NEC 690.56 and 705.10 solar labels and placards

Missing or wrong labels are one of the most common — and most avoidable — reasons a solar permit gets red-lined. The wording, placement, and durability are all spelled out, mostly in NEC 690.56 and 705.10, plus the rapid-shutdown marking in 690.12. Here is what actually goes on the building.

The core markings

705.10 — the power-source directory

Any building fed by more than one source needs a permanent plaque or directory at the service equipment showing where each source is: the utility service, the PV interconnection, any battery. A responder should be able to stand at the meter and know every place power can enter. Keep it accurate if the system is later expanded.

690.56 — PV system and rapid-shutdown labels

690.56 pulls together the PV-specific markings:

• 690.56(A)/(B): identify the PV system and, where applicable, that it has no single point that removes all power.
• 690.56(C): the rapid-shutdown labeling. Systems with rapid shutdown get a label at the service reading that the PV system is equipped with rapid shutdown, plus a diagram of the array and the location of the initiation device. The initiator itself gets a marking such as "RAPID SHUTDOWN SWITCH FOR SOLAR PV SYSTEM."

The 690.56(C) rapid-shutdown labels have specific formats — reflective backing, red field, white capital letters for the switch marking — and the exact wording tracks the NEC edition your AHJ enforces. For the underlying function these labels describe, see 690.12 rapid shutdown explained.

Wording, placement, and durability

• Permanent. Handwritten or inkjet-on-paper labels don't survive; use engraved plates or listed label stock.
• Weather- and UV-rated anywhere exposed — a placard that fades in two summers fails on inspection.
• Legible and located at the equipment it describes, not buried inside an enclosure.
• Capital lettering and minimum letter heights apply to several markings; follow the section text.

Don't forget the DC disconnect data (690.53)

At the DC disconnect, a marking states the maximum system voltage, the maximum circuit current, and related values from your string-sizing math. That voltage comes straight from your cold-temperature Voc correction — if that number is wrong, the label is wrong.

Interconnection markings (705)

Where the PV ties into the main panel, 705 drives additional markings beyond the directory. A backfed breaker interconnection carries a warning that it is a power source, and if the connection relies on the 120% busbar rule or a line-side tap, the equipment marking must reflect that. Keep the interconnection label consistent with the actual point of connection shown on the one-line — mismatches between the drawn tie-in and the placard are a frequent correction.

A quick label schedule

Before you file, walk the building in your head and confirm each marking has a home:

• Service — power-source directory (705.10) and rapid-shutdown label with diagram (690.56(C)).
• PV disconnect — identified as the PV system disconnect (690.13(B)).
• DC disconnect — voltage and current data (690.53).
• RSD initiator — the switch marking.
• Interconnection — backfed-source warning where applicable.

Label formats and required wording changed across the 2017, 2020, and 2023 editions, and some AHJs add local amendments or approved-label lists. Confirm the enforced code with your jurisdiction, and have a licensed electrician or PE review, sign and stamp the plan set before filing or energizing. Many red-lines trace back to labels — see why solar permits get rejected.

Educational reference, reviewed 2026-07. A design aid, not a substitute for a licensed electrician or PE. Confirm the enforced NEC edition and local amendments with your AHJ.