City of Duarte

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% · ordinance
• What does this authority permit itself, and what does it delegate? Both 85% · authority's own page
• Is a permit required for a residential rooftop PV system? Yes 95% · ordinance
• Is there a separate electrical permit, or is it combined? Combined 78% · permit application form
• Is a HOA or architectural approval required first? No formal HOA/architectural-board approval required by the City; a routine Planning Division zoning-compliance check is recommended before Building submittal, and any private HOA restriction is separately preempted by the CA Solar Rights Act (Civil Code §714) 68% · authority's own page + ordinance
• Is there a historic-district review? No — no current historic-district or landmark-review ordinance reaching rooftop PV was found 60% · authority's own page + Development Code TOC (control-checked: searched all chapter headings)
• Is a wind or windstorm certification required? No — no windstorm/wind-load certification requirement found 72% · ordinance (full-text search)
• Is a Specific Use Permit or Council approval ever required? Yes, but rare — a 'use permit' only if the Building Official finds, based on substantial evidence, a specific adverse health/safety impact 92% · ordinance
• Is there a system-size cap on residential generation? 10 kW AC nameplate / 30 kW thermal is an ELIGIBILITY GATE for the expedited/ministerial 'small residential rooftop solar energy system' definition, not a hard prohibition on larger systems — DMC §16.04.090 does not state what review path applies above that threshold (unlike some peer cities that explicitly route larger/ground-mount systems to full Precise Plan Review) 85% · ordinance

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% · permit application + department form
• Must the contractor be registered with this authority before applying? Yes 62% · authority's own page
• Is a homeowner permitted to self-install and self-permit? Yes 78% · department 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 Building Permit Application (checked 'SOLAR'), the City's own 'Eligibility Checklist for Expedited Solar Photovoltaic Permitting' (all items marked Y), manufacturer specification/listing sheets, a roof-layout diagram showing panels/modules/access pathways/disconnect and roof-access locations, and — if the applicant is an owner-builder — the Property Owner Acknowledgment form. For SolarAPP+ submittals, a SolarApp+ ID and the SolarApp+-generated Checklist are also required. 82% · department checklist + permit application
• Is a site plan required, and what must it show? Yes — a roof-layout diagram is required showing the location of all panels/modules, clear access pathways, and the approximate locations of electrical disconnecting means and roof access points; Planning-zoning compliance is checked before Building submittal 82% · department checklist
• Is a one-line / three-line diagram required? Yes (inferred) 65% · authority's own page + SolarAPP+ national standard
• Are string and conductor calculations required? Yes (inferred) 58% · inference from SolarAPP+ national standard

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? Duarte Permit Center (duarte.cts.city, a CityTech Solutions portal), integrated with SolarAPP+ (gosolarapp.org/SolarApp+) for the automated review path 88% · authority's own page
• Can the whole application be completed online? Yes, for SolarAPP+-eligible systems 72% · authority's own page (conflicts with ordinance text — see why)
• How is the fee calculated? Tiered (per inverter, by kW tier) 62% · permit application form
• Is there a separate plan-check fee? Yes — $250.00 flat 90% · 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? Instant (automated) for SolarAPP+-eligible systems; general 'first plan check' for non-eligible/standard-track building plans is stated as taking about 1-2 weeks 70% · authority's own page
• How long is an issued permit valid before it expires? 180 days 92% · authority's own page
• Which utility handles interconnection here? Southern California Edison (SCE) 95% · authority's own page
• Where does the utility sit in the sequence? After permit 75% · ordinance

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? 2025 California Electrical Code (based on the 2023 NFPA NEC — there is no separate '2025 NEC') 92% · ordinance
• Which building code edition is in force? 2025 California Building Code and 2025 California Residential Code (Vol. 1 & 2 with Appendices F,G,H,I,J,N + Chapter 1 Division II, based on the 2021 IBC) 92% · ordinance
• Which fire code edition is in force? 2023 Los Angeles County Fire Code (LA County Code Title 32), wholesale-adopted by reference and updated automatically as the County amends it 88% · ordinance
• Are there local amendments to any of the above? Yes 95% · ordinance
• What is the installation judged against? The adopted 2025 CEC/CBC/CRC plus DMC §16.04.090(c)'s health-and-safety standard: compliance with 'applicable safety and performance standards established by the California Electrical Code, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and accredited testing laboratories such as Underwriters Laboratories,' plus LACoFD health/safety standards 88% · ordinance

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? No Duarte-specific numeric ridge-setback/pathway rule found; the City's Eligibility Checklist requires 'clear access pathways provided' as a Y/N item with no numeric elaboration, deferring to the standard pathway/setback provisions of the wholesale-adopted 2023 LA County Fire Code (Title 32) 60% · department checklist + ordinance

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? Rapid shutdown applies statewide via the adopted 2025 CEC (2023 NEC basis, NEC 690.12), but neither Duarte's own Eligibility Checklist nor DMC Ch. 16.04 contains any explicit '690.12' citation or restatement (control-proven: zero hits for '690' or 'rapid' in both documents). LACoFD's own retained-scope ESS/PV/Disconnect Guide separately addresses 'Rapid Shutdown function activation' as part of its disconnect-placarding checklist item 68% · fire agency's own guide (Duarte ordinance/checklist control-proven silent)

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? LACoFD's Electrical Power Source Disconnect Placarding System applies on every PV job: an exterior placard reading 'F.D. – ELECTRICAL / BLDG DISCONNECT / #X of Y' at each power-source disconnect (utility, PV, ESS, generator, etc.), plus a smaller panel-interior placard identifying specific switches/breakers within the same panel 90% · fire agency's own guide
• Does the authority specify placard wording of its own? Yes — 'F.D. – ELECTRICAL / BLDG DISCONNECT / # X of Y' verbatim (exterior placard) 90% · fire agency's own guide
• Does it specify letter height, colour or material? Yes — Exterior placards: min. 2in x 3.5in weather-resistant plastic, red letters engraved into a yellow background, Arial all-caps, minimum font size 24 (28 bold for 'F.D.' and '#X of Y'), attached with permanent epoxy. Panel-interior placards: min. 7/16in x 3/4in, same colors, Arial bold all-caps min. size 24 92% · fire agency's own guide
• Is a site plan / facility map placard required, and what must it show? A roof-layout diagram is required at SUBMITTAL showing panel/module locations, clear access pathways, and approximate disconnect and roof-access locations — this is a submittal drawing, not a separate posted on-site facility-map placard under CEC 705.10; no dedicated posted facility-map placard requirement (distinct from the disconnect placards) was found 62% · department checklist
• Where must the labels be placed? At the location of each electrical power-source disconnect (utility, PV, ESS, etc.) per LACoFD's placarding system; 'placement locations' is itself one of the compliance items LACoFD's inspection checklist verifies 75% · fire agency's own guide/checklist

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

• Must equipment be on a specific approved list? Yes 88% · ordinance
• Are batteries permitted, and under what conditions? Batteries/ESS are permitted, but a system 'without battery storage' is a specific eligibility requirement of the small-residential EXPEDITED review path — a system with battery storage is routed out of the expedited checklist and reviewed under standard process, with LACoFD applying its own separate ESS review/fee scope (plan review $565, or $195 for Group R-3/R-4) 80% · department checklist + fire agency fee schedule
• Is there a separate ESS permit or inspection? Yes — LACoFD prices ESS plan review and field inspection separately from PV lines 78% · fire agency's own fee schedule
• Is a ground mount treated as a structure? Effectively yes, by exclusion rather than explicit statement — a ground-mounted array cannot meet the 'small residential ROOFTOP solar energy system' definition and so falls outside DMC §16.04.090 entirely, defaulting to whatever accessory-structure/zoning rules the Development Code applies to structures generally; no dedicated ground-mount solar setback/height chapter was found 58% · ordinance (inference from scope exclusion)
• Is there a local rule on service upgrades or busbar sizing? No general local busbar/service-upgrade AMENDMENT was found in the adopting ordinance (control-proven absence); however, the City's OWN Eligibility Checklist imposes a 225A maximum busbar rating as an ELIGIBILITY GATE for the expedited-review path only (not a citywide minimum or a code amendment) 75% · ordinance (full-text, control-proven) + department checklist
• Is a specific mounting system or attachment spacing required? The City's Eligibility Checklist (STALE CITATION) asks whether conduit runs through the attic, exposed conduit is painted to match the roof, panels are flush-mounted, and panels are installed parallel to roof pitch — citing 'Duarte Development Code 19.52.040(B) – Solar Energy Systems.' This section NO LONGER EXISTS in the current, codified Development Code 55% · department checklist (stale citation — see why)

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 (and Portal for SolarAPP+-issued permits) 80% · authority's own page
• How much notice is required? Not stated as a fixed number of business days; the City's own page says inspections are typically performed 'on the next working day' after being requested 75% · authority's own page
• Are same-day or AM/PM windows offered? No AM/PM choice offered; a single fixed daily inspection window, Monday-Thursday 10 AM - 2 PM (City Hall/Building Division closed Fridays) 80% · authority's own 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 78% · ordinance
• If delegated, to whom? Not delegated to another government AHJ. Building/plan-check functions are staffed under a professional-services contract with Charles Abbott Associates, but the City's own Building & Safety Division retains inspection authority. LACoFD performs a separate, parallel fire/ESS/disconnect-placarding inspection under its own retained scope (not a delegation of the City's building inspection) 80% · authority's own page + ordinance

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? Submit application/checklist (in person, by mail, or via SolarAPP+/Permit Center) -> plan review/eligibility check -> permit issuance -> a single consolidated final inspection by the Building Official (and, per ordinance, potentially the fire chief jointly) -> LACoFD's own separate disconnect-placarding/ESS field inspection where its retained scope applies -> applicant seeks SCE interconnection/PTO 62% · ordinance + fire agency checklist (synthesized)
• Is a rough-in or mid-roof inspection required? No 85% · ordinance

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 85% · fire agency's own checklist
• What must be on site at inspection? Digital proof of the construction permit obtained via the expedited process (e.g. SolarAPP+ approval), any inspection checklist provided with the permit, and proof that applicable LACoFD Fire Prevention fees have been paid 82% · fire agency's own checklist
• Does the inspector verify labels and listings? Yes 78% · fire agency's own checklist

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 (a final building inspection sign-off) — the City's own materials do not use 'Certificate of Occupancy,' 'green tag,' or a similarly named document for residential work; a Certificate of Occupancy fee line in the fee schedule is scoped to Commercial only. LACoFD's own checklist separately states that, for its retained scope, 'A Passed Inspection Serves as an Operational Permit at a R-3/R-4 Occupancy' 62% · authority's own page + fee schedule + fire agency checklist
• Who notifies the utility for PTO? Installer/Applicant 82% · ordinance
• Is there a re-inspection fee? Not a fixed dollar figure for Building — the City's Schedule of Service Charges lists a general 'Re-inspection Fee: Costly at Hourly Rate' (not solar-specific); LACoFD separately charges a fixed $98 for 'additional inspections after initial inspection and one reinspection' within its own retained scope 75% · fee schedule + fire agency fee schedule
• How are corrections issued and cleared? For an incomplete APPLICATION, DMC §16.04.090(e)(2) requires 'a written correction notice detailing all deficiencies in the application.' For a FAILED FIELD INSPECTION, DMC §16.04.120 (CBC §109.7, local amendment) requires the applicant to 'file an application in writing upon a city-approved form and pay the applicable reinspection fee' before further inspection is performed 85% · ordinance