City of Martinez

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 90% · adopting ordinance
• What does this authority permit itself, and what does it delegate? Both 82% · authority's own page + adopting ordinance
• Is a permit required for a residential rooftop PV system? Yes 97% · adopting ordinance
• Is there a separate electrical permit, or is it combined? Combined 65% · permit application form
• Is a HOA or architectural approval required first? No 90% · adopting ordinance
• Is there a historic-district review? Yes, conditionally. The City's Downtown Historic Overlay District (MMC Ch. 22.27) requires the City's standard Design Review process (MMC Ch. 22.34) plus referral to the Martinez Historic Society for 'substantial modification' or demolition of buildings individually listed on the National/State Register, and for 'substantial modification or demolition of other structures, or new construction' generally within the Downtown Core and Civic Districts. Outside that overlay, no historic-review trigger was found for rooftop PV. 78% · codified ordinance
• Is a Specific Use Permit or Council approval ever required? Yes, conditionally. MMC 15.09.060(B)-(D): the Building Official may require a use permit if there is 'substantial evidence' the system 'could have a specific, adverse impact upon the public health and safety'; a denial must be in writing with findings, and decisions are appealable to the Planning Commission. Separately, Downtown Historic Overlay projects go through the City's standard Design Review process (Ch. 22.34). 85% · adopting ordinance
• Is there a system-size cap on residential generation? 10 kW AC nameplate (or 30 kW thermal) is the threshold defining a 'small residential rooftop solar energy system' eligible for the City's ministerial/expedited permitting track (MMC 15.09.010.B.1). This is the 2014 AB 2188 threshold; it has not been updated to SB 379's 38.4 kW AC ceiling under Gov. Code §65850.52. Systems above this size are not barred outright but fall outside the streamlined ordinance's guaranteed same-day/expedited process. 88% · adopting 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 60% · adopting ordinance + permit application form
• Must the contractor be registered with this authority before applying? Yes 65% · authority's own page
• Is a homeowner permitted to self-install and self-permit? Yes 55% · permit application form

Almost everywhere wants a site plan, a one-line or three-line electrical diagram, equipment cut sheets with listings, and a structural attachment detail. Build it against the published checklist rather than the last jurisdiction you worked in — the checklist is what the reviewer marks against.

• What documents make up a complete submittal? Two tracks: (1) SolarAPP+ electronic design submission for eligible single/duplex-family roof-mounted retrofit PV (auto-reviewed, plans downloaded from the portal); (2) over-the-counter/email submittal for ineligible or non-SolarAPP+ projects, governed by a City-published 'Checklist for Applications not using Solar APP+' (linked from the Solar Permits page). The checklist's own itemized document list could not be retrieved (see not_found). 55% · authority's own page
• Is a site plan required, and what must it show? A site plan/description of system placement is required: Con Fire's own PV plan-review intake ('Photovoltaic Notification Form', ENG 026) asks applicants to describe 'Placement of system on structure/property (i.e. West roof, on carport, alongside rear fence...) be as specific as possible.' The City-side checklist that would define the building-permit site-plan content specifically (doc 5335) was unreachable. 55% · AHJ intake form

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 (aca-prod.accela.com/martinez) for general building permits; SolarAPP+ (solarapp.nrel.gov-based portal) for SolarAPP+-eligible residential PV specifically. 92% · authority's own page
• Can the whole application be completed online? Yes, for SolarAPP+-eligible residential PV (single/duplex-family, roof-mounted, meets Eligibility Checklist). Other permit types, including non-eligible solar, must be submitted in person to avoid delay. 92% · authority's own page
• How is the fee calculated? Likely valuation-based for the City building-permit component (the generic Building Permit Application has a 'PROJECT VALUATION' field feeding the fee grid) plus a separate flat SolarAPP+ processing fee for SolarAPP+ submissions ('A processing fee from SolarAPP+ and City of Martinez permit fees will be charged'). The underlying Fee Schedule PDF could not be retrieved to confirm. 45% · authority's own page + permit application form
• Is there a separate plan-check fee? Yes 65% · permit application form

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+ path: within 72 hours, 'generally less than 24 hours' (City's own words). Non-SolarAPP+/manual path: same-day for over-the-counter applications, or within 3 business days for electronic applications, per MMC 15.09.060(B). 90% · authority's own page + adopting ordinance
• How long is an issued permit valid before it expires? 180 days 80% · permit application form
• Which utility handles interconnection here? PG&E (Pacific Gas & Electric) -- owns the wires, handles interconnection, PTO and billing infrastructure. MCE (Marin Clean Energy) is the default CCA electricity provider/generation-cost supplier for Martinez customers since April 2018; MCE does not perform interconnection. 95% · authority's own page
• Where does the utility sit in the sequence? Parallel/after permit -- City final building/electrical inspection is required before utility Permission to Operate (PTO) is granted, per PG&E's own interconnection tariff (Rule 21, §D.13.b conditions PTO on the AHJ's final-inspection clearance). 70% · utility DG manual / tariff

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

• Which NEC edition is in force? 2023 97% · adopting ordinance
• Which building code edition is in force? 2025 California Building Code (Title 24, Part 2), incorporating the 2024 IBC, effective per the City's own Permit Center page from 1 Jan 2026 for all projects requiring a building permit. 97% · adopting ordinance
• Which fire code edition is in force? 2025 California Fire Code (Title 24, Part 9, based on the 2024 IFC), as amended by Contra Costa County FPD Ordinance No. 2025-14. 92% · adopting ordinance
• Are there local amendments to any of the above? Yes 85% · adopting ordinance
• What is the installation judged against? 2025 CEC (2023 NEC) for electrical work; 2025 CBC/CRC for structural attachment; 2025 CFC Chapter 1205 (via Con Fire's own PV plan-review form, which cites CFC 1205.2.4, 1205.3.1-.4, 1205.5.1) for fire pathways, ventilation and rapid-shutdown labeling; MMC 15.09.040 additionally requires conformance to CEC, IEEE, UL/accredited-lab listing and, where applicable, CPUC safety/reliability rules. 88% · adopting ordinance + AHJ intake form

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? Con Fire's own PV plan-review form requires: for Group R-3 (single-family), at least two 36-inch-wide pathways on separate roof planes from lowest edge to highest ridge, at least one on the street/driveway side (CFC 1205.2.1.1); interior pathways at 150-ft intervals, 4-ft clearances around skylights/hatches/standpipes (CFC 1205.3.2); smoke-ventilation pathways bordering vents/skylights (CFC 1205.3.3); DC conductors routed close to ridge/hip/valley toward an outside wall (CFC 1205.2.4/1205.3.4). 88% · AHJ plan-review form

Which rapid-shutdown rule applies follows directly from the NEC edition in force, and the initiation device has to be at a location the fire service can reach and identify. This is inspected, and it is labelled.

• Is rapid shutdown required, and to which NEC edition? Yes, per NEC 690.12 as adopted through the 2023 NEC/2025 CEC (MMC 15.24.010); reinforced locally by Con Fire's CFC 1205.5.1 rapid-shutdown placard requirement (buildings with rapid-shutdown PV systems must display a permanent label reading 'SOLAR PV SYSTEM EQUIPPED WITH RAPID SHUTDOWN. TURN RAPID SHUTDOWN SWITCH TO THE "OFF" POSITION...'). 82% · adopting ordinance + AHJ plan-review form

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? DC wiring/raceway markings ('WARNING: PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER SOURCE'); a rapid-shutdown placard where applicable; and the general PV Notification/plan-review paperwork Con Fire uses to brief dispatch. 85% · AHJ plan-review form
• Does the authority specify placard wording of its own? Yes 88% · AHJ plan-review form
• Does it specify letter height, colour or material? DC wiring/raceway markings: weather-resistant reflective material, minimum 3/8-inch letters, white on red background. Rapid-shutdown label: first two lines in uppercase, minimum 3/8-inch height, black text on yellow background. 88% · AHJ plan-review form
• Is a site plan / facility map placard required, and what must it show? A narrative site plan is required describing exactly where the system sits on the structure/property (Con Fire's Photovoltaic Notification Form asks applicants to be 'as specific as possible,' e.g. 'West roof, on carport, alongside rear fence'). No separate dedicated facility-map placard spec (of the kind LA County Fire publishes) was located for Martinez/Con Fire. 55% · AHJ intake form
• Does the UTILITY specify placards beyond the AHJ's? Yes, at the statewide-tariff level: PG&E's Rule 21 requires the visible interconnection/PV disconnect to carry open/closed position markings, and gates Permission to Operate on the AHJ's final-inspection clearance. 65% · utility DG manual / tariff
• Where must the labels be placed? DC wiring markings at: exposed raceways/cable trays/other wiring methods; covers/enclosures of pull and junction boxes; conduit bodies with unused openings; every section of wiring separated by enclosures/walls/partitions/ceilings/floors; every 10 feet; and at all DC combiner and junction boxes. 85% · AHJ plan-review form

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

• Must equipment be on a specific approved list? Yes, implicitly. 78% · adopting ordinance
• Are batteries permitted, and under what conditions? Batteries/ESS are permitted but are handled outside the ministerial small-rooftop-solar track (MMC Ch. 15.09 covers PV and solar water heating only, not batteries). Con Fire treats 'Battery Systems/Energy Storage' as its own fee/plan-review category with a minimum fee plus a separate UL9540A review fee. 78% · fee schedule
• Is there a separate ESS permit or inspection? Yes 85% · fee schedule
• Is a ground mount treated as a structure? Yes, by inference. 60% · codified ordinance (inference)
• Is there a local rule on service upgrades or busbar sizing? No local amendment found. 75% · adopting ordinance

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

• How is an inspection booked? Phone 92% · authority's own page
• How much notice is required? General building inspections: by 4:00 p.m. the day before the requested inspection (1 business day). Solar-specific (MMC 15.09.060(J)): 'An inspection will be scheduled within 2 business days of a request.' 85% · authority's own page + adopting ordinance
• Are same-day or AM/PM windows offered? Yes -- morning (9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.) or afternoon (1:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.) windows are offered; MMC 15.09.060(J) additionally requires the solar-specific inspection to be scheduled with a 2-hour window. 90% · authority's own page + adopting ordinance

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 82% · authority's own page
• If delegated, to whom? Contra Costa County Fire Protection District (Con Fire) -- for the fire-code-specific portion only (pathways, placards, rapid-shutdown labeling, ESS). 88% · adopting ordinance

A rough-in or mid-roof inspection, where one is required, has to happen before the work it covers is closed up. Missing a stage means opening something back up, and it is the most expensive kind of correction.

• Which inspections are required, and in what order? For expedited/ministerial-eligible small residential rooftop PV: only ONE City building/electrical inspection is required (MMC 15.09.060(I)), plus a possible separate Con Fire fire inspection. Con Fire's own PV Application form instructs the applicant to call and schedule the fire final directly with Con Fire (925-941-3300 ext. 3902, min. 2 working days' notice) after plan approval. 85% · adopting ordinance + AHJ plan-review form
• Is a rough-in or mid-roof inspection required? No 75% · adopting ordinance

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

• Is there a published inspection checklist? Yes, at least on the fire side. 68% · AHJ plan-review form
• Does the inspector verify labels and listings? Yes, implicitly. 70% · AHJ plan-review form

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 60% · inference from AHJ plan-review form + standard practice
• Who notifies the utility for PTO? Installer (inferred) 50% · inference from utility tariff
• How are corrections issued and cleared? A written correction notice detailing all deficiencies and any additional required information/documentation is sent to the applicant for resubmission. 82% · adopting ordinance