City of Concord

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% · municipal code
• What does this authority permit itself, and what does it delegate? Both 88% · municipal code
• Is a permit required for a residential rooftop PV system? Yes 97% · information bulletin
• Is there a separate electrical permit, or is it combined? Combined 85% · application instructions
• Is a HOA or architectural approval required first? No 88% · municipal code
• Is there a historic-district review? Yes, for properties on a designated historical building or in a historic district -- Historical Resources Staff review (no fee) and stamp plans for conformance before the solar permit application proceeds. 85% · information bulletin
• Is a wind or windstorm certification required? No separate wind-certification credential is required; however, to qualify for the streamlined/expedited review path the mounting system must be 'pre-engineered ... with attachments designed for a wind speed of at least 85 mph.' 70% · information bulletin
• Is a Specific Use Permit or Council approval ever required? Yes, but only if the Building Official finds, based on substantial evidence, that the installation could have a specific, adverse impact on public health/safety; a use permit may then be required and denial or conditions are appealable to the Planning Commission. 88% · municipal code
• Is there a system-size cap on residential generation? 10 kW AC nameplate (or 30 kWth) for the streamlined 'small residential rooftop solar energy system' definition on a single- or duplex-family dwelling; larger systems are not barred but fall outside streamlined review and go through the standard permit process. No absolute city-wide residential size cap was found. 85% · municipal code

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 85% · submittal checklist
• Must the contractor be registered with this authority before applying? Yes 88% · application instructions
• Is a homeowner permitted to self-install and self-permit? Yes 88% · submittal checklist

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? Contractor's Declaration or Owner-Builder Acknowledgement form; all fees at application; for the standard 'Solar PV' path: cover sheet, roof plan, single-line electrical diagram, signage/labeling plan, manufacturer data sheets, mounting bracket details, structural calcs (WKS-1) if >5 psf, electrical calcs (WKS-2), equipment schedule, wire/OCPD derating calcs. For the 'Solar PV (Solar APP)' path: only the SolarAPP+-approved checklist plus the Contractor's Declaration/Owner-Builder form -- no separate drawings required. 95% · submittal checklist
• How many copies, and in what format? Electronic PDF only, uploaded through the Accela ('Virtual Permit Center') portal -- no physical/paper copies specified. 80% · submittal checklist
• Is a site plan required, and what must it show? Yes -- a Roof Plan (PV-2) showing roof configuration, hips/valleys, array layout, module/string counts, conduit runs, existing roof equipment (skylights, vents), roof access/pathways/setbacks, and locations of combiners, disconnects, inverters and main service; plus a Cover Sheet (PV-1) with a vicinity/site map. Ground-mounted equipment additionally requires a dedicated site plan. 90% · information bulletin
• Is a one-line / three-line diagram required? Yes 95% · submittal checklist
• Are string and conductor calculations required? Yes 92% · submittal checklist / standard plan worksheet
• Is a structural PE stamp required, and at what threshold? Required (by a California-licensed engineer) when: distributed roof load exceeds 5 lbs/sq ft, any attachment point load exceeds 50 lbs, structural alterations to the existing roof are needed, or a custom (non-pre-engineered) mounting/racking system is used. Below those thresholds, the WKS-1 prescriptive worksheet substitutes for a stamped calculation. 88% · information bulletin
• Is an electrical PE stamp required, and at what threshold? Not required for a standard PV-only system (a registered EE, C-10, or C-46 contractor may sign); required when the system includes electric battery backup -- IB-010 states 'If the proposed PV system includes Electric Battery Backup then the system shall be designed by a registered electrical engineer.' 70% · information bulletin (dated 2020)

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? Accela Citizen Access, branded 'Permit Portal' (https://aca-prod.accela.com/CONCORD/Default.aspx); a separate tool called 'Permit Pal' is used only as a fee/impact-fee estimator, not for application submittal. 92% · department page
• Can the whole application be completed online? Yes 88% · application instructions
• What does a residential solar permit cost? $450 flat for systems up to 15kW AC via either path: standard 'Solar PV' = $70 Administrative + $115 Plan Review Base + $265 Inspection Base; 'Solar PV (Solar APP)' auto-issued = $70 Administrative + $380 Inspection Base. Add $5-15/kW above 15kW depending on path, and $192 if a main service panel upgrade is inspected. 92% · fee schedule
• How is the fee calculated? Tiered 88% · fee schedule
• Is there a separate plan-check fee? Yes for the standard 'Solar PV' plan-reviewed path ($115 Plan Review Base Fee is a separate line item); No for the 'Solar PV (Solar APP)' auto-issued path, which has no plan-review line item at all because SolarAPP+ pre-approval substitutes for city plan review. 88% · fee schedule

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? 3 full business days for a complete application meeting the streamlined checklist/standard-plan requirements; effectively same-day/instant for SolarAPP+-approved applications since SolarAPP+ pre-approval substitutes for city plan review. 80% · municipal code
• How long is an issued permit valid before it expires? Application: expires after 12 months if no permit issued (one extension of up to 12 months possible). Issued permit: expires if work not commenced within 12 months, or suspended >12 months; and in all cases must be completed within 3 years of issuance. 82% · municipal code
• Which utility handles interconnection here? Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) 92% · information bulletin
• Where does the utility sit in the sequence? Parallel/after permit -- the PG&E interconnection application is typically filed before or during construction, but the system 'is not approved to be energized until PG&E approval has been obtained,' and PG&E requires the city's final signed-off building permit before installing the net meter and granting PTO. 78% · information bulletin

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 NEC, as incorporated into the 2025 California Electrical Code 82% · municipal code
• Which building code edition is in force? 2025 California Building Code (Title 24, Part 2), with local administrative amendments in MCC 15.10.030 and only CBC Appendix I (Patio Covers) adopted 95% · municipal code
• Which fire code edition is in force? 2025 California Fire Code, adopted by Contra Costa County/CCCFPD Ordinance No. 2025-14, operative 1 Jan 2026 88% · adopting ordinance (PDF, verified by reading revision stamp, not filename)
• Are there local amendments to any of the above? Yes 92% · municipal code
• What is the installation judged against? The 2025 California Electrical Code (NEC Art. 690 and 705), UL 969 for labels/markings, and manufacturer's listed installation instructions 88% · municipal code

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 Concord on this step yet — 1 question checked and found unpublished. The guidance above is general.

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, in effect -- rapid shutdown is required under NEC 690.12 as incorporated wholesale into the 2025 California Electrical Code (MCC 15.15.010). I found no Concord document that names 'rapid shutdown' or cites 690.12 explicitly; this is inferred from full, unamended CEC adoption rather than quoted directly. 62% · municipal code (inferred from full-code adoption)

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? Ground-fault protection/interruption label at the utility-interactive inverter (690.5(C)); electric shock hazard label at disconnects (690.17); DC junction/combiner/disconnect labels (690.35(F)); module marking (690.51); DC power-source label at DC disconnect (690.53); AC operating current/voltage marking at AC disconnect (690.54); remote-disconnect directory/plaque (690.56(B)); distribution equipment warning label (690.64(B)(7)); conduit/raceway marking at turns, penetrations and junction/combiner boxes. 85% · standard plan (city document, OCR'd image page)
• Does the authority specify placard wording of its own? Yes -- the City's own Standard Plan PV-4 sheet specifies exact label wording/content categories (Ground-Fault Protection, Electric Shock Hazard, DC Power Source, etc.) as check-boxes tied to specific CEC sections. 85% · standard plan (city document, OCR'd image page)
• Does it specify letter height, colour or material? Labels must be reflective, weather-resistant material resistant to fading, suitable for the environment per UL 969; red background with white lettering; Arial or similar font, non-bold, all capital letters, minimum 3/8-inch letter height. 88% · standard plan (city document, OCR'd image page)
• Is a site plan / facility map placard required, and what must it show? Yes -- a permanent plaque/directory identifying remote disconnect locations for the utility and PV system disconnects is required per CEC 690.56(B), shown as a checklist item on the City's Standard Plan PV-4 sheet. 82% · standard plan (city document, OCR'd image page)
• Does the UTILITY specify placards beyond the AHJ's? Yes -- PG&E's own Greenbook (TD-7001M) requires: an engraved placard on the metering equipment noting a line/supply-side connection where a fusible AC disconnect is used ahead of the main breaker; permanent signage on the meter panel identifying that distributed generation is interconnected; and a directory/map at the meter panel when the AC disconnect is more than 10 feet away and out of line of sight. 88% · utility interconnection manual (Greenbook)
• Where must the labels be placed? AHJ/city labels: at the DC combiner/disconnect, AC disconnect, inverter, modules, and marked on interior/exterior conduit/raceways every 10 ft at turns and above/below penetrations, and at PV combiner/junction boxes (per Standard Plan PV-4). Utility (PG&E) labels: on/affixed to the meter panel itself, and, if the AC disconnect is >10 ft from the meter panel and out of sight, a directory/map is also required at the meter panel. 82% · standard plan + utility manual

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? Where required, the AC disconnect must be installed ahead of the main breaker (line/supply side) and after the meter. PG&E does NOT require an AC disconnect at all for self-contained, socket-based meter panels rated 320A or less on single-phase inverter-based (e.g., typical residential solar) systems; it IS required for all other self-contained/transformer-rated panels and all non-inverter-based generators. 88% · utility interconnection manual (Greenbook)
• Must equipment be on a specific approved list? No dedicated city-approved equipment list; the requirement is that all components be listed by a nationally recognized/accredited testing organization (e.g., UL) and installed per the manufacturer's instructions. 85% · municipal code
• Are batteries permitted, and under what conditions? Batteries/ESS are permitted. There is a documented tension in the City's own materials: the 2020 Information Bulletin IB-010 states PV-plus-battery-backup systems 'are not standard installations and must go through the normal permit review process' and must be 'designed by a registered electrical engineer.' The current (undated, but referencing the live Accela portal UI) 'Solar PV' and 'Solar PV (Solar APP)' application-instruction PDFs both describe their permit type as covering installations 'including those with electrical panel replacements and(or) energy storage systems,' with the SolarAPP+ path allowing ESS through the same auto-issued permit type. I weight the newer, more specific application instructions higher but flag the conflict rather than silently picking one. 60% · application instructions (current) vs. information bulletin (2020, conflicting)
• Is there a separate ESS permit or inspection? No separate ESS-only permit type -- current Accela application instructions fold ESS into the same 'Solar PV' or 'Solar PV (Solar APP)' building-permit application type rather than issuing a distinct ESS permit. 62% · application instructions
• Is a ground mount treated as a structure? Likely yes in effect -- ground-mounted PV is excluded from the definition of a streamlined 'small residential rooftop solar energy system' (MCC 15.115.020(b)(3) requires rooftop installation on a single/duplex dwelling), and IB-010 states ground-mounted equipment requires 'a site plan and details ... and may be subject to the normal permit review process,' consistent with structure-level review, though no Concord document uses the words 'accessory structure' for ground-mount PV. 55% · information bulletin
• Is there a local rule on service upgrades or busbar sizing? No Concord-specific busbar-sizing/service-upgrade rule was found beyond the unamended CEC 705.12(D) (120% rule); the City does recognize service-panel upgrades as a distinct scope with a dedicated fee line ('Inspection of Main Service Panel Upgrade,' $192). 55% · fee schedule / municipal code (absence checked)
• Is a specific mounting system or attachment spacing required? Yes -- prescriptive limits for the streamlined path: distributed roof load <5 lbs/sq ft, concentrated load per attachment <50 lbs, and either a pre-engineered mounting system rated for >=85 mph wind with an ICC-ES evaluation report, a Building-Department-pre-approved manufacturer/support system, or engineer-supervised installation. 85% · information bulletin

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 85% · department page
• How much notice is required? Effectively 1 business day -- 'All inspection requests are scheduled for the next business day,' with a same-day cutoff of 11:59 p.m. the prior business day (weekend/holiday requests roll to Monday). 88% · department page
• Are same-day or AM/PM windows offered? Yes -- AM (8 a.m.-12 p.m.) or PM (12 p.m.-4 p.m.) windows can be requested at booking, though a specific slot is not guaranteed; the Solar PV Information Bulletin separately states the City targets a 4-hour-or-less wait window for solar inspections specifically. 85% · department page

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

• Does this AHJ perform its own final solar inspection? Yes 88% · municipal code
• If delegated, to whom? N/A -- the City performs the inspection itself rather than delegating outward. The delegation runs the other direction: the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District has delegated ITS PV plan-review/inspection role to the City for R-3 occupancies via interagency agreement. 80% · information bulletin

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 expedited/eligible systems, MCC 15.115.060(h) calls for a single consolidated inspection; IB-010 Section VII separately lists 'electrical and final' as the inspection types that 'may' apply. A main-service-panel-upgrade inspection is fee-scheduled as a distinct line item when applicable. 72% · municipal code + information bulletin
• Is a rough-in or mid-roof inspection required? No separate rough-in/mid-roof inspection stage is named for streamlined residential PV; only 'electrical and final' are listed as the inspection types that may apply. 65% · information bulletin

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

• Is there a published inspection checklist? Yes for the SolarAPP+ path -- the SolarAPP+-generated 'Approved Checklist' itself functions as the field inspection checklist and must be printed and kept on site. No separate published field-inspection checklist was found for the standard (non-SolarAPP) path; the SR-RSOLAR document is a submittal checklist, not an inspection checklist. 75% · application instructions
• What must be on site at inspection? The printed permit/inspection card (all permits); for 'Solar PV (Solar APP)' permits, also the printed SolarAPP+ Approved Checklist. General inspection practice also requires the contractor (not just the homeowner) to be present on site. 85% · department page + application instructions
• Does the inspector verify labels and listings? Yes (by strong inference) -- IB-010 Section VII states the inspector 'will verify that the installation is in conformance with applicable code requirements and with the approved plans,' and the approved plans/checklist explicitly include the required NEC 690/705 and UL 969 labeling per the Standard Plan PV-4 sheet, which the inspector is checking the installation against. 60% · information bulletin

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 (permit finaled in the Accela system after passed final inspection); no evidence found of a literal 'green tag' or separate Certificate of Occupancy process for residential rooftop PV. 60% · application instructions (inferred)
• Who notifies the utility for PTO? Installer/customer -- IB-010: 'After the final building inspection contact your local utility provider. PG&E requires the final signed off permit showing that the construction is complete.' 82% · information bulletin
• Is there a re-inspection fee? $192.00 per hour 82% · fee schedule
• How are corrections issued and cleared? For incomplete applications, MCC 15.115.060(g) requires a written correction notice detailing all deficiencies for resubmission. For a failed field inspection, MCC 15.115.060(j) allows a subsequent (re-)inspection, which 'need not conform to the requirements of this chapter' (i.e., the streamlined turnaround/window guarantees don't carry over to re-inspections). No further detail on the corrections-clearing workflow was found. 65% · municipal code