City of Fresno

A city address is usually permitted by the city, not the county — but not always, and some authorities keep building and hand electrical to someone else. Getting this wrong costs the whole submittal, because every requirement below belongs to whoever actually holds jurisdiction. Check the overlays in the same pass: an HOA, a historic district, a windstorm certification or a system-size cap can reshape the design, and all of them are cheaper to find now than after the array is laid out.

• Is this authority the AHJ for residential solar at this address? Yes 95% · adopting ordinance (FMC ch. 11 art. 1, Ord. 2025-040 eff. 31 Oct 2025)
• What does this authority permit itself, and what does it delegate? Both 95% · adopting ordinance
• Is a permit required for a residential rooftop PV system? Yes 95% · department page
• Is there a separate electrical permit, or is it combined? Combined 85% · fee schedule (Master Fee Schedule, all fees effective 07/01/2026, MFS Amendment #590)
• Is a HOA or architectural approval required first? No 80% · ordinance
• Is there a historic-district review? Yes 85% · department page (Historic Preservation FAQ)
• Is a wind or windstorm certification required? No 60% · ordinance (absence proved by reading the adopted text and the checklist)
• Is a Specific Use Permit or Council approval ever required? No. FMC 11-111 makes small residential rooftop solar an administrative, expedited permit; Development Code Table 15-2012-B allows rooftop solar panels to project up to 10 ft above the district height limit with no coverage limitation, so no variance, Conditional Use Permit or Council action is triggered by a normal residential rooftop array. Development Code Articles 20 and 27 contain no solar-specific use permit. 75% · development code
• Is there a system-size cap on residential generation? No size cap on residential generation in the Municipal Code. Two route-specific limits exist: SolarAPP+ is restricted to single-family and duplex dwellings (mobile homes and commercial excluded), and the FMC 11-111 expedited process only covers systems up to 10 kW AC nameplate (or 30 kW thermal) on a single or duplex dwelling. Larger residential systems still get a permit, just through standard plan check. 80% · 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 80% · permit application form (rev. 20 Feb 2026)
• Must the contractor be registered with this authority before applying? Yes 70% · department page (Finance - Business License and Tax Certificate)
• Is a homeowner permitted to self-install and self-permit? Yes 80% · department handout (Owner-Builder checklist linked from the Building Permit Center)

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? Two routes. (1) SolarAPP+ (single-family and duplex only, not mobile homes, not commercial): SolarAPP+ approval number plus three uploads to Accela - SolarAPP+ Approval Checklist, solar equipment spec sheets, and an electrical one-line diagram; permit auto-issues on payment. (2) Standard plan check: complete plan set signed by the preparer with address, phone and licence stamp/number on every sheet; site plan; roof plan; electrical single-line; structural details; manufacturer cut-sheets for all products; structural calculations for ground mount and reverse tilt (>24 in. at the tall side); dimensioned foundation plan and elevations for ground mount; warning/hazard stickers applicable to the project; plus the Building Permit Application form. 90% · published checklist
• How many copies, and in what format? Digital only, submitted through Accela Citizen Access. Plan sheets 11 in. x 17 in. minimum to 30 in. x 42 in. maximum; calculations and product cut-sheets may be 8.5 in. x 11 in.; each sheet must carry a clear 3 in. x 3 in. 'City use only' space; file size limited to 200 MB. No paper copy count is published. 90% · published checklist
• Is a site plan required, and what must it show? Yes. The site plan must show project data, scope of work and owner authorization; a north arrow; the property owner's name, address and phone; and the building footprint with lot dimensions and setbacks including all structures. A separate roof plan must show panel location and orientation, points of service connection and equipment locations, and fire/service access pathways. 90% · published checklist
• Is a one-line / three-line diagram required? Yes 95% · published checklist
• Are string and conductor calculations required? Yes 75% · published checklist
• Is a structural PE stamp required, and at what threshold? No PE stamp for a normal flush roof-mount. Structural calculations are required for ground mount and for reverse tilt greater than 24 in. at the tall side, and each plan sheet must carry the preparer's licence stamp and number 'if applicable' - so the threshold is the mounting geometry, not system size. 80% · published checklist
• Is an electrical PE stamp required, and at what threshold? Not required. No electrical PE stamp threshold appears in FMC ch. 11 art. 1, in the residential solar checklist, or on the Building and Safety pages; the only stamp requirement is the preparer's licence stamp on each sheet 'if applicable'. 70% · adopting ordinance + 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? Accela Citizen Access, plus NREL SolarAPP+ for eligible single-family and duplex rooftop PV. NOTE: the live portal is now https://aca-prod.accela.com/FRESNO/Default.aspx - the lmsaca.fresno.gov/CitizenAccess address still linked from the Building and Safety page, the SolarAPP+ page and the SolarAPP+ instruction PDF now serves only a notice saying 'We have a new Citizen Access website'. 90% · portal landing page
• Can the whole application be completed online? Yes 90% · department handout (SolarAPP+ Application Instructions)
• What does a residential solar permit cost? $333.22 for a residential system up to 15 kW ($170.37 plan check + $162.85 inspection), plus $11.27 per additional kW above 15 kW. A $27.08 permit issuance fee, a $23.79 technology surcharge on all building permits, a $33.84 workers'-compensation verification fee and the state SMIP seismic fee may also apply; the state Strong-Motion fee is set by the Department of Conservation. 85% · fee schedule
• How is the fee calculated? Tiered 85% · fee schedule
• Is there a separate plan-check fee? Yes 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? SolarAPP+ eligible single-family/duplex: real time - the permit auto-issues on payment with no plan review. Non-SolarAPP+ small residential rooftop qualifying for expedited review: FMC 11-111(a)(3) defines the Expedited Solar Permitting Process as 'a processing timeline not to exceed 3 days'. No general published turnaround exists for a standard (non-expedited) residential solar plan check. 75% · ordinance (FMC 11-111) + department handout
• How long is an issued permit valid before it expires? 180 days 90% · department page
• Which utility handles interconnection here? Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) 85% · department page
• Where does the utility sit in the sequence? Parallel 85% · utility DG process page

The NEC edition a jurisdiction enforces is often a cycle behind the newest one published, and local amendments sit on top of it. Rapid shutdown, conductor sizing and labelling all change between editions, so the edition in force is the first thing to establish, not the last.

• Which NEC edition is in force? 2023 95% · adopting ordinance (Ord. 2025-040, eff. 31 Oct 2025)
• Which building code edition is in force? 2025 California Building Code (2024 IBC base) and 2025 California Residential Code (2024 IRC base), adopted as the Fresno Building Code and Fresno Residential Code by Ord. 2025-040, effective 31 October 2025. Appendix B of the CBC is excluded. 2025 CMC, 2025 CPC, 2025 California Energy Code and 2025 CALGreen are adopted in the same ordinance. 95% · adopting ordinance
• Which fire code edition is in force? 2025 California Fire Code (2024 IFC base), including Appendix Chapters E and F, adopted as the Fresno Fire Code by Ord. 2025-039, effective 31 October 2025. 95% · adopting ordinance (Ord. 2025-039, eff. 31 Oct 2025)
• Are there local amendments to any of the above? Yes 95% · adopting ordinance
• What is the installation judged against? The Fresno Electrical Code - the 2025 California Electrical Code (2023 NEC) adopted verbatim at FMC 11-104 with no local electrical amendments, so NEC Articles 690 and 705 apply as written. Administration runs off Chapter 1 of the Fresno Building Code rather than CEC Article 89 where the two overlap. Structural and fire aspects are judged against the Fresno Building/Residential Code (2025 CBC/CRC) and the Fresno Fire Code (2025 CFC as amended at FMC 10-511205.1). 90% · adopting 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? Locally amended and MORE restrictive than the state base. FMC 10-511205.1 deletes CFC 1205.2.1 and substitutes: 1205.2.1.1 Pathways to ridge - not fewer than TWO 36-inch-wide pathways on separate roof planes from lowest roof edge to ridge on ALL buildings, at least one of them on the street or driveway side; and for each roof plane carrying an array, at least one 36-inch pathway from lowest roof edge to ridge on that same plane or an adjacent plane. 1205.2.1.2 Setbacks at ridge - ALL photovoltaic arrays must have a minimum 36-inch-wide setback on BOTH sides of a horizontal ridge. CFC 1205.2.1.3 is deleted and reserved. 90% · fire code local amendment

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 - NEC 690.12 of the 2023 NEC as adopted in the 2025 CEC (FMC 11-104), with no California or Fresno amendment to Article 690. Fresno adds a local placement rule at FMC 10-511205.1 sec. 1205.4.1.3: 'All photovoltaic solar power system disconnecting means, including rapid shutdown equipment, shall be indicating, of an approved size and type, and shall be placed in an approved position that is plainly visible to approaching fire department personnel.' 90% · fire code local amendment + adopting ordinance

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? Three layers. (1) NEC 2023 Articles 690/705 markings apply unamended - PV system disconnect, rapid shutdown label, interactive-system placard at the service equipment, and the 705.10 directory. (2) City fire-code additions: BIPV hazard-area markings that must be reflective and visible from grade (FMC 10-511205.1 sec. 1205.2.3), and all PV disconnecting means including rapid shutdown equipment must be indicating and plainly visible to approaching fire department personnel (sec. 1205.4.1.3). (3) PG&E adds permanently attached signage on the front of the AC disconnect switch, e.g. 'UTILITY AC DISCONNECT SWITCH'. The submittal checklist requires 'Warning/Hazard stickers applicable to project' to be shown on the plans. 85% · fire code local amendment + published checklist + utility DG spec
• Does the authority specify placard wording of its own? No 65% · fire code local amendment (absence of prescribed wording proved by reading the adopted amendments)
• Does it specify letter height, colour or material? City: BIPV hazard markings 'shall be reflective and be visible from grade as required by the fire code official' (FMC 10-511205.1 sec. 1205.2.3) - no letter height or colour specified. PG&E, which governs the AC disconnect signage: labels shall be permanent and suitable for the environment and shall be engraved phenolic or comply with ANSI Z535.4; lettering a minimum 3/8 in. high and in ALL CAPITALS. 85% · utility DG spec (PG&E 060559 rev. 07)
• Is a site plan / facility map placard required, and what must it show? Yes, in two forms. NEC 705.10 of the unamended 2023 NEC requires the permanent plaque or directory at the service equipment showing all electric power sources. PG&E adds: where the AC disconnect switch is NOT grouped with the meter panel, 'provide a map showing the location'; if a Net Generation Output Meter is installed and is not grouped with the other meter(s) and the disconnect, provide proper labelling plus a map showing its location; and if the device is not adjacent to PG&E's revenue meter, 'a clear map and signs indicating of the location of the disconnect switch are required'. Where the disconnect is not accessible outside a locked premises, add signs with contact information and a PG&E-approved locking device. 85% · utility DG spec
• Does the UTILITY specify placards beyond the AHJ's? Yes. PG&E requires permanently attached signage on the front of the AC disconnect explaining it is the AC disconnect switch for the generation (example wording 'UTILITY AC DISCONNECT SWITCH'), engraved phenolic or ANSI Z535.4 compliant, minimum 3/8 in. all-capital lettering; marking or signage on the switch clearly indicating the open (off) and closed (on) positions; a device label with ratings and UL certification; location maps and signs where the disconnect or NGOM is not grouped with the meter panel; and contact-information signs where the device sits behind a locked premises. 90% · utility DG spec
• Where must the labels be placed? At the service equipment / point of common coupling. The PG&E AC disconnect (and its signage) must sit 10 feet or less from PG&E's electric meter, in line of sight, easily seen from the meter panel, at the same grade level if outdoors with the meter, wall- or pad-mounted with the top of the enclosure between 48 in. and 75 in. above ground, and never above grade level, on a roof, or in a room that is not an approved electric meter room. Where the disconnect is remote from the meter, add a location map and signs. NEC 705.10 places the source directory at the service equipment. The City requires PV disconnects and rapid shutdown equipment to be positioned 'plainly visible to approaching fire department personnel', and BIPV hazard markings to be visible from grade. 90% · utility DG spec + fire code local amendment

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

• Where must the AC disconnect be, relative to the meter? Within 10 feet of the PG&E meter, in line of sight, easily seen from the meter panel; between the PG&E meter and all generation sources; at the same grade level as the meter if outdoors; wall- or pad-mounted with the top of the enclosure 48-75 in. above ground; not on any floor above grade, not on a roof, and not in a room that is not an approved electric meter room; lockable in the open position with a PG&E padlock, with a visible air gap. Exemption: inverter-based systems on single-phase PG&E services up to 240 V may be exempted from the disconnect entirely if the meter panel is self-contained (not transformer-rated), accepts form 'S' socket-based meters (not bolt-on), is rated 320 A or less continuous, and is single-phase 120/240 V or 120/208 V - which covers most Fresno houses. 90% · utility DG spec
• Must equipment be on a specific approved list? No City approved-equipment list. Equipment must be listed/UL certified in the ordinary code sense, and the checklist requires manufacturer cut-sheets for everything installed. PG&E points interconnection applicants at the California Energy Commission's eligible inverter and PV module lists, and requires the disconnect switch to be from an approved type (it publishes cross-reference sheets for Eaton and Siemens safety switches and an approved primary-voltage disconnect switch list). 70% · published checklist + utility handbook page
• Are batteries permitted, and under what conditions? Yes, permitted, under the 2025 California Fire Code ch. 12 and 2025 CRC R330 as adopted by Ord. 2025-039/2025-040, with NO local amendment - I read the whole of FMC ch. 10 art. 5 and found no CFC 1207 / ESS / battery amendment. Procedurally the battery rides on the same solar permit: the Building Permit Application has a 'Battery YES/NO' field inside the Residential Solar block, and the SolarAPP+ Accela flow offers project type 'Solar or Solar and Storage'. 85% · adopting ordinance + permit application form
• Is there a separate ESS permit or inspection? No 80% · permit application form
• Is a ground mount treated as a structure? Yes 85% · published checklist
• Is there a local rule on service upgrades or busbar sizing? No local busbar or service-upgrade rule. It is handled procedurally: the Building Permit Application screens 'De-Rating Panel YES/NO' and 'Adding MPU YES/NO' in the Residential Solar block, and the submittal checklist requires electrical load calculations if the main service panel is being derated. Sizing itself falls to NEC 705.12 in the unamended 2023 NEC. FMC 11-102 (CBC 112.1) adds one local condition: the electrical meter must be in place and operational before final electrical inspection. 80% · permit application form + ordinance
• Is a specific mounting system or attachment spacing required? No specific mounting system or attachment spacing is mandated. The checklist requires manufacturer cut-sheets for all products used, structural details, and - for ground mount and for reverse tilt greater than 24 in. at the tall side - a full set of structural calculations plus a dimensioned foundation plan and elevations. 80% · 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 80% · 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 90% · department page
• If delegated, to whom? Not delegated - the City of Fresno Building and Safety Services Division inspects. The only split is fire: the Fresno Fire Department Fire Prevention Division issues and inspects separate permits for fire protection and life safety systems, which does not touch residential rooftop PV. 85% · department page

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 a small residential rooftop solar energy system eligible for expedited review, ONE inspection - 'only one inspection shall be required and may include a consolidated inspection' (FMC 11-111(c)). If it fails, subsequent re-inspections are authorised and are not bound by the single-inspection rule. The Building Official may separately require inspections of differing trades to be combined in chronological order (FMC 11-102, CBC 110.3.8). Note FMC 11-102 (CBC 112.1) requires the electrical meter to be in place and operational before final electrical inspection. 90% · ordinance
• Is a rough-in or mid-roof inspection required? No 80% · ordinance + department handout

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

• Is there a published inspection checklist? No 80% · department page (absence proved)
• Does the inspector verify labels and listings? Yes 65% · fire code local amendment + published 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 80% · utility DG process page + fee schedule
• Who notifies the utility for PTO? Installer 90% · utility DG process page
• Is there a re-inspection fee? $100.21 per trip for 'Reinspection other than entitled calls'. Related penalties: 'Premature inspection all (work not ready)' $67.65 per trip, 'Incorrect address/location given by applicant' $67.65 per trip, and working without a required permit is charged at up to four times the permit fee. All CPI-adjusted each 1 July. 85% · fee schedule
• How are corrections issued and cleared? Through Accela Citizen Access. The City advertises ACA for 'Submit Backcheck & Addendums' and 'Obtain Application Status, Comments, & Due Dates', and publishes an Addendum Form (rev. 20 Feb 2026). For SolarAPP+ jobs the loop runs back through SolarAPP+: 'Submit your revisions through Solar App+. Once approved through Solar App+, upload your new revised checklist into the City of Fresno's online ACA portal. Upload the approved checklist into your original B record.' Field corrections are cleared by re-inspection, chargeable at $100.21 per trip beyond entitled calls. 80% · department handout + department page