City of Redding

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% · fee schedule
• Is a permit required for a residential rooftop PV system? Yes 95% · permit checklist (OCR'd image-only PDF)
• Is there a separate electrical permit, or is it combined? Combined 75% · permit checklist (OCR'd image-only PDF)
• Is a wind or windstorm certification required? No — Redding's own residential PV plan-check package specifies fixed engineering wind-design values (95 mph service wind speed, 115 mph ultimate, Exposure B, occasionally C in rural areas) directly in the submittal checklist, rather than requiring a separate third-party windstorm certification. 80% · permit checklist (OCR'd image-only PDF)
• Is there a system-size cap on residential generation? Yes — REU caps net-generation solar PV size at 1 kW DC for every 1,752 kWh of the customer's onsite consumption over the prior 12 months (e.g., 12,000 kWh/yr allows up to ~6.85 kW DC); systems sized to exceed onsite demand do not qualify as a net generator and must go through REU's separate (currently unavailable) PPA process. 90% · utility program 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 / Any contractor 78% · utility program 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? Interconnection Agreement (2 signed originals), Solar PV Information Sheet, signed/dated project contract with equipment specs and cost, one-line or three-line electrical drawing, site map to scale (1:20) showing module layout/azimuth/tilt/fire setbacks/AC disconnect/inverter/combiners, equipment cut-sheets, and (new construction only) ECON-1/ECON-2 energy calc forms — all required by REU before the City will accept the building permit application, per the REU Solar PV Checklist and the Building Division's Residential Rooftop Solar package. 95% · permit checklist (OCR'd image-only PDF)
• How many copies, and in what format? Minimum 11" x 17" plan sheets; two (2) sets required if submitting the application in person over the counter (per the REU checklist's General Requirements). Online SolarApp+/portal submittal appears to be electronic/PDF, no copy count stated. 80% · permit checklist
• Is a site plan required, and what must it show? Yes — site map drawn to scale (minimum 1:20) with arrow indicating true north, roof plan showing module locations/layout/array azimuth and tilt, required Fire Department setbacks, main service location, A/C disconnect, inverter, combiners, and all equipment and their locations. 95% · permit checklist
• Is a one-line / three-line diagram required? Yes 95% · permit checklist (OCR'd image-only PDF)
• Are string and conductor calculations required? Yes 92% · permit checklist
• Is a structural PE stamp required, and at what threshold? Required when the anchorage cannot meet the prescriptive rule: engineering is required if the house was built before 1970 with a roof pitch of less than 4:12; for pre-1970 houses with 4:12 or greater pitch OR any house built after 1970, a prescriptive anchor spacing (24" o.c., or 4'-0" o.c. staggered with min. 5/16" anchors and 2-1/2" embedment) is allowed 'or provide engineered alternative.' 85% · permit checklist (OCR'd image-only PDF)

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? City of Redding EnerGov Citizen Self Service portal (ilms.ci.redding.ca.us/EnerGov_PROD/SelfService), including a 'Pre-Approved Solar (SolarApp+)' online track and a separate 'Residential Solar PV' online-application track. 92% · FAQ page
• Can the whole application be completed online? Yes 85% · FAQ page
• What does a residential solar permit cost? $450 flat for 7–15 kW; $450 plus $15.00 per kW (or fraction) above 15 kW for larger residential systems (no published bracket below 7 kW). 92% · fee schedule
• How is the fee calculated? Tiered / Per kW 92% · fee schedule
• Is there a separate plan-check fee? Ambiguous — not clearly stated for PV specifically 45% · 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.

• Which utility handles interconnection here? Redding Electric Utility (REU) — a municipally owned electric utility; PG&E and CPUC Rule 21 do NOT apply here. 98% · utility program page
• Where does the utility sit in the sequence? Before permit (REU is a gate on both ends) 95% · 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? Inferred: 2023 NEC as adopted into the current (2025) California Electrical Code cycle, effective statewide 1 Jan 2026 55% · adopting-ordinance interpretation letter + state-law inference
• Which building code edition is in force? Inferred: 2025 California Building Code (based on the 2021 IBC family), effective statewide 1 Jan 2026 55% · adopting-ordinance interpretation letter + state-law inference
• Which fire code edition is in force? Inferred: 2025 California Fire Code, effective statewide 1 Jan 2026 50% · state-law inference (no city document found)
• What is the installation judged against? The California Electrical Code/NEC and California Building Code as locally enforced by the Building Division, PLUS Redding-specific submittal requirements (structural anchorage rules tied to house age/roof pitch, Fire Department roof-coverage setbacks) and REU's own interconnection/equipment-listing requirements (CEC Eligible Equipment list, UL 1741-SA inverters, REU's Solar and Wind Tariff). 82% · permit checklist (OCR'd image-only 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? Fire Department setbacks are keyed to roof coverage: 18" at ridges, hips and valleys if PV panels cover LESS than 33% of the total roof area; 36" at gables PLUS 18" at ridges/hips/valleys if PV panels cover 33% or MORE of the roof area. The plan set must also show whether the residence has an automatic sprinkler system and must show an unobstructed driveway for fire department access. 95% · permit checklist (OCR'd image-only 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, rapid shutdown is required — a 'PV Rapid Shutdown' placard is mandatory and a 'rapid shutdown solution' spec sheet must be submitted — but Redding's own materials do not name which NEC edition/section (e.g. NEC 690.12) governs it. 80% · permit checklist (OCR'd image-only PDF)

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 the AHJ level: 'PV Rapid Shutdown,' 'Warning Electric Shock Hazard,' 'AC Disconnect,' 'DC Disconnect,' 'Warning: power source output connection, do not relocate this overcurrent device,' 'Caution: solar electrical system connected,' a Building/Structure Map placard, 'REU Gen # –', and 'Warning: dual power source, second source is PV system.' Separately, at the utility level, REU requires its own Generator Disconnect Nameplate (construction standard CS0722) mounted at the AC disconnect. 95% · permit checklist (OCR'd image-only PDF)
• Does the authority specify placard wording of its own? Yes 92% · permit checklist (OCR'd image-only PDF)
• Does it specify letter height, colour or material? The UTILITY (REU), not the Building Division, specifies this precisely for its own nameplate: black background, yellow lettering; Roman-S font, center-aligned, ALL CAPS; text lines 0.3" high, the Generator Number ('G#') 0.6" high; material Romark, Gravoply Ultra, or REU-approved equal, matte surface, 2-ply, UV-stable, 1/16" thick. The Building Division's own placard-wording list does not itself specify letter height/colour/material. 93% · utility construction standard (OCR'd image-only PDF)
• Is a site plan / facility map placard required, and what must it show? Yes — a 'Building/Structure Map' placard is one of the required signage items, and the submittal-stage site map (drawn to scale, showing module layout, azimuth/tilt, fire setbacks, and equipment locations) doubles as this facility map. 80% · permit checklist (OCR'd image-only PDF)
• Does the UTILITY specify placards beyond the AHJ's? Yes — REU's Generator Disconnect Nameplate (construction standard CS0722) is a distinct, utility-specified physical placard (material, color, font, letter height) separate from and in addition to the AHJ's list of required placard wording. 95% · utility construction standard (OCR'd image-only PDF)
• Where must the labels be placed? The AC disconnect (and REU's Generator Disconnect Nameplate mounted on it) must be within 10 feet of, and within sight of, REU's electric meter. 92% · utility program 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? The AC disconnect must be located within 10 feet of, and within sight of, REU's electric meter — a REU requirement, not merely an AHJ preference. 97% · utility program page
• Must equipment be on a specific approved list? Yes — panels and inverters must be listed on the California Energy Commission's (CEC) approved equipment lists (energy.ca.gov), and inverters must additionally be UL 1741-SA compliant. 92% · utility information sheet
• Are batteries permitted, and under what conditions? Yes, with conditions — the standard (non-expedited) Residential Rooftop Solar permit package explicitly asks applicants to 'Indicate battery storage, if applicable' and requires battery spec sheets; however, REU's Expedited (SolarApp+-style) review track for systems ≤10kW is limited to solar PV that is 'utility interactive and without battery storage' — adding a battery removes a project from the expedited track. 85% · permit checklist (OCR'd image-only PDF) + REU checklist
• Is there a separate ESS permit or inspection? Yes, indicated by a separate fee line: the Master Fee Schedule lists 'Alternative Power Source Other Than Solar Permit (Batteries, Generator, Wind Turbine) – $187.50' as distinct from the Photo Voltaic Systems fee, implying batteries/ESS are permitted separately from the PV system itself. 85% · fee schedule
• Is there a local rule on service upgrades or busbar sizing? Yes — PV must interconnect to a single-phase AC service panel of nominal 120/240 Vac with a bussbar rating of 225 A or less; the system must connect to the LOAD side of the utility distribution equipment; and the PV breaker must land on the bussing at the opposite end from the utility feed (opposite-end/backfeed tap rule). 92% · permit checklist (OCR'd image-only PDF)
• Is a specific mounting system or attachment spacing required? Yes, prescriptive and detailed: houses built before 1970 with roof pitch ≥4:12 require anchorage at 24" o.c. (or an engineered alternative); pre-1970 with pitch <4:12 requires engineering; houses built after 1970 require anchorage at 4'-0" o.c., staggered between adjacent rafters, minimum 5/16" diameter anchor with minimum 2-1/2" embedment. Separate racking/rail-attachment/flashing/bonding spec sheets referencing ASCE 7-16 (min. 40 psf ground snow load) are also required. 95% · permit checklist (OCR'd image-only 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? Portal 88% · department page
• How much notice is required? Effectively next business day for routine inspections (same-day is explicitly NOT accepted, and capacity 'is generally set to accommodate next-day inspections'); after-hours/weekend inspections require a minimum of 5 working days' written notice. 85% · department page
• Are same-day or AM/PM windows offered? Same-day inspection requests are NOT accepted. AM/PM window requests are accepted only as unguaranteed preferences. 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 90% · department page
• If delegated, to whom? N/A — not delegated; the City's own in-house Building Inspection Team performs the final inspection. 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? For a standard rooftop retrofit PV permit, the materials reviewed describe a single final inspection by the Building Division, which must pass before REU will commission (energize) the system; no separate rough-in/mid-roof stage is described for a PV-only permit (as opposed to new construction or full re-roof permits, which have their own inspection sequences not covered by the PV-specific materials). 65% · utility program page (inference)
• Is a rough-in or mid-roof inspection required? No — the PV-specific materials reviewed describe only a final inspection gating REU's commissioning step; no mid-roof or rough-in inspection is called out for a PV-only retrofit permit. 55% · utility program page (inference)

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.

• What must be on site at inspection? Approved plans and the permit/job card must be available on site, and a qualified representative must be present. 90% · 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.

• What is issued on pass? Final — REU's own program page refers to the City 'issu[ing] a "final" on the project,' and the fee schedule/CBC-interpretation letters use the same 'final inspection' / 'final' terminology (no separate 'Green Tag' or CO language found for residential solar specifically). 88% · utility program page
• Who notifies the utility for PTO? Ambiguous, leaning Installer/Owner — REU's program page places the burden on the installing contractor or building owner to give REU any revised drawings/cut sheets, and does not state that the Building Division automatically notifies REU of a passed final; REU performs commissioning only after 'has passed final inspection,' which reads as REU tracking the City's own EnerGov record rather than a formal installer-initiated PTO request, but no document explicitly names who places the call. 50% · utility program page (inference)
• Is there a re-inspection fee? $97.00 per hour, one-hour minimum, assessed after the 2nd re-inspection and all subsequent re-inspections. 92% · fee schedule