City of Menlo Park

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

• Is this authority the AHJ for residential solar at this address? Yes 95% · department page
• What does this authority permit itself, and what does it delegate? Both 88% · department page
• Is a permit required for a residential rooftop PV system? Yes 95% · municipal code
• Is there a separate electrical permit, or is it combined? Combined 75% · department page
• Is a HOA or architectural approval required first? No 90% · municipal code
• Is there a historic-district review? Yes, but only for properties within the designated 'H' Historic Site District or a City-designated landmark site (MMC Ch. 16.54); not a citywide requirement. 80% · zoning code
• Is a Specific Use Permit or Council approval ever required? Yes, conditionally -- the Planning Division may require a use permit if it finds, based on substantial evidence, that the solar system could have a 'specific, adverse impact' on public health and safety; the Building Official may then deny the use permit only on written findings of such impact with no feasible mitigation. 90% · municipal code
• Is there a system-size cap on residential generation? Two different caps found: (1) the codified 'small residential rooftop solar energy system' definition in MMC Sec. 12.22.020(b)(1) is capped at 10 kW AC nameplate / 30 kW thermal (the AB 2188-era figure, unchanged since 2016); (2) the City's live PRT/SolarAPP+ automated-issuance eligibility page caps eligible systems at 38.4 kW AC or less. These are two different thresholds for two different purposes (statutory 'small system' definition vs. real-time issuance eligibility) and neither has been reconciled with the other in the published material. 88% · municipal code + department page

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? Licensed electrician / Either 65% · department page
• Must the contractor be registered with this authority before applying? Yes 85% · municipal code
• Is a homeowner permitted to self-install and self-permit? No (for the expedited PRT/SolarAPP+ path) 55% · department page

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? Site plan (ESS/disconnect/grounding locations), roof plan (plumbing vents), roof section(s), installation details, electrical one-line (wire sizes, existing bus capacity, main disconnect), PV labeling plan, Building Permit Application form, structural calculations, electrical load calculations, all product specifications, and (if MPFPD review is required) the MPFPD approval letter. 92% · checklist
• How many copies, and in what format? Electronic/digital submission only, via the Accela Citizen Access (ACA) portal 75% · department page
• Is a site plan required, and what must it show? Yes -- must show ESS location, dedicated ESS disconnect location, and grounding system location. 90% · checklist
• Is a one-line / three-line diagram required? Yes 92% · checklist
• Are string and conductor calculations required? Yes 88% · checklist
• Is a structural PE stamp required, and at what threshold? Structural calculations are required whenever PV roof-attachment standoff spacing exceeds 72 inches, or whenever roof-framing modifications are proposed; plans generally must carry the seal of a licensed architect or designer (the City's page cites MMC 12.22.050 and Bus. & Prof. Code Sec. 5536.1, though the currently codified text of MMC 12.22.050 itself does not contain this language -- see note). 72% · department page

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); SolarAPP+ is used as the front-end 'Processor' for PRT-eligible residential PV. 95% · portal landing page
• Can the whole application be completed online? Yes, for PRT-eligible residential PV (existing single-family, roof-mounted, new PV only, no battery/EV charger, <=38.4 kW, <=400A service, 225A disconnect/busbar, CA-licensed contractor). Batteries and EV chargers are excluded from real-time issuance and must use the standard review path. 92% · department page
• What does a residential solar permit cost? Fee schedule reads "State Limit" for both the plan-check and permit fee on "Photovoltaic System - Residential" -- i.e., capped by state law rather than set by the City as a flat dollar figure. 85% · fee schedule
• How is the fee calculated? Tiered 60% · fee schedule
• Is there a separate plan-check fee? Yes 88% · fee schedule

Interconnection is a separate process from the permit and usually the longer pole. Where the utility does not depend on the permit being issued, running both at once is the single biggest saving available on a residential job.

• What is the stated plan-review turnaround? Real-time for the automated PRT/SolarAPP+ path; for a non-expedited application, MMC Sec. 12.22.060 sets a statutory 45-day deemed-approved clock (unless denied in writing or a reasonable information request is pending), and the Building Division was required to stand up its expedited review process within 30 days of the ordinance's effective date. 80% · municipal code
• How long is an issued permit valid before it expires? Not locally amended -- defaults to the adopted 2025 CBC's standard permit-expiration provision (commonly 180 days). 60% · municipal code
• Which utility handles interconnection here? PG&E (Pacific Gas & Electric) 60% · department directory (inference)
• Where does the utility sit in the sequence? After permit -- PG&E Permission to Operate (PTO) is expressly gated on the AHJ's final-inspection clearance. 78% · utility tariff

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

• Which NEC edition is in force? 2023 NEC (as incorporated into the 2025 California Electrical Code) 90% · adopting ordinance
• Which building code edition is in force? 2025 California Building Code and 2025 California Residential Code 95% · adopting ordinance
• Which fire code edition is in force? 2025 California Fire Code, based on the 2024 International Fire Code 90% · adopting ordinance (image-only PDF, OCR'd)
• Are there local amendments to any of the above? Yes. Local amendments exist to the Building, Residential, Plumbing (Sec. 808.2, single-pass cooling-water ban), Energy (Sec. 12.16.010, an 'Energy Efficient Measures and Electrification' menu for projects with >=$100,000 valuation), and CALGreen codes. By contrast, MMC Ch. 12.10 (Electrical Code Amendments) and Ch. 12.12 (Mechanical Code Amendments) are both explicitly marked '(Reserved)' -- i.e. no local amendments to the CEC or Mechanical Code at all. Notably, Ord. 1124 (8/26/2025) added Energy Code sections 12.16.030 and 12.16.040 -- BEFORE AB 130's 1 Oct 2025 freeze on more-restrictive residential amendments -- and those sections were then repealed by Ord. 1127 (11/4/2025), AFTER the freeze began. The currently codified Ch. 12.16 no longer contains whatever those repealed sections said, so I cannot characterize their content (they may have been an all-electric/gas-restriction provision consistent with Menlo Park's known reach-code history); the repeal itself, occurring after the freeze started, is a relaxation and AB 130 only restricts adopting MORE restrictive standards, so it does not appear to conflict with AB 130 on its face, but I could not find a BSC filing record confirming this reading. 82% · municipal code (editor's note)
• What is the installation judged against? 2025 CRC Secs. R301.4-R301.8 (roof loads/attachment), 2025 CEC Secs. 690.12 (rapid shutdown), 690.15(A) (disconnect location), 690.31(D)(2) (labeling), and the 2025 CFC as adopted by MPFPD Ordinance 60-2026 for fire-related work. 85% · department page

Ridge setbacks and roof access pathways are fire-service requirements and they constrain the array layout. They are the most common cause of a redesign after the fire department comments on a plan set.

• What ridge setback and access pathways are required? Not locally amended -- governed by the unamended 2025 CFC rooftop-access-pathway/setback provisions as adopted by MPFPD Ordinance 60-2026. I OCR'd all 22 pages of that ordinance's local-amendment sections and found only sprinkler-system and occupancy-classification changes (e.g., a fire-sprinkler exception for independent solar carports); no modification to the CFC's own rooftop PV pathway/setback table was found. 55% · adopting ordinance (image-only PDF, OCR'd)

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 -- rapid shutdown is required per CEC 690.12 (2025 CEC / 2023 NEC basis), or the applicant must justify why it does not apply. 92% · department page

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? A PV-system label at the service equipment per CEC 690.31(D)(2), plus PV and ESS disconnect labeling per CEC 690.15(A)/705; the City's page does not separately name a distinct city-specific 'placard' beyond these CEC-cross-referenced labels. 75% · department page
• Does the authority specify placard wording of its own? No -- the City does not publish its own custom placard wording; it cross-references the CEC's generic marking requirement (CEC 690.31(D)(2)) rather than specifying exact text. 70% · department page
• Does it specify letter height, colour or material? Yes -- minimum 3/8-inch height, all capital letters, white text on a red background, using reflective material suitable for the installation environment. 92% · department page
• Does the UTILITY specify placards beyond the AHJ's? Yes -- PG&E's Electric Rule 21 tariff requires that the visible interconnection/point-of-common-coupling disconnect carry markings or signage that clearly indicate its open and closed positions, on top of whatever the AHJ requires. 75% · utility tariff
• Where must the labels be placed? At the service equipment/disconnects: the PV/ESS disconnect must be readily accessible, located either within the equipment or within sight and within 10 feet of it (CEC 690.15(A)); the ESS disconnect specifically must be located outside the dwelling (even if the ESS itself is inside a garage) so emergency responders can access it; the City states a POLICY preference (not a hard requirement) that the PV disconnect be independent of the main service disconnect. 88% · department page

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? Per CEC 690.15(A): the disconnect must be readily accessible, located either within the equipment or within sight and within 10 feet of the point-of-connection equipment; the City states a policy PREFERENCE (not mandatory) that the PV disconnect be independent of the main service disconnect. The finer PG&E meter-clearance specification (Greenbook doc TD-2306M) sits behind PG&E's gated Greenbook portal and could not be checked in this run. 78% · department page
• Must equipment be on a specific approved list? No dedicated City-approved equipment list found; the City requires manufacturer specifications for all proposed equipment and, for ESS units stacked or spaced under 3 feet, a UL 9540 listing plus a UL 9540A test report for AHJ review -- i.e. listing/testing standards rather than a pre-approved product list. 75% · department page
• Are batteries permitted, and under what conditions? Yes, with conditions: a heat detector is required at the ESS location; if units are stacked or separated by less than 3 feet, the ESS must be UL 9540-listed with a UL 9540A test report supplied for AHJ review; the ESS disconnect must be within 10 feet of, and within sight of, the unit (CEC 690.15(A)) and must be located OUTSIDE the dwelling even if the ESS is installed in a garage; wall-mounted ESS requires structural verification of stud sizing/spacing (or manufacturer installation guidance) per CRC R301.4-R301.8; and any building machinery/equipment (including ESS) must sit above the Design Flood Elevation in flood-prone parcels. 90% · department page
• Is there a separate ESS permit or inspection? Yes -- ESS is explicitly excluded from the automated PRT/SolarAPP+ real-time issuance path and must go through the standard (non-expedited) building permit process; the City's electrical fee schedule also carries a distinct 'Battery Storage' line item ($229.45 plan check / $319.84 permit) separate from the PV line items. 85% · department page + fee schedule
• Is a ground mount treated as a structure? Yes, by inference -- there is no PV-specific ground-mount ordinance, but MMC Sec. 12.32.010's general definition of 'Structure' ('that which is built or constructed... or any piece of work artificially built up or composed of parts joined together in some definite manner') is broad enough to capture a ground-mounted PV array, and Title 16 (Zoning) contains ground-mount provisions only for satellite-dish antennae and ground-mounted mechanical equipment, with no PV carve-out either way. 55% · zoning code
• Is there a local rule on service upgrades or busbar sizing? No local ordinance amendment on busbar sizing/service upgrades -- MMC Ch. 12.10 (California Electrical Code Amendments) is explicitly '(Reserved),' meaning the City has made zero local amendments to the CEC. The 400A-service/225A-disconnect/225A-busbar figures on the PRT page are ELIGIBILITY criteria for the automated real-time path, not a universal local busbar rule that applies to every PV permit. 85% · municipal code
• Is a specific mounting system or attachment spacing required? Yes -- structural calculations are required for PV roof-attachment standoff spacing wider than 72 inches (dead/point/wind loads), plus a connection detail of the standoff to existing roof framing and verification the roof can carry the loads per CRC R301.4-R301.8. 90% · department page

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 90% · department page
• Are same-day or AM/PM windows offered? Yes via the ACA portal, which lets the requester choose a morning/afternoon window; the mobile app allows scheduling by day only, with no AM/PM selection. Next-day inspections are not guaranteed. 88% · department page

Some authorities inspect their own solar work; some delegate it, and a few do not inspect the PV equipment itself at all. Who is coming determines what they will look at.

• Does this AHJ perform its own final solar inspection? Yes, for the building/electrical scope -- the Building Division performs the single required PV inspection itself; fire-related work is separately inspected by MPFPD (see jurisdiction block), so this is best read as 'Yes' for the City's own scope and 'Delegated' for the fire-code scope. 85% · municipal code
• If delegated, to whom? Menlo Park Fire Protection District (fire-code-related work only) 90% · municipal code

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? MPFPD fire approval (where required) must be obtained and its approval letter uploaded to ACA BEFORE the City will issue the building permit; after issuance, a single combined building/electrical final inspection is performed by the Building Division, with a follow-up/subsequent inspection authorized only if the first fails. 85% · department page + municipal code
• Is a rough-in or mid-roof inspection required? No 90% · municipal code

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, for the PRT/SolarAPP+ path -- the SolarAPP+ processor generates a downloadable 'inspection checklist' alongside the approval certificate, which must be uploaded into ACA. No separately published City inspection checklist was found for the standard (non-PRT) path. 75% · department page
• What must be on site at inspection? General policy: any inspection-relevant document (special inspection reports, structural observation letters, etc.) that is subject to field verification must be available on site -- either electronic or hard copy -- at the time of inspection, per the Building Inspector's direction for the specific permit. No PV-specific 'must have X on site' list was found; this is the City's general inspection-documents policy. 60% · department page

Passing gives you a final or an equivalent sign-off. That is not the same as permission to operate: PTO comes from the utility, and who tells the utility the inspection passed varies. A system left switched off for weeks is usually waiting on this handover.

• Who notifies the utility for PTO? Installer (applicant submits proof of AHJ final-inspection clearance to PG&E to obtain Permission to Operate) 60% · utility tariff
• Is there a re-inspection fee? $144.25 for the first half hour (and $144.25 for each additional half hour) 88% · fee schedule
• How are corrections issued and cleared? A written correction notice detailing all deficiencies and any additional information/documentation needed is sent to the applicant for resubmission; for a failed field inspection, a follow-up/subsequent inspection is authorized once corrections are made. 85% · municipal code