Oncor Solar Interconnection: Timeline and Tracker
Oncor is a wires-only delivery company, not a retail electricity seller, and that shapes everything about interconnection in its territory. The installer coordinates the physical interconnection and meter with Oncor, while billing and any export credits are handled separately by the customer’s retail electric provider.
Who is Oncor, and where does it operate?
Oncor is the largest transmission and distribution utility in Texas, delivering power across more than 400 cities in North and West Texas, including the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. Because Texas is deregulated in Oncor’s area, Oncor owns the poles, wires, and meter but does not set retail rates — a structure that surprises installers arriving from a vertically integrated state.
The interconnection process
- 1.Installers generally file Oncor’s distributed generation interconnection application once the system design is complete, providing the technical details Oncor needs to approve the parallel connection.
- 2.Oncor reviews the application and approves the interconnection and any required meter exchange. Installers report a typical range measured in weeks, varying with project specifics and current volume.
- 3.After the local permit and inspection are complete and Oncor finishes its meter work, the system can operate in parallel. Any net metering or buyback credit is then arranged through the customer’s retail electric provider, separately from Oncor.
Timelines above reflect what installers commonly report, not guaranteed or regulated processing times. Confirm current requirements directly with Oncor.
Documents typically required
- •Completed Oncor distributed generation interconnection application
- •One-line electrical diagram
- •Inverter specification / listing documentation
- •Signed interconnection agreement
- •Local building permit and inspection sign-off
The gap between permit approval and PTO
In Oncor territory the gap is doubled: the permit clears on one timeline, Oncor’s meter and interconnection approval run on another, and the retail provider’s buyback setup is a third thread. A project can be installed and permitted and still not be operating or earning credit. PermitClock tracks the Oncor interconnection clock against the permit so installers can see exactly where a North Texas job is hung up.
Oncor jurisdictions we track
| Jurisdiction | Typical permit days | |
|---|---|---|
| City of Arlington | ~12 days | View → |
| City of Carrollton | ~12 days | View → |
| City of Dallas | ~12 days | View → |
| City of Fort Worth | ~12 days | View → |
| City of Garland | ~12 days | View → |
| City of Grand Prairie | ~12 days | View → |
| City of Irving | ~18 days | View → |
| City of Irving (Las Colinas) | ~12 days | View → |
| City of Killeen | ~12 days | View → |
| City of McKinney | ~12 days | View → |
| City of Mesquite | ~12 days | View → |
| City of Midland | ~12 days | View → |
| City of Plano | ~12 days | View → |
| City of Round Rock | ~10 days | View → |
| City of Waco | ~12 days | View → |
Track your Oncor interconnection timeline in PermitClock
See the interconnection clock next to the permit clock, and catch the projects that stall on the way to PTO.