUD nor Clark PUD offers a solar rebate, and Washington has no state credit, so the number on the quote is the number you pay. The federal residential credit ended for systems placed in service after December 31, 2025. See what changed.
For cost by system size, run your bill through the Washington solar calculator or read our Southwest Washington solar cost guide. Then request a written quote.
Checked September 2026. Source: Washington Department of Revenue; RCW 82.08.962.
What permits does a Woodland solar install need?
Two: a building permit from the City of Woodland inside city limits, or from Cowlitz County or Clark County outside them, and an electrical permit from Washington L&I. All three take applications online, and we prepare and submit the package.
City or County building permit
CloudPermit in the city; Accela (Cowlitz) or the LMS (Clark) outside it
- Site plan and roof plan showing the array, fire-access pathways and clearances
- Electrical plan with rapid shutdown and system labeling
- Manufacturer spec sheets for the panels, inverter and racking
- Structural engineering when the roof or the array calls for it
- A ground mount or a shop roof is the same building permit with a different plan set
City of Woodland Community Development, 230 Davidson Avenue, 360-225-7299, inspections Tuesdays and Thursdays. Cowlitz County Building & Planning, Kelso, 360-577-3052. Clark County Permit Center, Vancouver, 564-397-4078. We deal with them, not you.
Washington L&I electrical permit
Neither the City nor either County issues electrical permits
- The electrical permit and the inspection go through Washington L&I
- We pull it under our own electrical contractor license and schedule the inspection
- The passed inspection goes to your PUD to start the interconnection
Which PUD? Cowlitz County addresses are on Cowlitz PUD; Clark County addresses are on Clark PUD. Both net-meter, both reset credits on March 31, and we file whichever application applies.
Checked September 2026. Sources: City of Woodland Building Division; Cowlitz County Building & Planning; Clark County Community Development; Washington L&I.
How does Cowlitz PUD or Clark PUD net metering work in Woodland?
Woodland homes on the Cowlitz County side are on Cowlitz PUD; the Clark County side is on Clark Public Utilities. Both net-meter: the power you send to the grid is banked as kilowatt-hour credits against your own later use, and the summer surplus carries you through the dark months.
The PUD process
What happens after the electrical inspection
- Cowlitz PUD: systems up to 200 kW, $100 non-refundable application fee, no published review time, we chase it
- Clark PUD: systems up to 100 kW, $100 fee under 25 kW, application usually processed within four working days and the meter set within about five working days after approval
- Either way we file the application after the L&I electrical inspection and include the fee in your price
- Unused credits reset every March 31 with both utilities
Neither PUD offers a solar rebate. Cowlitz PUD engineering: (360) 501-9546. Clark PUD net metering: (360) 992-3244.
Why we size to your usage, not your roof
The March 31 reset changes the math
Surplus you bank in July is worth full value in January, but anything still unused on March 31 goes to the utility without compensation. So we size a Woodland system to a year of your actual bills rather than to every square foot of south-facing roof. An oversized array looks impressive and gives value back to the PUD.
Our post on Washington net metering explains the math.
Checked September 2026. Source: Cowlitz PUD net metering page; Clark Public Utilities solar FAQ; RCW 80.60.030.
Does solar work on a Woodland roof, in town or up the river?
Usually, yes, and the two kinds of Woodland property ask different questions.
In town
Newer roofs, simpler installs
The subdivisions that grew up around the I-5 exits have composition roofs and 200-amp panels, which is the easy case. The design question is orientation on cul-de-sac lots, so we map a year of sun before we choose the roof plane, and the HOA’s rules come into the design from day one where there is one.
Up the Lewis River
Trees, acreage and the ground mount option
Out Lewis River Road the firs get tall and the lots get big. If the house roof is shaded or faces the wrong way, a ground mount in a clear corner of the property, or a shop roof, often out-produces it, with a trench to the meter that we price in writing up front. A battery for the well pump and the freezer is the add-on people ask about most out there.
Panels run on daylight, not heat. A cool, bright Woodland afternoon is a good solar afternoon, and the rain keeps the panels clean.
How long does a Woodland solar install take, start to finish?
The panels go on in two to three days. Start to finish, from first call to switch-on, plan on eight to fourteen weeks.
Consultation, design and a written quote
Your roof, your county, your shading and a year of your electric bills, then system size, equipment, warranty terms and price on one page.
Permits, install and inspection
City of Woodland, Cowlitz County or Clark County permit plus the L&I electrical permit, then two to three days on site, then the electrical inspection.
Utility interconnection and switch-on
Cowlitz PUD or Clark PUD reviews the interconnection application and sets the net meter. Clark PUD publishes its timeline (about two weeks all in); Cowlitz PUD does not, so we follow it up until you can switch on.
How does Sunbridge Solar compare to a national solar company in Woodland?
The panels are the same. What differs is who does the work. Most national companies that advertise in Woodland sell the system and subcontract the roof and the wiring, so the people who quote the job are not the people who install it. Sunbridge Solar designs, permits and installs with our own crew, under our own Washington electrical license.
Sunbridge Solar
One company from the site visit to the warranty call
- Our own crew, our own licenses. Contractor registration SUNBRSL882NF and electrical contractor license SUNBRSL857CK. The install is not handed to a subcontractor.
- We do the paperwork. We pull the City of Woodland, Cowlitz County or Clark County permit and the L&I electrical permit and file the Cowlitz PUD or Clark PUD interconnection ourselves.
- Two warranties, both in writing. Ten years on our workmanship, 25 years on the panels and equipment.
- A local address. 421 C Street in Washougal, the same people answer the phone in year eight.
Checking a national quote
Four things worth confirming in writing
- Whose crew is on the roof, the company on the contract, or a subcontractor hired for the day?
- Whose electrical license the permit is pulled under, and who meets the L&I inspector.
- Who files the Cowlitz PUD or Clark PUD interconnection and follows it up, or whether that is left to you.
- Whether the price is a cash price or a financed one with dealer fees rolled into it.
How do I choose among solar companies in Woodland?
Woodland sits right on I-5 between Vancouver and Longview, so it gets pitched by solar companies from every direction, and some of the national ones sell here and subcontract the roof work. Four questions separate them quickly.
Are you licensed, and can I check?
Every Washington contractor has an L&I registration number and an electrical license number. Ours are SUNBRSL882NF and SUNBRSL857CK.
Who does the roof work?
Ask whether the crew on your roof works for the company on the contract. Ours does, and it drives here from Washougal.
What are the two warranties?
Workmanship and product are different things. Get both in writing, with the years.
How did you size this?
PUD credits reset every March 31, so an oversized system gives value back to the utility. An installer who pushes a bigger array than your bills support is selling panels, not savings.
We’re happy to be compared on all four
Ask us the same questions. We’ll put our answers in writing with your quote.
What Woodland customers say
Real Google reviews from homeowners across Woodland, Cowlitz County and the rest of Southwest Washington.
Woodland solar FAQs
The questions Woodland homeowners ask us most, answered plainly.
It depends on system size, roof type and whether you add a battery, so we quote every home individually. There is no sales tax on the equipment or labor for systems up to 100 kW through 2029, and no rebate to apply for afterward. Run your bill through our Washington solar calculator for a first number.
For most homes with a reasonably clear south-, east- or west-facing roof, yes, and up the Lewis River a ground mount or a shop roof is often the better producer. We map the shade before we answer for your property. Our Washington solar guide covers what to expect.
Yes. Inside city limits, a building permit from the City of Woodland; outside them, from Cowlitz County or Clark County depending on the side of the line. Plus an electrical permit from Washington L&I in every case. We prepare and submit all of it.
It follows the county line, not the city limits: Cowlitz County addresses are on Cowlitz PUD, Clark County addresses on Clark Public Utilities. Your bill says which. Both net-meter and both reset credits on March 31; we file whichever interconnection application applies.
No. Washington law (RCW 64.38.055) stops HOAs from prohibiting solar panels on your own property. They can set reasonable rules on placement and appearance, and we design to them.
Yes. Battery backup for outages and a Level 2 EV charger can go in alongside the solar, with the panel and wiring sized so the three work together.
The panels are the same; the crew is not. We design, permit and install with our own crew under our own Washington electrical license (SUNBRSL857CK), pull the City of Woodland, Cowlitz County or Clark County permit and the L&I electrical permit ourselves and file the your PUD interconnection, and answer the warranty call from our shop in Washougal. Before you sign with anyone, confirm whose crew will be on the roof and whose license the permit is pulled under.
Two to three days on your roof. Start to finish, including permits and the utility’s meter swap, plan on eight to fourteen weeks, depending on the county and the utility.
Ready to go solar in Woodland?
Request a free, no-obligation quote and we’ll drive up from Washougal, look at your roof, or your field, and put a real number in writing.
Sunbridge Solar | 421 C St Ste 5a, Washougal, WA 98671 | 360-313-7190