City of Colusa
Colusa County
City of Colusa is a city authority in the State of California, serving 6,411 residents. 891 residential solar installs are on record here. This page is the permit route for that jurisdiction: the fifteen steps from working out who has a say over an address through to permission to operate, the documents this authority publishes, and 62 answers taken from those documents and dated.
Permitting 5 steps · 28 questions
Whether a permit is needed — Yes Q3 Electrical and building permits — Combined Q4 Where you file — iWorQ ("Building & Planning Permit Portal", hosted at colusaca.portal.iworq.net) Q20
- Permit required
- Yes95% source
- What it costs
- $450 flat for residential PV systems <=15 kW AC; $500 + $15/kW for each kW above 15 kW AC (residential solar thermal: $450 flat <=10 kWth,92% source
- Key document
- fee schedule cited by 5 open the document
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Confirm who has a say over your address
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 92% · department page
- What does this authority permit itself, and what does it delegate? Both 82% · department page + fee schedule
- Is a permit required for a residential rooftop PV system? Yes 95% · fee schedule
- Is there a separate electrical permit, or is it combined? Combined 75% · fee schedule
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Check who is allowed to apply
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.
- Must the contractor be registered with this authority before applying? Yes 72% · permit application form
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Build the submittal package
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.
Nothing recorded for City of Colusa on this step yet — 7 questions checked and found unpublished. The guidance above is general.
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Apply and pay
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? iWorQ ("Building & Planning Permit Portal", hosted at colusaca.portal.iworq.net) 88% · department page
- What does a residential solar permit cost? $450 flat for residential PV systems <=15 kW AC; $500 + $15/kW for each kW above 15 kW AC (residential solar thermal: $450 flat <=10 kWth, then $450 + $15/kWth above 10 kWth) -- plus a $70 application fee charged on all Building Division permits including solar. 92% · fee schedule
- How is the fee calculated? Tiered 90% · fee schedule
- Is there a separate plan-check fee? No separate line-item plan-check fee for solar; a flat $70 "Application Fee" is charged in addition to the $450+/kW permit fee, but that same $70 application fee applies to every Building Division permit type, not solar specifically, and the solar permit fee itself is presented as a single all-inclusive figure (unlike e.g. new residential construction (BD4), which does carry an explicit separate "Plan Check Fee = 65% of Building Fee" line). 78% · fee schedule
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Plan review — and start the utility in parallel
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? Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) 65% · department page + elimination/general knowledge
28 questions answered against City of Colusa’s own published documents
Q1 Is this authority the AHJ for residential solar at this address? Core Jurisdiction & scope
Yes
Why the confidence is not higherThe city's own Planning & Building Department page states the Building Division "issues permits, reviews plans, schedules inspections, conduct inspections, and issues a Certificate of Occupancy" for the city, and the city's Comprehensive Fee Schedule FY2025-26 carries a dedicated "Residential & Commercial Solar Permit" fee line (BD6). Colusa is an incorporated city, so its own department -- not Colusa County -- is AHJ within city limits.
department page checked 2026-08-31 https://cityofcolusa.com/planning-and-building/
Q2 What does this authority permit itself, and what does it delegate? Core Jurisdiction & scope
Both
Why the confidence is not higherBuilding permits and electrical permits are both administered by the same in-house Planning & Building Department: the Building Division's fee lines cover electrical items directly (e.g. BD3 "Electrical Service Change-out", BD5 "Water Heater/Fire Place Insert Change-out" -- includes Electric), and the Building Official (Wyatt Paxton, buildinginspections@cityofcolusa.gov) is named directly on a @cityofcolusa.gov address with no contractor-firm signature found anywhere (staff page, fee-schedule staffing, portal domain) -- so no delegation to an outside plan-check/inspection firm was found.
department page + fee schedule checked 2026-08-31 https://cityofcolusa.com/planning-and-building/
Q3 Is a permit required for a residential rooftop PV system? Core Jurisdiction & scope
Yes
Why the confidence is not higherThe Comprehensive Fee Schedule FY2025-26 prices a residential rooftop PV permit explicitly ("Residential & Commercial Solar Permit", BD6, with a dedicated "Permit Fee Limits for PV" table: $450 flat for systems <=15 kW).
fee schedule checked 2026-08-31 https://cityofcolusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/2025-26-City-of-Colusa-Comprehensive-Fee-Schedule.pdf
Q4 Is there a separate electrical permit, or is it combined? Core Jurisdiction & scope
Combined
Why the confidence is not higherThe fee schedule prices solar as a single line item (BD6 "Residential & Commercial Solar Permit") with one all-in fee table for PV and a separate one for solar thermal, rather than listing a separate building-permit fee and a separate electrical-permit fee for PV -- consistent with the statewide combined residential-solar-permit fee-cap model (Gov. Code Sec 65850.55).
fee schedule checked 2026-08-31 https://cityofcolusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/2025-26-City-of-Colusa-Comprehensive-Fee-Schedule.pdf
Q5 Who is allowed to pull the electrical permit? Core Who may apply
Nothing published by this authority.
Where we lookedWhether an electrical permit may be pulled only by a licensed electrician vs. any licensed contractor vs. a homeowner is set by ordinance/state contractor-licensing cross-reference. Colusa Municipal Code on library.municode.com/ca/colusa/codes/code_of_ordinances (confirmed the city's own site links here as "City Ordinances"). The site is an Angular SPA that serves an identical ~6KB app shell with zero code text to any request without JS execution -- confirmed by fetching both the real Colusa URL and a fabricated city URL (library.municode.com/ca/zzqqx_fake_city_12345) and finding byte-identical 6095-byte shells, and by a direct WebFetch attempt independently returning HTTP 403. Wayback Machine captures of the same URL and of several node-level URLs (e.g. ?nodeId=CH12FCABUREPE) are also the bare app shell, not rendered content. No headless-browser/JS-rendering tool was available in this run to get past it.
https://library.municode.com/ca/colusa/codes/code_of_ordinances
Q6 Must the contractor be registered with this authority before applying? Core Who may apply
Yes
Why the confidence is not higherThe city's own Building Permit Application (form dated 10/22/2014, still linked live from the Building Codes page) has a mandatory field "City Business Lic. #/Expiration" for the contractor, alongside the separate "Contractors Lic. #/Class/Expiration" (CSLB) field -- meaning a contractor must be registered/licensed with the City of Colusa (business license) before a permit can be pulled in their name. This is inferred from the form's required fields, not from an explicit ordinance sentence, hence not a 90+ confidence.
permit application form checked 2026-08-31 https://cityofcolusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/2014-Building-Permit-Application.pdf
Q7 Is a homeowner permitted to self-install and self-permit? Who may apply
Nothing published by this authority.
Where we lookedWhether a homeowner may self-install and self-permit is not stated on any city page (Building, Planning, Building Codes) and would ordinarily sit in the Municipal Code's building-permit chapter. Colusa Municipal Code on library.municode.com/ca/colusa/codes/code_of_ordinances (confirmed the city's own site links here as "City Ordinances"). The site is an Angular SPA that serves an identical ~6KB app shell with zero code text to any request without JS execution -- confirmed by fetching both the real Colusa URL and a fabricated city URL (library.municode.com/ca/zzqqx_fake_city_12345) and finding byte-identical 6095-byte shells, and by a direct WebFetch attempt independently returning HTTP 403. Wayback Machine captures of the same URL and of several node-level URLs (e.g. ?nodeId=CH12FCABUREPE) are also the bare app shell, not rendered content. No headless-browser/JS-rendering tool was available in this run to get past it.
https://library.municode.com/ca/colusa/codes/code_of_ordinances
Q8 What documents make up a complete submittal? Core Submittal package
Nothing published by this authority.
Where we lookedWhat documents make up a complete solar submittal package. Checked for a dedicated solar/PV handout or checklist: Planning & Building main page, Building page, Building Codes page, Planning page, and the full site page sitemap (wp-sitemap-posts-page-1.xml, 67 pages enumerated) -- none is titled or scoped to solar/PV/battery. The only plan-check checklist found on the site, "Residential Plan Check Requirements" (web-res-plan-ck.pdf), is not usable as evidence of current Colusa practice: it cites the 2005 Title 24 edition, ICBO approval numbers (ICBO folded into ICC in 2003), and requires a "Beaumont Unified School District Receipt of Payment" -- Beaumont is in Riverside County, ~450 miles away, so this is a stale, unlocalized template, not Colusa's own document.
Q9 How many copies, and in what format? Submittal package
Nothing published by this authority.
Where we lookedCopies/format required for a solar submittal. Checked for a dedicated solar/PV handout or checklist: Planning & Building main page, Building page, Building Codes page, Planning page, and the full site page sitemap (wp-sitemap-posts-page-1.xml, 67 pages enumerated) -- none is titled or scoped to solar/PV/battery. The only plan-check checklist found on the site, "Residential Plan Check Requirements" (web-res-plan-ck.pdf), is not usable as evidence of current Colusa practice: it cites the 2005 Title 24 edition, ICBO approval numbers (ICBO folded into ICC in 2003), and requires a "Beaumont Unified School District Receipt of Payment" -- Beaumont is in Riverside County, ~450 miles away, so this is a stale, unlocalized template, not Colusa's own document.
Q10 Is a site plan required, and what must it show? Core Submittal package
Nothing published by this authority.
Where we lookedWhether a site plan is required for solar and what it must show. Checked for a dedicated solar/PV handout or checklist: Planning & Building main page, Building page, Building Codes page, Planning page, and the full site page sitemap (wp-sitemap-posts-page-1.xml, 67 pages enumerated) -- none is titled or scoped to solar/PV/battery. The only plan-check checklist found on the site, "Residential Plan Check Requirements" (web-res-plan-ck.pdf), is not usable as evidence of current Colusa practice: it cites the 2005 Title 24 edition, ICBO approval numbers (ICBO folded into ICC in 2003), and requires a "Beaumont Unified School District Receipt of Payment" -- Beaumont is in Riverside County, ~450 miles away, so this is a stale, unlocalized template, not Colusa's own document.
Q11 Is a one-line / three-line diagram required? Core Drawings & calculations
Nothing published by this authority.
Where we lookedWhether a one-line/three-line diagram is required for a solar submittal. Checked for a dedicated solar/PV handout or checklist: Planning & Building main page, Building page, Building Codes page, Planning page, and the full site page sitemap (wp-sitemap-posts-page-1.xml, 67 pages enumerated) -- none is titled or scoped to solar/PV/battery. The only plan-check checklist found on the site, "Residential Plan Check Requirements" (web-res-plan-ck.pdf), is not usable as evidence of current Colusa practice: it cites the 2005 Title 24 edition, ICBO approval numbers (ICBO folded into ICC in 2003), and requires a "Beaumont Unified School District Receipt of Payment" -- Beaumont is in Riverside County, ~450 miles away, so this is a stale, unlocalized template, not Colusa's own document.
Q12 Are string and conductor calculations required? Drawings & calculations
Nothing published by this authority.
Where we lookedWhether string and conductor calculations are required. Checked for a dedicated solar/PV handout or checklist: Planning & Building main page, Building page, Building Codes page, Planning page, and the full site page sitemap (wp-sitemap-posts-page-1.xml, 67 pages enumerated) -- none is titled or scoped to solar/PV/battery. The only plan-check checklist found on the site, "Residential Plan Check Requirements" (web-res-plan-ck.pdf), is not usable as evidence of current Colusa practice: it cites the 2005 Title 24 edition, ICBO approval numbers (ICBO folded into ICC in 2003), and requires a "Beaumont Unified School District Receipt of Payment" -- Beaumont is in Riverside County, ~450 miles away, so this is a stale, unlocalized template, not Colusa's own document.
Q13 Is a structural PE stamp required, and at what threshold? Core Engineering & stamps
Nothing published by this authority.
Where we lookedStructural PE-stamp threshold for rooftop PV. Colusa Municipal Code on library.municode.com/ca/colusa/codes/code_of_ordinances (confirmed the city's own site links here as "City Ordinances"). The site is an Angular SPA that serves an identical ~6KB app shell with zero code text to any request without JS execution -- confirmed by fetching both the real Colusa URL and a fabricated city URL (library.municode.com/ca/zzqqx_fake_city_12345) and finding byte-identical 6095-byte shells, and by a direct WebFetch attempt independently returning HTTP 403. Wayback Machine captures of the same URL and of several node-level URLs (e.g. ?nodeId=CH12FCABUREPE) are also the bare app shell, not rendered content. No headless-browser/JS-rendering tool was available in this run to get past it.
https://library.municode.com/ca/colusa/codes/code_of_ordinances
Q14 Is an electrical PE stamp required, and at what threshold? Engineering & stamps
Nothing published by this authority.
Where we lookedElectrical PE-stamp threshold for rooftop PV. Colusa Municipal Code on library.municode.com/ca/colusa/codes/code_of_ordinances (confirmed the city's own site links here as "City Ordinances"). The site is an Angular SPA that serves an identical ~6KB app shell with zero code text to any request without JS execution -- confirmed by fetching both the real Colusa URL and a fabricated city URL (library.municode.com/ca/zzqqx_fake_city_12345) and finding byte-identical 6095-byte shells, and by a direct WebFetch attempt independently returning HTTP 403. Wayback Machine captures of the same URL and of several node-level URLs (e.g. ?nodeId=CH12FCABUREPE) are also the bare app shell, not rendered content. No headless-browser/JS-rendering tool was available in this run to get past it.
https://library.municode.com/ca/colusa/codes/code_of_ordinances
Q15 What does a residential solar permit cost? Core Fees
$450 flat for residential PV systems <=15 kW AC; $500 + $15/kW for each kW above 15 kW AC (residential solar thermal: $450 flat <=10 kWth, then $450 + $15/kWth above 10 kWth) -- plus a $70 application fee charged on all Building Division permits including solar.
Why the confidence is not higherRead directly off the FY2025-26 Comprehensive Fee Schedule's "Permit Fee Limits for PV" and "Permit Fee Limits for Solar Thermal" tables (Building Department section, p.9 of the PDF) and the BD6 solar-permit / $70 application-fee lines on p.8. The PDF is a scanned image with no text layer (Xerox AltaLink scan, created 11 Jun 2025) -- values were read directly off the rendered page image, not OCR alone, since OCR on this dense table was unreliable.
fee schedule checked 2026-08-31 https://cityofcolusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/2025-26-City-of-Colusa-Comprehensive-Fee-Schedule.pdf
Q16 How is the fee calculated? Core Fees
Tiered
Why the confidence is not higherFlat fee up to a kW threshold (15 kW AC residential PV / 10 kWth solar thermal), then a per-kW rate above that threshold -- a tiered structure, matching the state fee-cap model at Gov. Code Sec 65850.55.
fee schedule checked 2026-08-31 https://cityofcolusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/2025-26-City-of-Colusa-Comprehensive-Fee-Schedule.pdf
Q17 Is there a separate plan-check fee? Fees
No separate line-item plan-check fee for solar; a flat $70 "Application Fee" is charged in addition to the $450+/kW permit fee, but that same $70 application fee applies to every Building Division permit type, not solar specifically, and the solar permit fee itself is presented as a single all-inclusive figure (unlike e.g. new residential construction (BD4), which does carry an explicit separate "Plan Check Fee = 65% of Building Fee" line).
Why the confidence is not higherComparing the BD6 solar fee table (single figure, no percentage-of-building-fee plan-check line shown) against other Building Division fee lines on the same schedule (BD0/BD4) which do carry an explicit '65% of Building Fee' plan-check column.
fee schedule checked 2026-08-31 https://cityofcolusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/2025-26-City-of-Colusa-Comprehensive-Fee-Schedule.pdf
Q18 What is the stated plan-review turnaround? Core Timeline & validity
Nothing published by this authority.
Where we lookedStated plan-review turnaround time -- checked Building page and Planning & Building page in full; neither states a review-turnaround SLA.
Q19 How long is an issued permit valid before it expires? Timeline & validity
Nothing published by this authority.
Where we lookedHow long an issued permit stays valid before expiring is a Municipal Code / adopted Building Code Sec 105.5-type provision. Colusa Municipal Code on library.municode.com/ca/colusa/codes/code_of_ordinances (confirmed the city's own site links here as "City Ordinances"). The site is an Angular SPA that serves an identical ~6KB app shell with zero code text to any request without JS execution -- confirmed by fetching both the real Colusa URL and a fabricated city URL (library.municode.com/ca/zzqqx_fake_city_12345) and finding byte-identical 6095-byte shells, and by a direct WebFetch attempt independently returning HTTP 403. Wayback Machine captures of the same URL and of several node-level URLs (e.g. ?nodeId=CH12FCABUREPE) are also the bare app shell, not rendered content. No headless-browser/JS-rendering tool was available in this run to get past it.
https://library.municode.com/ca/colusa/codes/code_of_ordinances
Q20 Which permit portal does this authority use? Core Portal & process
iWorQ ("Building & Planning Permit Portal", hosted at colusaca.portal.iworq.net)
Why the confidence is not higherLinked directly from the city's Planning & Building Department page as its permit portal.
department page checked 2026-08-31 https://cityofcolusa.com/planning-and-building/
Q21 Can the whole application be completed online? Core Portal & process
Nothing published by this authority.
Where we lookedWhether the whole application can be completed online in the iWorQ portal -- the portal (colusaca.portal.iworq.net/portalhome/colusaca) returned HTTP 403 to both a direct curl fetch and the WebFetch tool, so its functional scope could not be verified.
Q22 Which utility handles interconnection here? Core Utility interconnection
Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E)
Why the confidence is not higherThe City of Colusa's own Utilities page states the city operates only water and sewer service (no city electric utility) -- ruling out a municipal utility. Colusa County has no other municipal or cooperative electric provider; PG&E's Sacramento Valley/North Valley distribution territory covers Colusa County, and PG&E's own 660 MW Colusa Generating Station is sited in Colusa County. Not confirmed against a current PG&E service-territory map or Rule 21 filing specifically for the City of Colusa, hence not scored higher; not sourced from PowerToChoose.
department page + elimination/general knowledge checked 2026-08-31 https://cityofcolusa.com/utilities/
Q23 Where does the utility sit in the sequence? Core Utility interconnection
Nothing published by this authority.
Where we lookedWhere PG&E sits in the permit/interconnection sequence (Rule 21) -- PG&E's public interconnection/solar pages returned HTTP 404 for the URLs tried in this run, and no Colusa-specific document addresses the sequencing.
Q24 Is a HOA or architectural approval required first? Overlays & special cases
Nothing published by this authority.
Where we lookedWhether HOA/architectural approval is required first. Colusa Municipal Code on library.municode.com/ca/colusa/codes/code_of_ordinances (confirmed the city's own site links here as "City Ordinances"). The site is an Angular SPA that serves an identical ~6KB app shell with zero code text to any request without JS execution -- confirmed by fetching both the real Colusa URL and a fabricated city URL (library.municode.com/ca/zzqqx_fake_city_12345) and finding byte-identical 6095-byte shells, and by a direct WebFetch attempt independently returning HTTP 403. Wayback Machine captures of the same URL and of several node-level URLs (e.g. ?nodeId=CH12FCABUREPE) are also the bare app shell, not rendered content. No headless-browser/JS-rendering tool was available in this run to get past it.
https://library.municode.com/ca/colusa/codes/code_of_ordinances
Q25 Is there a historic-district review? Overlays & special cases
Nothing published by this authority.
Where we lookedWhether there is a historic-district review that reaches solar. The city does have a Historic Preservation Commission and a published list of individually-designated historic sites (Colusa Historic Sites page), but that page describes landmark dedications only and says nothing about a review trigger for exterior alterations or solar, and the ordinance establishing the Commission's review scope sits in the unreachable Municipal Code.
Q26 Is a wind or windstorm certification required? Overlays & special cases
Nothing published by this authority.
Where we lookedWhether a wind/windstorm certification is required. Colusa Municipal Code on library.municode.com/ca/colusa/codes/code_of_ordinances (confirmed the city's own site links here as "City Ordinances"). The site is an Angular SPA that serves an identical ~6KB app shell with zero code text to any request without JS execution -- confirmed by fetching both the real Colusa URL and a fabricated city URL (library.municode.com/ca/zzqqx_fake_city_12345) and finding byte-identical 6095-byte shells, and by a direct WebFetch attempt independently returning HTTP 403. Wayback Machine captures of the same URL and of several node-level URLs (e.g. ?nodeId=CH12FCABUREPE) are also the bare app shell, not rendered content. No headless-browser/JS-rendering tool was available in this run to get past it.
https://library.municode.com/ca/colusa/codes/code_of_ordinances
Q27 Is a Specific Use Permit or Council approval ever required? Overlays & special cases
Nothing published by this authority.
Where we lookedWhether a Specific Use Permit or Council approval is ever required for residential solar. Colusa Municipal Code on library.municode.com/ca/colusa/codes/code_of_ordinances (confirmed the city's own site links here as "City Ordinances"). The site is an Angular SPA that serves an identical ~6KB app shell with zero code text to any request without JS execution -- confirmed by fetching both the real Colusa URL and a fabricated city URL (library.municode.com/ca/zzqqx_fake_city_12345) and finding byte-identical 6095-byte shells, and by a direct WebFetch attempt independently returning HTTP 403. Wayback Machine captures of the same URL and of several node-level URLs (e.g. ?nodeId=CH12FCABUREPE) are also the bare app shell, not rendered content. No headless-browser/JS-rendering tool was available in this run to get past it.
https://library.municode.com/ca/colusa/codes/code_of_ordinances
Q28 Is there a system-size cap on residential generation? Overlays & special cases
Nothing published by this authority.
Where we lookedWhether there is a system-size cap on residential generation (e.g. a ministerial-review eligibility threshold). The fee schedule prices PV by uncapped kW tiers, which answers cost but not an eligibility/size cap, and the zoning ordinance that would set one sits in the unreachable Municipal Code. Colusa Municipal Code on library.municode.com/ca/colusa/codes/code_of_ordinances (confirmed the city's own site links here as "City Ordinances"). The site is an Angular SPA that serves an identical ~6KB app shell with zero code text to any request without JS execution -- confirmed by fetching both the real Colusa URL and a fabricated city URL (library.municode.com/ca/zzqqx_fake_city_12345) and finding byte-identical 6095-byte shells, and by a direct WebFetch attempt independently returning HTTP 403. Wayback Machine captures of the same URL and of several node-level URLs (e.g. ?nodeId=CH12FCABUREPE) are also the bare app shell, not rendered content. No headless-browser/JS-rendering tool was available in this run to get past it.
https://library.municode.com/ca/colusa/codes/code_of_ordinances
Lines marked with a percentage were read off this authority’s own published documents. Unmarked guidance is general good practice, not this jurisdiction’s rule — always confirm against the authority before you submit.
Install 5 steps · 20 questions
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Build to the code editions actually in force here
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? Not confirmed for Colusa specifically; California's statewide default as of this run is the 2025 California Electrical Code (based on the 2023 NEC as amended), effective statewide 1 Jan 2026, which applies automatically to every CA jurisdiction that has not published a differing local amendment. 50% · inference from statewide code-adoption cycle
- Which building code edition is in force? Not confirmed for Colusa specifically; California's statewide default as of this run is the 2025 California Building Code (based on the 2024 IBC), effective statewide 1 Jan 2026. 50% · inference from statewide code-adoption cycle
- Which fire code edition is in force? Not confirmed for Colusa specifically; California's statewide default as of this run is the 2025 California Fire Code, effective statewide 1 Jan 2026. Colusa runs its own in-house Fire Department (Chief Logan Conley, @cityofcolusa.gov) rather than a district or county contract, so any local fire-code amendments would be the city's own to adopt. 50% · department page + inference from statewide cycle
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Fire access, setbacks and pathways
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.
Nothing recorded for City of Colusa on this step yet — 1 question checked and found unpublished. The guidance above is general.
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Rapid shutdown
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.
Nothing recorded for City of Colusa on this step yet — 1 question checked and found unpublished. The guidance above is general.
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Labels and placards
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.
Nothing recorded for City of Colusa on this step yet — 6 questions checked and found unpublished. The guidance above is general.
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Disconnect, storage and listed equipment
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.
Nothing recorded for City of Colusa on this step yet — 7 questions checked and found unpublished. The guidance above is general.
20 questions answered against City of Colusa’s own published documents
Q29 Which NEC edition is in force? Core Code editions in force
Not confirmed for Colusa specifically; California's statewide default as of this run is the 2025 California Electrical Code (based on the 2023 NEC as amended), effective statewide 1 Jan 2026, which applies automatically to every CA jurisdiction that has not published a differing local amendment.
Why the confidence is not higherThis is the statewide default, not a Colusa-specific citation -- the city's own adopting ordinance (which would confirm the edition and any local amendments) sits in the Colusa Municipal Code, which could not be read (see not_found note for q32/q33): Colusa Municipal Code on library.municode.com/ca/colusa/codes/code_of_ordinances (confirmed the city's own site links here as "City Ordinances"). The site is an Angular SPA that serves an identical ~6KB app shell with zero code text to any request without JS execution -- confirmed by fetching both the real Colusa URL and a fabricated city URL (library.municode.com/ca/zzqqx_fake_city_12345) and finding byte-identical 6095-byte shells, and by a direct WebFetch attempt independently returning HTTP 403. Wayback Machine captures of the same URL and of several node-level URLs (e.g. ?nodeId=CH12FCABUREPE) are also the bare app shell, not rendered content. No headless-browser/JS-rendering tool was available in this run to get past it.
inference from statewide code-adoption cycle checked 2026-08-31 https://library.municode.com/ca/colusa/codes/code_of_ordinances
Q30 Which building code edition is in force? Core Code editions in force
Not confirmed for Colusa specifically; California's statewide default as of this run is the 2025 California Building Code (based on the 2024 IBC), effective statewide 1 Jan 2026.
Why the confidence is not higherSame limitation as q29 -- the city's own adopting ordinance could not be read because the Colusa Municipal Code is unreachable: Colusa Municipal Code on library.municode.com/ca/colusa/codes/code_of_ordinances (confirmed the city's own site links here as "City Ordinances"). The site is an Angular SPA that serves an identical ~6KB app shell with zero code text to any request without JS execution -- confirmed by fetching both the real Colusa URL and a fabricated city URL (library.municode.com/ca/zzqqx_fake_city_12345) and finding byte-identical 6095-byte shells, and by a direct WebFetch attempt independently returning HTTP 403. Wayback Machine captures of the same URL and of several node-level URLs (e.g. ?nodeId=CH12FCABUREPE) are also the bare app shell, not rendered content. No headless-browser/JS-rendering tool was available in this run to get past it.
inference from statewide code-adoption cycle checked 2026-08-31 https://library.municode.com/ca/colusa/codes/code_of_ordinances
Q31 Which fire code edition is in force? Code editions in force
Not confirmed for Colusa specifically; California's statewide default as of this run is the 2025 California Fire Code, effective statewide 1 Jan 2026. Colusa runs its own in-house Fire Department (Chief Logan Conley, @cityofcolusa.gov) rather than a district or county contract, so any local fire-code amendments would be the city's own to adopt.
Why the confidence is not higherSame limitation as q29/q30 -- the Fire Department's own web page names the Chief and confirms an in-house paid+volunteer department, but neither it nor the unreachable Municipal Code confirms a specific adopted fire-code edition or amendments.
department page + inference from statewide cycle checked 2026-08-31 https://cityofcolusa.com/fire-department/
Q32 Are there local amendments to any of the above? Core Code editions in force
Nothing published by this authority.
Where we lookedWhether there are local amendments to the adopted NEC/building/fire codes. Colusa Municipal Code on library.municode.com/ca/colusa/codes/code_of_ordinances (confirmed the city's own site links here as "City Ordinances"). The site is an Angular SPA that serves an identical ~6KB app shell with zero code text to any request without JS execution -- confirmed by fetching both the real Colusa URL and a fabricated city URL (library.municode.com/ca/zzqqx_fake_city_12345) and finding byte-identical 6095-byte shells, and by a direct WebFetch attempt independently returning HTTP 403. Wayback Machine captures of the same URL and of several node-level URLs (e.g. ?nodeId=CH12FCABUREPE) are also the bare app shell, not rendered content. No headless-browser/JS-rendering tool was available in this run to get past it.
https://library.municode.com/ca/colusa/codes/code_of_ordinances
Q33 What is the installation judged against? Core Electrical
Nothing published by this authority.
Where we lookedWhat the installation is judged against (which code, as locally amended). Colusa Municipal Code on library.municode.com/ca/colusa/codes/code_of_ordinances (confirmed the city's own site links here as "City Ordinances"). The site is an Angular SPA that serves an identical ~6KB app shell with zero code text to any request without JS execution -- confirmed by fetching both the real Colusa URL and a fabricated city URL (library.municode.com/ca/zzqqx_fake_city_12345) and finding byte-identical 6095-byte shells, and by a direct WebFetch attempt independently returning HTTP 403. Wayback Machine captures of the same URL and of several node-level URLs (e.g. ?nodeId=CH12FCABUREPE) are also the bare app shell, not rendered content. No headless-browser/JS-rendering tool was available in this run to get past it.
https://library.municode.com/ca/colusa/codes/code_of_ordinances
Q34 Is there a local rule on service upgrades or busbar sizing? Electrical
Nothing published by this authority.
Where we lookedAny local rule on service upgrades or busbar sizing. Colusa Municipal Code on library.municode.com/ca/colusa/codes/code_of_ordinances (confirmed the city's own site links here as "City Ordinances"). The site is an Angular SPA that serves an identical ~6KB app shell with zero code text to any request without JS execution -- confirmed by fetching both the real Colusa URL and a fabricated city URL (library.municode.com/ca/zzqqx_fake_city_12345) and finding byte-identical 6095-byte shells, and by a direct WebFetch attempt independently returning HTTP 403. Wayback Machine captures of the same URL and of several node-level URLs (e.g. ?nodeId=CH12FCABUREPE) are also the bare app shell, not rendered content. No headless-browser/JS-rendering tool was available in this run to get past it.
https://library.municode.com/ca/colusa/codes/code_of_ordinances
Q35 Is a specific mounting system or attachment spacing required? Structural & mounting
Nothing published by this authority.
Where we lookedAny specific mounting system or attachment-spacing requirement. Checked for a dedicated solar/PV handout or checklist: Planning & Building main page, Building page, Building Codes page, Planning page, and the full site page sitemap (wp-sitemap-posts-page-1.xml, 67 pages enumerated) -- none is titled or scoped to solar/PV/battery. The only plan-check checklist found on the site, "Residential Plan Check Requirements" (web-res-plan-ck.pdf), is not usable as evidence of current Colusa practice: it cites the 2005 Title 24 edition, ICBO approval numbers (ICBO folded into ICC in 2003), and requires a "Beaumont Unified School District Receipt of Payment" -- Beaumont is in Riverside County, ~450 miles away, so this is a stale, unlocalized template, not Colusa's own document.
Q36 What ridge setback and access pathways are required? Core Fire pathways & setbacks
Nothing published by this authority.
Where we lookedRidge setback and fire-access pathway requirements. Colusa Municipal Code on library.municode.com/ca/colusa/codes/code_of_ordinances (confirmed the city's own site links here as "City Ordinances"). The site is an Angular SPA that serves an identical ~6KB app shell with zero code text to any request without JS execution -- confirmed by fetching both the real Colusa URL and a fabricated city URL (library.municode.com/ca/zzqqx_fake_city_12345) and finding byte-identical 6095-byte shells, and by a direct WebFetch attempt independently returning HTTP 403. Wayback Machine captures of the same URL and of several node-level URLs (e.g. ?nodeId=CH12FCABUREPE) are also the bare app shell, not rendered content. No headless-browser/JS-rendering tool was available in this run to get past it. The Fire Department's own FY2025-26 fee-schedule pages (FD1-FD13, viewed directly as page images) carry zero PV/solar/ESS line items -- a control-checked absence on the fee side -- but that does not by itself prove there is no ridge-setback rule in the fire code chapter, which is unreachable.
https://library.municode.com/ca/colusa/codes/code_of_ordinances
Q37 Is rapid shutdown required, and to which NEC edition? Core Rapid shutdown
Nothing published by this authority.
Where we lookedWhether rapid shutdown is required and to which NEC edition -- depends on the NEC edition in force (q29, not confirmed) and the fire/electrical code chapter. Colusa Municipal Code on library.municode.com/ca/colusa/codes/code_of_ordinances (confirmed the city's own site links here as "City Ordinances"). The site is an Angular SPA that serves an identical ~6KB app shell with zero code text to any request without JS execution -- confirmed by fetching both the real Colusa URL and a fabricated city URL (library.municode.com/ca/zzqqx_fake_city_12345) and finding byte-identical 6095-byte shells, and by a direct WebFetch attempt independently returning HTTP 403. Wayback Machine captures of the same URL and of several node-level URLs (e.g. ?nodeId=CH12FCABUREPE) are also the bare app shell, not rendered content. No headless-browser/JS-rendering tool was available in this run to get past it.
https://library.municode.com/ca/colusa/codes/code_of_ordinances
Q38 Which placards does this authority require at the service equipment? Core Labels Signage & labelling
Nothing published by this authority.
Where we lookedWhich placards are required at the service equipment. Checked for a dedicated solar/PV handout or checklist: Planning & Building main page, Building page, Building Codes page, Planning page, and the full site page sitemap (wp-sitemap-posts-page-1.xml, 67 pages enumerated) -- none is titled or scoped to solar/PV/battery. The only plan-check checklist found on the site, "Residential Plan Check Requirements" (web-res-plan-ck.pdf), is not usable as evidence of current Colusa practice: it cites the 2005 Title 24 edition, ICBO approval numbers (ICBO folded into ICC in 2003), and requires a "Beaumont Unified School District Receipt of Payment" -- Beaumont is in Riverside County, ~450 miles away, so this is a stale, unlocalized template, not Colusa's own document.
Q39 Does the authority specify placard wording of its own? Core Labels Signage & labelling
Nothing published by this authority.
Where we lookedWhether the authority specifies placard wording of its own. Checked for a dedicated solar/PV handout or checklist: Planning & Building main page, Building page, Building Codes page, Planning page, and the full site page sitemap (wp-sitemap-posts-page-1.xml, 67 pages enumerated) -- none is titled or scoped to solar/PV/battery. The only plan-check checklist found on the site, "Residential Plan Check Requirements" (web-res-plan-ck.pdf), is not usable as evidence of current Colusa practice: it cites the 2005 Title 24 edition, ICBO approval numbers (ICBO folded into ICC in 2003), and requires a "Beaumont Unified School District Receipt of Payment" -- Beaumont is in Riverside County, ~450 miles away, so this is a stale, unlocalized template, not Colusa's own document.
Q40 Does it specify letter height, colour or material? Core Labels Signage & labelling
Nothing published by this authority.
Where we lookedWhether the authority specifies placard letter height, colour or material. Checked for a dedicated solar/PV handout or checklist: Planning & Building main page, Building page, Building Codes page, Planning page, and the full site page sitemap (wp-sitemap-posts-page-1.xml, 67 pages enumerated) -- none is titled or scoped to solar/PV/battery. The only plan-check checklist found on the site, "Residential Plan Check Requirements" (web-res-plan-ck.pdf), is not usable as evidence of current Colusa practice: it cites the 2005 Title 24 edition, ICBO approval numbers (ICBO folded into ICC in 2003), and requires a "Beaumont Unified School District Receipt of Payment" -- Beaumont is in Riverside County, ~450 miles away, so this is a stale, unlocalized template, not Colusa's own document.
Q41 Is a site plan / facility map placard required, and what must it show? Core Labels Signage & labelling
Nothing published by this authority.
Where we lookedWhether a site plan / facility map placard is required and what it must show. Checked for a dedicated solar/PV handout or checklist: Planning & Building main page, Building page, Building Codes page, Planning page, and the full site page sitemap (wp-sitemap-posts-page-1.xml, 67 pages enumerated) -- none is titled or scoped to solar/PV/battery. The only plan-check checklist found on the site, "Residential Plan Check Requirements" (web-res-plan-ck.pdf), is not usable as evidence of current Colusa practice: it cites the 2005 Title 24 edition, ICBO approval numbers (ICBO folded into ICC in 2003), and requires a "Beaumont Unified School District Receipt of Payment" -- Beaumont is in Riverside County, ~450 miles away, so this is a stale, unlocalized template, not Colusa's own document.
Q42 Does the UTILITY specify placards beyond the AHJ's? Core Labels Signage & labelling
Nothing published by this authority.
Where we lookedWhether PG&E specifies placards beyond the AHJ's. PG&E's public interconnection/DG pages returned HTTP 404 for the URLs tried in this run.
Q43 Where must the labels be placed? Core Labels Signage & labelling
Nothing published by this authority.
Where we lookedWhere labels must be placed. Checked for a dedicated solar/PV handout or checklist: Planning & Building main page, Building page, Building Codes page, Planning page, and the full site page sitemap (wp-sitemap-posts-page-1.xml, 67 pages enumerated) -- none is titled or scoped to solar/PV/battery. The only plan-check checklist found on the site, "Residential Plan Check Requirements" (web-res-plan-ck.pdf), is not usable as evidence of current Colusa practice: it cites the 2005 Title 24 edition, ICBO approval numbers (ICBO folded into ICC in 2003), and requires a "Beaumont Unified School District Receipt of Payment" -- Beaumont is in Riverside County, ~450 miles away, so this is a stale, unlocalized template, not Colusa's own document.
Q44 Must equipment be on a specific approved list? Equipment listing
Nothing published by this authority.
Where we lookedWhether equipment must be on a specific approved list. Colusa Municipal Code on library.municode.com/ca/colusa/codes/code_of_ordinances (confirmed the city's own site links here as "City Ordinances"). The site is an Angular SPA that serves an identical ~6KB app shell with zero code text to any request without JS execution -- confirmed by fetching both the real Colusa URL and a fabricated city URL (library.municode.com/ca/zzqqx_fake_city_12345) and finding byte-identical 6095-byte shells, and by a direct WebFetch attempt independently returning HTTP 403. Wayback Machine captures of the same URL and of several node-level URLs (e.g. ?nodeId=CH12FCABUREPE) are also the bare app shell, not rendered content. No headless-browser/JS-rendering tool was available in this run to get past it.
https://library.municode.com/ca/colusa/codes/code_of_ordinances
Q45 Are batteries permitted, and under what conditions? Core Battery / ESS
Nothing published by this authority.
Where we lookedWhether batteries/ESS are permitted and under what conditions. Colusa Municipal Code on library.municode.com/ca/colusa/codes/code_of_ordinances (confirmed the city's own site links here as "City Ordinances"). The site is an Angular SPA that serves an identical ~6KB app shell with zero code text to any request without JS execution -- confirmed by fetching both the real Colusa URL and a fabricated city URL (library.municode.com/ca/zzqqx_fake_city_12345) and finding byte-identical 6095-byte shells, and by a direct WebFetch attempt independently returning HTTP 403. Wayback Machine captures of the same URL and of several node-level URLs (e.g. ?nodeId=CH12FCABUREPE) are also the bare app shell, not rendered content. No headless-browser/JS-rendering tool was available in this run to get past it. Note the Building Department's own fee schedule DOES carry two solar-battery-specific fee lines ("Additional fee for Solar Battery install and plan Review", $105 proposed FY2025-26; "Remove existing Solar equipment and replace for re-roof permit", $203 proposed FY2025-26) confirming batteries are a recognised, permittable category, but the conditions/standards themselves are not on the fee schedule.
https://library.municode.com/ca/colusa/codes/code_of_ordinances
Q46 Is there a separate ESS permit or inspection? Battery / ESS
Nothing published by this authority.
Where we lookedWhether there is a separate ESS permit or inspection (as distinct from the battery fee line found for q45). Colusa Municipal Code on library.municode.com/ca/colusa/codes/code_of_ordinances (confirmed the city's own site links here as "City Ordinances"). The site is an Angular SPA that serves an identical ~6KB app shell with zero code text to any request without JS execution -- confirmed by fetching both the real Colusa URL and a fabricated city URL (library.municode.com/ca/zzqqx_fake_city_12345) and finding byte-identical 6095-byte shells, and by a direct WebFetch attempt independently returning HTTP 403. Wayback Machine captures of the same URL and of several node-level URLs (e.g. ?nodeId=CH12FCABUREPE) are also the bare app shell, not rendered content. No headless-browser/JS-rendering tool was available in this run to get past it.
https://library.municode.com/ca/colusa/codes/code_of_ordinances
Q47 Is a ground mount treated as a structure? Core Ground mount
Nothing published by this authority.
Where we lookedWhether a ground mount is treated as a structure. Colusa Municipal Code on library.municode.com/ca/colusa/codes/code_of_ordinances (confirmed the city's own site links here as "City Ordinances"). The site is an Angular SPA that serves an identical ~6KB app shell with zero code text to any request without JS execution -- confirmed by fetching both the real Colusa URL and a fabricated city URL (library.municode.com/ca/zzqqx_fake_city_12345) and finding byte-identical 6095-byte shells, and by a direct WebFetch attempt independently returning HTTP 403. Wayback Machine captures of the same URL and of several node-level URLs (e.g. ?nodeId=CH12FCABUREPE) are also the bare app shell, not rendered content. No headless-browser/JS-rendering tool was available in this run to get past it.
https://library.municode.com/ca/colusa/codes/code_of_ordinances
Q48 Where must the AC disconnect be, relative to the meter? Core Utility equipment
Nothing published by this authority.
Where we lookedWhere the AC disconnect must sit relative to the meter. PG&E's public DG-manual pages returned HTTP 404 for the URLs tried in this run.
Lines marked with a percentage were read off this authority’s own published documents. Unmarked guidance is general good practice, not this jurisdiction’s rule — always confirm against the authority before you submit.
Inspection 5 steps · 14 questions
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Book it
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? Phone or email to the Building Division (buildinginspections@cityofcolusa.gov, (530) 458-4941 ext. 3106, 3108, or 3100); the city's iWorQ permit portal may also support online inspection requests but this could not be confirmed (the portal returned HTTP 403 to both an automated fetch and a rendered-tool fetch attempt). 60% · department page
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Know who turns up
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 75% · department page (absence of delegation evidence)
-
Work the stages in order
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.
Nothing recorded for City of Colusa on this step yet — 2 questions checked and found unpublished. The guidance above is general.
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Have the paperwork on site
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 72% · site page enumeration (absence proof)
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Sign-off, and permission to operate
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.
Nothing recorded for City of Colusa on this step yet — 4 questions checked and found unpublished. The guidance above is general.
14 questions answered against City of Colusa’s own published documents
Q49 How is an inspection booked? Core Booking & scheduling
Phone or email to the Building Division (buildinginspections@cityofcolusa.gov, (530) 458-4941 ext. 3106, 3108, or 3100); the city's iWorQ permit portal may also support online inspection requests but this could not be confirmed (the portal returned HTTP 403 to both an automated fetch and a rendered-tool fetch attempt).
Why the confidence is not higherContact channel is the Building Division's own published phone/email; the portal capability is inference only, not confirmed, hence a moderate confidence.
department page checked 2026-08-31 https://cityofcolusa.com/planning-and-building/
Q50 How much notice is required? Core Booking & scheduling
Nothing published by this authority.
Where we lookedHow much notice is required to book an inspection -- checked Building and Planning & Building pages in full; neither states a notice requirement.
Q51 Are same-day or AM/PM windows offered? Booking & scheduling
Nothing published by this authority.
Where we lookedWhether same-day or AM/PM inspection windows are offered -- checked Building and Planning & Building pages in full; neither addresses this.
Q52 Does this AHJ perform its own final solar inspection? Core Who inspects
Yes
Why the confidence is not higherNo delegation evidence found anywhere checked (staff page, fee-schedule staffing lines, portal domain, department page) -- the Building Division is named in-house staff on a @cityofcolusa.gov address, consistent with self-performing its own final inspections. No explicit department statement saying "the Building Division performs its own final inspection" was found, hence not scored higher.
department page (absence of delegation evidence) checked 2026-08-31 https://cityofcolusa.com/planning-and-building/
Q53 If delegated, to whom? Core Who inspects
Nothing published by this authority.
Where we lookedNot applicable given q52 (Yes, self-performed) -- there is no delegate to name.
Q54 Which inspections are required, and in what order? Core Stages & sequence
Nothing published by this authority.
Where we lookedWhich inspections are required and in what order. Checked for a dedicated solar/PV handout or checklist: Planning & Building main page, Building page, Building Codes page, Planning page, and the full site page sitemap (wp-sitemap-posts-page-1.xml, 67 pages enumerated) -- none is titled or scoped to solar/PV/battery. The only plan-check checklist found on the site, "Residential Plan Check Requirements" (web-res-plan-ck.pdf), is not usable as evidence of current Colusa practice: it cites the 2005 Title 24 edition, ICBO approval numbers (ICBO folded into ICC in 2003), and requires a "Beaumont Unified School District Receipt of Payment" -- Beaumont is in Riverside County, ~450 miles away, so this is a stale, unlocalized template, not Colusa's own document.
Q55 Is a rough-in or mid-roof inspection required? Stages & sequence
Nothing published by this authority.
Where we lookedWhether a rough-in or mid-roof inspection is required. Checked for a dedicated solar/PV handout or checklist: Planning & Building main page, Building page, Building Codes page, Planning page, and the full site page sitemap (wp-sitemap-posts-page-1.xml, 67 pages enumerated) -- none is titled or scoped to solar/PV/battery. The only plan-check checklist found on the site, "Residential Plan Check Requirements" (web-res-plan-ck.pdf), is not usable as evidence of current Colusa practice: it cites the 2005 Title 24 edition, ICBO approval numbers (ICBO folded into ICC in 2003), and requires a "Beaumont Unified School District Receipt of Payment" -- Beaumont is in Riverside County, ~450 miles away, so this is a stale, unlocalized template, not Colusa's own document.
Q56 Does the inspector verify labels and listings? Core What is checked
Nothing published by this authority.
Where we lookedWhether the inspector verifies labels and listings as a matter of practice. Checked for a dedicated solar/PV handout or checklist: Planning & Building main page, Building page, Building Codes page, Planning page, and the full site page sitemap (wp-sitemap-posts-page-1.xml, 67 pages enumerated) -- none is titled or scoped to solar/PV/battery. The only plan-check checklist found on the site, "Residential Plan Check Requirements" (web-res-plan-ck.pdf), is not usable as evidence of current Colusa practice: it cites the 2005 Title 24 edition, ICBO approval numbers (ICBO folded into ICC in 2003), and requires a "Beaumont Unified School District Receipt of Payment" -- Beaumont is in Riverside County, ~450 miles away, so this is a stale, unlocalized template, not Colusa's own document.
Q57 Is there a published inspection checklist? Core What is checked
No
Why the confidence is not higherA complete enumeration of every published page on the city's WordPress site (wp-sitemap-posts-page-1.xml, 67 pages) contains no inspection-checklist page, and none of the Building/Planning/Building-Codes pages link one. The only checklist-type document found on the site (a plan-check requirements PDF) is a stale, unlocalized template from a different city (see q8/q9/q10 not_found notes) and is not an inspection checklist in any case.
site page enumeration (absence proof) checked 2026-08-31 https://cityofcolusa.com/wp-sitemap-posts-page-1.xml
Q58 What must be on site at inspection? Core Documents on site
Nothing published by this authority.
Where we lookedWhat must be on site at inspection. Checked for a dedicated solar/PV handout or checklist: Planning & Building main page, Building page, Building Codes page, Planning page, and the full site page sitemap (wp-sitemap-posts-page-1.xml, 67 pages enumerated) -- none is titled or scoped to solar/PV/battery. The only plan-check checklist found on the site, "Residential Plan Check Requirements" (web-res-plan-ck.pdf), is not usable as evidence of current Colusa practice: it cites the 2005 Title 24 edition, ICBO approval numbers (ICBO folded into ICC in 2003), and requires a "Beaumont Unified School District Receipt of Payment" -- Beaumont is in Riverside County, ~450 miles away, so this is a stale, unlocalized template, not Colusa's own document.
Q59 Is there a re-inspection fee? Corrections & re-inspection
Nothing published by this authority.
Where we lookedWhether there is a re-inspection fee. The Building Department's own FY2025-26 fee schedule pages (BD0-BD21, viewed directly as page images) show no line item naming a re-inspection fee, but OCR/visual review of this dense scanned table cannot rule out a line elsewhere in the 22-page document that was not individually opened, so this is recorded as not_found rather than a proved absence.
Q60 How are corrections issued and cleared? Corrections & re-inspection
Nothing published by this authority.
Where we lookedHow corrections are issued and cleared. Checked for a dedicated solar/PV handout or checklist: Planning & Building main page, Building page, Building Codes page, Planning page, and the full site page sitemap (wp-sitemap-posts-page-1.xml, 67 pages enumerated) -- none is titled or scoped to solar/PV/battery. The only plan-check checklist found on the site, "Residential Plan Check Requirements" (web-res-plan-ck.pdf), is not usable as evidence of current Colusa practice: it cites the 2005 Title 24 edition, ICBO approval numbers (ICBO folded into ICC in 2003), and requires a "Beaumont Unified School District Receipt of Payment" -- Beaumont is in Riverside County, ~450 miles away, so this is a stale, unlocalized template, not Colusa's own document.
Q61 What is issued on pass? Core Final sign-off & PTO
Nothing published by this authority.
Where we lookedWhat is issued on a passed final (CO / Final / Green tag / Letter). Checked for a dedicated solar/PV handout or checklist: Planning & Building main page, Building page, Building Codes page, Planning page, and the full site page sitemap (wp-sitemap-posts-page-1.xml, 67 pages enumerated) -- none is titled or scoped to solar/PV/battery. The only plan-check checklist found on the site, "Residential Plan Check Requirements" (web-res-plan-ck.pdf), is not usable as evidence of current Colusa practice: it cites the 2005 Title 24 edition, ICBO approval numbers (ICBO folded into ICC in 2003), and requires a "Beaumont Unified School District Receipt of Payment" -- Beaumont is in Riverside County, ~450 miles away, so this is a stale, unlocalized template, not Colusa's own document.
Q62 Who notifies the utility for PTO? Core Final sign-off & PTO
Nothing published by this authority.
Where we lookedWho notifies PG&E for PTO (AHJ / Installer / Utility pulls). PG&E's public interconnection pages returned HTTP 404 for the URLs tried in this run, and no city document addresses it.
Lines marked with a percentage were read off this authority’s own published documents. Unmarked guidance is general good practice, not this jurisdiction’s rule — always confirm against the authority before you submit.
Jurisdiction & key facts
The standing 62-question set, answered for City of Colusa against this authority’s own published documents. Every answer carries the confidence it was recorded at and the document it came from. Where nothing is published we say so and show where we looked — a blank here is a finding, not a gap.
City of Colusa is the authority having jurisdiction 85% confidence
- Holds
- Building and electrical for residential rooftop PV, in-house (Planning & Building Department, Building Division). The city's own in-house Fire Department (Chief Logan Conley) is the fire-code authority generally, but its own FY2025-26 fee schedule (FD1-FD13) carries zero PV/solar/ESS line items, so Fire does not appear to gate residential rooftop solar here.
- Overridden by
- California Gov. Code Sec 65850.5 / Sec 65850.52 (expedited/ministerial solar permitting) and Sec 65850.55 (residential solar permit fee cap). The city's own FY2025-26 fee schedule caps its residential PV permit fee at $450 flat (<=15 kW AC) / $500 + $15 per kW above 15 kW -- figures that match the Sec 65850.55 cap schedule -- while citing 'Assembly Bill 1132' as the source; no California solar-fee-cap statute by that AB number could be identified, so the city document's own bill citation appears to be a mislabeling of the Sec 65850.55 lineage (originally AB 2188, 2014) rather than a distinct, newer cap.
- Why not higher
- City of Colusa is an incorporated city (pop. ~6,000) with its own Planning & Building Department; the department's own page states it issues permits, reviews plans, schedules and conducts inspections, and issues Certificates of Occupancy, and the city's own fee schedule prices a residential solar permit directly, so Colusa County is not the AHJ inside city limits.
- Permit required
- Yes95%
- Permit cost
- $450 flat for residential PV systems <=15 kW AC; $500 + $15/kW for each kW above 15 kW AC (residential solar thermal: $450 flat <=10 kWth,92%
- Portal
- iWorQ ("Building & Planning Permit Portal", hosted at colusaca.portal.iworq.net)88%
- Electrical code
- Not confirmed for Colusa specifically; California's statewide default as of this run is the 2025 California Electrical Code (based on the 2023 NEC as amended),50%
- Booking an inspection
- Phone or email to the Building Division (buildinginspections@cityofcolusa.gov, (530) 458-4941 ext.60%
Labels & placards for this authority
Wording None%
Size, colour & material None%
Where they go None%
What the utility wants on top None%
Each figure above is sourced and dated in the full answer set below (questions 38–43). Where an authority’s own published sheet is older than the code it has adopted, the answer says so.
Their website
Average approval time — application to PTO
From the CPUC interconnection record. Bars show the average days taken each year; a year with no recorded projects is left blank rather than drawn as zero.