City of Redlands

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% · fee schedule
• Is a permit required for a residential rooftop PV system? Yes 95% · department handout
• Is there a separate electrical permit, or is it combined? Combined 78% · fee schedule
• Is a HOA or architectural approval required first? No city requirement found for prior HOA/architectural approval as a permit precondition; California Civil Code §714 substantially limits an HOA's ability to prohibit or unreasonably restrict residential solar, which is the operative constraint statewide. 55% · state statute
• Is a wind or windstorm certification required? No separate wind/windstorm certification process; wind is one of the standard structural design parameters (Risk Category I-IV wind speeds of 90-107 mph, Exposure per 2022 CBC §1609.4.3) folded into the ordinary structural calculations/handout, not a stand-alone certificate like Texas TDI. 70% · department handout

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 82% · department handout
• Must the contractor be registered with this authority before applying? Yes 68% · permit application form
• Is a homeowner permitted to self-install and self-permit? Yes 82% · department handout

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? For expedited/OTC solar: completed Eligibility Checklist, permit application, Solar PV Standard Plan (Central or Micro-inverter) with manufacturer spec sheets/installation instructions/UL listings, roof plan/diagram (panel layout, pathways, disconnect and roof-access locations), and (if triggered) wet/digitally-stamped structural pages. For >10kW or ground-mount, a full custom plan set per 'Guidelines for Solar Plan Submittal' (electrical panel schedule, structural load calcs, construction details/specs) replaces the standard plan. 88% · department checklist
• How many copies, and in what format? 3 sets of hard-copy plans required at permit issuance (payment made in person); for the SolarAPP+ path, submittal/approval is fully digital via solarapp.nrel.gov before permit issuance. 72% · department page
• Is a site plan required, and what must it show? Yes -- a roof plan/diagram showing the location and dimensions of all PV equipment/arrays, clear access pathways, and approximate locations of electrical disconnecting means and roof access points. 88% · department checklist
• Is a one-line / three-line diagram required? Yes 90% · standard plan / checklist
• Are string and conductor calculations required? Yes 92% · standard plan / checklist
• Is a structural PE stamp required, and at what threshold? Not required for a standard single-family roof-mount installation ('structural engineering calculations are not required for single-family residences' per the SolarAPP+ page); a wet or digitally-stamped PE/architect structural package IS required when the design exceeds the racking manufacturer's installation criteria, and for ground-mount systems (footings/bolting calcs). 80% · department checklist
• Is an electrical PE stamp required, and at what threshold? No distinct electrical PE-stamp threshold found; the standard plan may instead be signed by a State-licensed contractor holding an A, B, C-46 or C-10 classification, OR by a licensed electrical engineer -- the engineer stamp is an alternative to contractor sign-off, not a size-triggered requirement. 68% · department checklist

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? Redlands Online Public Portal (gis.cityofredlands.org/POL) for permit application/payment/printing, plus solarapp.nrel.gov (SolarAPP+) for eligible systems' automated plan review. 88% · department page / portal
• Can the whole application be completed online? Yes, for SolarAPP+-eligible systems: design submittal, permit application, and payment can all be completed online, then the permit is printed and inspection booked by QR code. For the standard/expedited-but-non-SolarApp path, payment must be made in person and 3 hard-copy plan sets are required at issuance -- so 'fully online' is conditional on the SolarAPP+ path. 78% · department page
• What does a residential solar permit cost? $450 flat for 0-15 kW AC, plus $15.00 per additional kW above 15 kW (residential). Non-residential is a different, higher tiered schedule (0-50kW $1,000/kW; over that lower marginal rates). 85% · fee schedule
• How is the fee calculated? Tiered 82% · fee schedule
• Is there a separate plan-check fee? No separate Building & Safety plan-check line item for solar (the BS52/BS53 fee reads as an all-in flat/tiered fee). However, the Fire Department runs its OWN separate, billable plan-review fee for solar even 'where no permit or inspection is required' (FD19, $123, explicitly naming 'solar (commercial/residential, TI)') plus its own inspection fee (FD100) -- a genuine second, parallel fee track outside the building permit. 75% · 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? Same-day (over-the-counter) for roof-mounted systems ≤10kW AC without battery storage meeting the Eligibility Checklist; 10 business days for systems >10kW AC or any ground-mounted system. 88% · department page
• Which utility handles interconnection here? Southern California Edison (SCE) 82% · city sustainability page (utility named)
• Where does the utility sit in the sequence? Parallel 45% · utility document (gated -- inference from statewide Rule 21 practice)

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? Ambiguous/likely stale: the city's own OTC solar checklist explicitly cites the '2019 CEC' for electrical compliance, but California's statewide code cycle moved to the 2022 CEC (2023 as adopted, based on 2020 NEC) effective Jan 1 2023 and then to the 2025 CEC (based on 2023 NFPA 70) effective Jan 1 2026 -- meaning Redlands' own posted solar checklist is at least one, likely two, code cycles behind the code that is now legally in force statewide under Title 24. I could not confirm via the adopting ordinance which edition Redlands has actually locally adopted for 2026 because American Legal (codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/redlandsca) 403s on both curl and WebFetch, and Wayback Machine was returning 'Temporarily Offline' for every capture attempt during this run. 45% · department checklist (conflicts with statewide code cycle)
• Which building code edition is in force? Ambiguous/likely stale, same conflict as NEC: the city's most recently-dated structural handout (uploaded 2025-06) cites the 2022 CBC/CRC, while the solar-specific OTC checklist cites the 2019 CBC. Neither reflects the 2025 CBC cycle that took effect statewide 1 Jan 2026. Could not verify the current locally-adopted edition because the municipal code (American Legal) 403'd and Wayback was offline during this run. 45% · department handout (conflicts with an older city PDF and with the statewide cycle)
• Are there local amendments to any of the above? Yes -- the City has adopted its own solar-specific administrative amendments/implementation rules beyond bare code text: an Eligibility Checklist gating which systems qualify for expedited review (10kW AC cap, ≤225A single-phase 120/240V bus, no battery storage, ≤2 central inverters, roof-mount only), and two 'Simplified' Standard Plans (Central/String and Microinverter) that are stricter/narrower than the code's own general allowances. 72% · department page / checklists
• What is the installation judged against? The California Building Standards Code (CBC/CRC/CEC) as locally amended, PLUS Redlands' own Solar PV Standard Plans (Central/String Inverter and Microinverter) and Eligibility Checklist for anything routed through the expedited or SolarAPP+ paths; anything outside those parameters is judged against a full custom plan submittal per the 'Guidelines for Solar Plan Submittal.' 78% · standard plan

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.

Nothing recorded for City of Redlands on this step yet — 1 question checked and found unpublished. The guidance above is general.

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. 82% · department handout (signage spec)

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? Yes -- multiple placards at the service equipment: PV Power Source rating label, 'PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEM EQUIPPED WITH RAPID SHUTDOWN', shock-hazard warnings at AC/DC disconnects, an inverter-output-connection 'do not relocate' label, a ground-fault warning (ungrounded systems), and a permanent multiple-power-source directory/plaque at the service equipment location. 92% · department handout (signage spec)
• Does the authority specify placard wording of its own? Yes. 92% · department handout (signage spec)
• Does it specify letter height, colour or material? Yes -- reflective, red background with white lettering, 3/8-inch letter height, all capital letters, Arial or similar font, weather-resistant material (e.g. engraved plastic). 95% · department handout (signage spec)
• Is a site plan / facility map placard required, and what must it show? Yes -- a roof-layout diagram is required showing all panel/module locations, clear access pathways, and the approximate locations of electrical disconnecting means and roof access points. 85% · department checklist
• Where must the labels be placed? Placards go at (a) each service equipment location and at every electric power production source (permanent directory/plaque), (b) adjacent to the PV breaker (inverter-output label), and (c) on DC photovoltaic source circuits every 10 feet and at every enclosure/wall/partition/ceiling/floor section break. 90% · department handout (signage spec)

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 center-to-center distance between the main service meter and the AC disconnect shall be 60 inches (5 feet) maximum. 80% · department handout (signage spec)
• Must equipment be on a specific approved list? Yes, in the general sense that all PV equipment must be listed/labeled for its application and installed per its listing instructions (CEC 110.3, 690.4(D)) -- not a separate Redlands-specific 'approved products list' beyond that. 78% · standard plan
• Are batteries permitted, and under what conditions? Batteries are permitted but are explicitly EXCLUDED from the expedited/OTC path, the SolarAPP+ pilot, and both Simplified Standard Plans (all three require the system be 'without battery storage' / non-hybrid). A battery/ESS addition must go through the full, non-expedited plan-check process. 85% · department checklist
• Is there a separate ESS permit or inspection? Yes -- the Fire Department's Construction Inspections fee schedule carries a distinct 'Battery Systems' inspection line (FD86), separate from the 'Solar - Photovoltaic' inspection line (FD100). 80% · fee schedule
• Is a ground mount treated as a structure? Effectively yes -- ground-mounted systems are excluded from SolarAPP+ ('No ballasted or ground-mounted systems') and from the Simplified Standard Plans, and require structural engineering calculations 'indicating required footings and solar panel required bolting' through the standard (10-business-day) plan-review path, i.e. treated with structural rigor comparable to a structure rather than a roof retrofit. 70% · department page
• Is there a local rule on service upgrades or busbar sizing? Yes -- the expedited/standard-plan path is capped at a single-phase AC service panel of nominal 120/240V with a bus-bar rating of 225A or less, interconnected on the load side; any higher busbar rating or 3-phase/other configuration is pushed out of the Simplified Standard Plan into the full 'Comprehensive Standard Plan' (i.e., custom engineered submittal, no fast-track). 85% · standard plan / checklist
• Is a specific mounting system or attachment spacing required? No city-specified attachment spacing or mounting-system standard; the plans defer entirely to the racking manufacturer's own installation instructions/criteria, and require a PE-stamped structural package only when the design EXCEEDS those manufacturer criteria. 65% · department checklist

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 -- Building & Safety inspections (including SolarAPP+ jobs) are booked online at veribook.com/lp/CityOfRedlands (also reachable by QR code on the job card). Fire Prevention inspections are booked separately via an Outlook booking page, a different tool from Building's. 85% · 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 78% · fee schedule / department pages
• If delegated, to whom? N/A -- not delegated to an outside agency. Both inspecting bodies (Building & Safety Division and Fire Prevention) are City of Redlands departments. 80% · 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? Permit issuance (OTC same-day or after up to 10-business-day plan review) -> installation -> a single final Building & Safety inspection (electrical/structural/fire-safety items on the Eligibility Checklist are checked at this one visit for a standard roof-mount) -> for systems triggering a Fire Department line item (all solar per FD100, plus batteries per FD86), a separate Fire inspection -> permit closed -> owner/installer proceeds to SCE for Permission to Operate. 55% · department page (composite)

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% · department checklist
• What must be on site at inspection? Manufacturer's specification sheets, installation instructions and UL listings for the inverter(s), modules, combiner/junction boxes and racking system; the approved/stamped plan set (standard plan worksheet or comprehensive plans); and the issued permit/job card. 72% · standard plan (inferred inspection-day requirement)
• Does the inspector verify labels and listings? Yes 80% · department checklist

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.

• Is there a re-inspection fee? $146 per hour (Re-Inspection, BS7) -- there is no solar-specific re-inspection fee; this is the general Building & Safety hourly re-inspection rate that would apply. 62% · fee schedule