City of Irvine

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. The City of Irvine is the AHJ for residential rooftop PV at any address inside the city limits. Building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing plan review, permit issuance and field inspection are held by the Building and Safety Division of the Community Development Department, One-Stop Permit Processing Center, Civic Center, 1 Civic Center Plaza, Irvine CA 92606. Permit counter (949) 724-6313, permit information (949) 724-6300, Development Assistance Counter (949) 724-6308, Building and Safety reception (949) 724-6470, inspection request line (949) 724-6501, residential inspection assistance (949) 724-6666, irvinepermits@cityofirvine.org. Chief Building Official Jesse Cardoza (949) 724-6377; Deputy Building Official / Principal Plan Check Engineer Claudia Landeras-Sobaih (949) 724-6330; Building and Safety Operations Supervisor Roger Carton (949) 724-6331. NOTE ON THE CITY DOMAIN: cityofirvine.org now 301-redirects to cityofirvine.gov; both hosts serve the same Drupal site and legacy PDF paths resolve under either, but www.cityofirvine.gov was the more reliable host for the /sites/default/files/legacy-documents/ PDFs during this run (cityofirvine.gov returned intermittent Incapsula 502s on rapid repeat requests). 96% · zoning ordinance + department pages
• What does this authority permit itself, and what does it delegate? Both, retained in-house, with fire delegated. The City performs building AND electrical plan check and inspection itself (Building and Safety Division; residential work is done by two Residential Inspection Teams of combination inspectors enforcing Building, Plumbing, Electrical, Mechanical and Title 24 Accessibility/Energy). FIRE IS NOT A CITY DEPARTMENT: the Orange County Fire Authority is the fire code official. IMC 5-9-402 adds the definition 'OCFA: Orange County Fire Authority, fire authority having jurisdiction' to CRC R202. CORRECTION TO THE PREMISE THAT OCFA SERVES IRVINE 'BY CONTRACT': OCFA is a joint powers authority and Irvine is a MEMBER CITY of it (OCFA's Board is made up of elected officials from its member cities and the County; OCFA headquarters is at 1 Fire Authority Road, Irvine, inside the city). Irvine's 2025 fire code adopting ordinance is hosted on OCFA's own document library as 'Irvine-Ordinance.pdf'. Crucially, OCFA does NOT review or inspect a residential rooftop PV retrofit - see Q52/Q53. 93% · ordinance + department pages + OCFA document library
• Is a permit required for a residential rooftop PV system? Yes. Irvine Zoning Ordinance Sec. 3-31-2 (Approvals required): 'The applicant shall submit for and receive approval of a building permit prior to installation of any solar energy system.' Solar does not appear anywhere on the City's Permits Not Required list, and IMC 5-9-205.A (adding CBC Ch.1 Div.II Sec. 105.1.3) states permits are required for everything in the adopted codes unless specifically exempted by the codes or in writing by the building official. 97% · zoning ordinance
• Is there a separate electrical permit, or is it combined? Combined - one permit, but priced off the ELECTRICAL fee schedule. The permit type in the City's system is 'solr - Residential Solar Electrical System - Photovoltaic' (the commercial twin is 'solc'; there is also 'wslr - Online Permit - Residential Solar Express' and a generic 'so - Solar Permit'). A single Building Permit Application (Form 65-59) is filed with the ELECTRICAL box (and STRUCTURAL, where mounting is reviewed) checked, and the fee is taken from Schedule V ELECTRICAL PERMITS item 41 'Solar Panels per System'. There is no separate stand-alone electrical permit for the array. A main service panel upgrade bundled with the array adds electrical scope to the same permit but disqualifies the AB 2188 expedited route, and a panel alteration cannot be issued to a C-46 licence. 88% · permit portal + fee schedule + submittal packages
• Is a HOA or architectural approval required first? No - the CITY does not require HOA or architectural approval, and does not enforce it; but Irvine is the extreme case for private covenant control, so the practical answer is more complicated than the legal one. WHAT THE CITY REQUIRES: nothing. The Building Permit Application (Form 65-59) has no HOA field. The AB 2188 package has no HOA item. The standard Residential Solar Photovoltaic package puts it in the ADDITIONAL INFORMATION block as advice only - 'Your Homeowners Association may have its own approval process. Review your HOA policies and procedures before proceeding with your design plans.' The City's dedicated HOA page is explicit that this is not the City's business: 'While City staff cannot provide advice or enforcement action regarding HOA review as these are private property matters, homeowners are encouraged to work with their HOA Board and consult the Solar Rights Act.' The City links the Energy Policy Initiative Center's plain-English AB 2188 implementation guide rather than adjudicating. WHAT IS PRIVATE: 'The majority of Irvine's residential neighborhoods are managed by Homeowner Associations', and the City's own HOA map (May 2020) enumerates roughly 372 numbered association entries across the planning areas - master associations, village associations and sub-associations stacked three deep (e.g. Northpark Community Assn. containing San Simeon, Evergreen, Huntington, Cambria, Brentwood, Brisbane, Terra Bella, Saratoga, Mendocino, Auburn, Monterey), plus Irvine Company architectural review in the newer villages. DOES THE CITY DEFER OR OVERRIDE? Neither: it runs a parallel, non-discretionary track and stays out of the covenant question. That is exactly the posture Government Code 65850.5(g)(1) compels - a city may not condition approval of a small residential rooftop solar energy system on the approval of an association - and Irvine's ordinance ties into Civil Code 714 from the other direction: IMC 5-9-402.A defines a SMALL RESIDENTIAL ROOFTOP SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEM as one conforming to the codes as adopted or amended by the City 'and paragraph (3) of subdivision (c) of Section 714 of the Civil Code' - i.e. the Solar Rights Act's own health-and-safety carve-out is written into the City's eligibility test. Civil Code 714 in turn caps what an HOA may impose (no restriction that significantly increases cost or decreases efficiency; approval or denial in writing within 45 days or it is deemed approved). ONE PLACE THE CITY DOES BEND TO AN HOA: the Minor Residential Automated Permits page carves out 'Homes in the University Hills Community Association HOA', which must upload a completed Permit Application and any required plans through the Online Submission Portal instead of using the same-day self-service route - a City-side routing exception keyed to a single association (University Hills is the UC Irvine faculty housing ground-lease community). 91% · department page + ordinance + permit forms
• Is there a historic-district review? No. Irvine has a Historic District overlay (Zoning Ordinance Division 5, Chapter 5-5) but it imposes no design review, certificate of appropriateness or permit trigger of any kind. The chapter is three sections long: 5-5-1 Intent (implements the General Plan cultural resources element), 5-5-2 Policies and guidelines (encourage National Register nomination, educational and recreational use, interpretive programmes), and 5-5-3 Application of district - 'The Historic Overlay District applies to all areas shown on Figure 5-5' and 'Properties eligible to be considered for this district must be designated historically significant by the General Plan and the property owner must submit a formal request for the property to be included in the district.' It is therefore opt-in and site-specific rather than a district covering ordinary housing stock. Zoning 3-31-5 additionally provides that Chapter 3-31 'shall not preclude the establishment of solar energy systems proposed in accordance with state law.' The only historic-district prohibitions in the code bite on single-family duplexes (3-42-4) and urban lot splits (3-43-4), not on solar. 89% · zoning ordinance (absence proved)
• Is a wind or windstorm certification required? No. There is no wind or windstorm certification in California - that is a Texas TDI construct - and nothing in Irvine's code, packages or notes requires one. What Irvine does publish is the design input: IMC 5-9-402.B deletes and replaces CRC Table R301.2(1) with local values, giving a DESIGN WIND SPEED OF 95 MPH, topographic effects 'No', Seismic Design Category D2, ground snow load not applicable, weathering negligible, no frost line depth, termite infestation probability very heavy, no ice-barrier underlayment required, flood hazards per footnote a (City entry into the National Flood Insurance Program 21 June 1974), air freezing index 0. The AB 2188 route converts that into a prescriptive wind-uplift anchor check (5/16 in. lag screws, 2.5 in. embedment) rather than a certification. 87% · adopting ordinance
• Is a Specific Use Permit or Council approval ever required? No. Residential rooftop PV is ministerial in Irvine - no Conditional Use Permit, no Planning Commission or City Council action, no discretionary review. Zoning 3-31-2 requires only a building permit. IMC 5-9-402.A defines the City of Irvine Small Residential Rooftop Solar Energy System Expedited/Streamlined Permitting Process as 'A ministerial permitting process in substantial conformance to the California Solar Permitting Guidebook published by the Governor's Office of Planning and Research'. Zoning 3-31-5 (Exception) provides that Chapter 3-31 shall not preclude solar energy systems proposed in accordance with state law. The only Council-level artefacts touching solar are the adopting ordinance itself (Ord. 25-26, adopted 12 November 2025) and the fee resolution (CC Res. 24-41). Commercial covered-parking solar and warehouse/logistics projects (Zoning 3-44) sit in a different regime. 91% · zoning ordinance + municipal code
• Is there a system-size cap on residential generation? No cap on how large a residential system may be - but three ceilings decide WHICH ROUTE you get and how high the array may stand. (1) The expedited/streamlined class, defined in IMC 5-9-402.A, is a system 'no larger than 10 kilowatts alternating current nameplate rating (PV) or 30 kilowatts thermal (solar water heating)', conforming to the codes as adopted or amended by the City and to Civil Code 714(c)(3), 'installed on a single or duplex family dwelling', with 'a solar panel or module array that does not exceed the maximum legal building height.' (2) The City's electronic-submittal eligibility criteria restate that as 10 kW AC CEC rating or less, roof-mounted on a single family dwelling, array not exceeding the maximum building height of 35 feet, maximum PV panel height two feet measured perpendicular to the roof surface, utility-interactive and WITHOUT battery storage, roofing material not changed under the panels. (3) Zoning 3-31-3.B.2 imposes the physical ceiling on every residential roof array regardless of route: 'The maximum height of a solar collector shall be two feet, measured perpendicular to the roof surface, and may not exceed the maximum overall building height. The remainder of the solar energy system shall be below the level of the solar collector(s).' Anything above 10 kW AC, any battery, any main panel upgrade and any building-integrated PV (solar roof tiles) falls out of the AB 2188 route into standard plan check - though battery storage IS now eligible for the same-day Symbium route. 92% · ordinance + zoning + eligibility criteria

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 - a licensed contractor or the homeowner. PermitsDIRECT! (Symbium) states 'Licensed contractors and homeowners can apply, pay online, and pull permits'. Informational Bulletin 221 sets what each must produce at issuance: a contractor must show an active valid CSLB pocket licence and a valid Workers' Compensation Insurance Certificate (plus a notarised letter of authorisation if an agent pulls it); a property owner must complete a Property Owner's Package with acknowledgment and show a driver's licence or other ID. LICENCE-CLASS TRAP: the Residential Solar Photovoltaic package prints, against the panel-upgrade question, '*Panel Alterations cannot be issued to C46 License (must have C10 or B)'. So a C-46 solar contractor may pull the PV permit but NOT the main-panel-upgrade portion. 92% · informational bulletin + submittal package + department page
• Must the contractor be registered with this authority before applying? Yes - an ACTIVE CITY OF IRVINE BUSINESS LICENCE is required, and its number must be given at permit issuance (Informational Bulletin 221 item 4; the only exception is 'Homeowners obtaining permits for work at their property'). There is also a one-time contractor set-up for the self-service routes: create an account, then email irvinepermits@cityofirvine.org with your user name and attach the City of Irvine business licence, the workers' compensation insurance certificate and the CSLB pocket card image, which the City loads into its database to track expiry dates. The AB 2188 electronic package requires the same three documents to be uploaded with the application. 93% · informational bulletin + department page
• Is a homeowner permitted to self-install and self-permit? Yes. Homeowners may self-permit and self-install; the same-day PermitsDIRECT!/Symbium route explicitly serves homeowners as well as licensed contractors, and Bulletin 221 sets out the owner route (Property Owner's Package with acknowledgment, completed at issuance, plus photo ID to verify the signature - the City does not retain the ID copy; an agent for the owner must be named in the authorisation section). Homeowners are exempt from the City business-licence requirement. The City also publishes 'Homeowner Instructions to Schedule an Inspection Appointment' as a dedicated handout. 90% · informational bulletin + department pages

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? Three routes, three packages. (1) SAME-DAY / PermitsDIRECT! powered by Symbium - the current default for no-plan-check work; 'Rooftop Solar or Battery Storage' and 'Solar Installation with Approved Master Plan' are named eligible permit types; the platform checks code compliance and issues the permit in real time, with no plan set. (2) AB 2188 EXPEDITED ELECTRONIC SUBMITTAL (10 kW or less, single family) - Electronic/Digital Signature Disclosure; Building Permit Application (description of work must include 'AB2188' and the kW size, e.g. 'Install 5.94 kW PV System - Expedited AB2188'); Solar Photovoltaic Option Worksheet (choose one of five pre-approved options: single central inverter; two central inverters with load centre; single string of microinverters; 2 strings of microinverters with load centre; 3 strings of microinverters with load centre); the Required AB2188 Photovoltaic Notes sheet; CSLB pocket card image; Workers' Compensation certificate; City of Irvine business licence; and one flattened PDF holding the chosen Option plus the required Notes, PV module spec (with NRTL fire-performance Type 1/Type 2 documentation if not on the spec), racking spec (with NRTL Class A documentation if not on the spec), roof-mounting product spec, inverter spec, junction box, disconnect and optimizer/DC-DC specs where applicable. (3) STANDARD PLAN CHECK (Residential Solar Photovoltaic Systems, Form 66-02 REV 08/21) - Electronic/Digital Signature Disclosure; Building Permit Application (description must state kW DC and number of panels, and flag a main panel upgrade or battery backup); then a plan set in this exact order: site plan; roof plan of module layout; single line electrical diagram; manufacturers' spec sheets for modules, inverter, J-boxes, combiner boxes, connectors, disconnects and all other components (with panel load calculations if the main distribution panel OCPD was reduced); Signs and Labeling sheet; roof mounting details stamped and signed by a California licensed Civil Engineer, Structural Engineer or Architect; roof mounting manufacturer's product specification/installation sheets; and the RESIDENTIAL PHOTOVOLTAIC GENERAL NOTES at the back of the set. The older counter-submittal page also lists a 'Storm Water Pollution Prevention Notes/Signs and Labeling sheet' and 'Roof mounting calculations'. 93% · published checklists
• How many copies, and in what format? Depends on route. PermitsDIRECT!/Symbium: no plan set at all - the permit issues in real time. AB 2188 electronic: ONE flattened PDF containing the Option sheet and the required Notes plus all equipment specs, uploaded to the Plans side of goPost, with the forms and licence documents moved to the Attachments side; Google Chrome is required for electronic plan check submittal. Standard counter submittal: TWO sets of plans, and on a resubmittal 'submit two revised sets and the original sets for comparison'. Under Bulletin 276 a post-issuance revision takes three sets of revised plans and two sets of revised structural calculations and energy documentation. There is no PV-specific hardcopy count beyond these. 85% · department pages + informational bulletin
• Is a site plan required, and what must it show? Yes. Both plan-check routes require a site plan, and the City states its contents: 'Site Plan with street address, property owner's name and phone number, and applicant's contact information.' It is paired with a separate roof plan: 'Roof Plan of Module Layout with dimensions showing distance from roof edge, hips, and/or valleys. Include percentage of PV panel to roof coverage. Note if home is equipped with fire sprinklers.' The roof-coverage percentage and the sprinkler flag are not decorative - they select the ridge setback (18 in. vs 36 in. at the 33% threshold, or at the 66% threshold where the dwelling is sprinklered). 93% · published checklist
• Is a one-line / three-line diagram required? Yes. 'Single Line Electrical Diagram' is item 3 of the required drawing order in both the standard and the counter package. On the AB 2188 expedited route the diagram is pre-drawn for you: you pick one of five pre-approved Photovoltaic Options and the City emails back the Option sheet and the Photovoltaic Notes as attachments to be included in the submitted PDF. SCE separately requires the AC isolating device to be 'clearly marked on the submitted single line diagram' with its type and location approved before installation (Rule 21 H.1.d(v)). 94% · published checklist + utility tariff
• Are string and conductor calculations required? Not as a general string-calculation submittal, but two conditional calculations ARE required. (a) 'Include panel load calculations if the main distribution panel OCPD was reduced' - i.e. a busbar/load calculation whenever the main breaker is derated to make room for the PV backfeed. (b) 'Roof mounting calculations' on the counter route, or on the AB 2188 route the manufacturer's project-specific completed worksheets, tables with the relevant cells circled, or web-based calculator results. On the AB 2188 route the string limits are enforced as ELIGIBILITY criteria rather than as calculations: no more than four module strings per MPPT input where source-circuit fusing is in the inverter (two per MPPT where it is not), fuses rated to the module series fuse rating, no strings combined before a central inverter, module STC Isc below 9.6 A, no more than two central inverters, single-phase 120/240 V service with a busbar rating of 225 A or less, load-side connection, and existing main service sized so that no panel upgrade or main-breaker derate is needed. 90% · published checklist + eligibility criteria
• Is a structural PE stamp required, and at what threshold? Yes on the standard route, with NO size threshold - the trigger is the route, not the kilowatts. Form 66-02 drawing item 6: 'Roof mounting details stamped and signed by either a CA licensed Civil Engineer, Structural Engineer, or Architect.' The AB 2188 expedited route replaces that stamp with a prescriptive STRUCTURAL CRITERIA FOR RESIDENTIAL FLUSH-MOUNTED SOLAR ARRAYS sheet, which the array must satisfy in full: modules parallel to the roof plane; a 2 in. to 10 in. gap between the underside of the module and the roof surface; no overhang of any roof edge (ridges, hips, gable ends, eaves); modules plus support components under 4 psf; total array area less than half the total roof area across all roof planes; the solar support component manufacturer's project-specific completed worksheets, circled tables or web-calculator output attached; module and anchor layout per Figure 1; and a wind-uplift check with anchors per Figure 2 using 5/16 in. diameter lag screws with 2.5 in. embedment into the rafter, OR the anchor fastener meeting the manufacturer's guidelines, whichever is more stringent. Design criteria behind that: Irvine's amended CRC Table R301.2(1) sets a design wind speed of 95 mph, Seismic Design Category D2, ground snow load not applicable, weathering negligible, termite infestation probability very heavy, no frost line depth and no ice-barrier underlayment. 92% · published checklist + adopting ordinance
• Is an electrical PE stamp required, and at what threshold? No. Nothing in the Irvine Municipal Code, the Zoning Ordinance Chapter 3-31, the fee schedule, the Residential Solar Photovoltaic package, the AB 2188 package or the Required AB2188 Photovoltaic Notes requires an electrical PE stamp at any system size. The only stamp Irvine names for a residential PV job is the STRUCTURAL one on the roof-mounting details (Civil Engineer, Structural Engineer or Architect), and even that is waived on the AB 2188 prescriptive route. Informational Bulletin 209 covers wet-signature requirements generally, not an electrical stamp. 84% · published checklist (absence)

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? Four systems, and which one you use depends on the route. (1) PermitsDIRECT! powered by SYMBIUM - symbium.com/inspect (jurisdiction city_0636770) - the mandatory route for all no-plan-check permit applications, including 'Rooftop Solar or Battery Storage' and 'Solar Installation with Approved Master Plan'; real-time code check, online payment, instant issuance. (2) IrvineReady! goPost, an EPlanSoft product at gopost-irvine.eplansoftreview.com/#/login?portal=irvine, for anything needing plan check, including the AB 2188 expedited solar route (project type 'For Permitting - Residential-Minor-Over the Counter-AB2188' or 'AB2188 (EXPEDITED) RESIDENTIAL SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEMS' under project group BUILDING AND GRADING); Google Chrome required. (3) permits.cityofirvine.org, also reachable as irvinepermits.org - the legacy 'Permits and Inspections' system, now restricted to plan-check inquiries, permit inquiries and INSPECTION REQUESTS. (4) arpayments.cityofirvine.org (eGov) for invoice payment. THIS IS A LIVE MIGRATION: the same-day permits page carries the notice 'Update: Legacy Site No Longer Accepting Permit Applications - As of September 14, all no-plan-check permit applications must be submitted through PermitsDIRECT!' The notice gives no year; the past-tense framing and the fact that the legacy application function is already gone point to 14 September 2025, but the year is not stated on the page. 87% · portal landing pages
• Can the whole application be completed online? Yes, end to end, and for eligible rooftop solar the whole thing is same-day. On PermitsDIRECT!/Symbium a licensed contractor or a homeowner applies, the platform checks code compliance automatically, payment is taken online and the permit issues in real time with no trip to the Civic Center. On the AB 2188 electronic route the whole sequence is online too - upload to goPost, the City reviews, emails a link to pay the submission fee online, then emails instructions to download the approved plans and permit. IMC 5-9-402's definition of the City of Irvine Small Residential Rooftop Solar Energy System Expedited/Streamlined Permitting Process says it 'may be conducted entirely online utilizing digital forms or may be conducted over the counter at the City's One-Stop Permit Processing Center utilizing printed forms.' Inspections are then booked online, by text (SelecTXT) or by automated phone. 93% · portal + department page + ordinance
• What does a residential solar permit cost? About $680 for a residential rooftop PV system up to 15 kW, made up of three published line items in the City fee schedule effective 15 August 2026 (CC Resolution 24-41): Schedule V ELECTRICAL PERMITS item 41 'Solar Panels per System' - Inspection $299.00 (residential column) and Plan Check $349.11 (residential column), plus the Schedule V item 1 permit issuance fee of $31.88 for residential work other than new residential construction. Total $679.99. Above 15 kW the residential plan check adds $12.08 for each additional kW. A 'Model Plan Check (for production homes)' is $1,105.53 residential. Commercial columns for the same items are $332.22 / $1,105.53. FLAG AGAINST THE STATE CAP: Government Code 66015 caps a residential rooftop PV permit fee at $450 plus $15/kW above 15 kW unless the jurisdiction adopts a written finding. Irvine's published $679.99 base exceeds that $450 cap by about $230; its $12.08/kW increment is BELOW the $15/kW allowance. No written finding justifying the base fee was found in the fee schedule, in Resolution 24-41's fee pages inside Ordinance 25-26's companion resolution, or on the fee-schedule page - the words '66015', '65850' and 'cap' do not appear anywhere in the 2026-27 fee schedule PDF. That is a fact about the published fee, not a legal conclusion. Two things may reduce it in practice: the Symbium/PermitsDIRECT same-day route may price differently, and homes built in or before 1975 may qualify for the City's Permit Fee Holiday (eligibility checker at communitydevelopment.irvineready.com). 86% · published fee schedule
• How is the fee calculated? Per-system flat, with a per-kW adder above 15 kW - not valuation-based for the array itself. Schedule V prices 'Solar Panels per System' as one inspection charge and one plan-check charge regardless of size up to 15 kW, then $12.08 per additional kW (residential). Note the tension in the City's own documents: IMC 5-9-208.B (amending CBC 109.3) keeps a general valuation rule for building permit fees, and the fee-schedule landing page says permit fees 'are based on the cost per square foot and the type of construction' and points at the ICC Building Valuation Data table - but neither reaches the solar line item, which is a fixed per-system charge. Government Code 65850.55 forbids valuation-based fees for solar in any case. 88% · published fee schedule + ordinance
• Is there a separate plan-check fee? Yes. Plan check is a separate line from inspection: $349.11 residential plan check versus $299.00 residential inspection for 'Solar Panels per System'. IMC 5-9-208.A (replacing CBC 109.2.2) states it plainly: 'The plan review fees specified in this section are separate fees from the permit fees specified in Section 109.2.1 and are in addition to the permit fees', payable at the time of submitting the documents. Additional plan review for incomplete or changed submittals, and for deferred submittals, is charged again. Every plan-check submittal beginning with the FOURTH submittal of a project costs $996.80 per review where the Chief Building Official requires it. On the same-day Symbium route there is no plan check. 92% · fee schedule + ordinance

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? Same day on the automated route; 5 working days on the standard route. PermitsDIRECT! powered by Symbium issues eligible rooftop solar and battery permits in real time after an automatic code-compliance check. The Solar Installations page states 'Standard review for single family residential projects are 5 working days. More complex projects may take two weeks.' Informational Bulletin 279 (effective 26 March 1999, revised 11 June 2020) gives the department-wide table and does not carry a solar line; the closest entries are 'Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and demolition projects - 5 working days', 'Minor work - Over the counter', and 'Subsequent submittals for residential remodels - 5 working days'; revisions average about 10 working days. Bulletin 279 also warns that the clock does not start at submittal: 'turnaround time begins once an application is processed by the Permit Counter, which usually takes one to three working days after payment is made'. Minor residential permits that do not qualify for same-day have a target date of two business days. 89% · informational bulletin + department pages
• How long is an issued permit valid before it expires? 365 days (12 months) from issuance, with two extensions of up to 6 months each - but an 18-month hard completion deadline applies to work on a property containing a Group R-3 dwelling, which is what a house is. IMC 5-9-205.D (replacing CBC 105.5) makes a permit invalid unless work is commenced within 12 months of issuance or if work is suspended or abandoned for 12 months; the building official may grant, in writing, two extensions of not more than 6 months each. IMC 105.5.1 then adds: every permit for work on a Group R-3 residential building, or other improvement on residential property containing one, 'shall become invalid unless the work on the site authorized by such permit is completed and approved by the City within 18 months after its issuance', with one 6-month extension on four stated findings and anything beyond that needing the Community Development Director. Separately the APPLICATION is abandoned 12 months after filing unless a permit issues, with one 6-month extension (IMC 5-9-205.C). Code-enforcement-driven permits run on 30-day clocks instead. A permit also expires on a change of ownership or a change of contractor before final (IMC 5-9-205.F). 93% · ordinance
• Which utility handles interconnection here? Southern California Edison (SCE), an investor-owned utility, so CPUC Electric Rule 21 governs interconnection. The City's own FAQ (Solar) page directs homeowners and businesses to 'review the incentives offered by Southern California Edison (in conjunction with State of California's Go Solar Program)', and the Solar Installations page routes rebate questions to SCE. Water and recycled water are Irvine Ranch Water District (Bulletin 203), which is irrelevant to PV but is the utility an installer will otherwise meet in Irvine. There is no municipal electric utility in Irvine. 94% · city page + utility tariff
• Where does the utility sit in the sequence? Parallel, with a one-way dependency at the END. Nothing in Irvine's permit process waits on SCE - the City neither asks for nor checks an interconnection application, and 'Solar Laws' is the only utility-side item on the Solar Installations page. SCE's Rule 21 Section D.13.b then makes the City's sign-off a precondition of PTO: for NBT, NEM-1 and NEM-2 generating facilities of 1 MW or smaller, 'Distribution Provider approval for Interconnection (i.e., Permission to Operate) shall normally be processed not later than thirty (30) Business Days following Distribution Provider's receipt of 1) a completed NBT/Net Energy Metering Interconnection Request including all supporting documents and required payments; 2) a completed signed NBT/Net Energy Metering Generator Interconnection Agreement; and 3) evidence of Applicant's final electric inspection clearance from the Governmental Authority having jurisdiction over the Generating Facility.' So: apply to SCE whenever you like, but PTO cannot land until Irvine's final electrical inspection has passed. 93% · utility tariff (Rule 21)

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 the 2025 California Electrical Code. IMC 5-9-101 item 3, enacted by Ordinance No. 25-26 adopted 12 November 2025, adopts 'California Electrical Code, 2025 edition with errata (Title 24, Part 3, California Code of Regulations), based on the 2023 National Electrical Code, as published by the National Fire Protection Association.' The Building Codes and Standards page confirms the switchover date: 'All new plan review applications submitted on or after January 1, 2026, are required to comply with the 2025 California Building Standards Code with Irvine amendments.' Irvine's adopting ordinance is CURRENT - it is not one of the stale-ordinance authorities. CAVEAT FOR INSTALLERS: the City's own Required AB2188 Photovoltaic Notes sheet, which must be reproduced on the plans, is stamped 'REV 01/23' and headed '[BASED ON 2022 CBC AND 2022 CEC]', so its article citations are to the 2020 NEC. Under Health and Safety Code 18938(b) the 2025 CEC / 2023 NEC applies regardless of what that handout says. 96% · adopting ordinance
• Which building code edition is in force? 2025 California Building Code and 2025 California Residential Code, in force for plan review applications submitted on or after 1 January 2026. IMC 5-9-101, as enacted by Ord. 25-26 (12 November 2025), adopts: CBC Volumes 1 and 2, 2025 edition with errata (Title 24 Part 2), based on the 2024 International Building Code; California Residential Code excluding Chapter 1 Division II, 2025 edition with errata (Title 24 Part 2.5), INCLUDING APPENDICES BH AND CI, based on the 2024 IRC; California Mechanical Code 2025 including Appendix D; California Plumbing Code 2025 including Appendices A, B, D, G, H and I; California Energy Code 2025; California Wildland-Urban Interface Code 2025 (excluding Ch.1 Div.II), based on the 2024 IWUIC; California Historical Building Code; California Existing Building Code 2025; and California Green Building Standards Code 2025. IMC 5-9-201 separately adopts the 2025 California Administrative Code (Part 1) and CBC Chapter 1 Division II as the administrative code. Note the 2025 renumbering that dead handouts miss: residential solar moved from CRC R324 to R329 and storage from R328 to R330; Irvine's own AB 2188 figure still cites 'CRC Section R331.4' for access and pathways, which does not correspond to the 2025 CRC solar section. 95% · adopting ordinance
• Which fire code edition is in force? 2025 California Fire Code, based on the 2024 International Fire Code, including Appendices B, BB, C, CC and H. IMC 5-9-102, enacted by the same Ordinance 25-26 of 12 November 2025, adopts it by reference subject to the Division's modifications, and the amendments in IMC 5-9-409 are written chapter by chapter. THE ONE THAT MATTERS FOR SOLAR: 'Chapter 12 Energy Systems is adopted in its entirety, as amended by SFM.' That is an explicit statement that Irvine adds nothing to and takes nothing from CFC Chapter 12 - the chapter that carries solar photovoltaic (CFC 1205 in the 2025 cycle, renumbered from 1204) and energy storage systems (CFC 1207). Irvine's fire code amendments touch Sections 202, 304.1.3, 305.6, 305.7, 307 and subsections, 324-327, 407.5, 501.1, 510.1, 903.2/903.2.8/903.3.5.3, 2550, 2801.2, 2808 series, 4903.3, 5001.5.2, 5003.1.1.1, 5608, 5701.1.1, 5707, 5801.1, 5806 and 5809 - and no 12xx section at all. 94% · adopting ordinance (absence proved)
• Are there local amendments to any of the above? Yes - Irvine amends the building, residential, electrical, plumbing and fire codes - but NOT ONE of the amendments touches solar photovoltaics, energy storage, rooftop access pathways or placards. The current set, all enacted by Ord. 25-26 on 12 November 2025: BUILDING (5-9-401) - CBC 903.2 sprinklers required in all occupancies over 5,000 sq ft or more than two stories, and on stated additions; 903.2.8 sprinklers throughout all new Group R buildings and in existing R-3 where alterations in any two-year period exceed 50% of gross floor area and the building exceeds 5,500 sq ft; 903.3.5.3 hydraulically calculated systems not to exceed 90% of water supply capacity; 1202 attic and under-floor ventilation opening sizes and screening. RESIDENTIAL (5-9-402) - R202 definitions adding the City of Irvine Small Residential Rooftop Solar Energy System Expedited/Streamlined Permitting Process, OCFA and Spark Arrester; Table R301.2(1) local climatic and geographic design criteria; new R301.9 fuel modification per OCFA Guideline C-05; R308 site address; R309 sprinklers; R317.5.1 garages and carports with habitable space above; R408.2 under-floor ventilation; R806.1 attic ventilation; R902 fire classification - minimum CLASS A roofing where the roof deck edge is less than 3 feet from a lot line and in the areas the section designates. ELECTRICAL (5-9-403) - one amendment only, CEC 300.1(D). PLUMBING (5-9-405) - automatic or self-regenerating water softeners prohibited; galvanized malleable iron, wrought iron and steel prohibited underground; exterior underground piping to be approved polyethylene or other approved non-metallic pipe. FIRE (5-9-409) - Chapter 12 Energy Systems adopted in its entirety as amended by SFM, i.e. unamended locally. ADMINISTRATIVE (5-9-205/206/208) - permit expiry, the R-3 18-month completion rule, the subcontractor listing rule for projects over $8 million, and CBC 107.1.1 pointing small residential rooftop solar at the expedited process. TWO TRAPS. (a) The City's 'Key Amendments' page is STALE and still live: it is headed '2022 California Building Standards Code', still cites Ordinance 22-15, and lists a 2022 California Electrical Code amendment - aluminium conductors No. 6 and smaller only with prior approval of the Chief Building Official and continuous inspection by an independent testing agency for proper torqueing - which DOES NOT SURVIVE into the 2025 adoption. The current 'Building Codes and Standards' page is the correct one. (b) AB 130 (Stats. 2025 ch. 22) bars a city from adopting more-restrictive RESIDENTIAL standards between 1 October 2025 and 1 June 2031; Irvine's Ordinance 25-26 was adopted 12 November 2025 and carries forward residential sprinkler and Class A roofing amendments. Whether they are 'carried forward' or newly adopted is a question for the BSC filing, not for this survey - recorded as a fact, not a conclusion. 90% · adopting ordinance + department pages
• What is the installation judged against? The 2025 California Electrical Code (2023 NEC) with a single Irvine amendment, plus the City's own Required AB2188 Photovoltaic Notes sheet, which functions as the de facto inspection standard because it must be reproduced on the approved plans and carries the instruction 'Do not remove these notes from the plans.' The notes bind the job to: CEC 110.3(B) listing and labelling instructions and WEEB clip installation; CEC 110.26 and Table 110.26(A)(1) working clearances; CEC 240.24(A) with disconnect centre grip no more than 6 ft 7 in. above adjacent floor or grade; Article 250 bonding and grounding worked through in twelve numbered notes (250.50 electrode system bonding back to the service and to metallic water piping, 250.53(A)(4) and (B) electrode embedment 8 ft minimum with 10 ft x 5/8 in. rods and 6 ft spacing, 250.53(E) supplemental bonding no larger than #6 AWG, 250.64(B)/(C)(1) GEC protection and one continuous length with splices only by irreversible compression connectors or exothermic welding, 250.64(E) ferrous raceway bonding, 250.66 and Table 250.66 sizing with #6 AWG for services larger than 125 A and #8 AWG acceptable at 100 A or less, 250.97 EMT bonding at eccentric or concentric knockouts, 250.120(C) and 690.45 EGC protection); Article 310 (310.3(C) stranded conductors 8 AWG and larger in raceway, 310.10(C) wet location listing); Articles 352 and 358 raceway support and expansion fittings; 690.31(D) metal raceways for interior dc circuits over 30 V or 8 A; 690.12 and 690.56 rapid shutdown; 690.53, 690.54, 690.13(B), 705.10 and 705.12 labelling. Three equipment rules that are pure Irvine practice rather than NEC text: 'Interconnection PV breaker shall be the same brand as service panel'; 'Combining listed components to create a new listed component is not allowed (e.g. placing listed fuse holders or pulls inside a listed junction box does not make a listed combiner box)'; and 'Ground lugs for grounding roof modules and rails are listed for only a single ground wire.' The notes are stamped REV 01/23 and headed '[BASED ON 2022 CBC AND 2022 CEC]', so their citations are to the 2020 NEC; the 2023 NEC governs. 91% · city notes sheet (required plan sheet)

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? Set out on page 1 of the City's Required AB2188 Photovoltaic Notes under 'ACCESS PATHWAYS CRITERIA FOR ROOF SLOPES STEEPER THAN 2:12', verbatim: 'No fewer than two 36 in. wide pathways on roof planes from eave to ridge required. One path required on the driveway or street side. Pathway may be on same roof plane as PV array, adjacent plane, or straddling the same and adjacent roof plane. An 18 in. ridge setback allowed when PV arrays occupy no more than 33% of total roof area. A 36 in. ridge setback required when PV arrays occupy more than 33% of total roof area. Dwellings with a fire sprinkler system: An 18 in. ridge setback allowed when PV arrays occupy no more than 66% of total roof area. A 36 in. ridge setback required when PV arrays occupy more than 66% of total roof area. A 36 in. minimum wide pathway is required on PV array roof portions below an emergency escape and rescue opening.' THE OCFA-SPECIFIC RULE THAT NO NEC OR CFC SECTION CARRIES, note 9 of the same sheet, verbatim: 'Per Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA), metallic raceways shall be minimum 18 in. below roof assembly when measured parallel to the surface of the roof.' That is the only OCFA-attributed technical requirement Irvine imposes on a rooftop PV job, and it is attributed to OCFA on the City's own sheet rather than published in any OCFA guideline. Two more fire items from the same sheet: note 7 - rooftop mounted PV systems shall be tested, listed and identified with a fire classification per UL 1703, and 'The fire classification shall be class A as required per CBC 1505.1 and City of Irvine code amendments'; note 8 - replacement roofing under solar module panels shall have a Class A fire rating per City of Irvine code amendments as well as complying with CBC Section 7A criteria where applicable. The underlying City amendment is IMC 5-9-402.I (CRC R902.1). Because Irvine adopts CFC Chapter 12 in its entirety as amended by SFM with no local change, the state text (2025 CFC 1205, renumbered from 1204, and CRC R329, renumbered from R324) is the code of record; the City's own figure still cites 'CRC Section R331.4' for access and pathways. 92% · city notes sheet + adopting 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? Yes. Note 40 of the Required AB2188 Photovoltaic Notes: 'PV systems shall be installed with listed rapid shut down equipment per Art. 690.12 and labeled per Art. 690.56.' The placard is drawn on the sheet: 'PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEM EQUIPPED WITH RAPID SHUTDOWN', cited to CEC 690.56(C). The sheet is stamped REV 01/23 and headed '[BASED ON 2022 CBC AND 2022 CEC]', so it is citing the 2020 NEC; the edition actually in force for applications submitted on or after 1 January 2026 is the 2025 CEC / 2023 NEC per IMC 5-9-101, which means 690.12 module-level rapid shutdown to the 2023 NEC text. Irvine adds no local rapid-shutdown amendment. 92% · city notes sheet + 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? Irvine draws its required placards, with wording, on a sheet the installer must reproduce on the plans. From pages 5-7 of the Required AB2188 Photovoltaic Notes, the required set for a residential system is: (1) 'PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEM EQUIPPED WITH RAPID SHUTDOWN' - CEC 690.56(C). (2) 'WARNING / INVERTER OUTPUT CONNECTION; DO NOT RELOCATE THIS OVERCURRENT DEVICE' - CEC 705.12(B)(2). (3) 'WARNING / DUAL POWER SOURCES / SECOND SOURCE IS PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEM / RATED AC OUTPUT CURRENT ____ AMPS AC / NORMAL OPERATING VOLTAGE ____ VOLTS' - CEC 690.54 and 705.12(B)(2), shown again on page 7 cited to CEC 690.54 and CEC 705.12(D)(4). (4) 'PV SYSTEM AC DISCONNECT / RATED AC OUTPUT CURRENT ____ AMPS AC / NORMAL OPERATING VOLTAGE ____ VOLTS' - CEC 690.54; the page 7 variant adds the 'SECOND SOURCE IS PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEM' line. (5) 'PV SYSTEM DC DISCONNECT / RATED MAX POWER-POINT CURRENT ____ ADC / RATED MAX POWER-POINT VOLTAGE ____ VDC / SHORT CIRCUIT CURRENT ____ ADC / MAXIMUM SYSTEM VOLTAGE ____ VDC' - CEC 690.53. (6) 'WARNING: PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER SOURCE' - CEC 690.31(D)(2), with the City's own bracketed placement instruction '[Marked on junction/combiner boxes and conduit every 10 ft]'. (7) 'ELECTRIC SHOCK HAZARD / DO NOT TOUCH TERMINALS / TERMINALS ON BOTH LINE AND LOAD SIDES MAY BE ENERGIZED IN THE OPEN POSITION' - CEC 690.13(B). (8) The 705.10 directory - note 39: 'Provide a directory denoting all electric power sources on or in the premises. Directory shall be installed at each service equipment location and at locations of all electric power production sources capable of being interconnected per CEC Art. 705.10.' Page 7 repeats the point for the optional solar load centre configuration. Utility-side signage is additional - see Q42. 93% · city notes sheet (required plan sheet)
• Does the authority specify placard wording of its own? Yes. Irvine does not merely cite NEC articles - it publishes the placard artwork and the exact text on its own Building and Safety sheet, headed 'Do not remove these notes from the plans', and requires that sheet to be included in the submitted set (AB 2188 route) or the RESIDENTIAL PHOTOVOLTAIC GENERAL NOTES to be placed at the back of the set (standard route), plus a dedicated 'Signs and Labeling sheet' as drawing item 5. Two pieces of the wording are the City's own rather than reproduced NEC text: the placement instruction '[Marked on junction/combiner boxes and conduit every 10']' printed beneath the 'WARNING: PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER SOURCE' block, and note 38's physical specification for those placards (see Q40). The City also publishes the same document behind an interactive form at irvineca.seamlessdocs.com/f/PVGeneralNotesSFD titled 'PV General Notes - Single Family Dwellings'; that route renders the document only inside the SeamlessDocs viewer and its /api/form endpoint returns 401, so the downloadable PDF at the legacy-documents path is the readable copy. 92% · city notes sheet + published checklist
• Does it specify letter height, colour or material? YES - and this is the authority-specific find. Note 38 of the Required AB2188 Photovoltaic Notes, verbatim: 'PV working placards are to be 3/8" high capitalized white letters on red background per CEC Art. 690.31(D)(2).' Four physical attributes in one sentence - letter height 3/8 inch, capitalised, white letters, red background - none of which NEC 690.31(D)(2) itself carries. The NEC section requires the marking and points at 110.21(B) and ANSI Z535.4 for design; it prescribes no colour and no letter height. Irvine's sheet fixes both. The sheet then adds a materials and sizing note beneath the placard artwork on pages 6 and 7: 'Informational note: ANSI Z535.4 provides guidelines for the design of safety signs and labels for application to products. A phenolic plaque with contrasting colors between the text and background would meet the intent of the code for permanency. No type size is specified, but 20 point (3/8") should be considered the minimum.' So the practical spec an Irvine installer must meet is: phenolic (or equivalently permanent) plaque, contrasting text and background, capitalised, white on red for the PV power source placards, minimum 20 point / 3/8 inch letter height. Nothing else in the Irvine Municipal Code, Zoning Chapter 3-31 or the fee schedule specifies placard material, colour or letter height - 'placard' returns zero hits across the whole of IMC Division 9 while 'battery' and 'solar' return hits in the same extraction. 94% · city notes sheet (required plan sheet)
• Is a site plan / facility map placard required, and what must it show? Yes, in two forms. AS A PLAN SHEET: 'Signs and Labeling sheet' is item 5 of the required drawing order in the Residential Solar Photovoltaic package; the older counter-submittal page combines it as 'Storm Water Pollution Prevention Notes/Signs and Labeling sheet'; and the RESIDENTIAL PHOTOVOLTAIC GENERAL NOTES must go at the back of the set. AS A FIELD PLACARD: note 39 of the notes sheet requires the 705.10 directory - 'Provide a directory denoting all electric power sources on or in the premises. Directory shall be installed at each service equipment location and at locations of all electric power production sources capable of being interconnected per CEC Art. 705.10.' The notes repeat, under both the standard and the solar-load-centre diagrams, that 'CEC 705.12 requires a permanent plaque or directory denoting all electric power sources on or in the premises.' Irvine does not add a bespoke facility-map or site-plan placard beyond the 705.10 directory. What the SUBMITTED plan set must show is stricter than the placard: the roof plan must carry module layout with dimensions to roof edge, hips and valleys, the percentage of PV panel to roof coverage, and a note as to whether the home has fire sprinklers. 90% · published checklist + city notes sheet
• Does the UTILITY specify placards beyond the AHJ's? Yes - SCE requires signage on the AC isolating device, over and above anything the City asks for, and it is location-signage rather than a hazard placard. Electric Rule 21 Section H.1.d 'Visible Disconnect Required' states that where required by SCE's operating practices the producer shall furnish and install a ganged, manually-operated isolating switch (or comparable mutually agreed device) near the Point of Interconnection, and that the device must: '(ii) include markings or signage that clearly indicates open and closed positions'; and '(v) be clearly marked on the submitted single line diagram and its type and location approved by Distribution Provider prior to installation. If the device is not adjacent to the PCC, permanent signage must be installed at a Distribution Provider approved location providing a clear description of the location of the device. If the switch is not accessible outside the locked premises, signage with contact information and a Distribution Provider approved locking device for the premises shall be installed.' Generating facilities with non-islanding inverters totalling one kilovolt-ampere or less are exempt from the whole requirement. Rule 21 prescribes NO letter height, colour or material for that signage. WHAT COULD NOT BE READ: SCE's Electrical Service Requirements manual (ESR, 2026 Third Quarter Issue, 284 pages) is published only through an anonymous SharePoint share link from sce.com/regulatory/distribution-manuals/electrical-service-requirements. In this run a plain GET, the documented '&download=1' variant, the /teams/Public/Misc/Shared Documents/... direct path and the _layouts/15/download.aspx?UniqueId= route ALL bounced to login.microsoftonline.com; the file rendered in a browser session and was fetched into page memory (8,512,830 bytes, %PDF- magic) but could not be extracted there or exported. So if SCE specifies additional meter-adjacent labelling in the ESR, this run did not read it. The Net Energy Metering Interconnection Handbook at on.sce.com/InterconnectionHandbook remains unreachable for the same reason. 85% · utility tariff (Rule 21)
• Where must the labels be placed? Placement is set by the City's notes sheet, article by article. The 705.10 directory goes 'at each service equipment location and at locations of all electric power production sources capable of being interconnected' (note 39). The 'WARNING: PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER SOURCE' placard is '[Marked on junction/combiner boxes and conduit every 10']' - a ten-foot repeat interval on the conduit, printed on the sheet under the 690.31(D)(2) block. The dual-power-source and inverter-output-connection warnings go at the service panel / point of interconnection; the PV SYSTEM AC DISCONNECT and PV SYSTEM DC DISCONNECT rating placards go on their respective disconnects; the 690.13(B) shock-hazard warning goes on the disconnect whose terminals may be energized in the open position; the rapid-shutdown placard goes at the service equipment per 690.56(C). Height rule that governs where the disconnect itself can sit: note 13, 'Center grip of disconnects shall be no more than 6 ft 7 in. above adjacent floor or grade per CEC Art. 240.24(A).' Note 12 requires working clearances per CEC 110.26 and Table 110.26(A)(1) to be maintained for all solar equipment. On the utility side, SCE requires permanent signage at an SCE-approved location describing where the isolating device is, if the device is not adjacent to the PCC. 90% · city notes sheet + utility tariff

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? The City sets NO distance from the meter. Nothing in the Irvine Municipal Code, Zoning Chapter 3-31, the AB 2188 or standard solar packages, the eligibility criteria or the 8-page Required AB2188 Photovoltaic Notes states a distance between the AC disconnect and the meter. The only City rule on where the disconnect physically sits is note 13: 'Center grip of disconnects shall be no more than 6 ft 7 in. above adjacent floor or grade per CEC Art. 240.24(A)', plus working clearances per CEC 110.26 and Table 110.26(A)(1) (note 12). NEITHER DOES SCE. SCE Rule 21 Section H.1.d requires the isolating switch to be 'near the Point of Interconnection' and specifies no dimension at all. What it does require: visible verification of separation (which may be met by opening the enclosure to observe contact separation); markings or signage clearly indicating open and closed positions; capability of being reached for emergency purposes quickly and conveniently 24 hours a day by SCE personnel 'without obstacles or requiring those seeking access to obtain keys, special permission, or security clearances', and for non-emergency purposes during normal business hours; capability of being locked in the open position; and clear marking on the submitted single line diagram with type and location approved by SCE before installation. Generating facilities with non-islanding inverters totalling 1 kVA or less are exempt. THE TRADE'S 'WITHIN 10 FEET OF THE METER' RULE IS NOT IN EITHER DOCUMENT - it is not in Irvine's code or handouts and it is not in SCE's tariff. Recorded as an absence proved against both, not as a claim that no such practice exists at a service planner's discretion. 90% · utility tariff + city notes sheet (absence proved)
• Must equipment be on a specific approved list? Yes - listing by a nationally recognized testing laboratory, with three City-specific tightenings. Note 15: 'All equipment used shall be labeled and listed by a nationally recognized testing laboratory (e.g. UL). No field fabrication of components is permitted.' Note 16: 'Combining listed components to create a new listed component is not allowed (e.g. placing listed fuse holders or pulls inside a listed junction box does not make a listed combiner box).' Note 10 requires listed and labeled equipment to be installed per the listing or labeling instructions (CEC 110.3(B)). Note 7 requires the rooftop PV system to be tested, listed and identified with a fire classification per UL 1703, class A per CBC 1505.1 and the City's amendments. The AB 2188 submittal enforces this documentarily: if the module spec sheet does not state the fire performance type (Type 1 or Type 2) you must attach NRTL documentation to the manufacturer saying so, and if the racking spec does not state that a Class A fire rating results when used with your chosen module you must attach NRTL documentation for that too. Note 17 requires dc-side disconnects rated for DC with blades in series where a 600 Vdc rating is needed. Note 18 requires the interconnection PV breaker to be the same brand as the service panel. Informational Bulletin 195 'Electrical Product Approval' covers field evaluation of unlisted electrical equipment. Irvine maintains no proprietary approved-products list. 90% · city notes sheet + published checklist
• Are batteries permitted, and under what conditions? Permitted, and Irvine has just made residential ESS EASIER rather than harder. The fire code position is neutral: IMC 5-9-409 adopts 'Chapter 12 Energy Systems ... in its entirety, as amended by SFM', so 2025 CFC energy storage (CFC 1207) and CRC R330 apply exactly as the State wrote them - no Irvine amendment on capacity limits, separation, location, garage or dwelling-unit installation, or smoke detection. THE ROUTE CHANGED: the AB 2188 expedited electronic route excludes batteries outright ('Expedited submittals cannot include a battery backup system', AB 2188 package Condition 2; and the eligibility criteria require the system to be 'utility interactive and without battery storage'), so historically a battery pushed you into standard plan check. PermitsDIRECT! powered by Symbium now lists 'Rooftop Solar or Battery Storage' as an eligible SAME-DAY permit type, with automated code compliance checking and instant issuance. On the standard route the Residential Solar Photovoltaic package asks 'Does this submittal include a battery backup system? YES / NO / ___ kW (DC)' and requires the description of work to say so - e.g. 'Includes main panel upgrade and battery back up.' Note that if the battery lands with a main panel upgrade, the panel work cannot be permitted to a C-46 licence. 89% · ordinance + department page + published checklist
• Is there a separate ESS permit or inspection? No separate ESS permit for a residential battery - it is scope on the same combined permit, declared on the questionnaire and in the description of work, and covered by the same final inspection. There is no ESS line in Schedule V of the City fee schedule ('battery' and 'energy storage' return no fee line). OCFA DOES have a battery fee code, but it is not a residential one: PR375 'Battery Systems, Stationary Storage and Cell Sites (chemical quantities require application of CFC Art 64 or 2007 IFC Section 608)' at $965 plan review, with PR375i inspection-only at $233. That is triggered by chemical-quantity thresholds, and OCFA's Single Family / Duplex Plan Screening Form asks ten questions - new dwelling, ADU, addition to a sprinklered building, distance over 150 ft from the fire access roadway, total area over 3,600 sq ft unsprinklered or 6,200 sq ft sprinklered, remodel of a sprinklered building, detached structure, gate across a fire access roadway, CalGEM methane field, and vegetation/fire hazard severity zone - and NOT ONE of them mentions a battery, an energy storage system or a photovoltaic array. 88% · fee schedules + OCFA screening form
• Is a ground mount treated as a structure? Yes - a ground-mounted array needs a building permit and is treated as a zoning-regulated structure, with real setback consequences. Zoning 3-31-2 requires a building permit before installation of ANY solar energy system. Zoning 3-31-3.A: '1. All ground-mounted solar energy systems shall not be located within the front, side, or rear building setbacks, or front yard area, and shall comply with all applicable height restrictions. 2. To the extent possible, without compromising the solar energy system's access to the sun, ground-mounted solar energy systems shall be screened from view at-grade from all adjacent streets and adjacent properties.' The City publishes a one-page graphic, 'Ground-mounted Solar Energy Systems Guide - Rear Yards Versus Rear Setbacks', to explain the trap: ground-mounted panels are allowed in the REAR YARD but not in the front yard area and not in the side or rear building SETBACK areas - 'For the purpose of locating solar energy systems, the rear yard area is considered the rear area of the lot outside of the side and rear building setback areas', and 'In addition the system must be screened from view at-grade from all adjacent streets and properties.' The HOA page footnote gives the working numbers: 'The setback area is specific for each zoning category and is generally 5 to 10 feet for side setback areas and 10 feet for rear setback areas', with the Development Assistance Counter on (949) 724-6308 for the parcel-specific figure. Ground mounts are outside the AB 2188 expedited class, which is roof-mounted only. 91% · zoning ordinance + city guidance sheet
• Is there a local rule on service upgrades or busbar sizing? One local electrical amendment, and it is not about busbars. IMC 5-9-403.A adds CEC 300.1(D): 'All outside wiring on private property shall be underground.' Exception: temporary wiring installed under Article 590 and contained within a construction zone. (Ord. No. 25-26, Section 5 (Exh. D), 11-12-25.) That is the ENTIRE Electrical Code amendment - 5-9-404 is Reserved. Read literally it sits oddly with rooftop PV, whose conduit is by definition outside wiring on private property; in practice the City's own notes sheet contemplates surface conduit and requires it to be placarded every 10 feet, so the amendment is not applied to rooftop array conduit. Note also that the aluminium-conductor amendment still advertised on the stale 'Key Amendments' page (No. 6 and smaller only with prior Chief Building Official approval plus continuous independent testing-agency inspection for torqueing) is GONE from the 2025 adoption. NO LOCAL BUSBAR OR SERVICE-UPGRADE RULE EXISTS - 705.12 governs. What Irvine does instead is gate its fast routes on service capacity: the AB 2188 eligibility criteria require a single-phase 120/240 V service panel with 'a bus bar rating of 225 A or less', a load-side connection, and an 'existing main service sized so panel upgrade or de-rating of main breaker is not required'; and a main electrical panel upgrade is an outright disqualifier for the expedited route (AB 2188 package Condition 1). Where an OCPD IS reduced, the standard package demands panel load calculations. A panel upgrade also cannot be permitted to a C-46 contractor. 92% · ordinance + eligibility criteria
• Is a specific mounting system or attachment spacing required? Yes for the expedited route, and it is prescriptive. The Required AB2188 Photovoltaic Notes page 1, 'STRUCTURAL CRITERIA FOR RESIDENTIAL FLUSH-MOUNTED SOLAR ARRAYS': modules parallel to the plane of the roof; a 2 in. to 10 in. gap between the underside of the module and the roof surface; no module overhanging any roof edge (ridges, hips, gable ends, eaves); modules plus support components weighing less than 4 psf for a photovoltaic array; total array area covering less than half the total roof area across all roof planes; the solar support component manufacturer's project-specific completed worksheets, tables with relevant cells circled, or web-based calculator results attached; module and anchor layout per Figure 1; and a wind uplift check with anchor fastener per Figure 2 using '5/16 in. diameter lag screws with 2.5 in. embedment into the rafter used, OR the anchor fastener meets the manufacturer's guidelines, whichever is more stringent.' Figure 1 fixes the geometry: anchors at 43 in. on centre maximum horizontal spacing and cantilever not greater than L/3 where L is the backspan. Figure 2 fixes the detail: lag screw 5/16 in. diameter typical, a stated minimum edge distance each side, and an 'ALLOWED SCREW INSTALLATION ZONE' within the rafter, with the caveat that the embedment depth and lag screw size shown are typical unless other fastener requirements are specified by the solar support component manufacturer. Note 37 adds 'Field verify existing framing member depth will meet prescribed lag screw embedment', and note 11 requires WEEB clips by Wiley Electronics/Burndy to be installed per the manufacturer's instructions. On the standard route the equivalent obligation is the engineer's or architect's stamped roof-mounting details plus the mounting manufacturer's product specification and installation sheets. 90% · city notes sheet

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, text or phone - and note the split between the NEW permit system and the LEGACY one. Even though PermitsDIRECT!/Symbium now issues the permit, inspections are still booked on the legacy site: 'Once your permit is issued, inspections can be scheduled at permits.cityofirvine.org, which remains active for this purpose.' Three channels: (1) ONLINE - the Online Inspection Request System at permits.cityofirvine.org (also reachable as irvinepermits.org): search by permit number, select the permit, choose your inspection date and type, and 'Include a contact phone number in the comments box; your inspector will call on the day of inspection to coordinate timing.' (2) SELECTXT - schedule and review inspection results by text message. (3) AUTOMATED PHONE - (949) 724-6501, touch-tone; the City publishes an Automated Inspection Request System Guide. All routes need the 8-digit permit number and the 3-digit inspection type code from the Inspection Record Card. For an AB 2188 expedited solar permit the City names the codes on the permitting page: 'Request a Final Inspection (Use Inspection Codes: 112 and 305).' The City also publishes a QR code on the Inspection Services page to scan through to scheduling, and a Homeowner Instructions handout for owner-permittees. 92% · department pages + handout
• How much notice is required? One business day - and the cut-off is 4:00 p.m., not close of business. The Homeowner Instructions handout: 'Inspections scheduled prior to 4 p.m. can be made for the next business day', stated for both the automated phone system and the website. The Residential Remodel Pre-Construction Checklist (April 2022) puts the obligation on the contractor in mandatory terms: 'Inspections shall be arranged through the automated request phone line or via the internet no later than 4:00 p.m. the working day prior to the day of the desired inspection.' Inspection services are generally provided between 8:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. 93% · department handouts
• Are same-day or AM/PM windows offered? No published AM/PM windows and no same-day inspections - but there is a defined way to get a time, and an overtime route. Inspection services run 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. To find out roughly when: 'If you need an approximate time for your scheduled inspection, call your inspector between 7:00 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. on the day of your inspection. If this is your first inspection, contact the inspection supervisor.' If you book online instead, 'Include a contact phone number in the comments box; your inspector will call on the day of inspection to coordinate timing.' The Residential Remodel Pre-Construction Checklist supplies the inspector's and supervisor's direct numbers so the field crew can call. For work outside those hours the City publishes an Overtime Inspection application alongside TCO, TU, Variance and Deputy Inspection applications. Construction work hours are separately limited by the Municipal Code to 7:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m. Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. Saturdays, none on Sundays or federal holidays, and inspections in the public right-of-way must be arranged in advance. 89% · department handouts + department pages

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 - the City performs its own final solar inspection, with its own combination inspectors. The Inspection Teams page: 'There are two Residential Inspection teams. One team is responsible for making code required inspections related to the repairs, remodels and additions to existing residential buildings, and to the construction of new custom homes. The other team is responsible for making code required inspections related to the construction of all other new residential buildings. These teams are comprised of combination inspectors performing all aspects of enforcement of the Building, Plumbing, Electrical, Mechanical, and State Title 24 Accessibility and Energy Codes adopted by the City as they pertain to residential construction.' A retrofit rooftop PV job therefore falls to the residential remodel team; the named residential remodel inspectors on the City's own handout are Ron Fornelli, Harold Rule and Art Villa, with supervisors Ric Olson, Ric Farinella and Bryan Warriner (the Pre-Construction Checklist lists Gina Mauro, Rick Olson, Garry Scott and Joel Lyles as inspection supervisors). Nothing is delegated to a third-party or to OCFA. 93% · department pages
• If delegated, to whom? Not delegated - and the interesting half of the answer is that OCFA, the fire AHJ, is screened OUT of residential rooftop PV rather than being handed it. OCFA's Plan Review Screening Form - Residential Projects (SFR), updated 01/01/2026, is the instrument that decides whether a single family or duplex job needs OCFA review at all, and its ten questions cover new dwellings and ADUs, additions to sprinklered buildings, distance over 150 ft from the fire access roadway, total resulting area thresholds (3,600 sq ft unsprinklered / 6,200 sq ft sprinklered), remodels of sprinklered buildings, detached accessory structures, gates across fire access roadways, CalGEM methane field boundaries, and vegetation / fire hazard severity zones. Photovoltaics appear nowhere on it. The form's instruction to the building department is explicit: 'If you have verified that all questions have been answered accurately as NO and the project does not otherwise require OCFA review of sprinkler and/or alarm plans, an OCFA review is not required.' The only PV entries in OCFA's fee schedule are conditional: 'PR362 Photovoltaic System - Residential Alternative Compliance (Plan Review ONLY) $223' with 'PR362i (INSP ONLY) $175', and 'PR363 Photovoltaic System - Commercial: Requested by Building Official (Plan Review ONLY) $299' with 'PR363i $233'. So OCFA touches a residential array only when ALTERNATIVE COMPLIANCE to the access/pathway requirements is being sought (or a city staffer refers it), for which OCFA Guideline A-01 and the AM&M Residential Request Form are the vehicle. OCFA publishes no photovoltaic or energy-storage guideline: all 205 documents in its library were enumerated through its WordPress REST API and none is a PV or ESS guideline; Guideline E-01 Architectural Review and its Appendix R (Residential Occupancies) contain no solar or photovoltaic reference, and Guideline A-02 Plan Submittal and Review Process contains none either (positive control: 'fire' returns 71, 20 and 11 hits respectively in those three documents; 'inspect' returns hits in A-02; the fabricated term 'zzqqx' returns zero). 92% · OCFA screening form + fee schedule + document library (absence proved)

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? Two inspections in sequence for a standard rooftop array, and one for the pre-approved expedited route. The City's own notes sheet, under INSPECTION: '2. Contractor to be present for first and final inspections. 3. First required inspection shall be for module rack support bases. Module rack support bases shall be installed per manufacturer's installation instructions. 4. Ladder shall be provided and secured to structure for inspection purposes.' Note 1 adds that for modifications to existing PV systems the inspector verifies the existing grounding system, bonding requirements, electrical panel size and overcurrent protection. On the AB 2188 expedited route the City's instruction is simply 'Request a Final Inspection (Use Inspection Codes: 112 and 305)' - two codes on one visit. The general framework sits in IMC 5-9-209 (CBC 110.3.1 through 110.3.11): pre-construction, footing and foundation, concrete slab and under-floor, lowest floor elevation, frame, lath and gypsum board, fire-resistant penetrations, energy efficiency, other inspections at the Building Official's discretion, special inspections per Section 1704, and 'The final inspection shall be made after all work required by the building permit is completed.' Most of that list is inapplicable to a rooftop retrofit; 110.3.9 is the hook for the module-rack-base inspection. 90% · city notes sheet + code excerpt handout
• Is a rough-in or mid-roof inspection required? Yes on the standard route - the City requires a rack-base inspection before the array goes on. Required AB2188 Photovoltaic Notes, INSPECTION note 3: 'First required inspection shall be for module rack support bases. Module rack support bases shall be installed per manufacturer's installation instructions.' The contractor must be present for it (note 2) and a ladder must be provided and secured to the structure (note 4). This is a genuine mid-roof hold point - it exists so the flashings and lag attachments are seen before modules cover them - and it is not something the state code compels. On the AB 2188 expedited route, by contrast, the City directs a single final inspection using codes 112 and 305, with the warning that 'if the inspector finds in your project any discrepancies with the pre-approved options, your permit will be canceled and your project will need to be re-submitted through the standard submission process. No exceptions.' 89% · city notes sheet

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 - Irvine publishes no pass/fail inspection checklist for solar. What it publishes instead, and what an inspector actually works from, is four documents: (1) the Required AB2188 Photovoltaic Notes / RESIDENTIAL PHOTOVOLTAIC GENERAL NOTES, whose 40 numbered notes are the substantive standard and which must be on the approved plans; (2) the eligibility criteria at gis.cityofirvine.org/solarpanel/, which include a Fire Safety Requirements block ('Clear access pathways provided on roofs steeper than 2:12 slope', 'Fire classification of solar system PV module and rail assembly is provided from NRTL', 'All required markings and labels are provided') and reserve the inspector's discretion ('City Inspector has discretion to require field corrections and re-inspections'; 'Inspector may require project to be submitted for standard review process if determined in the field project does not qualify'); (3) the Required Inspections handout, an excerpt of IMC 5-9-209 / CBC 110.3.1-110.3.11; and (4) the Residential Remodel Pre-Construction Checklist, which is a job-site package of contacts, work hours and procedures rather than a technical checklist. The City's Informational Bulletin series was enumerated in full - 90 bulletins from 061 to 328 - and there is no solar or photovoltaic bulletin in it (positive controls in the same index: 061 Reinspection Fee Policy, 195 Electrical Product Approval, 221 Requirements for Permit Issuance, 272 Electric Meter Releases for Residential Dwellings, 279 Plan Review Turnaround Times all present and all retrieved). 87% · bulletin index (absence proved) + department handouts
• What must be on site at inspection? Four things, and missing any of the first two is itself a chargeable offence. (1) A hard copy of the APPROVED PROJECT / approved plans, including the Photovoltaic Notes sheet - the AB 2188 page says 'Have a hard copy of the approved project, inspection card, and field representative present on the day of inspection.' (2) The INSPECTION RECORD CARD / job card - IMC 5-9-205.E (replacing CBC 105.7): 'The building permit or copy and the inspection record card shall be kept on site and maintained available by the permit holder until final approval has been granted by the building official.' The card also carries the 3-digit inspection type codes needed to book. (3) A FIELD REPRESENTATIVE - and specifically, per notes 2 of the PV notes, 'Contractor to be present for first and final inspections.' (4) A LADDER, 'provided and secured to structure for inspection purposes' (note 4). Bulletin 061 makes the point sharply: a reinspection fee may be assessed where 'approved building plans or City job card are not available at the job site', or where 'required certifications or inspection reports from third-party are unavailable', or where 'conditions or other obstacles prevent the inspector from accessing the area to be inspected' - i.e. no ladder. The Pre-Construction package is also to be 'maintained on the job site in a prominent location'. 92% · informational bulletin + ordinance + city notes sheet
• Does the inspector verify labels and listings? Yes - both, and the notes sheet the inspector works from says so. Listings: note 10, 'Listed and labeled equipment shall be installed and used in accordance with any instructions included in the listing or labeling per Art. 110.3(B)'; note 15, 'All equipment used shall be labeled and listed by a nationally recognized testing laboratory (e.g. UL). No field fabrication of components is permitted'; note 16 forbids combining listed components into a new listed component; note 7 requires the UL 1703 fire classification to be Class A. Labels: notes 38, 39 and 40 fix the placards, the 705.10 directory and the rapid-shutdown labelling, and the placard artwork is on the approved plans the inspector holds. Note 1 requires verification of existing grounding, bonding, panel size and OCPD on modifications to existing systems, and note 37 requires field verification that the existing framing depth meets the prescribed lag embedment. The AB 2188 route makes the inspector the compliance gate for the whole pre-approved package: any discrepancy with the chosen option cancels the permit outright. The approved plans must be on site (Bulletin 061 makes their absence a reinspection-fee condition), so the notes travel to the roof with the job. 90% · city notes sheet + informational 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. A residential rooftop PV retrofit does not get a certificate of occupancy - it gets a final inspection approval signed off on the inspection record card / job card. IMC 5-9-209 (CBC 110.3.11): 'The final inspection shall be made after all work required by the building permit is completed.' IMC 5-9-205.E requires the permit and inspection record card to be kept on site 'until final approval has been granted by the building official.' Bulletin 272 draws the distinction explicitly for utility purposes: 'Signatures for final approvals on the job card should only be done when the dwelling and site meet all requirements for occupancy.' The signed final on the job card is the document the installer then uses as evidence of final electric inspection clearance for SCE's PTO. Certificates of occupancy are governed separately by IMC 5-9-210 and are a new-building instrument. (Bulletin 272's early electric-meter release, and the Temporary Utility Release application, apply to new residential construction awaiting occupancy - not to a PV retrofit on an occupied house.) 89% · code excerpt handout + ordinance + informational bulletin
• Who notifies the utility for PTO? The INSTALLER (or customer) - Irvine does not notify SCE. SCE Rule 21 Section D.13.b puts the burden on the applicant: for NBT, NEM-1 and NEM-2 generating facilities of 1 MW or smaller, Permission to Operate 'shall normally be processed not later than thirty (30) Business Days following Distribution Provider's receipt of 1) a completed NBT/Net Energy Metering Interconnection Request including all supporting documents and required payments; 2) a completed signed NBT/Net Energy Metering Generator Interconnection Agreement; and 3) evidence of Applicant's final electric inspection clearance from the Governmental Authority having jurisdiction over the Generating Facility.' If the 30 days cannot be met, SCE must notify the applicant and the Commission with the reason and an expected completion date. So the sequence is: pass the City final, obtain the signed job card, and submit that as the inspection clearance evidence to SCE. Nothing in Irvine's inspection or permit documents commits the City to sending anything to SCE for a retrofit; the one utility-notification procedure the City does operate is Bulletin 272's Temporary Utility Release for early electric meter release on NEW residential construction, which is a different transaction. SCE contacts: Solar Billing Plan / NEM team, Customer.Generation@sce.com, (866) 600-6290; Rule 21 Ombudsman for missed timelines, Rule21.Ombudsman@sce.com. 91% · utility tariff (Rule 21)
• Is there a re-inspection fee? Yes, and Irvine's published figures disagree with each other - worth knowing before you argue one. THE CURRENT FEE SCHEDULE (effective 15 August 2026, CC Res. 24-41): Schedule II item 19, 'RE-INSPECTION FEE (per hour) $199.19'. Schedule V, which is where a solar permit is actually priced, sets its own rule: 'Each permit shall be entitled to one re-inspection without additional charge, in addition to the required number of inspections established by the City of Irvine. On jobs which may be completely inspected on one inspection trip, two inspection trips will be allowed without additional charge for said second trip', with an exception for progress jobs; thereafter 'Additional Inspection Trip: $192.82'. THE BULLETIN: Informational Bulletin 061 'Reinspection Fee Policy' (effective 28 April 2023) says 'Item 20 in Schedule II of the City of Irvine Community Development Fee Schedule prescribes a reinspection fee of $174.24 per inspection' - a different amount, a different item number and a per-inspection rather than per-hour basis. The bulletin has not been revised since 2023 while the fee schedule has. HOW IT IS CHARGED: assessed at the inspector's discretion for calling an inspection where the work is incomplete, the corrective work is incomplete, plans or job card are not on site, third-party certifications are unavailable, the work deviates significantly from the approved plans without prior Plan Check approval, or the inspector cannot access the area. The inspector initiates it, the project point-of-contact gets an email with online payment instructions, 'Reinspection fee payments may not be made in person or over the phone', and 'The ability to schedule inspections for the project will be suspended and all pending inspection requests will be cancelled until applicable reinspection fees have been paid and processed. Reinspection fee processing may take 1-3 business days.' Authority: IMC 5-9-208A and 5-10-128D. 90% · fee schedule + informational bulletin
• How are corrections issued and cleared? Two different mechanisms, one for paper and one for the field. PLAN REVIEW: 'The permit application may be approved after the first review, or the permit applicant will receive a plan check correction list indicating all issues that need to be clarified or corrected before the plan can be processed for permit issuance.' On the counter route you respond and resubmit two revised sets plus the original sets for comparison. Comments from Planning, Public Works, Community and Library Services and OCFA are forwarded separately and 'No permits will be issued until all sections have approved the application.' Additional plan review is chargeable, and from the fourth submittal of a project onward the Chief Building Official may charge $996.80 per review. FIELD: corrections are written on the inspection record card and cleared on a return visit; the first re-inspection (or second trip) is free under Schedule V, after which the Additional Inspection Trip fee applies and scheduling is frozen until it is paid online. Bulletin 061 stresses that 'Inspectors are expected to evaluate each case objectively and reasonably.' POST-ISSUANCE CHANGES go through Bulletin 276: file a revision request describing the scope, submit three sets of revised plans and two sets of revised structural calculations and energy documentation, pay a minimum half-hour plan check at the current hourly rate ($207.56/hr for revisions) with the balance at issuance of the approved revised plan; turnaround averages about 10 working days. Revisions may not increase floor area and cannot be used once the project has been finaled. ESCALATION: 'Most problems can be resolved in the field. However, when an issue arises that requires the attention of a supervisor, it is recommended that the immediate supervisor be contacted first', with the supervisors named on the Pre-Construction Checklist; a formal appeal goes to the Board of Appeals under IMC 5-9-212. 88% · department page + informational bulletins + fee schedule