City of Clovis

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% · adopting ordinance (CMC Title 8 ch. 8.1)
• What does this authority permit itself, and what does it delegate? Both 95% · adopting ordinance (CMC ch. 8.1, 8.2, 8.15)
• Is a permit required for a residential rooftop PV system? Yes 95% · ordinance (CMC 8.14.06) + department page
• Is there a separate electrical permit, or is it combined? Combined 55% · permit application form
• Is a HOA or architectural approval required first? No 95% · ordinance (CMC 8.14.06)
• Is there a historic-district review? No 70% · ordinance (CMC 8.14.06) + municipal code search
• Is a wind or windstorm certification required? No 85% · department page
• Is a Specific Use Permit or Council approval ever required? Only exceptionally. CMC 8.14.06 allows the Building Official to require a use permit for a small residential rooftop solar energy system only on substantial evidence that the system 'could have a specific, adverse impact upon the public health and safety', with any denial requiring written findings including the basis for rejecting feasible alternatives, and any such decision appealable to the City of Clovis Appeals Board. No Council approval is required. Separately, Development Code Table 2-2 (CMC 9.10.020) lists 'Solar and Wind Generation Facilities' as a NONRESIDENTIAL use requiring a Conditional Use Permit in every residential district (AR, R-A, R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4, MHP) - that entry addresses standalone generation facilities, not accessory rooftop PV on a dwelling, which is covered by CMC ch. 8.14. 70% · ordinance (CMC 8.14.06) + development code (CMC 9.10.020 Table 2-2)
• Is there a system-size cap on residential generation? No cap on residential generation as such, but two path-specific ceilings. CMC 8.14.02(f) confines the expedited AB 2188 process to a system 'no larger than ten (10) kilowatts alternating current nameplate rating or thirty (30) kilowatts thermal', on a single or duplex dwelling, not exceeding the maximum legal building height. The City's SolarAPP+/expedited Eligibility List sets its own limits: PV maximum 38.4 kWdc, paired ESS maximum 38.4 kWdc, existing service only with no service upgrade or like-for-like panel change, main service not exceeding 400 A, single phase, no existing PV or ESS on the home, one module type / one racking type / one micro-inverter or optimiser type / one AC-module type per submittal, flat-plate modules only, non-building-integrated (no solar roof tiles), single-family dwelling or residentially permitted auxiliary building. 85% · ordinance (CMC 8.14.02(f)) + eligibility list

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? Either 90% · ordinance (CMC 8.2.102(a))
• Must the contractor be registered with this authority before applying? Yes 80% · published checklist (Residential Plan Check List 2025)
• Is a homeowner permitted to self-install and self-permit? Yes 85% · ordinance (CMC 8.2.102(a)) + 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? Per the City's Residential Roof-Mounted Photovoltaic Submittal Requirements: (1) permit application (description of work, address, owner, contractor, valuation, signed); (2) construction documents - plan-set cover sheet (address, vicinity map, owner name and phone, designer name and address, contractor info, scope, full equipment list including modules, inverters, MPU, sub-panels, combiners, load centres, ESS, gateways, rapid-shutdown devices, optimisers, existing PV; list of applicable California codes; sheet index; legend); site plan; roof plan showing fire setbacks and access pathways; attachment details; electrical one-line or three-line with equipment schedule, OCPD ratings, 120% calculation, conduit sizes and types with calculations, conductor schedule, main-service status and derate calculations, existing interconnected sources, ESS; labelling sheet showing all labels in colour plus a directory placard; datasheets for inverters/micro-inverters, modules, RSD devices/optimisers, racking, attachment system, array bonding, combiners, service/sub-panels, monitoring, batteries/ESS, transfer switches, specialty equipment and generators; and clouded/deltaed revision sheets with a full written description for any resubmittal. Owner-builders additionally file the Owner-Builder form; contractors provide a City of Clovis business licence. 90% · published checklist
• How many copies, and in what format? Residential: one set for the initial submittal (Building FAQ). On resubmittal the Residential Plan Check List requires one copy of all corrected documents with the redlined set plus a thumb drive holding a PDF of all documents, and all redlined sheets returned. Electronic submittal is available and, for PV, is one of three routes: (1) in person, (2) online through the CSS portal, (3) SolarAPP+ through the CSS portal (contractors only). CMC 8.14.05(b)-(c) require electronic submittal to be available for small residential rooftop solar and require electronic signatures to be accepted in lieu of wet signatures. 75% · department FAQ + published checklist
• Is a site plan required, and what must it show? Yes. Per the PV submittal handout the site plan (cited to 2025 CRC R106.1) must show: the lot with property lines and the footprint of existing structures; the house location on the parcel; the location and label of all equipment and system components (modules, inverters, main-panel upgrades, sub-panels, combiners, load centres, ESS, gateways, rapid-shutdown devices, optimisers, existing PV); streets shown and labelled; and a north arrow. The Residential Plan Check List additionally requires a completed City of Clovis Site Plan (Plot Plan) form. 90% · published checklist
• Is a one-line / three-line diagram required? Yes 95% · published checklist
• Are string and conductor calculations required? Yes 90% · published checklist
• Is a structural PE stamp required, and at what threshold? No stamp threshold is set for a standard roof-mounted residential PV system. The PV submittal handout asks only for attachment points on rafters/trusses within the datasheet's maximum span and cantilever, plus an expanded attachment/flashing detail - no engineer's calculations or stamp. The SolarAPP+/expedited Eligibility List instead sets prescriptive structural limits: PV modules and hardware not exceeding 4 psf, roof designed for a 20 psf minimum live load, array no more than 10 inches above the roof deck, no wood shake or wood-shingle roofs, and no non-permanent structures (free-standing carports, sheds). A design outside those limits falls to the general rule in the Residential Plan Check List - sheets stamped by an architect or engineer licensed in California per Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code 5537, 'when applicable', with a digital signature accepted. 70% · published checklist + eligibility list
• Is an electrical PE stamp required, and at what threshold? No electrical PE stamp is required and no threshold is published. The PV submittal handout asks for electrical calculations but never for a stamp; the Residential Plan Check List's only stamp requirement is the general Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code 5537 'when applicable' architect/engineer stamp. 70% · 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? Tyler EnerGov Citizen Self Service ('CSS portal') at https://css.cityofclovis.com/EnerGov_Prod/SelfService#/home, with NREL SolarAPP+ available through the same portal for eligible contractor-submitted residential PV (SB 379). 90% · portal landing page
• Can the whole application be completed online? Yes 85% · department page
• How is the fee calculated? Valuation 45% · notice to industry + ordinance (CMC 8.1.01.1 sec. 304.2)
• Is there a separate plan-check fee? Yes 80% · ordinance (CMC 8.1.01.1 sec. 304.3)

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.

• What is the stated plan-review turnaround? Next business day for a complete over-the-counter application; within 3 business days for a complete electronic application; real time for a SolarAPP+ submittal. Optional expedited plan review (any project, extra fee) targets comments within 10 working days. 85% · ordinance (CMC 8.14.06) + department policy
• How long is an issued permit valid before it expires? 180 days. CMC 8.1.01.1 amends UAC 303.4: a permit expires and becomes null and void if the work is not commenced within 180 days of the permit date, or if the work is suspended or abandoned for 180 days after commencement. 'Failure to pass a required inspection every 180 days shall constitute the abandonment of work.' A new permit at one half the original fee revives it if the plans are unchanged and the lapse has not exceeded one year; beyond that a full new permit fee is due. 90% · ordinance (CMC 8.1.01.1 sec. 303.4)
• Which utility handles interconnection here? Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) 85% · department page + city solar page
• Where does the utility sit in the sequence? After permit 85% · utility DG process 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 95% · adopting ordinance (CMC 8.2.101, Ord. 25-12 eff. 31 Dec 2025)
• Which building code edition is in force? 2025 California Building Code (Title 24 Part 2, 2024 IBC base), excluding Chapter 29 Plumbing and including Appendix J Grading, plus the 2025 California Residential Code (2024 IRC base) for one- and two-family dwellings. Both adopted by Ord. 25-12, effective 31 December 2025. The 1997 Uniform Administrative Code remains adopted at CMC 8.1.01 as the City's administrative code. 95% · adopting ordinance (CMC 8.1.02, 8.15.101; Ord. 25-12 eff. 31 Dec 2025)
• Which fire code edition is in force? 2025 California Fire Code (Title 24 Part 9, 2024 IFC base), including Chapter 1 and Appendix Chapters D, E and F. Adopted by CMC 4.4.101, Ord. 25-13, effective 31 December 2025. 95% · adopting ordinance (CMC 4.4.101, Ord. 25-13 eff. 31 Dec 2025)
• Are there local amendments to any of the above? Yes - but none of them touches solar. Clovis amends the administrative code (CMC 8.1.01.1: permit expiry, fee tables, 65%/25% plan-check fees, investigation fees, required inspections, certificate of occupancy), the Building Code (CMC 8.1.02.1: violations and penalties, moved buildings and a Moved Building Review Committee), the Electrical Code (CMC 8.2.102: who may be issued a permit, dangerous electrical equipment), the Plumbing Code (CMC 8.6.102) and the Fire Code (CMC 4.4.102: historic buildings, fire prevention department, operational permits, sprinkler thresholds for Groups E, F-1 and others). A full-text read of the whole of CMC ch. 4.4 (about 41,000 characters) returns no occurrence of 'solar', 'photovoltaic', 'setback', 'pathway' or CFC 1205, and the solar chapter (CMC ch. 8.14) contains no technical amendment. AB 130 (Stats. 2025 ch. 22) constrains new residential amendments between 1 Oct 2025 and 1 Jun 2031, and the City acknowledged this in Building Industry Bulletin 2025-03. 90% · ordinance (CMC 8.1.01.1, 8.1.02.1, 8.2.102, 4.4.102) + full-text code search
• What is the installation judged against? The 2025 California Electrical Code (2023 NEC) as adopted at CMC 8.2.101, plus the local permit-issuance and dangerous-equipment amendments at CMC 8.2.102 - there is no local technical amendment to NEC Articles 690, 705 or 706. In practice a Clovis PV plan is judged against the City's Residential Roof-Mounted Photovoltaic Submittal Requirements, which cite the 2025 CEC for the one-line/three-line diagram, OCPD ratings and the 120% rule at CEC 705.12(B)(2)(3)(b), conduit and conductor schedules with supporting calculations, main-service derate calculations, existing interconnected sources and their rapid-shutdown status, and ESS. Where codes conflict, CMC 8.2.101 makes 'the most restrictive Code providing the highest level of safety, as determined by the Building Official' prevail. 90% · ordinance (CMC 8.2.101/8.2.102) + published 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? The state rule, unamended. The City's PV handout applies 2025 CRC R329.6 and R329.6.1 to roof assemblies with a slope greater than 2:12 and requires the plans to show fire setbacks between horizontal ridges and PV arrays with dimensions, the total percentage of the plan view of the rooftop covered by the array(s), and whether the residence has fire sprinklers. Access pathways: TWO pathways minimum 36 inches wide, running from the roof's lowest edge to the fire setback on the same plane, an adjacent plane, or straddling both, with ONE of them from the street side of the residence (in front of the fence); they must be in areas capable of supporting firefighters and with minimal obstructions. Emergency escape and rescue openings (2025 CRC R329.6.3): no PV modules below such openings and a path of not less than 36 inches to them. NOTE: Clovis has NOT imposed the City of Fresno's stricter local rule of a 36-inch setback on BOTH sides of the ridge - the whole of CMC ch. 4.4 contains no PV setback or pathway amendment, and the Clovis Fire Department's published standards list (30 standards, all reissued for 2026) contains no solar standard. 88% · published checklist (2025 CRC R329.6) + fire code review

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 - to the 2023 NEC, adopted unamended as the 2025 California Electrical Code at CMC 8.2.101, so NEC 690.12 rapid shutdown applies in full. The City's PV handout requires rapid-shutdown devices and optimisers to be listed on the cover sheet, their datasheets supplied, information given on any existing interconnected power sources indicating whether they comply with non-rapid-shutdown or rapid-shutdown devices with calculations and one-line drawings, and on the labelling sheet 'dotted lines around exiting [existing] arrays that do not conform to the Rapid Shut Down requirements of 2025 CEC'. 92% · ordinance (CMC 8.2.101) + published checklist

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? The 2023 NEC set, unamended, plus PG&E's. The City adds no placard of its own; its handout simply requires the plan set to 'Show all applicable labeling in color' and to include a Directory placard. So at the service equipment the required markings are the NEC ones: the PV system disconnect marking (690.13(B)), rapid shutdown labelling (690.56(C)), the interactive-system / power-source plaque or directory at the service equipment (705.10), and the ESS markings of Article 706 where a battery is installed. PG&E adds, on the AC disconnect, permanently attached signage on the front explaining that it is the AC disconnect switch for the generation (example wording 'UTILITY AC DISCONNECT SWITCH'), plus marking indicating open (off) and closed (on) positions on the switch itself, and a location map where the disconnect is not grouped with the meter panel. 85% · published checklist + utility document (PG&E 060559 Rev. 07)
• Does the authority specify placard wording of its own? No 88% · published checklist + municipal code search
• Does it specify letter height, colour or material? Clovis specifies none. The City's only formatting instruction is a plan-set one - 'Show all applicable labeling in color' - which governs how labels are drawn on the submitted plans, not the physical placard. Letter height, colour and material for the installed markings come from the unamended 2023 NEC (690.13(B), 690.56(C), 705.10, 706) and its referenced standards. PG&E does specify material for the AC disconnect signage: 'Labels shall be permanent and suitable for the environment and shall be engraved phenolic or' equivalent, permanently attached to the front of the switch. 85% · published checklist + utility document (PG&E 060559)
• Is a site plan / facility map placard required, and what must it show? Yes, twice over. The City requires a Directory placard on the plan set showing (1) the location of the array(s), equipment and point of connection, and (2) dotted lines around existing arrays that do not conform to the 2025 CEC rapid-shutdown requirements. That sits on top of the unamended NEC 705.10 permanent plaque or directory at the service equipment denoting the location of all electric power source disconnecting means. PG&E adds a third: where the AC disconnect switch is not grouped with the meter panel a map showing its location is required, and where a Net Generation Output Meter is installed, proper labelling and a map of its location if not grouped with the other meter(s) and disconnect. 88% · published checklist + 705.10 + utility document
• Does the UTILITY specify placards beyond the AHJ's? Yes. PG&E Document 060559 (Disconnect Switch Requirements for Distributed Generation Customers, Rev. #07, 25 March 2022, also part of PG&E's Distribution Interconnection Handbook) requires on the AC disconnect: permanently attached signage on the front explaining that this is the AC disconnect switch for the generation, example 'UTILITY AC DISCONNECT SWITCH'; labels permanent and suitable for the environment and engraved phenolic or equivalent; marking or signage on the switch clearly indicating the open (off) and closed (on) positions; a map showing the disconnect's location where it is not grouped with the meter panel; and, if a Net Generation Output Meter is fitted, proper labelling plus a location map where not grouped with the other meters and the disconnect. Where the disconnect is not accessible outside locked premises, signs with contact information plus a provider-approved locking device are required. 88% · utility DG document (PG&E 060559 Rev. 07)
• Where must the labels be placed? At the service equipment for the NEC markings - the 705.10 plaque or directory goes at the service equipment or at an approved readily visible location, the PV system disconnect marking on the disconnect itself, rapid shutdown labelling at the service disconnecting means. For PG&E's signage, on the front of the AC disconnect switch, which must itself sit 10 feet or less from PG&E's electric meter, in line of sight and easily seen from the meter panel, at the same grade level as the meter if outdoors, mounted with the top of the enclosure between 48 and 75 inches above ground, never above grade level, never on a roof, and never in a room that is not an approved electric meter room. Clovis adds no placement rule of its own beyond requiring the locations to be drawn on the plans. 85% · utility DG document + 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.

• Where must the AC disconnect be, relative to the meter? Within 10 feet of the PG&E electric meter at the point of common coupling, in line of sight and easily seen from the meter panel; installed between the PG&E meter and all generation sources; isolating generation only and not customer loads; at the same grade level as the meter if outdoors; top of the enclosure between 48 inches minimum and 75 inches maximum above ground when wall- or pad-mounted; never on any floor or level above grade, never on a roof, never in a room that is not an approved electric meter room; easily accessible to PG&E on request; lockable with a PG&E padlock taking a 5/16-inch shaft (keyed locks not allowed); visible-open with air-gap verification, and with a viewing window on all pad-mounted switches. EXEMPTION, which catches most ordinary houses: an inverter-based system on a PG&E single-phase service up to 240 V may be exempted from installing a disconnect at all, as determined by PG&E, where the interconnected meter panel is self-contained (not transformer-rated), accepts form 'S' socket-based meters (not bolt-on), is rated CL 320 or less continuous, and is single-phase 120/240 V or 120/208 V. 90% · utility DG document (PG&E 060559 Rev. 07)
• Must equipment be on a specific approved list? Yes in the listing sense, no in the approved-products-list sense. CMC 8.14.04(c) requires solar electric systems to 'meet all applicable safety and performance standards established by the California Electrical Code, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and accredited testing laboratories such as Underwriters Laboratories and, where applicable, rules of the Public Utilities Commission'. The Eligibility List requires 'PV modules must be listed' and 'ESS equipment will be listed, and all specifications for the ESS will be provided'. The City publishes no roster of approved makes or models. PG&E does maintain a list - only PG&E-approved disconnect switch models, currently the Eaton and Siemens models listed in PG&E's Distribution Interconnection Handbook, are acceptable, and molded-case circuit breakers and pull-out disconnects are not. 80% · ordinance (CMC 8.14.04) + eligibility list + utility document
• Are batteries permitted, and under what conditions? Yes, permitted, on the 2025 CRC R330 terms which the City reproduces in full in its PV submittal handout. Individual ESS units maximum 20 kWh; total aggregate on the property not exceeding 600 kWh; per-location aggregate caps of 40 kWh within utility closets, basements and storage or utility spaces inside the dwelling, 80 kWh in attached garages, 100 kWh on or within 3 feet of exterior walls of the dwelling and attached garages (200 kWh where those walls and eaves are noncombustible), 200 kWh in detached garages and detached accessory structures (600 kWh where at least 10 feet from property lines and dwellings), 200 kWh outdoors on the ground at least 3 feet from property lines and dwellings (600 kWh at 10 feet). Units separated by less than 3 feet only where documentation under the California Fire Code permits. Approved locations: detached garages and accessory structures, attached garages, outdoors or on an exterior wall, 3 feet from doors and windows opening directly into the dwelling, and utility closets, basements or utility spaces with finished or noncombustible enclosure (5/8-inch type X gypsum board where walls and ceilings are unfinished). NOT in bedrooms, closets, or spaces opening directly into a sleeping room. Smoke alarms per R310 in rooms and areas with ESS, with a listed interconnected heat detector where a smoke alarm cannot be sited. Equipment must be listed with full specifications provided. For the expedited/SolarAPP+ route the ESS must be lithium-ion only, installed by a C-10 contractor, and maximum 38.4 kWdc paired with the PV. 88% · published checklist (2025 CRC R330) + eligibility list
• Is there a separate ESS permit or inspection? No - the ESS is carried inside the PV submittal, not permitted separately. The City's PV handout treats energy storage as one of the components to be listed on the cover sheet, shown on the site plan, covered by the electrical section, and supported by battery/ESS and transfer-switch datasheets, and devotes its final pages to the R330 ESS requirements. The Eligibility List likewise treats a PV+ESS package as one submittal, requiring only that the installer hold a C-10 for the ESS. The Residential Building Permit Application has a single 'Photovoltaic' work-type box with no ESS box. A separate fire inspection may still be performed if the Clovis Fire Department deems it required (CMC 8.14.06). 55% · published checklist + eligibility list
• Is a ground mount treated as a structure? Yes - a ground-mounted array is permitted as a structure and needs its own building permit. The Building Division page refers to 'All residential roof-mounted and ground-mounted photovoltaic permits' as a class, so the City issues them. It falls outside the streamlined routes: CMC ch. 8.14 and its AB 2188 protections apply only to a 'small residential rooftop solar energy system' installed on a single or duplex dwelling, and the SolarAPP+/expedited Eligibility List is restricted to 'a residential roof-mounted photovoltaic system only'. Clovis publishes no ground-mount handout, no setback table for arrays and no foundation detail; Development Code CMC 9.24.100 does allow 'solar devices' among the features that may project into a required setback. 60% · department page + ordinance (CMC 8.14.02(f)) + eligibility list
• Is there a local rule on service upgrades or busbar sizing? No local rule on service upgrades or busbar sizing. The governing rule is the unamended 2023 NEC 705.12 - the City's PV handout requires 'electrical calculations supporting the proposed loads on the overcurrent protection devices. 120% rule, CEC 705.12(B)(2)(3)(b): Point of connection', asks whether the main service panel is existing or will be upgraded, and requires calculations supporting any derate of the main service breaker. The expedited/SolarAPP+ Eligibility List instead excludes the question: existing service only, no service upgrades and no like-for-like service panel changes, no sub-panels used to relocate breakers from the service panel, main service not exceeding 400 A, single phase. 85% · published checklist + eligibility list
• Is a specific mounting system or attachment spacing required? No proprietary mounting system or fixed attachment spacing is mandated. The PV handout requires the plans to show points of attachment within the array on rafters or trusses, to meet the maximum span and cantilever in the racking datasheet, and to give an expanded view of the attachment showing the build-up of roofing, attachment mechanism, flashing and sealing, with datasheets for racking, attachment system and array bonding. The Eligibility List adds prescriptive limits for the expedited route: PV modules and hardware not exceeding 4 psf, array designed a maximum of 10 inches above the roof deck, conduit raised a minimum of 7/8 inch off the roof deck, EMT conduit above ground, no wood shake or wood-shingle roofs, no non-permanent structures (free-standing carports, sheds), and a roof designed for a 20 psf minimum live load. 85% · published checklist + eligibility list

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 handout (Inspection Requests, Rev. 11/20/2025)
• How much notice is required? 1 business day. The Inspection Requests handout: 'The online inspection request can be completed by midnight the day before.' The superseded FAQ gives the same effect in different words - '24 hours in advance so that field personnel can be scheduled'. For a small residential rooftop solar system CMC 8.14.06 goes further and binds the City: 'An inspection will be scheduled within two (2) business days of a request'. 80% · department handout + ordinance (CMC 8.14.06)
• Are same-day or AM/PM windows offered? Requests are considered but not guaranteed. Inspection Requests handout: 'A.M., P.M., or specific time requests will be considered but not guaranteed. These types of requests are dependent on the inspector's workload.' For eligible small residential rooftop solar CMC 8.14.06 requires the City to 'provide a four (4) hour inspection window'. No same-day service is offered - the online request closes at midnight the day before. 85% · department handout + ordinance (CMC 8.14.06)

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% · ordinance (CMC 8.14.06)
• If delegated, to whom? Not delegated. The only other body that may inspect is the Clovis Fire Department, which under CMC 8.14.06 may perform a separate fire inspection if it deems one required, and which holds fire-code review and enforcement generally under CMC ch. 4.4. 88% · ordinance (CMC 8.14.06, 4.4.101)

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? For an eligible small residential rooftop PV system: ONE inspection, the final, performed by the Building Division, plus a possible separate Clovis Fire Department inspection if the Fire Department requires it. CMC 8.14.06 also requires that the inspection 'be done in a timely manner and should include consolidated inspections', and that a failed system may be reinspected without the reinspection having to meet the chapter's timing rules. For work outside the expedited route the general sequence in CMC 8.1.01.1 (amended UAC 305.5) applies: foundation, concrete slab or under-floor, frame, lath and/or wallboard, other inspections per the adopted building code, and final. 85% · ordinance (CMC 8.14.06, 8.1.01.1 sec. 305.5)
• Is a rough-in or mid-roof inspection required? No 85% · ordinance (CMC 8.14.06)

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? No 80% · department document library (enumerated)
• What must be on site at inspection? Approved plans and the job card, with the inspector given access to them. Inspection Requests handout: 'ensure that the approved plans and job cards are on-site and that the inspector has access to these documents', and 'ensure that the work to be inspected is complete and per approved plans'. No further on-site document list (licence, insurance, datasheets) is published. 85% · department handout
• Does the inspector verify labels and listings? Yes 55% · department handout + published checklist (inference stated)

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 70% · ordinance (CMC 8.1.01.1 sec. 309) + utility process page
• Who notifies the utility for PTO? Installer 88% · utility DG process page
• How are corrections issued and cleared? Plan-check corrections are issued on the Building Division's dated correction form naming the plans examiner, their email and phone, the permit number and the standard plan number. Clearing them is prescriptive: plans are not back-checked over the counter; every revision must be clouded or marked with a delta; redlines are not accepted at the counter and corrections must be properly incorporated into the plans, blueprinted, ink-drawn or equivalent, no ink pens and no pencils; all marked-up plans, specifications, structural calculations, truss packages and energy documents must be RETURNED with the resubmittal, together with one copy of all corrected documents and a thumb drive holding a PDF of everything; plans returned without corrections as noted 'will be subject to additional plan check fees'. For a solar application specifically, CMC 8.14.06 requires that where an application is deemed incomplete 'a written correction notice detailing all deficiencies in the application and any additional information or documentation required to be eligible for expedited permit issuance shall be sent to the applicant for resubmission'. Field corrections after a failed inspection are not documented beyond CMC 8.14.06's allowance that 'a subsequent inspection is authorized but need not conform to the requirements of this chapter'. 75% · published checklist + ordinance (CMC 8.14.06)