City of Reedley

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 90% · department page
• What does this authority permit itself, and what does it delegate? Both 88% · municipal code (TOC, live)
• Is a permit required for a residential rooftop PV system? Yes 92% · published bulletin
• Is there a separate electrical permit, or is it combined? Combined 78% · published bulletin
• Is a HOA or architectural approval required first? No 62% · inference from published bulletin + state law
• Is a wind or windstorm certification required? No windstorm-certification requirement apparently exists beyond the standard (unamended) CBC/ASCE wind design -- not mentioned anywhere in the city's own Solar Bulletin, building-permit overview, or fee schedule 50% · inference
• Is a Specific Use Permit or Council approval ever required? No -- the city's own Solar Bulletin states plainly: 'Planning review is not required for solar PV installations of this size' (<=10kW). Larger/non-qualifying systems are not addressed by this bulletin and may require standard plan review, but a CUP/SUP/Council step is not indicated for typical residential systems. 85% · published bulletin
• Is there a system-size cap on residential generation? 10 kW AC is a gate, not an absolute cap -- the city's Solar Bulletin is explicitly scoped to 'Solar Photovoltaic Installations 10 kW or Less' for the streamlined/expedited pathway, and states 'Systems larger than 10 kw are subject to additional fees where applicable', and the current Master Fee Schedule prices a distinct 'Photovoltaic - Residential Only - Greater than 10 kw' plan-check line ($100) rather than barring larger systems 90% · published bulletin

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.

• Must the contractor be registered with this authority before applying? Yes 70% · 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? Per the city's own Solar Bulletin: a completed building permit application; demonstrated compliance with an 'eligibility checklist for expedited permitting'; a completed 'Standard Electrical Plan' (or, if not used, a full electrical plan showing disconnect locations, module/string counts, inverter/combiner data, one-line diagram, grounding/bonding and conductor sizing, battery locations/venting if applicable, equipment cut sheets, and CEC 690/705 labeling); a roof plan showing panel layout, roof access point, code-compliant access pathways, PV fire classification and label locations; and either a completed expedited 'Structural Criteria' (qualifying systems) or full stamped structural drawings/calculations from a CA-licensed civil or structural engineer (non-qualifying systems). 90% · published bulletin
• How many copies, and in what format? Electronic only -- one set of building plans uploaded through the city's iWorQ portal; no hard copies required, plans are reviewed and stamped electronically 85% · department page
• Is a site plan required, and what must it show? Yes -- a site diagram showing the arrangement of panels on the roof or ground, north arrow, lot dimensions, and the distance from property lines to adjacent existing/proposed buildings and structures 90% · published bulletin
• Is a one-line / three-line diagram required? Yes 90% · published bulletin
• Are string and conductor calculations required? Partially -- the bulletin requires conductor type/size, grounding/bonding, and the number of modules per string and total strings to be shown, but never uses the phrase 'electrical calculations' the way some neighboring cities' checklists do 65% · published bulletin
• Is a structural PE stamp required, and at what threshold? For qualifying systems (<=10kW, standard mounting), a completed expedited 'Structural Criteria' self-certification substitutes for a stamp. 'For non-qualifying systems, provide structural drawings and calculations stamped and signed by a California-licensed civil or structural engineer', with required detail on roof covering, framing, panel weight/attachment, and any structural reinforcement. 88% · published bulletin
• Is an electrical PE stamp required, and at what threshold? No separate electrical PE-stamp threshold found -- the bulletin's submittal requirements address a structural PE stamp explicitly (for non-qualifying systems) but never mention an electrical engineer's stamp at any size, consistent with the self-certified 'Standard Electrical Plan' model used for qualifying systems 58% · published bulletin

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? iWorQ -- 'https://reedley.portal.iworq.net/portalhome/reedley' for building-permit applications; a separate citizen-request instance also exists at 'reedleycitizenrequest.portal.iworq.net' 90% · portal landing page
• Can the whole application be completed online? Yes 85% · department page
• What does a residential solar permit cost? For a qualifying residential PV system <=10kW: Administrative Fee $40.00 (flat) + Plan Check Fee - Photovoltaic Residential <10kW $50.00 (flat) + Electrical Fee - Photovoltaic $200.00 (flat) + General Plan Zoning & Building Maintenance Fee (Valuation x $0.0011) + CBSC SB1473 State Mandated Fee ($4.00 per $100,000 valuation, min $1.00) + Strong-Motion (Seismic) State Mandated Fee, Residential (Valuation x 0.00013). For a $25,000 system this totals approximately $322. Systems >10kW use a $100.00 Plan Check Fee - Photovoltaic instead of $50.00, 'subject to additional fees where applicable'. 92% · fee schedule
• How is the fee calculated? Tiered / mixed -- several flat per-permit line items ($40 admin, $200 electrical-PV, $50 or $100 plan-check-PV depending on size) plus several separate valuation-based state-mandated and city fee lines (General Plan/Zoning fee, SB1473, Strong-Motion) that apply on top 82% · fee schedule
• Is there a separate plan-check fee? Yes -- 'Plan Check Fee - Photovoltaic - Residential Only - Less than 10 kw' ($50.00) and '...Greater than 10 kw' ($100.00) are distinct line items from the Electrical Permit Fee ($200.00) and the Administrative Fee ($40.00) 92% · 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? 1-3 business days for permits not eligible for over-the-counter approval; over-the-counter/same-day approval is available for applications using the Standard Electrical Plan 80% · published bulletin
• How long is an issued permit valid before it expires? Not stated for solar specifically; inferred at the standard unamended CBC/CRC Sec. 105.5 180-day-without-progress expiration, since the Master Fee Schedule carries a 'Permit Extension Fee ($75.00)' consistent with that model and no local amendment to Sec. 105.5 could be confirmed (RMC 9-1-2 'Amendments' text could not be retrieved -- amlegal blocked after initial TOC access) 55% · fee schedule (inference)
• Which utility handles interconnection here? Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) 90% · city General Plan
• Where does the utility sit in the sequence? After permit for installation purposes; utility PTO is separately gated on the city's final inspection -- PG&E's own Rule 21 tariff (Sec. D.13.b) processes NEM PTO upon receipt of, among other things, 'evidence of Applicant's final electric inspection clearance from the Governmental Authority having jurisdiction' 60% · 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? 2020 (via the 2022 California Electrical Code) 78% · adopting ordinance / department page
• Which building code edition is in force? 2022 California Building Code (and 2022 California Residential-equivalent housing/dangerous-buildings/plumbing/mechanical/pool codes) 80% · department page
• Are there local amendments to any of the above? Yes 75% · municipal code (TOC, live)
• What is the installation judged against? The 2022 CBC (and companion 2022 CRC/plumbing/mechanical/pool codes) for structural/building, the 2022 CEC (2020 NEC) for electrical, plus the city's own codified small-residential-rooftop-solar review process at RMC 9-1-5 for the solar-specific administrative pathway 75% · synthesis of city documents

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? Roof access point, code-compliant access pathways, and PV fire classification must be shown on the roof plan; the bulletin points applicants to the (statewide, unamended) State Fire Marshal Solar PV Installation Guide for example pathway configurations rather than stating a Reedley-specific ridge-setback figure of its own 68% · published bulletin

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? Required as a matter of the adopted 2020 NEC/2022 CEC Sec. 690.12 (module-level rapid shutdown), but the city's own Solar Submittal Requirements Bulletin never uses the words 'rapid shutdown' or cites Sec. 690.12 anywhere -- its electrical-plan checklist requires disconnect locations and 'Labeling of equipment as required by CEC, Sections 690 and 705' only in generic terms 70% · published bulletin (control-checked absence)

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? Three signs verified at final inspection per the city's own Solar Bulletin: a sign identifying the PV power source system attributes at the DC disconnect; a sign identifying the AC point of connection; and a sign identifying the switch for the alternative power system 82% · published bulletin
• Does the authority specify placard wording of its own? No specific wording is prescribed by the city -- the bulletin describes what each sign must identify (PV source at DC disconnect, AC point of connection, alternative-power switch) but does not give verbatim required text the way e.g. Sanger's or Hollister's ordinances do 70% · published bulletin
• Does it specify letter height, colour or material? Not specified -- no letter height, colour, or material requirement is stated anywhere in the city's own Solar Bulletin or fee schedule 62% · published bulletin (absence)
• Does the UTILITY specify placards beyond the AHJ's? Not confirmed as Reedley-specific; PG&E's own statewide Rule 21 tariff requires a visible interconnection disconnect with open/closed position markings, lockable and reachable, shown on the single-line diagram (Sec. H.1.d 'Visible Disconnect Required') 55% · utility tariff
• Where must the labels be placed? At the DC disconnect and at the AC point of connection, per the city's own inspection checklist; no more precise physical placement (e.g., distance from the meter) is stated 65% · published bulletin

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? No city-maintained approved-equipment list -- the submittal instead requires 'Equipment cut sheets including inverters, modules, AC and DC disconnects, combiners and wind generators' for city review, with no reference to a city or state approved-products list 72% · published bulletin
• Are batteries permitted, and under what conditions? Yes, batteries are permitted as part of a PV submittal -- the bulletin's only stated condition is documentation: 'If batteries are to be installed, include them in the diagram and show their locations and venting.' No capacity cap, fire-rated-room, or separation requirement is stated in this document. 75% · published bulletin
• Is there a separate ESS permit or inspection? No -- batteries appear to be folded into the single solar Building Permit process (shown on the same diagram, same submittal) rather than requiring their own separate ESS permit or inspection 62% · published bulletin (inference)
• Is a specific mounting system or attachment spacing required? No prescriptive citywide spacing figure found -- the Solar Bulletin requires the submittal to show 'quantity and spacing of structural attachments' with manufacturer spec sheets and a completed 'Structural Criteria' checklist for city review on a project-specific basis, rather than the city imposing a fixed number 65% · published bulletin

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 90% · department handout
• How much notice is required? 1-2 business days advance notice recommended ('leave a voice mail 1 or 2 days prior to your inspections'); the Solar Bulletin separately states inspection requests received within business hours are scheduled for the next business day 85% · department handout
• Are same-day or AM/PM windows offered? Some time-slot system exists -- the Inspection Request handout asks the caller to provide 'Date of Inspection AND preferred time slot' -- but no AM/PM window structure is spelled out in any document found 60% · department handout

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 85% · published bulletin
• If delegated, to whom? N/A -- not delegated; the city's in-house Building Division performs the final solar inspection (see Q52) 85% · published bulletin

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? Submit application/plans (portal or in person) -> plan review (over-the-counter or 1-3 business days) -> permit issuance -> installation -> final on-site inspection before 'final approval is granted for the solar system' 72% · published bulletin
• Is a rough-in or mid-roof inspection required? No -- the Solar Bulletin describes only a single final inspection ('it must be inspected before final approval is granted') with no separate rough-in or mid-roof stage called out 65% · published bulletin

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 88% · published bulletin
• What must be on site at inspection? Inspection Card, approved set of plans/forms, the permit itself, a ladder, and the work must be readily accessible (someone on site if needed) 88% · department handout
• Does the inspector verify labels and listings? Yes 82% · published bulletin

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 final inspection approval) -- the Solar Bulletin frames the outcome as the system being 'inspected before final approval is granted for the solar system' rather than describing a Certificate of Occupancy, which the general building-permit pages associate only with new construction/occupancy changes 68% · published bulletin
• Who notifies the utility for PTO? Installer 55% · inference
• Is there a re-inspection fee? $95.00 flat ('Re-Inspection (applicable to all permits issued) / per occurrence') 88% · fee schedule
• How are corrections issued and cleared? Not documented specifically for solar; the general building-permit 'Obligations' page describes the standard process -- if the inspector finds non-conforming work, 'he will advise you and may send you a notice asking that the situation be remedied. Another inspection may be required before you resume work.' 55% · department page