City of Newman

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% · ordinance
• What does this authority permit itself, and what does it delegate? Both 90% · department page + ordinance
• Is a permit required for a residential rooftop PV system? Yes 95% · published bulletin (PDF)
• Is there a separate electrical permit, or is it combined? Combined 85% · published bulletin + fee schedule
• Is a HOA or architectural approval required first? No, for a system eligible for the streamlined/instant path 88% · published bulletin (PDF) + zoning ordinance
• Is there a historic-district review? No, for a typical residential address 80% · ordinance
• Is a wind or windstorm certification required? No 75% · ordinance (absence checked)
• Is a Specific Use Permit or Council approval ever required? Only for a system that falls OUTSIDE the codified 'small residential rooftop solar' definition (i.e., over 10 kW AC / 30 kW thermal, not on a single- or duplex-family dwelling, or exceeding the maximum legal building height) -- such a system loses the streamlined path under NCC §4.23.020 and would instead go through Newman's standard Architectural and Site Plan Review process (NCC §5.25.040) rather than the AB 2188 expedited process. No zoning district's conditional-use table names solar energy systems specifically, so no dedicated Conditional Use Permit / Council-approval category for solar was found. 60% · ordinance (inference)
• Is there a system-size cap on residential generation? No hard ceiling on residential generation; the codified expedited-permitting definition of a 'small residential rooftop solar energy system' (which gets the one-inspection, no-planning-review streamlined path) is capped at 10 kW AC nameplate (or 30 kW thermal), must be on a single- or duplex-family dwelling, and must not exceed the maximum legal building height. Systems above that threshold remain permittable but fall out of the streamlined ordinance into standard review. 88% · 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 55% · published policy form (PV re-roof context only) + owner-builder form
• Must the contractor be registered with this authority before applying? Yes 70% · published permit application (PDF)
• Is a homeowner permitted to self-install and self-permit? Yes, with a caveat 55% · published owner-builder form (state-mandated)

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? Per the city's own Submittal Requirements Bulletin: (a) completed permit application form; (b) the Eligibility Checklist for Streamlined Solar, completed and demonstrating compliance; (c) a completed Standard Electrical Plan (or, if not using the standard plan, a custom electrical plan showing main-service/disconnect location, module/string counts, inverter/combiner make & model, one-line diagram, grounding/bonding and conductor/conduit sizing, equipment cut sheets, CEC 690/705 labeling, and a site diagram with north arrow, lot dimensions and setbacks to adjacent structures); (d) a roof plan showing panel layout plus fire-safety items (roof access point, code-compliant access pathways, PV fire classification, and label locations); (e) completed expedited Structural Criteria documentation (or, for non-qualifying systems, PE/SE-stamped structural drawings and calculations). 95% · published bulletin (PDF)
• How many copies, and in what format? Submittal is accepted in person at City Hall (938 Fresno St.), or electronically by email (buildingdepartment@cityofnewman.com) or fax ((209) 862-3199); the bulletin does not state a required number of paper copies. 70% · published bulletin (PDF)
• Is a site plan required, and what must it show? Yes - a site diagram is required showing the arrangement of panels on the roof or ground, a north arrow, lot dimensions, and the distance from property lines to adjacent buildings/structures (existing and proposed). 95% · published bulletin (PDF)
• Is a one-line / three-line diagram required? Yes 95% · published bulletin (PDF)
• Are string and conductor calculations required? Yes 90% · published checklist + standard plan
• Is a structural PE stamp required, and at what threshold? No PE/SE stamp is required if a FLUSH-MOUNTED roof array passes every item on the city's Structural Criteria checklist (single roof covering with no reroof overlay; sound roof structure; modules parallel to and 2-10 in. above the roof plane; no overhang of ridges/hips/gables/eaves; weight ≤4 psf for PV / ≤5 psf for solar-thermal; array covers no more than half the roof area; anchor spacing within Table 1 limits for the measured roof slope and rafter spacing; anchor fasteners meeting the 5/16 in. lag-screw/2.5 in.-embedment default or the manufacturer's tested spec). If ANY item is checked 'No' (including any non-flush-mounted or ground-mounted array), the applicant must submit 'project-specific drawings and calculations stamped and signed by a California-licensed Civil or Structural Engineer.' 80% · published structural criteria (PDF, generic statewide template, still linked as current)

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? Symbium (branded on the city's site as 'Instant Residential Solar and Battery Storage Permits'), for solar/battery-storage permitting specifically. General (non-solar) building permits are handled in person or by email/fax rather than through a named online portal. 92% · department page
• Can the whole application be completed online? Yes, for systems that qualify under Symbium's automated review 85% · department page
• What does a residential solar permit cost? Roof-Mount PV System: $371.75 for up to 2 inverters (including microinverters), $516.75 for 3-5 inverters, $806.75 for 6+ inverters. Each figure already includes a $37.00 x .25 processing charge plus $145.00/hr x (2.5 / 3.5 / 5.5 hrs respectively) of combined inspection-and-plan-check time. Figures do not include state fees or a main electrical service upgrade (billed separately per the Electrical Panel change-out lines). 92% · published fee schedule (PDF)
• How is the fee calculated? Tiered 85% · published fee schedule (PDF)
• Is there a separate plan-check fee? No 75% · published fee schedule (PDF)

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 speeds depending on path: (1) Instant/automated via the city's Symbium 'Instant Residential Solar and Battery Storage Permit' portal for systems that pass Symbium's automated compliance check -- issued 'without manual review or an in-person visit'; (2) for the manual/paper Streamlined-Solar path (and any system Symbium routes to manual review), the Building FAQ's general rule applies: projects requiring plan review 'typically take 10 days from each reviewing department.' 65% · department page (Symbium) + FAQ page
• How long is an issued permit valid before it expires? 12 months (365 days) from the date of issuance. 90% · department FAQ page
• Which utility handles interconnection here? Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) 60% · secondary source (geographic inference)

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

• Which NEC edition is in force? 2023 95% · adopting ordinance
• Which building code edition is in force? 2025 California Building Code (Title 24 Part 2, based on the 2024 IBC) and 2025 California Residential Code (Title 24 Part 2.5, based on the 2024 IRC). 95% · adopting ordinance
• Which fire code edition is in force? 2025 California Fire Code (published by ICC), adopted by Ord. 2025-4 effective 10-14-2025; the city also separately adopted the 2025 California Wildland-Urban Interface Code (Title 24 Part 7) by Ord. 2025-3, 2025. 95% · adopting ordinance
• Are there local amendments to any of the above? Yes 95% · ordinance
• What is the installation judged against? 2025 CEC Articles 690/705 (based on 2023 NEC, unamended for PV in Newman's own Electrical Code chapter), 2025 CBC/CRC (structural), and the unamended 2025 CFC (fire/life-safety pathways per CFC 605.11 -- no local PV-specific fire amendment exists), together with the city's own NCC Ch. 4.23 Small Residential Rooftop Solar ordinance and its linked Eligibility Checklist / PV Standard Plans / Structural Criteria documents. 88% · ordinance + published guidance

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? For roof-mounted PV (per the city's Eligibility Checklist Fire Safety Requirements, mirroring standard CFC 605.11 pathway rules): 3 ft-wide access pathways from eave to ridge on hip roofs (panels >=18in from a hip/valley if arrays sit on both sides); 3 ft-wide pathways between multiple arrays; a minimum 3 ft clear space between the ridge and the panels for smoke ventilation; and no conductors within that 3 ft ridge zone closer than 12in to the roof sheathing. 85% · published checklist (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? Yes, via NEC Article 690.12 as incorporated by the unamended 2025 CEC (2023 NEC base) -- but Newman's OWN solar guidance documents never mention it. 70% · adopting ordinance (rapid shutdown itself not locally documented)

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? Per the city's own PV Standard Plan (Simplified, Central/String Inverter): a 'WARNING - INVERTER OUTPUT CONNECTION; DO NOT RELOCATE THIS OVERCURRENT DEVICE' placard (CEC 705.12(D)(7)); a 'WARNING - DUAL POWER SOURCES / SECOND SOURCE IS PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEM' plaque at the PV system AC disconnect showing rated AC output current and normal operating voltage (CEC 690.54 & 705.12(D)(4)); a 'WARNING ELECTRIC SHOCK HAZARD... UNGROUNDED' label for ungrounded systems (CEC 690.35(F)); a 'WARNING: PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER SOURCE' marking on junction/combiner boxes and on conduit every 10 ft (CRC R331.2 / CFC 605.11.1); a PV SYSTEM DC DISCONNECT rating plaque (CEC 690.53); and a permanent power-source plaque/directory at the main service (CEC 705.12). 88% · published standard plan (PDF)
• Does the authority specify placard wording of its own? Yes 85% · published standard plan (PDF)
• Does it specify letter height, colour or material? Partially -- material and a suggested minimum size, not a mandated colour: '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 (3/8in) should be considered the minimum,' with a reference to ANSI Z535.4 for safety-sign/label design guidelines. 82% · published standard plan (PDF)
• Is a site plan / facility map placard required, and what must it show? Yes -- the PV Standard Plan states: 'CEC 705.12 requires a permanent plaque or directory denoting all electric power sources on or in the premises,' shown as a required marking at the main service equipment. 60% · published standard plan (PDF)
• Where must the labels be placed? At the PV system's DC disconnect(s), AC disconnect, inverter, junction/combiner boxes, and along exposed conduit runs (marked at intervals not exceeding 10 ft), plus a permanent power-source plaque/directory at the main service equipment. 85% · published standard plan (PDF)

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 90% · published standard plan + bulletin
• Are batteries permitted, and under what conditions? Batteries/ESS are not addressed in any Newman-specific ordinance (zero hits for 'battery'/'energy storage'/'ESS' across the Building, Electrical, Residential and Fire Code chapters, control-checked), so they fall to the unamended 2025 CFC/CBC/CRC/CEC provisions for residential ESS. What IS locally documented is a GATE, not a permitting rule: Newman's own Eligibility Checklist for the streamlined 10 kW-or-less solar path requires the system be 'utility interactive and WITHOUT battery storage' -- any system WITH battery storage is automatically excluded from the streamlined/expedited process and must go through Newman's standard (non-expedited) building permit review. 80% · published checklist (PDF) + ordinance (absence checked)
• Is there a separate ESS permit or inspection? No distinct ESS-only permit or inspection type was found; battery/ESS work not gated out of the streamlined path (see Q45) would be folded into the standard building-permit and single-inspection process like any other electrical work. 55% · department page (absence checked)
• Is there a local rule on service upgrades or busbar sizing? No local rule found; Newman's Electrical Code chapter (NCC Ch.4.03) contains only three sections (Adoption, Penalties, Violations) with no PV/service-upgrade/busbar amendment of any kind. The city's own PV Standard Plan worksheet instead walks applicants through the UNAMENDED CEC 705.12(D)(2) 120%-rule bus-bar table to size the combined inverter/main OCPD against the panel's bus rating. 75% · ordinance (absence checked) + standard plan
• Is a specific mounting system or attachment spacing required? Yes -- for a flush-mounted roof array, the city's Structural Criteria table sets maximum horizontal anchor spacing by roof slope and rafter spacing (e.g. for 4 psf PV arrays: 5'-4" at 0-26 deg slope on 16in/32in o.c. rafters, narrowing to 1'-4" to 2'-8" at 27-63 deg slope), and a default anchor-fastener spec of a 5/16in-diameter lag screw/hanger bolt/self-drilling screw with 2.5in rafter embedment (one per anchor) unless the manufacturer's own tested guidelines are used instead. 85% · published structural criteria (PDF)

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 or email -- 'Call (209) 862-3725 (Option 8) or email... Confirm scheduling via voicemail or email response.' 90% · department FAQ page
• How much notice is required? 1 business day minimum (and no more than 1 week in advance) -- 'You can schedule an inspection at least one (1) day ahead and no more than one (1) week in advance.' 90% · department FAQ page
• Are same-day or AM/PM windows offered? AM/PM half-day windows, not a fixed time: inspections run 'Monday-Thursday, 8:00 AM-12:00 PM or 1:00 PM-5:00 PM,' and the department cannot commit to an exact time because 'our inspectors do not work solely within the City of Newman.' 90% · department FAQ page

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

• Does this AHJ perform its own final solar inspection? Yes 90% · ordinance
• If delegated, to whom? Not delegated -- performed in-house by the City of Newman Building Department. 75% · department page (in-house, absence of delegation checked)

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 an eligible small residential rooftop solar system: a SINGLE consolidated inspection performed by the Building Department after the system is fully installed, unless the installation is found out of compliance (triggering a re-inspection) or a separate fire-safety inspection is separately required. 88% · ordinance
• Is a rough-in or mid-roof inspection required? No 80% · 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 90% · published bulletin (PDF)
• What must be on site at inspection? The issued permit, an approved plan set (if applicable), and a completed Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Alarm Handout must be on site, with the property accessible to the inspector; the solar bulletin additionally states permit holders 'must be prepared to show conformance with all technical requirements in the field.' 85% · department FAQ page + bulletin
• Does the inspector verify labels and listings? Yes 92% · published bulletin (PDF)

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 (Building Permit Final) -- a Certificate of Occupancy is not typically re-issued for a PV retrofit on an existing, already-occupied dwelling. 65% · published bulletin (inference)
• Is there a re-inspection fee? $145.00 per inspection hour (billed as a 'Re-Inspection / Investigation Fee,' cost recovery). 92% · published fee schedule (PDF)
• How are corrections issued and cleared? Plan-level corrections (revisions to approved plans) must go through a Plan Reviewer via the 'Application for Revisions' form before work proceeds; field corrections found at inspection are addressed by the inspector and cleared on a follow-up (re-)inspection, requested through the same phone/email booking channel, billed at the hourly Re-Inspection/Investigation rate if a re-inspection trip is required. 70% · department FAQ page + fee schedule