All of Iowa · Tax exemption

Solar Energy System Property Tax Exemption

Run by City or county assessor (Iowa Code section 441.21(8))

In Iowa, adding solar panels or another solar energy system to a home doesn't raise its assessed or taxable value for five full assessment years, so your property tax doesn't go up for the system during that time.

Open Checked Oct 28, 2026

Amounts

How much you get

The assessor disregards any market value the solar energy system adds, so the system doesn't increase the property's actual, assessed or taxable value for five full assessment years. The savings depend on the system's value and your local tax rate.

Eligibility

Do I qualify?

You need to meet all 3 of these.

  • Your home is in Iowa.

  • A solar energy system that collects sunlight (or wind) and converts it to heat, mechanical or electrical energy, or a passive solar building design.

  • Applies to property classified as residential (also agricultural, commercial or industrial).

Applying

How to apply

Follow these steps.

  1. Install the solar energy system.
  2. Check with your city or county assessor.

    The law tells the assessor to leave the system's value out of the assessment for five full assessment years. No application form is published; ask your assessor whether they need anything from you.

Your address

Next steps

Check that it covers your address. Then, if you want, ask for a contractor quote.

FAQ

Questions

How much does Solar Energy System Property Tax Exemption pay?

The assessor disregards any market value the solar energy system adds, so the system doesn't increase the property's actual, assessed or taxable value for five full assessment years. The savings depend on the system's value and your local tax rate.

Is it still available?

Yes. It was open when we last checked, on October 28, 2026.

References

Sources

This page is built from these official pages, run by the program itself.

  1. Iowa Code section 441.21 (2026)legis.iowa.gov · Read Oct 28, 2026 · Re-checked monthly

When one of these pages changes, we re-check this page against it.

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