New Provisions: An Update on the APER Act of 2026

Law No. 2025-1129 relaxes the APER law by allowing owners of parking lots larger than 1,500 m² to combine solar canopies, green roofs, and other renewable energy systems to meet their coverage requirements. It also revises the compliance timeline by offering new extension deadlines, extending to 2028 or 2030, subject to the prompt signing of commitment contracts.

Margaux Couble
Publication: 
15.03.2026
Contents
Example H2
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🔎 Things to remember

Greater versatility: The option to combine photovoltaic shade structures with greenery or other renewable energy systems (provided the energy output is equivalent).

Threshold: Requirement remains in effect for all outdoor parking lots larger than 1,500 m².

Délais assouplis (< 10 000 m²) : Report possible au 1er janvier 2030 (au lieu de 2028) sous réserve d'un contrat signé avant juin 2027.

Large parks (> 10,000 m²): Deadline extendable to January 1, 2028, provided a financial commitment is made by June 30, 2026.

New rules for installing shade structures that incorporate renewable energy generation systems in parking lots: what’s changing

Section 40 of Law No. 2023-175 of March 10, 2023, known as the APER Law, is amended to provide greater flexibility regarding the requirement to equip parking lots with shade structures that incorporate a renewable energy generation system.

The widespread adoption of renewable energy is essential to step up the fight against climate change and reduce dependence on imported energy products, which account for two-thirds of France’s energy consumption. It was in this context that the APER law was adopted in 2023, requiring owners of outdoor parking lots larger than 1,500 m² to equip them with shade structures incorporating a renewable energy generation system.

However, in light of technical and economic constraints, the legislature introduced new, more flexible provisions through Law No. 2025-1129 of November 26, 2025.

1) New approaches to equipping parking lots with shade structures that incorporate renewable energy generation systems

Originally, the APER law required that outdoor parking lots covering more than 1,500 m² install shade structures over at least half of their area, with a renewable energy generation system integrated across the entire upper surface providing shade.

There are now two new ways to meet this requirement:

  • the installation of hybrid systems consisting of shade structures that incorporate a renewable energy generation system covering at least 35% of half the parking lot’s area, along with green features that help provide shade for the remaining area. This option allows for the integration of more landscape and ecological solutions.
  • in whole or in part, the installation of a renewable energy generation system that does not require the installation of shade structures, provided that such a system enables energy production equivalent to that which would result from the installation of shade structures incorporating a renewable energy generation process on the unequipped area. This solution paves the way for other technologies or on-site installations ().

Owners can now tailor their strategy by combining different solutions based on site-specific constraints.

In addition, an important clarification has been made regarding urban planning regulations, namely that the application of local urban planning regulations (PLU) may not result in prohibiting or restricting the installation of such devices.

2) Other changes regarding the conditions for deferring the obligation

The " " Act No. 2025-1129 of November 26, 2025, also amends the conditions for deferring the obligation.

New provisions have been introduced to postpone the deadline to January1, 2030 (instead of July1, 2028) for parking facilities with a floor area of less than 10,000 m² and more than 1,500 m².

To qualify, the property owner must provide proof of a contract of engagement with a down payment by June 30, 2027, at the latest, and a purchase order signed before December 31, 2027, for high-performance, resilient photovoltaic panels, with installation scheduled to take place before January 1, 2030. In the event of termination or breach of the commitment contract or purchase order attributable to the manufacturer of the photovoltaic panels in question, the parking lot owner must fulfill their obligations within eighteen months of the termination or, if this period expires after January 1, 2030, by January 1, 2030 at the latest, or, if this period expires before July 1, 2028, by July 1, 2028.

With regard to parking facilities larger than 10,000 m², for which the regulatory deadline is set for July1, 2026, the terms and conditions have been amended once again.

Thus, to qualify for the extension to January1, 2028, the parking garage owner must now provide proof of a binding contract with a down payment by June 30, 2026 (rather than by December 31, 2025) and a purchase order signed before December 31, 2026 (rather than before June 30, 2026) for high-performance, resilient solar panels, with installation scheduled before January 1, 2028.

Finally, the requirement to display the origin of the installed panels for a period of one year from the start of construction has been eliminated.