City of Simi Valley

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% · authority's own page
• What does this authority permit itself, and what does it delegate? Both (Building and Electrical, issued as one Combination permit) 90% · department bulletin
• Is a permit required for a residential rooftop PV system? Yes 95% · authority's own page
• Is there a separate electrical permit, or is it combined? Combined 95% · authority's own page
• Is a wind or windstorm certification required? No 78% · department bulletin (standard plan)
• Is a Specific Use Permit or Council approval ever required? Not for a standard rooftop residential PV system 10 kW or less — PV Toolkit #1 states Planning review is not required at that size. The PV info page directs applicants with ground-mounted arrays or systems adding panels to an existing array to call Building & Safety before applying, which may trigger additional (unspecified) review; no Specific Use Permit or Council-approval step is described anywhere in the City's PV materials. 72% · authority's own page
• Is there a system-size cap on residential generation? No blanket ordinance size cap found. Process-based limits exist instead: the SolarAPP+ automated-permit path is capped at 38 kW (a state SolarAPP+ platform limit, not a City ordinance), and the City's own expedited/over-the-counter toolkit process is limited to 10 kW AC and 'utility interactive... without battery storage' (PV Toolkit #2 eligibility checklist). Larger systems are not barred — they go through standard (non-expedited) plan review. 78% · authority's own 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? Either 90% · authority's own form
• Is a homeowner permitted to self-install and self-permit? Yes 88% · authority's own 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? Completed permit application; a Construction Permit Declaration (contractor) or Property Owner's Package (owner-builder); for the SolarAPP+ track, the SolarAPP+ Approval Document; a full PDF plan set (site/roof diagram, one-line diagram, equipment cut sheets, structural criteria per PV Toolkit #5 or engineer-stamped calcs if criteria fail); and, for the non-SolarAPP+ over-the-counter track, the PV Toolkit #2 eligibility checklist. 88% · authority's own page
• How many copies, and in what format? Digital only, via the online Self Service Portal: one PDF containing the full plan set, plus separate PDF files for each other document (Construction Permit Declaration / SolarAPP+ approval document, etc.). No physical/paper copies are indicated for the current online process. 82% · authority's own page
• Is a site plan required, and what must it show? Yes — a roof/site diagram showing the arrangement of PV panels on the roof or ground, north arrow, lot dimensions, distance from property lines to adjacent buildings/structures, roof access point, code-compliant access pathways, PV fire classification, and locations of required labels/markings. 90% · department bulletin
• Is a one-line / three-line diagram required? Yes 95% · department bulletin
• Are string and conductor calculations required? Yes 90% · department bulletin (standard plan)
• Is a structural PE stamp required, and at what threshold? Required only when the project fails PV Toolkit #5's expedited Structural Criteria checklist (e.g., array weight >4 psf, anchor spacing exceeding Table 1, altered/non-conforming roof framing, coverage over half the roof). If every checklist item is 'Yes,' no PE stamp is required and the project may be approved over-the-counter; if any item is 'No,' the applicant must submit project-specific drawings and calculations stamped and signed by a California-licensed civil or structural engineer. 88% · department bulletin (standard plan)

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 Technologies EnerGov 'Customer Self Service' portal at selfservice.simivalley.org (branded on-site as the 'Online Customer Self Service Portal'), used together with the separate statewide SolarAPP+ platform (gosolarapp.org) for plan review of roof-mounted residential PV. 90% · authority's own page
• Can the whole application be completed online? Yes 90% · authority's own page
• What does a residential solar permit cost? $574 per the City's 2019 Cost of Services Study 'Proposed Fee' line for 'Solar-Photovoltaic - Residential' (1 hr building inspection + 1.5 hr plan check at then-current hourly rates), plus a separate $25 SolarAPP+ administrative fee for projects run through SolarAPP+. An earlier (2013-code-cycle) PV Toolkit #1 states standard-plan solar fees 'will not exceed $500.00.' These three numbers come from different vintages and were not reconciled to one current adopted figure. 55% · cost-of-services study (2019)
• How is the fee calculated? Flat, per project/system-size-tier (a single fee-schedule line item for 'Solar-Photovoltaic - Residential' regardless of kW), plus a separate flat $25 SolarAPP+ administrative fee for the SolarAPP+ track. 65% · cost-of-services study (2019)
• Is there a separate plan-check fee? Yes, in effect — the fee schedule breaks the combined solar fee into separate 'Plan Check' hours/cost and 'Building Inspection' hours/cost that are billed together as one total; and SolarAPP+ projects pay an additional, separate $25 SolarAPP+ administrative fee on top of the City permit fee. 62% · cost-of-services study (2019)

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? Automated/near-instant for the SolarAPP+ track (no City plan check — SolarAPP+ itself performs the code-compliance review); 3 working days for the older over-the-counter standard-plan process (PV Toolkit #1, referencing the 2013 code cycle); the Building & Safety Division's general (non-solar) plan-review turnaround goal is 20-25 working days per its current Plan Review Procedures page. 75% · authority's own page
• Which utility handles interconnection here? Southern California Edison (SCE) 92% · authority's own page
• Where does the utility sit in the sequence? After permit / parallel to final inspection, not a precondition of permit issuance — the City issues and inspects the permit independently; SCE's Rule 21 tariff requires 'evidence of Applicant's final electric inspection clearance from the Governmental Authority having jurisdiction' before SCE grants Permission to Operate (PTO) for NEM-1/NEM-2 systems ≤1MW. 82% · utility tariff (SCE Rule 21)

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 NEC (as the basis for the 2025 California Electrical Code) 88% · adopting ordinance page
• Which building code edition is in force? 2025 California Building Code, Volumes 1 and 2 (plus the 2025 California Residential Code family — Existing Building, Historical Building, Referenced Standards Codes), effective January 1, 2026 under City Ordinance No. 1366. 95% · adopting ordinance page
• What is the installation judged against? The 2025 California Building Code, California Residential Code, California Electrical Code, and California Green Building Standards Code (CALGreen), as adopted by City Ordinance No. 1366 effective Jan. 1, 2026; for SolarAPP+ submittals, additionally against SolarAPP+'s own national code-compliance checklist logic. 80% · adopting ordinance page

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? The City's own PV Toolkit #1 requires a roof plan showing the 'approximate location of roof access point, location of code-compliant access pathways, PV system fire classification and the locations of all required labels and markings,' and points applicants directly to the (2025-cycle) adopted California Residential Code Section R331 / State Fire Marshal Solar PV Installation Guide for the specific pathway dimensions, rather than publishing its own separate setback footages. 60% · department 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? Yes — rapid shutdown is a mandatory feature of the currently adopted 2025 California Electrical Code (based on the 2023 NEC), which applies array-boundary rapid shutdown under CEC/NEC Section 690.12. The City's own PV Toolkit documents predate this requirement (they still cite the 2013 code cycle) and do not mention rapid shutdown by name. 68% · adopting ordinance page (inference)

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? WARNING placards at: the inverter output overcurrent device ('INVERTER OUTPUT CONNECTION; DO NOT RELOCATE THIS OVERCURRENT DEVICE,' CEC 705.12(D)(7)); the main service panel ('DUAL POWER SOURCES ... SECOND SOURCE IS PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEM,' CEC 690.54 & 705.12(D)(4)); the PV system AC disconnect (rated current/voltage, CEC 690.54); the PV system DC disconnect (rated current/voltage, CEC 690.53); junction/combiner boxes and conduit runs every 10 feet ('WARNING: PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER SOURCE,' CRC R331.2/CFC 605.11.1); plus conditional shock-hazard labels for ungrounded systems (690.35(F)) and ground-fault-indicating inverters (690.5(C)). 90% · department bulletin (standard plan)
• Does the authority specify placard wording of its own? Yes 88% · department bulletin (standard plan)
• Does it specify letter height, colour or material? Not mandated as a strict City rule, but the toolkits' own informational note recommends: a phenolic plaque with contrasting colors between text and background (for permanency, per ANSI Z535.4 guidance), and states 'No type size is specified, but 20 point (3/8") should be considered the minimum.' 80% · department bulletin (standard plan)
• Is a site plan / facility map placard required, and what must it show? Yes — CEC Section 705.10 requires a permanent plaque or directory denoting all electric power sources on the premises (called out explicitly in PV Toolkit #4); in addition, the submittal package itself must include a site/roof diagram showing panel and anchor layout, access pathways, and disconnect/roof-access locations (PV Toolkit #1 Section 2(d)/(e)). 88% · department bulletin (standard plan)
• Where must the labels be placed? At the specific equipment they describe: on/at the inverter output OCPD; at or on the AC disconnect; at or on the DC disconnect; on the main service panel (power-source directory); and on junction/combiner boxes and along exposed conduit runs, repeated at intervals not exceeding 10 feet, per PV Toolkit #3. 85% · department bulletin (standard plan)

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 85% · department bulletin (standard plan)
• Are batteries permitted, and under what conditions? Batteries/ESS are permitted and are folded into the same combination permit as the PV system ('any associated electrical storage units' per the PV info page), but a system WITH battery storage does not qualify for the City's expedited/over-the-counter toolkit path — PV Toolkit #2's eligibility checklist requires the system be 'utility interactive and without battery storage' to use the simplified process, so battery-equipped systems must go through standard (non-expedited) plan review. 75% · authority's own page
• Is there a separate ESS permit or inspection? No — the City issues one combination permit covering the PV system and any associated electrical storage units together, rather than a separate ESS permit; SolarAPP+-issued combination permits likewise include only a single inspection for the whole scope. 80% · authority's own page
• Is a ground mount treated as a structure? Likely yes for practical purposes — the City's streamlined toolkit/SolarAPP+ pathway is scoped to roof-mounted ('flush-mounted') arrays only, and the PV info page instructs applicants with ground-mounted solar to call Building & Safety before applying rather than use the standard online path, implying ground-mount arrays receive separate, structure-level review outside the roof-focused toolkits. 62% · authority's own page
• Is there a local rule on service upgrades or busbar sizing? No Simi Valley-specific local amendment was found; the busbar/service-panel limits referenced in the City's own PV Toolkits (bus bar ≤225 A, and the 100%/120%-of-busbar interconnection OCPD tables) are drawn directly from the state California Electrical Code (CEC 705.12(D)), not a separate City ordinance provision. 68% · department bulletin (standard plan)
• Is a specific mounting system or attachment spacing required? Yes — PV Toolkit #5's Structural Criteria specifies maximum horizontal anchor ('stand-off') spacing by roof slope and rafter spacing (Table 1), minimum embedment/fastener requirements (5/16" lag screw, 2.5" embedment unless the manufacturer's guidelines are met), and a maximum array weight of 4 psf (PV) / 5 psf (solar thermal) for the expedited over-the-counter path; non-conforming layouts require engineer-stamped calculations instead. 90% · department bulletin (standard plan)

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% · authority's own page
• How much notice is required? Same business day (by a 4:00 p.m. cutoff) for next-business-day scheduling; requests placed on Friday after 4:00 p.m. are scheduled for the following Tuesday. 90% · authority's own page
• Are same-day or AM/PM windows offered? No AM/PM or same-day windows are published — only a single next-business-day inspection slot keyed to the 4:00 p.m. request cutoff described above; inspectors are reachable by phone 7:00-8:00 a.m. and 4:00-4:30 p.m. to arrange a more precise time for the following workday. 82% · authority's own 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 85% · authority's own page
• If delegated, to whom? Not delegated for a standard roof-mounted residential PV system ≤10 kW (no battery, no ground mount) — the City's own Building & Safety Division performs the final inspection. Fire-related review for the projects that do fall outside that scope (e.g., where Fire Dept. approval would be required) rests with the Ventura County Fire Protection District, which the City's own website lists under 'Other Agencies' as serving Simi Valley in place of a city fire department. 68% · authority's own 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 SolarAPP+ permits: a single final inspection only ('SolarAPP+ permits only include one inspection, so make sure all work is completed before calling for an inspection'). For the older standard-plan/over-the-counter toolkit process: one on-site final inspection after the system is fully installed (PV Toolkit #1, Section 5) — no separate rough-in stage is described for solar specifically. 85% · authority's own page
• Is a rough-in or mid-roof inspection required? No 78% · authority's own page

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% · department bulletin
• What must be on site at inspection? Approved/stamped plans (18" x 24") at the job site and accessible to the inspector; for SolarAPP+ permits, the SolarAPP+ Approval Document must also be on hand and the completed work must match its approved scope. 85% · authority's own page
• Does the inspector verify labels and listings? Yes 90% · department 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? A final inspection approval/sign-off on the permit record (no separate Certificate of Occupancy is issued for an accessory PV installation on an existing dwelling); for SolarAPP+ permits this is the closing of the single required inspection tied to the auto-issued permit. 68% · authority's own page (inference)
• Who notifies the utility for PTO? Installer/Applicant 80% · utility tariff (SCE Rule 21)
• How are corrections issued and cleared? Corrections are noted by the inspector at the time of inspection (or via the portal); the contractor/owner-builder is responsible for completing the corrections and then requesting a re-inspection through the same channel (self-service portal or the inspection-request line), per the general inspection procedures. The PV info page separately notes that for SolarAPP+ permits any change in scope must go back through a SolarAPP+ revision before the City permit is revised. 62% · authority's own page