City of Napa

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 90% · department page + fee schedule
• Is a permit required for a residential rooftop PV system? Yes 95% · department page
• Is there a separate electrical permit, or is it combined? Combined 85% · fee schedule (City Fees and Charges, eff. 02/03/2025)
• Is a HOA or architectural approval required first? No 60% · published checklist (absence)
• Is a wind or windstorm certification required? No / not applicable 65% · published checklist (absence)
• Is a Specific Use Permit or Council approval ever required? No, for a standard residential rooftop system — the City's own Fee Schedule ties the solar permit to CA Gov. Code §65850.5's nondiscretionary-permit mandate, which forecloses a Conditional-Use/Council-approval step for qualifying rooftop systems. 60% · fee schedule / state-law citation

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 92% · department FAQ
• Must the contractor be registered with this authority before applying? Yes 92% · department FAQ
• Is a homeowner permitted to self-install and self-permit? Yes 85% · published 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? Application + 2 full sets of plans (residential; 3 for commercial) containing Title Page, Site Plan, Structural Calculations, Single Line Electrical diagram, Attachment Details, Footing Details (ground-mount), and cut sheets for all equipment; plus a signed copy of the homeowner contract and proof of an active City of Napa business license. Separately, Fire Prevention requires the plans to also carry a symbol legend, sprinkler status, %-of-roof-area occupied by arrays, a labeled project/roof photo, dimensioned pathways and setbacks, egress-window locations, BIPV detail if applicable, and ESS/battery elevation views. 92% · published checklist (PDF)
• How many copies, and in what format? 2 full sets of plans for residential (3 for commercial), minimum 11"x17" sheet size; no stated electronic-upload option since there is no online submittal portal. 88% · department page
• Is a site plan required, and what must it show? Yes — site plan required, minimum 11"x17", must show North arrow, scale, property lines, access/driveways, existing and proposed structures with dimensions/setbacks, floodplain limits if applicable, disturbed-soil area, and utility points of connection. For solar specifically, Fire Prevention additionally requires a project/roof photo and dimensioned roof pathways and setbacks on the same or an accompanying plan sheet. 90% · published checklist (PDF)
• Is a one-line / three-line diagram required? Yes 92% · 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? eTRAKiT — but only for inspection scheduling and (per the Building Division page) NOT for permit submittals. 90% · department page
• Can the whole application be completed online? No 92% · department page
• What does a residential solar permit cost? Residential Solar Photovoltaic Permit & Inspection: fee based on 10 kW tiers, $472 (maximum fee $500) — Building Division, includes minimum electrical permit processing. PLUS a separate Fire Prevention Solar PV plan-check review fee of $85 (maximum $500). Combined worst case is roughly $500–$585 for a typical residential system. 88% · fee schedule (City Fees and Charges, eff. 02/03/2025)
• How is the fee calculated? Tiered 85% · fee schedule
• Is there a separate plan-check fee? Yes 90% · fee schedule (City Fees and Charges, eff. 02/03/2025)

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? Two tracks: 'Express Review' — plans reviewed at the counter in 10–15 minutes for rooftop PV under 10 kW; 'Full Review' — up to 21 business days for first review, up to 14 business days for any resubmittal/secondary review. 92% · department page / FAQ
• Which utility handles interconnection here? PG&E is the distribution utility that handles physical interconnection (meter, AC disconnect, Rule 21/NEM application, Permission-to-Operate). The default electric generation provider (CCA) for City of Napa customers is Marin Clean Energy (MCE) — the City has been an MCE member community since 2016. PG&E remains the wires/interconnection party regardless of MCE enrollment. 85% · utility (CCA) website
• Where does the utility sit in the sequence? Parallel, with a dependency at the final step: the PG&E interconnection application can be filed independent of and in parallel with the City permit, but PG&E's Permission-to-Operate (energization) requires a completed final field inspection and is only issued after all reviews — in practice after the City's building/electrical final. 62% · utility program page

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

• Which NEC edition is in force? 2023 NEC, as incorporated into the 2025 California Electrical Code (part of the City's 2025 California Codes adoption). 65% · department page (dated, internally inconsistent)
• Which building code edition is in force? 2025 California Building Code (per City Municipal Code §15.04.010) — subject to the same Jan-2025-vs-Jan-2026 effective-date conflict noted for q29. 70% · department page
• Which fire code edition is in force? 2025 California Fire Code 88% · department handout (PDF)
• Are there local amendments to any of the above? Yes 80% · department page (citation only)
• What is the installation judged against? The 2025 California Building/Electrical/Fire Codes as locally amended (NMC Title 15), plus the Fire Prevention Division's own 'Solar Plan Submittal Requirements' handout criteria (pathways, setbacks, ESS elevation views, roof-area percentage, egress openings). 80% · department handout (PDF)

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? Dimensioned roof pathways and setbacks must be shown on the plan; the City's own solar handout requires this but does not itself state the numeric values (which come from the adopted 2025 CFC's standard residential PV pathway/setback tables rather than from a Napa-specific amendment). 62% · department handout (PDF)

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

• Is rapid shutdown required, and to which NEC edition? Rapid shutdown is required, governed by NEC 690.12 as adopted in the current CEC cycle (2023 NEC base text carried into the 2025 CEC). 55% · inference from code-cycle adoption

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? At minimum: the NEC 690/705-family placards/labels required by the adopted CEC/CFC (main service disconnect labeling, PV system disconnect, rapid-shutdown label, etc.), PLUS — where an AC disconnect is installed for a line/supply-side tap — PG&E's own required 'engraved placard (signage), indicating there is a line/supply side connection,' installed on the metering equipment. 70% · utility manual (PG&E Greenbook, current rev.)
• Is a site plan / facility map placard required, and what must it show? Yes, effectively — the required roof/site plan sheet must include a labeled project/roof photo, dimensioned pathways and setbacks, percentage of roof occupied by arrays, and (if present) BIPV/ESS elevation details; the City does not separately name this a '705.10 facility placard' but requires the equivalent information on the plan set. 68% · department handout (PDF)
• Does the UTILITY specify placards beyond the AHJ's? Yes — PG&E requires an engraved placard/signage on the metering equipment identifying a line/supply-side tap connection, in addition to whatever the AHJ requires under the adopted NEC. 85% · utility manual (PG&E Greenbook)
• Where must the labels be placed? PG&E's line/supply-side-tap placard must be installed on the metering equipment itself. AHJ-required NEC labels (rapid shutdown, PV disconnect, etc.) go at the disconnecting means/service equipment per the adopted code; no Napa-specific placement handout beyond that was found. 68% · utility manual (PG&E Greenbook)

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? For a typical residential self-contained, socket-based, single-phase meter panel rated 320A or less with an inverter-based (string/micro-inverter) system, PG&E does NOT require a separate AC disconnect. For all other meter-panel configurations (transformer-rated, non-inverter-based, or K-base meters of any rating), an AC disconnect IS required, installed between the meter and the main breaker (ahead of the main breaker for a line/supply-side tap), with an engraved placard on the metering equipment. 85% · utility manual (PG&E Greenbook, current rev.)
• Are batteries permitted, and under what conditions? Yes — batteries/ESS are permitted; the Fire Prevention Division treats them as a distinct reviewed scope requiring 'Details of all ESS/Battery systems including an elevation view' on the plans, and prices a dedicated fee for 'Battery systems' review. 85% · department handout (PDF) + fee schedule
• Is there a separate ESS permit or inspection? Yes — Fire Prevention prices battery systems as their own reviewed/inspected line item ($325, 'Includes 1 inspection'), separate from the Building Division's solar permit inspection. 80% · fee schedule
• Is a ground mount treated as a structure? Yes, effectively — the City's own Solar PV submittal checklist requires 'Footing Details' specifically for 'Ground Mounted Systems,' treating them as a structural/foundation element subject to the same structural-calculation and footing-detail scrutiny as any other structure. 65% · 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 (eTRAKiT online scheduling) or Phone (automated line 707-257-1063, or calling Permit Techs at 707-257-9540). 92% · department page
• How much notice is required? At least 24 hours' notice (can also be scheduled further ahead). 90% · department page
• Are same-day or AM/PM windows offered? Yes — AM window 8am–12pm or PM window 12–4pm; no same-day or narrower window, and inspectors carry no City cell phone so cannot call ahead. 92% · 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 88% · department page
• If delegated, to whom? Not delegated — held internally between the City's own Building Division (building/electrical final) and its own Fire Department/Fire Prevention Division (fire-code-driven scope). No third-party or county inspection agency involved for standard residential PV. 85% · department page

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

• Which inspections are required, and in what order? Based on the City's published inspection-code list, the electrical-scope inspections relevant to a rooftop PV/battery job are: 203 Underground Electric (if trenching), 220 Under Floor Electric (if applicable), 240 Rough Electric, 280 Electric Service/Release, then 999 Final Building. Fire Prevention's own solar/battery review runs in parallel and is cleared before the Building Final per the Inspections page note ('All applicable finals to be approved prior to Building Final'). 72% · department page

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, in the form of pre-inspection prep handouts (e.g. 'Main Panel Upgrade Inspection Prep,' itemizing exactly what the inspector checks for panel work) and the Fire Prevention 'Solar Plan Submittal Requirements' handout for the plan-review stage; there is no single document titled a 'solar final inspection checklist.' 72% · published checklist (PDF)
• What must be on site at inspection? The issued permit, the job card, and the approved/stamped set of plans must all be posted or available on-site in an easily visible location for the inspector's use. 90% · department FAQ

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 signed-off job card/'999 Final Building' inspection); this is a permit-final rather than a separate Certificate of Occupancy for a retrofit solar installation on an existing single-family home. 75% · department page
• Who notifies the utility for PTO? Installer (in practice) — PG&E's own solar-getting-started process describes the customer's contractor as the party that 'will install and help you connect your system to PG&E's grid' and manages the interconnection application on the customer's behalf. 55% · utility program page
• Is there a re-inspection fee? Full Cost, billed per hour (no flat dollar figure published). 85% · fee schedule