City of San Mateo

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% · municipal code
• 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% · municipal code
• Is there a separate electrical permit, or is it combined? Combined 88% · fee schedule
• Is a HOA or architectural approval required first? No 88% · municipal code
• Is there a historic-district review? Only for properties individually designated as historic resources or within a designated historic district (reviewed by the Historic Resources Commission under the city's Historic Preservation Ordinance); not a general requirement for ordinary residential solar permits, and Ch. 23.46 contains no solar-specific historic-review carve-out or trigger. 55% · city page
• Is a wind or windstorm certification required? No 68% · published checklist
• Is a Specific Use Permit or Council approval ever required? No for eligible small residential rooftop systems — review is limited to a Building Official completeness/code-compliance check, with appeal routed to the Planning Commission (not Council). 78% · municipal code
• Is there a system-size cap on residential generation? The streamlined/expedited 'small residential rooftop solar energy system' definition caps at 10 kW AC (or 30 kW thermal) on a single- or duplex-family dwelling not exceeding maximum legal building height; no found cap on residential system size overall under standard (non-expedited) review. 82% · municipal code

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 78% · city form
• Must the contractor be registered with this authority before applying? Yes 90% · department page
• Is a homeowner permitted to self-install and self-permit? Yes 82% · city 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? Per SMMC 23.46.050: (a) completed permit application; (b) completed PV02 eligibility checklist for expedited review; (c) completed standard electrical plan; (d) roof plan showing layout, panels, access pathways, fire classification and label locations; (e) completed structural criteria checklist (PV03/PV04); (f) processing fee payment. SB 379-eligible systems may instead submit through the automated SolarAPP+ portal. 95% · municipal code
• How many copies, and in what format? Electronic submittal via the Customer Self-Service (CSS)/EnerGov portal (PDF uploads); email or fax submittal is also required to be available per ordinance. No specific paper-copy count is published — the city's process is portal-first. 72% · department page
• Is a site plan required, and what must it show? Yes — a roof plan/site plan showing roof layout, PV panel/module locations, approximate roof access point, code-compliant access pathways, PV system fire classification, and locations of all required labels/markings. 92% · municipal code
• Is a one-line / three-line diagram required? Yes 80% · municipal code
• Are string and conductor calculations required? Yes for systems that don't meet the PV02 expedited-eligibility electrical criteria (string/MPPT counts, fusing, inverter counts) — those systems fall out of the expedited path and require full plan review including calculations. Systems that pass PV02 as-is need no additional calculations. 72% · published checklist
• Is a structural PE stamp required, and at what threshold? A CA-licensed Civil or Structural Engineer's stamp is required only if any item on the PV03/PV04 structural checklist (roof condition, slope/rafter data, array weight ≤4 psf PV, anchor spacing per Table 1, fastener embedment) is checked 'No.' If all items pass, no stamp is required. 92% · published checklist
• Is an electrical PE stamp required, and at what threshold? No electrical PE stamp requirement or threshold is published; SMMC 23.46.060(c) requires only that equipment meet CEC/IEEE/UL/NRTL and CPUC standards, with no PE-stamp trigger for standard residential PV. 62% · municipal code

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? Tyler EnerGov Citizen Self-Service (CSS) Portal (css.cityofsanmateo.org / cityofsanmateoca-energovweb.tylerhost.net); SolarAPP+ (solarapp.nrel.gov) is used for automated eligible-system review before the CSS permit application. 92% · portal landing page
• Can the whole application be completed online? Yes 88% · department page
• What does a residential solar permit cost? $450.00 flat (single-family combination permit) 95% · fee schedule
• How is the fee calculated? Flat 90% · fee schedule
• Is there a separate plan-check fee? No 72% · 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? SolarAPP+/SB 379-eligible systems: real-time or near-real-time automated approval. Non-eligible (standard-track) systems: no specific business-day turnaround is published by the city. 75% · municipal code
• How long is an issued permit valid before it expires? 12 months 80% · city form
• Which utility handles interconnection here? Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) 92% · city 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 82% · municipal code
• Which building code edition is in force? 2025 California Building Code (Title 24, Part 2, Vols. 1-2 + Appendix G), effective January 1, 2026 95% · municipal code
• Which fire code edition is in force? The Fire Code adopted and amended by the San Mateo Consolidated Fire Department (a separate joint-powers agency), which the City adopts by reference (SMMC 23.28.010); presumed the 2025 California Fire Code (Title 24 Part 9) baseline effective statewide 1/1/2026, but SMCFD's own adoption ordinance/resolution with any local amendments was not locatable on smcfire.ca.gov this run. 58% · municipal code
• Are there local amendments to any of the above? Yes 85% · municipal code
• What is the installation judged against? The 2025 California Electrical Code (Title 24 Part 3), IEEE standards, UL/NRTL listing, and applicable CPUC safety/reliability rules 88% · municipal code

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? Clear code-compliant access pathways and a PV system fire classification are required and must be shown on the submitted roof plan; the specific ridge-setback/pathway dimensions come from the adopted (2025) California Fire Code §605.11, whose dimensional tables are ICC-copyrighted and could not be extracted from any freely accessible city or SMCFD document this run. 65% · published checklist

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 under the adopted 2025 California Electrical Code (based on the 2023 NEC, NEC §690.12); no city document names 'rapid shutdown' explicitly, but PV02/PV03 require disconnecting-means locations and fire classification consistent with NEC 690.12 compliance. 62% · municipal code

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 AC disconnect: PG&E's utility-required 'UTILITY AC DISCONNECT SWITCH' placard, a device label, and a visible ON/OFF label. At the roof/array: PV system fire-classification marking and required CFC §605.11-style access-pathway/equipment labels per the city's PV02 checklist. 78% · utility DG manual
• Does the authority specify placard wording of its own? No 62% · municipal code
• Does it specify letter height, colour or material? The City itself does not specify letter height/color/material (absence confirmed after reading Ch. 23.46 and PV02–PV04 in full). The UTILITY (PG&E) does: labels must be permanent, engraved phenolic or comply with ANSI Z535.4, with lettering a minimum 3/8" high, all capitals. 85% · utility DG manual
• Is a site plan / facility map placard required, and what must it show? Yes — a roof plan/facility-map-style diagram is required showing roof layout, all PV panels/modules, clear access pathways, the PV system fire classification, and the locations of all required labels/markings and roof access points, plus (per PV02) the locations of electrical disconnecting means. 90% · municipal code
• Does the UTILITY specify placards beyond the AHJ's? Yes 92% · utility DG manual
• Where must the labels be placed? Utility-required labels: on the front of the AC disconnect switch itself, which must be located 10 feet or less, in line of sight, from PG&E's meter, at the same grade level as the meter, and never on a roof, on a floor above grade, or in an unapproved room. AHJ-required roof labels/markings: per the roof plan, at access pathways, equipment, and roof access points. 88% · utility DG manual

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? 10 feet or less, in line of sight of PG&E's electric meter at the point of common coupling, easily seen from the meter panel, at the same grade level as the meter if installed outdoors; never on a floor/level above grade, on a roof, or inside a room that isn't an approved electric meter room. 92% · utility DG manual
• Must equipment be on a specific approved list? Yes 88% · municipal code
• Are batteries permitted, and under what conditions? Yes, with spacing/separation conditions — the City's own issued-permit records show routine residential battery installs (Enphase, Tesla Powerwall, LG Chem RESU) and the Fire Department's fee schedule prices ESS plan review/inspection separately, and at least one project needed sign-off for a 'REDUCED ESS SEPARATION.' 78% · issued-permit record
• Is there a separate ESS permit or inspection? Mixed: when installed together with new PV, both are covered by one combination/SolarApp permit (e.g. permit SA-2025-298715 covers 'PV Roof Mount...1 ess'); a standalone electrical permit is used when a battery is added independently of a new PV system (e.g. permit MEP-2025-298172, 'Energy Storage System'). The Fire Department separately prices ESS plan review/inspection at $980/system regardless of how the building permit is structured. 72% · issued-permit record
• Is a ground mount treated as a structure? Likely yes, as an accessory structure under Title 27 Zoning (Ch. 27.70, Accessory Buildings and Structures in Required Yards) — SMMC Ch. 23.46's streamlined solar process applies only to roof-mounted systems (23.46.020(g)(3)), so ground-mounted arrays fall outside that chapter and back into standard zoning/accessory-structure treatment; no solar-specific ground-mount carve-out was found. 55% · municipal code
• Is there a local rule on service upgrades or busbar sizing? No local amendment found — Ch. 23.12 (Electrical Code) consists of a single section (23.12.010, Adoption) with no added service-upgrade or busbar-sizing provisions; service upgrades/busbar sizing (e.g. the NEC 705.12 120% rule) are governed by the adopted CEC as-is, unamended locally. 68% · municipal code
• Is a specific mounting system or attachment spacing required? Yes — for flush-mounted residential arrays: modules parallel to roof plane with a 2–10 inch gap, no overhang past roof edges, ≤4 psf (PV)/5 psf (thermal) combined weight, array ≤ half of total roof-plane area, and anchor horizontal spacing per Table 1 (varies by roof slope and rafter spacing, e.g. 5'4" to 1'4" o.c.) with fastener/embedment criteria in Table 1 notes. 90% · published 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 / Phone 85% · department page
• How much notice is required? For eligible small residential rooftop solar specifically: within 2 business days of request (per ordinance). General building-inspection practice (non-solar) is closer to next business day (24 hours from call, with a cutoff of 4:30pm for same-day scheduling). 80% · municipal code
• Are same-day or AM/PM windows offered? Yes — a two-hour inspection window is provided for eligible small residential rooftop solar inspections; general building inspections can request a morning window if scheduled before noon the prior day. 80% · municipal code

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 82% · municipal code
• If delegated, to whom? San Mateo Consolidated Fire Department (SMCFD) — for the fire-code/life-safety component only 85% · fee schedule

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 eligible small residential rooftop solar, a single final inspection performed by the Building Division after permit issuance; there is no separate rough-in step for the eligible/expedited track. 85% · municipal code
• Is a rough-in or mid-roof inspection required? No 85% · municipal code

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 page
• What must be on site at inspection? Approved plans and permit documentation on site, and someone present who can provide the permit number, contractor name and phone number — these are what the city asks callers to have ready before requesting an inspection; a physical job-site posting requirement is standard under the adopted Building Code but not spelled out solar-specifically. 55% · department page
• Does the inspector verify labels and listings? Yes 72% · published 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.

• What is issued on pass? Final 62% · municipal code
• Is there a re-inspection fee? $282.78 per hour, minimum 1 hour 90% · fee schedule
• How are corrections issued and cleared? Corrections are issued as a written correction notice detailing all deficiencies and required additional information; applicants respond and resubmit through the CSS portal, where staff review comments and resubmittals iteratively until cleared. 82% · municipal code