City and County of San Francisco

A city address is usually permitted by the city, not the county — but not always, and some authorities keep building and hand electrical to someone else. Getting this wrong costs the whole submittal, because every requirement below belongs to whoever actually holds jurisdiction. Check the overlays in the same pass: an HOA, a historic district, a windstorm certification or a system-size cap can reshape the design, and all of them are cheaper to find now than after the array is laid out.

• Is this authority the AHJ for residential solar at this address? Yes 95% · department page
• What does this authority permit itself, and what does it delegate? Both 90% · department page
• Is a permit required for a residential rooftop PV system? Yes 95% · department page
• Is there a separate electrical permit, or is it combined? Either 85% · department page
• Is a HOA or architectural approval required first? No 70% · department page
• Is there a historic-district review? Yes, for designated landmarks, Article 10/11 historic districts (contributory resources), and properties on/eligible for the National or State Register — SF Planning Department review (and, where triggered, Historic Preservation Commission referral under Planning Code §1005) is required before DBI will issue any solar permit on such a property, regardless of system size. 65% · secondary source (search synthesis of Planning Code Art. 10/11)
• Is a wind or windstorm certification required? No 55% · published checklist
• Is a Specific Use Permit or Council approval ever required? No — residential rooftop PV is processed administratively (electrical/solar permit); a Conditional Use/Specific Use Permit or Board of Supervisors approval is not part of the standard pathway. Exception: properties requiring Historic Preservation Commission referral (Q25) go through a Commission-level hearing, which is the closest analog. 65% · department page
• Is there a system-size cap on residential generation? No system-size cap found on residential generation itself. SolarAPP+ eligibility is capped at 4kWdc, but that is a pathway-eligibility limit — larger systems simply route through the 'Solar Permit' or 'PV Plans' tracks instead of SolarAPP+, which carry no stated kW ceiling. CA AB 1132's 15kW figure is a fee-tier break, not an installation-size cap. 55% · department page

Several authorities require the electrical permit to be pulled by a licensed electrician, or require the contractor to be registered with them BEFORE applying. Registration is not same-day. This is second on the list rather than fourth because it is the step most likely to stop the job before the drawings matter.

• Who is allowed to pull the electrical permit? Licensed electrician 90% · department page
• Must the contractor be registered with this authority before applying? Yes 95% · department page
• Is a homeowner permitted to self-install and self-permit? Yes 75% · department page

Almost everywhere wants a site plan, a one-line or three-line electrical diagram, equipment cut sheets with listings, and a structural attachment detail. Build it against the published checklist rather than the last jurisdiction you worked in — the checklist is what the reviewer marks against.

• What documents make up a complete submittal? Roof plan (with fire setbacks, roof type, orientation, module/inverter/disconnect locations), at least one elevation view, a detail view of the attachment method, an electrical wiring (one-line or multi-line) diagram with wire/conduit sizes and ampacity calcs, manufacturer data sheets (current PDFs only) for major components, updated warning-label/signage sheets, and — for non-R3, ground-mounted, or ballasted projects — PE/architect-stamped structural drawings and calculations. 92% · published checklist
• How many copies, and in what format? 1 unlocked PDF file, all pages formatted for 11x17 printing, 10-point type minimum, submitted digitally (by email for PV Plans, via web portal upload for Solar Permit); DBI will scan any paper submittals. 90% · published checklist
• Is a site plan required, and what must it show? Yes — a roof plan showing roof perimeter with fire setbacks (with calculations/sprinkler notes if setback is 18"), roof type/ridges/hips/valleys/parapets, vents/skylights, property orientation, adjacent street (corner lots), and the location of modules, junction/combiner boxes, disconnects, inverters, service, and subpanels. 90% · published checklist
• Is a one-line / three-line diagram required? Yes 90% · published checklist
• Are string and conductor calculations required? Yes 88% · published checklist
• Is a structural PE stamp required, and at what threshold? Required for non-R3 occupancies, ground-mounted systems, and ballasted (non-penetrating) systems; NOT required for a standard rooftop-attached PV system on a single-family/duplex/townhouse (R-3) using an approved, listed racking system. When required, calculations and drawings must be stamped/signed by a CA-licensed civil or structural engineer. 88% · published checklist
• Is an electrical PE stamp required, and at what threshold? Not stated as a separate requirement 55% · published checklist

Most authorities now take the whole application through a portal, and several states cap or constrain what a residential solar permit may cost. Check whether plan check is billed separately before you quote the job.

• Which permit portal does this authority use? Three linked systems: SolarAPP+ (solarapp.nrel.gov) for instant online permits; DBI's own Electrical Permitting and Inspection Scheduling portal (dbiweb02.sfgov.org/dbi_electrical) for solar/electrical permit issuance and inspection scheduling by registered contractors; and a DBI 'SolarPDFGenerate' web tool plus email to DBI.pvplans@sfgov.org for the PV Plans (multi-family/commercial) track. 88% · portal landing page
• Can the whole application be completed online? Yes, for SolarAPP+ (instant) and the online 'Solar Permit' track for single-family/duplex/townhouse; No for PV Plans (multi-family/commercial), which requires an in-person Permit Center visit to pay fees and collect the permit/job card. 85% · department page
• What does a residential solar permit cost? $320 for a system rated 10kW or less; $259 for each additional 10kW (up to 2 inspections) 90% · fee schedule
• How is the fee calculated? Tiered 88% · fee schedule
• Is there a separate plan-check fee? Yes for the online 'Solar Permit' track (fees paid when filed, and again when issued — the filing payment functions as the plan-check fee); No for PV Plans and SolarAPP+ tracks, which are paid only on issuance. 75% · department page

Interconnection is a separate process from the permit and usually the longer pole. Where the utility does not depend on the permit being issued, running both at once is the single biggest saving available on a residential job.

• Which utility handles interconnection here? PG&E (Pacific Gas & Electric) 82% · utility territory map
• Where does the utility sit in the sequence? After permit 75% · department page

The NEC edition a jurisdiction enforces is often a cycle behind the newest one published, and local amendments sit on top of it. Rapid shutdown, conductor sizing and labelling all change between editions, so the edition in force is the first thing to establish, not the last.

• Which NEC edition is in force? 2023 90% · adopting regulation
• Which building code edition is in force? 2025 San Francisco Building Code, based on the 2025 California Building Code, operative 1 Jan 2026 88% · adopting ordinance
• Which fire code edition is in force? 2025 San Francisco Fire Code, based on the 2025 California Fire Code, operative 1 Jan 2026 85% · adopting ordinance
• Are there local amendments to any of the above? Yes 92% · adopting ordinance
• What is the installation judged against? The 2025 California Electrical Code (NEC 2023 base) as locally amended by San Francisco, plus SFFD fire-safety review under the 2025 California Fire Code as locally amended, plus DBI structural review under the 2025 California Building Code for non-R3/ground-mount/ballasted systems. 85% · ordinance + checklist

Ridge setbacks and roof access pathways are fire-service requirements and they constrain the array layout. They are the most common cause of a redesign after the fire department comments on a plan set.

• What ridge setback and access pathways are required? Roof plans must show fire setbacks, with calculations and sprinkler-provision notes specifically required when the setback is 18 inches (implying 18in is a governing threshold under the state fire code SF has adopted). An older (2019, marked DRAFT even then) SFFD guidance document described 3-foot-wide access pathways from eave to ridge (one pathway for hip roofs, two for single-ridge roofs, modules kept 1.5ft clear of hips/valleys), matching the standard California Fire Code residential PV pathway spec. 55% · published checklist (current) + archived draft (dated)

Which rapid-shutdown rule applies follows directly from the NEC edition in force, and the initiation device has to be at a location the fire service can reach and identify. This is inspected, and it is labelled.

• Is rapid shutdown required, and to which NEC edition? Yes, rapid shutdown is required per NEC 690.12 as incorporated into the 2025 California Electrical Code (NEC 2023 base), effective 1 Jan 2026. The extracted SF local-amendments PDF shows no SF-specific rewrite of Article 690's rapid-shutdown provisions — SF appears to enforce the state-adopted NEC 2023 rapid-shutdown rule unmodified. 78% · adopting regulation

The NEC sets a baseline for permanent markings at the service equipment and the disconnecting means. On top of that, an authority may specify its own wording, and the utility may specify more again. Where any of them writes its own text, a generic off-the-shelf label set will not pass — this is the detail most often fixed on a return visit.

• Which placards does this authority require at the service equipment? Not specifically enumerated by DBI beyond a general requirement for 'updated warning label and signage for service personnel and emergency responders' on the plan set; specific placard types (rapid-shutdown label, AC/DC disconnect labels, main service placard) are governed by the base NEC 690/705 labeling requirements adopted via the 2025 SFEC rather than a separately published SF placard list. 45% · published checklist
• Does the authority specify placard wording of its own? No 40% · published checklist
• Is a site plan / facility map placard required, and what must it show? Yes — the required roof plan functions as the facility map: it must show roof perimeter/fire setbacks, roof type and features (ridges, hips, valleys, parapets, vents, skylights), property orientation, adjacent street for corner lots, and the location of every module, junction/combiner box, disconnect, inverter, service equipment, and subpanel. 85% · published checklist
• Where must the labels be placed? At the main service/utility meter and disconnect location, and at points along the conduit run/junction boxes per the roof plan's conduit-routing requirement — SF does not publish a location diagram beyond what NEC 690/705 already mandates (at the PV disconnect, at the service disconnect, and at the utility meter). 45% · published checklist

Where the AC disconnect must sit relative to the meter is usually the utility's rule, not the building department's. Battery storage frequently carries its own permit, its own inspection and its own fire conditions.

• Must equipment be on a specific approved list? Yes 85% · published checklist
• Are batteries permitted, and under what conditions? Yes, batteries/ESS are permitted in R-3 occupancies under the 2022 CFC Supplement §1207.11 (effective 1 Jul 2024, still in force under the 2025 SFFC per SFFD's own bulletin text): individual ESS units ≤20kWh, aggregate on-property rating ≤600kWh, with specified separation/impact-protection (e.g., 5/8in Type X gypsum board) depending on installation location. A DBI/Electrical permit with SFFD review is required for any ESS unit exceeding 1kWh; the plan-submittal requirement is waived when using SolarAPP+. 65% · fire department bulletin (draft watermark)
• Is there a separate ESS permit or inspection? No — ESS review/inspection is folded into the same DBI Permit or Electrical Permit as the PV system, with SFFD review/approval as a required component of that same permit, rather than a wholly separate ESS-only permit. 65% · fire department bulletin (draft watermark)
• Is there a local rule on service upgrades or busbar sizing? No local busbar/service-upgrade rule specific to solar found beyond the base 2025 CEC (which itself carries the state 120%-rule busbar provisions); the SFEC amendments document I extracted directly does not add a San Francisco-specific service-upgrade or busbar-sizing rule for PV. 55% · adopting regulation
• Is a specific mounting system or attachment spacing required? No specific spacing/attachment-system mandate beyond requiring an approved, listed racking system with manufacturer documentation of maximum weight, attachment method, and product-evaluation/structural design data; a basic uplift calculation is specifically required for reverse-tilt (north-slope) arrays. 80% · published checklist

Booking is a portal, a phone call or an email depending on the authority, and the notice required is rarely zero. Book before the work is finished rather than after — the lead time, not the work, is usually what sets the date.

• How is an inspection booked? Portal 80% · department page

Some authorities inspect their own solar work; some delegate it, and a few do not inspect the PV equipment itself at all. Who is coming determines what they will look at.

• Does this AHJ perform its own final solar inspection? Yes 90% · department page
• If delegated, to whom? N/A — not delegated. (A separate, independent, non-delegated SFFD inspection is also mandatory for every project, in addition to — not instead of — the DBI electrical inspection.) 90% · department page

A rough-in or mid-roof inspection, where one is required, has to happen before the work it covers is closed up. Missing a stage means opening something back up, and it is the most expensive kind of correction.

• Which inspections are required, and in what order? 1) SFFD field inspection first (call 415-558-3300, provide permit number/scope/contractor info, plus SolarAPP+ ID and checklist if applicable); 2) once SFFD approves, schedule the DBI electrical inspection (628-652-3400 or online portal for registered contractors); 3) once DBI approves, take proof of inspection to PG&E for grid connection/PTO. 85% · department page

The approved plan set, the permit, and the equipment listings should be on site and reachable. Inspectors routinely verify that installed equipment matches what was approved, and that the labels are the ones the plan set promised.

• Is there a published inspection checklist? Yes for SolarAPP+ jobs (the SolarAPP+ 'Inspection Checklist' is generated as part of the Approval ID package and must be presented at both the SFFD and DBI inspections); not confirmed for the Solar Permit/PV Plans tracks, which do not appear to have a separately published DBI/SFFD inspection checklist document. 70% · department page
• What must be on site at inspection? Approved plans on site; OSHA-compliant roof access; for the Fire Department inspection: the DBI electrical or solar permit number, scope of work as stated on the permit, and contractor contact information (plus, for SolarAPP+ jobs, the SolarAPP+ approval ID, printed checklist, and specification sheet); for the DBI electrical inspection: the permit number and contractor license number. 90% · department page
• Does the inspector verify labels and listings? Likely yes, but not confirmed by an explicit statement 50% · department page

Passing gives you a final or an equivalent sign-off. That is not the same as permission to operate: PTO comes from the utility, and who tells the utility the inspection passed varies. A system left switched off for weeks is usually waiting on this handover.

• What is issued on pass? Final 55% · department page
• Who notifies the utility for PTO? Installer 88% · department page
• Is there a re-inspection fee? $259 per half hour (general DBI 'Re-inspection or additional inspection per Section 108A.8' rate); the step-by-step page separately notes 'Additional fees will be assessed if more than two [Fire Department] inspections are required' without stating the SFFD re-inspection amount. 70% · fee schedule
• How are corrections issued and cleared? For the Solar Permit/PV Plans tracks, corrections are emailed to the applicant (or posted in a shared Bluebeam session for Bluebeam account holders); the applicant revises and resubmits by email or in the Bluebeam session until all comments are addressed, then the application is approved. At field inspection, the inspector either approves the installation or issues 'corrective actions' to be cleared before re-inspection. 80% · department page