City of Dixon

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% · authority's own code/department page
• What does this authority permit itself, and what does it delegate? Both 88% · department page + staff directory
• Is a permit required for a residential rooftop PV system? Yes 95% · adopted code text quoted on department FAQ
• Is there a separate electrical permit, or is it combined? Combined 72% · city handout + fee schedule
• Is a HOA or architectural approval required first? No 55% · code (absence, control-checked)
• Is there a historic-district review? No 55% · code (absence, control-checked)
• Is a wind or windstorm certification required? No dedicated windstorm-certification requirement beyond the standard code wind-design value -- the Non-Residential PV checklist states 'Basic velocity 110 mph, 3 second gust, exposure C or provide wind speed calculations from California Registered Engineer,' which is a design criterion, not a separate certification process. 60% · published checklist
• Is a Specific Use Permit or Council approval ever required? Conditionally yes -- the Building Official may require an applicant to apply for a use permit if there is substantial evidence the solar system 'could have a specific, adverse impact upon the public health and safety'; such a use-permit denial, or the underlying requirement, may be appealed to the Planning Commission (not directly to Council). 90% · codified ordinance (current)
• Is there a system-size cap on residential generation? Yes -- 10 kW AC / 30 kW thermal, and the ordinance's 'small residential rooftop solar energy system' definition is further scoped to systems on a single or duplex family dwelling not exceeding the maximum legal building height. No separate/uncoordinated cap was found: Dixon's zoning code has no Agricultural district at all (checked the full Table 18.03.010 base-district list), so the Shafter-style hidden ag-use-table cap does not apply here, and the city's own linked 'SolarAPP+ Eligibility Checklist' is simply an outbound link to the national solar-app.org help article rather than a Dixon-specific document with its own kW figure. 90% · codified ordinance (current)

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 68% · city form + SolarApp+ handout
• Must the contractor be registered with this authority before applying? No 55% · department page (absence)
• Is a homeowner permitted to self-install and self-permit? Yes 65% · city form

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? Completed application; two (2) sets of plans (11"x17" minimum) plus one electronic (PDF) set; a Residential Load Calculation Worksheet; two or more photos of the existing panel with the deadfront cover removed (to verify CEC 705.12 compliance); a one-line diagram showing conductor/grounding/conduit sizing, main panel disconnect/busbar rating, PV equipment locations, bonding points, AC/DC disconnect locations, and point of interconnection; a roof/site plan showing roof layout, pathways, points of access, prior solar installations and clearances, and orientation; and manufacturer's cut sheets for all components (module listing, fire class, Voc, Isc, max fuse rating, wattage). 95% · published checklist/handout
• How many copies, and in what format? Two (2) hard-copy sets, 11"x17" minimum size, plus one electronic (PDF) set for the conventional/non-SolarAPP+ path; non-residential requires plan sheets a minimum of 24"x36", all pages the same size, two complete stapled sets unless submitted through the Dixon Civic Access Portal (DCAP). 92% · city handouts
• Is a site plan required, and what must it show? Yes -- a roof/site plan (plan view) showing roof layout including all pathways, points of access, previous solar installations and clearances, an orientation (north) arrow, and PV module orientation; the non-residential checklist additionally requires lot lines, structure locations, main service panel location, array configuration, percent roof-area coverage (fire department review triggered), and ridge/valley-to-array distances. 95% · 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? Non-residential: yes, always -- 'Structural Plans Included – Stamped and Signed (original) by a California Registered Engineer.' Residential: no blanket threshold found, but a stamp is triggered functionally wherever CBC structural provisions are triggered -- e.g. wall-mounted ESS ≥200 lb (CBC §1603.1.8) or floor-mounted ESS ≥400 lb (CBC §1616.10.15), or where mounting-system components are substituted/mixed across listed systems ('additional engineering shall be required'). 68% · published checklist
• Is an electrical PE stamp required, and at what threshold? Non-residential: yes, always -- 'Electrical sheets must be designed and stamped by California Licensed Electrical Engineer.' Residential: no PE-stamp requirement found; residential electrical sheets may be contractor-prepared. 68% · 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? Dixon Civic Access Portal (DCAP) -- Tyler Enterprise Permitting & Licensing (EnerGov) self-service portal, launched 1 Dec 2025, with SolarAPP+ integrated for eligible residential PV/ESS systems. 95% · department page (dated)
• Can the whole application be completed online? Yes 90% · department page (dated)
• What does a residential solar permit cost? $450 flat for a residential PV system ≤15 kW AC, plus $15 per kW for each kW above 15 (Building Division fee). A separate Fire Department construction-permit fee of $341 applies to 'Solar photovoltaic power systems' generically (not broken out by residential/non-residential in the fire schedule). 90% · fee schedule (current)
• How is the fee calculated? Tiered / Flat-plus-per-kW: $450 flat ≤15 kW AC, then $15 per additional kW; non-residential/multi-family PV uses three further flat-plus-per-kW tiers (≤50 kW; 50-250 kW; >250 kW). 90% · fee schedule (current)
• Is there a separate plan-check fee? Ambiguous/likely yes as a percentage add-on -- the Master Fee Schedule's 'BUILDING PLAN CHECK' section prices plan check at 65% of the Building Permit fee for Residential/Commercial/Multi-Family/Industrial generally (25% for a residential subsequent identical plan), with fire plan review billed separately under the Fire schedule. It is not clear from the schedule whether the flat 'Solar Systems' line already nets in plan check the way other flat items (Reroof, Pool) appear to, or whether the 65% is added on top. 55% · fee schedule (ambiguous)

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 business days for expedited/checklist-eligible small residential rooftop solar systems. 95% · codified ordinance (current)
• How long is an issued permit valid before it expires? Not locally amended -- defaults to the unamended 2025 CBC §105.5 standard (permit expires if work is not commenced within, or is suspended for, 180 days). 55% · code (inference from absence)
• Which utility handles interconnection here? Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) 80% · department page (program notice)
• Where does the utility sit in the sequence? After permit / at final -- utility interconnection approval (Permission to Operate) is contingent on the AHJ's final electrical inspection clearance, per PG&E's own tariff. 60% · utility tariff

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 (incorporated by reference and amended as the 2025 California Electrical Code) 95% · codified adopting ordinance (current)
• Which building code edition is in force? 2025 California Building Code (Title 24, Part 2), incorporating the 2024 International Building Code by reference 95% · codified adopting ordinance (current)
• Which fire code edition is in force? 2025 California Fire Code (Title 24, Part 9), incorporating the 2024 International Fire Code by reference 95% · codified adopting ordinance (current)
• Are there local amendments to any of the above? Yes for Building, Fire, and Residential codes; No standalone technical amendment for Electrical (Ch. 16.01 contains only Title/Adoption/Penalties/Administrative-citations sections, no amendment section) -- confirmed by contrast with the Fire chapter, which has an extensive, itemized 'Amendments of 2025 California Fire Code' section (DMC §16.02.200). 90% · codified ordinance (current)
• What is the installation judged against? The current, locally-amended 2025 CBC/CRC/CEC/CFC/CALGreen/WUI (DMC Title 16, Ch. 16.01-16.20), plus DMC Ch. 16.18's own small-residential-rooftop-solar requirements (health/safety standards, CEC Article 690 performance standards, listing/testing-lab certification) and Civil Code §714 / Gov't Code §65850.5 solar-rights compliance. 90% · codified ordinance (current)

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? Not locally amended beyond the base, unamended 2025 CFC §1205.2 pathway/setback table -- DMC §16.02.200's itemized fire-code amendments do not touch CFC Chapter 12 (Photovoltaic Systems) at all. The Non-Residential PV checklist requires the plot plan to show 'Distance from ridge to array(s)' and 'Distance from valley/hip to array(s)' but labels both '(Subject to Fire Code Official)' rather than stating a fixed local number, meaning the CFC's own default table controls case by case. 65% · codified ordinance + published checklist

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, per CEC 690.12 (2023 NEC basis, adopted via the 2025 CEC). 90% · published checklist, citing current CEC

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 CEC 705.10 permanent plaque/directory denoting all electric power sources, installed at the main service panel and at every power-source location; CEC 690.13-compliant AC/DC disconnect labeling; for ESS, a subpanel label reading 'NO BRANCH CIRCUIT LOADS LARGER THAN XX AMPS...' for Tesla Powerwall installations. No AHJ-specific placard beyond what the adopted code itself requires was found. 75% · published checklist
• Does the authority specify placard wording of its own? No 70% · absence across all published handouts
• Does it specify letter height, colour or material? No 70% · absence across all published handouts
• Is a site plan / facility map placard required, and what must it show? The CEC 705.10 'permanent plaque or directory denoting all electric power sources on or in the premises,' required at the main service panel and at all interconnected power-source locations, functions as this; no separate site-plan/facility-map placard distinct from the plan-set roof/site plan itself was found. 60% · published checklist
• Does the UTILITY specify placards beyond the AHJ's? PG&E's Rule 21 §H.1.d requires a visible AC interconnection disconnect with open/closed position markings, lockable and reachable 24/7, shown on the single-line diagram -- a utility-level requirement beyond whatever the AHJ requires. Not confirmed as Dixon-specific; this is PG&E's standard territory-wide tariff. 55% · utility tariff
• Where must the labels be placed? At the main service panel and at every location of an interconnected electric power-production source (CEC 705.10); the AC disconnect itself must be within 5 feet of, and within sight of, the main service panel. 80% · 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 5 feet of, and within sight of, the main service panel (not specified relative to the meter itself). 80% · published checklist
• Must equipment be on a specific approved list? No dedicated city-approved-products list; standard NRTL/UL listing is required instead -- PV modules UL 1703 listed, inverters UL 1741 listed (multi-mode inverters per UL 1741 for ESS), and ESS listed/labeled per UL 9540. 70% · published checklist
• Are batteries permitted, and under what conditions? Yes, under the adopted (unamended) 2025 CRC §R330: unit rating capped at 20 kWh, aggregate rating capped by location (40 kWh in utility closets/basements/storage; 80 kWh in attached/detached garages, on exterior walls, or outdoors on the ground); permitted locations are detached garages/accessory structures, attached garages separated per R302.6, exterior walls ≥3 ft from doors/windows, or enclosed utility/storage spaces with fire-rated finishes; smoke/heat detection, 3 ft unit-to-unit spacing, and vehicle-impact protection (bollards/wheel barriers) required where applicable. The city's own ESS Submittal Handout restates and supplements this in detail (encourages exterior/garage siding, garage clear-space dimensions, screening from the street). 95% · code text + city handout (current)
• Is there a separate ESS permit or inspection? Yes -- 'A separate application and building permit is required for Energy Storage Systems.' Where PV and ESS are permitted together on a new production home, the city technician removes the duplicate ESS fee, but a separate ESS permit is still issued/used 'for reporting and inspection purposes only.' 90% · published handout (current)
• Is a ground mount treated as a structure? Yes -- DMC §18.11.020(A)(1) defines the zoning code's 'Accessory structures' provisions to reach not only roofed accessory structures but also 'unroofed structures that are over thirty (30) inches in height' detached from the main building, which captures a typical ground-mount PV rack; such structures are then subject to the accessory-structure side/rear setbacks (3 ft up to 10 ft height, 5 ft up to 14 ft height, capped at 30% of the required rear setback area or 400 sq ft). The Non-Residential PV checklist separately requires foundation details 'if ground mounted,' consistent with structure treatment. 75% · codified zoning ordinance (current)
• Is there a local rule on service upgrades or busbar sizing? No local rule found -- DMC Chapter 16.01 (Electrical Code) contains only a Title, an Adoption section, Penalties, and Administrative citations; there is no amendment section at all (contrast with Fire's lengthy, itemized amendment chapter at the same code, which proves the search mechanism works). No busbar-sizing or service-upgrade rule analogous to Palm Springs' PSMC 8.04.055 was found anywhere in Title 16. 75% · codified ordinance (absence, control-checked)
• Is a specific mounting system or attachment spacing required? No single fixed spacing number is codified; the Non-Residential PV checklist requires the submittal to 'indicate the style, diameter, length of embedment of bolts into framing members and location of attachments' and 'number of bolts per panel,' with 'mounting details and certified engineering or listed mounting installation,' and requires additional engineering where mounting-system components are substituted or mixed across listed systems. 75% · published checklist

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

• How is an inspection booked? Portal (Dixon Civic Access Portal 'Request Inspection' button) or Phone (24-hour inspection request line, 707-678-7005). 95% · department page (current)
• How much notice is required? By 3:00 pm, one business day before the desired inspection date (portal cut-off and phone-line cut-off are the same); a request left after 3:00 pm on Wednesday rolls to the following Monday (or next business day if a holiday). 90% · department page (current)
• Are same-day or AM/PM windows offered? Yes -- the SolarApp+ inspection-scheduling step asks the applicant to provide 'Inspection date and time (AM or PM).' 80% · published handout (current)

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 95% · codified ordinance (current)
• If delegated, to whom? N/A -- not delegated; the Building Department performs the (single) required inspection itself. 90% · codified ordinance (current)

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 small residential rooftop solar systems: a single, consolidated final inspection, scheduled within 2 business days of the request. Larger/ineligible systems are not separately documented but would be expected to follow the city's ordinary building-permit inspection sequence (no solar-specific rough-in stage was found). 70% · codified ordinance (current)
• Is a rough-in or mid-roof inspection required? No, for expedited-eligible systems -- 'Only one inspection shall be required.' 75% · codified ordinance (current)

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 -- multiple published checklists exist: the Non-Residential PV Submittal Checklist, the ESS Submittal Handout/Checklist, the SolarApp+ Instructions Handout's own 'required for inspection' list, and the Remove-and-Replace handout's 'Field Inspector to verify' list. 90% · published checklists (current)
• What must be on site at inspection? Signed permit on site (electronic copy acceptable); complete load calculations reflecting all installed circuits/devices/loads; photos of the panel with deadfront both installed and removed; a copy of the submitted checklist; all deadfronts removed and equipment opened for inspector access; an acceptable Type 3 (or CAL-OSHA-approved) extension ladder set up and secured, extending a minimum of 3 feet above the roofline; and all required labels/paint installed. 95% · published handout (current)
• Does the inspector verify labels and listings? Yes 85% · published handout (current)

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.

• Who notifies the utility for PTO? Not stated in any Dixon document (checked all downloaded PV/ESS handouts and checklists for 'PTO'/'permission to operate'/utility-notification language -- zero hits). Under PG&E's own tariff, the installer typically submits proof of the AHJ's final inspection clearance to PG&E to trigger PTO. 55% · utility tariff (Dixon silent)
• Is there a re-inspection fee? $62.00 flat ('Missed Inspection or Reinspection Fee') 90% · fee schedule (current)
• How are corrections issued and cleared? A written correction notice detailing all deficiencies is sent to the applicant for resubmission (standard expedited-review path per DMC §16.18.060(E)). For SolarAPP+ permits specifically, the revision is first submitted through SolarAPP+ itself (yielding a revised SolarAPP+ Approval Document), then the revised documents are uploaded as an 'Attachment' of the correct document type in the Dixon Civic Access Portal and resubmitted. 85% · codified ordinance + published handout (current)