Daly City

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 97% · department page
• What does this authority permit itself, and what does it delegate? Both 90% · department page
• Is a permit required for a residential rooftop PV system? Yes 96% · department page
• Is there a separate electrical permit, or is it combined? Either 82% · checklist
• Is a wind or windstorm certification required? No 65% · checklist
• Is a Specific Use Permit or Council approval ever required? No dedicated Council/SUP process found for by-right residential rooftop PV; the City markets the program as low-fee/timely administrative review, consistent with the state's ministerial-approval mandate for residential solar (Gov. Code §65850.5). 60% · department page
• Is there a system-size cap on residential generation? Two Daly City pages give conflicting caps: the dedicated SolarAPP+ page states the City accepts SolarAPP+ submittals up to '38.4 kilowatts alternating current nameplate rating' including a paired ESS up to the same 38.4kW AC cap (with battery spacing ≥3ft). The separate Solar Energy Systems page states Daly City is 'currently only utilizing this program for PV installs under 10kW and for which no ESS/battery is proposed,' routing larger or battery systems to standard plan review by email. Both pages are live and undated; this is a genuine, unresolved discrepancy in the City's own publications, not a single settled cap. 55% · department 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 75% · department page
• 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 78% · 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? Building Permit Application; eligibility/expedited checklist demonstrating compliance; a completed Standard Electrical Plan (or custom one-line diagram, string/conductor sizing, equipment cut sheets, labeling per CEC 690/705) with plot plan; a roof plan showing panel layout, fire-pathways, roof-access point and label locations; and completed Structural Criteria with engineer-stamped calcs if the prescriptive checklist is not met. 92% · checklist
• How many copies, and in what format? Digital PDF submittal by email to the Building Division (or upload through the SolarAPP+/permit portal for eligible projects); no physical copy count specified. 65% · department page
• Is a site plan required, and what must it show? Yes -- a site/plot plan showing front, side and rear setbacks (min 1/8in=1ft scale) plus a roof plan showing panel/module layout, clear fire-access pathways, roof-access point, fire classification, and locations of all required labels/markings and disconnects. 92% · checklist
• Is a one-line / three-line diagram required? Yes 95% · checklist
• Are string and conductor calculations required? Yes 92% · checklist
• Is a structural PE stamp required, and at what threshold? PE stamp not required if the array passes the City's prescriptive 'Structural Criteria for Residential Rooftop Flush-Mounted Solar Arrays' checklist (flush-mount, 2-10in standoff, ≤4psf array weight, covers ≤half the roof, rafter span within Table 2, no deterioration/overlay roof); if the project fails any checklist item it must go to standard review with 'structural drawings and calculations stamped and signed by a California-licensed Civil or Structural Engineer.' 75% · 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? Daly City Online Permits, a Tyler Technologies EnerGov self-service portal (dalycityca-energovpub.tylerhost.net), integrated with SolarAPP+ for eligible residential PV/ESS projects. 92% · portal landing page
• Can the whole application be completed online? Yes, for projects that qualify for SolarAPP+ (automated code-compliance check, then upload approval documents and pay fees in the City's EnerGov portal); No for larger/battery projects, which route through email plan review and in-person/mail fee payment. 85% · portal
• What does a residential solar permit cost? No solar-specific flat fee is published; using the City's own valuation-based Building Permit fee table plus its 79% Plan Review surcharge and 9% Technology Fee, a typical ~$18,000 residential PV system computes to roughly $740-$800 in City permit fees. A separate processing fee is paid directly to SolarAPP+ (not the City) for projects using that track. 55% · fee schedule
• How is the fee calculated? Valuation 85% · fee schedule
• Is there a separate plan-check fee? Yes 88% · 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 submittals using the City's Solar PV Standard Plan (≤10kW simplified path); 15 working days from routing for projects requiring full custom plan review (general Permits-Involving-Plans timeline, not solar-specific). SolarAPP+ submittals for eligible projects (see q28 conflict) get an automated, near-instant code-compliance check. 82% · checklist
• Which utility handles interconnection here? Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) 85% · department page
• Where does the utility sit in the sequence? Parallel 58% · utility DG manual

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 92% · adopting ordinance
• Which building code edition is in force? 2025 California Building Code (and 2025 California Residential Code for one/two-family dwellings), effective 1 Jan 2026, with local amendments in Daly City Municipal Code Title 15. 95% · adopting ordinance
• Which fire code edition is in force? 2025 California Fire Code, effective 1 Jan 2026, enforced in coordination with the North County Fire Authority. 88% · adopting ordinance
• Are there local amendments to any of the above? Yes 92% · ordinance
• What is the installation judged against? The current adopted 2025 CBC/CRC/CEC/CFC as locally amended under DCMC Title 15, plus the City's own Solar PV Standard Plan/Structural Criteria/Microinverter forms and Photovoltaic Inspection Checklist, which operationalize CEC Articles 690/705 and CRC R331 for residential rooftop PV. 88% · ordinance

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 Daly City 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, to the 2023 NEC (as adopted in the 2025 CEC) -- a readily accessible rapid shutdown is required on both the AC and DC side of the inverter (or the DC side for microinverter-type modules). 92% · checklist

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 OCPD, DC disconnect, AC disconnect, and (for ungrounded systems) DC-conductor shock-hazard warning; PV Power Source marking on junction/combiner boxes and conduit every 10ft; ground-fault shock-hazard warning; and a permanent plaque/directory at the main service denoting all power sources (CEC 705.12). 92% · ordinance / utility spec
• Does the authority specify placard wording of its own? Yes 92% · ordinance
• Does it specify letter height, colour or material? The Standard Plan's informational note recommends ANSI Z535.4-compliant safety signs: a phenolic plaque with contrasting text/background colors for permanency, and states 'No type size is specified, but 20 point (3/8in) should be considered the minimum.' 90% · ordinance
• Is a site plan / facility map placard required, and what must it show? Yes -- a roof/site diagram showing the layout of all panels/modules, clear access pathways, approximate locations of electrical disconnecting means and roof access points, plus a wiring diagram showing a readily accessible rapid shutdown of the PV system. 92% · checklist
• Does the UTILITY specify placards beyond the AHJ's? Yes -- PG&E requires an engraved placard/signage on the metering equipment indicating a line/supply-side connection where a fusible AC disconnect is used ahead of the main breaker, per PG&E Electric Design Standard 060559 ('Disconnect Switch Requirements for Distributed Generation Customers'), referenced in the Greenbook's Electric Generation Interconnection chapter. 85% · utility DG manual
• Where must the labels be placed? AHJ-level PV/system labels go at the PV modules, junction/combiner boxes, conduit (every 10ft), DC and AC disconnects, and the main service equipment (per the Standard Plan). Utility-level: PG&E requires its line/supply-side-connection placard mounted on the metering equipment itself (Greenbook Ch. 6.3). 85% · ordinance / utility 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? An AC disconnect is required at all self-contained meter panels over 320A (single-phase, continuous rating) and at all transformer-rated meter panels of any size, and at all panels for non-inverter-based generators regardless of size; it is NOT required for a self-contained, socket-based single-phase meter panel ≤320A using an inverter-based generator (e.g. typical residential string/micro-inverter PV), unless a K-base meter is used. Where a fusible AC disconnect is installed ahead of the main breaker (line-side/supply-side tap), it goes on the metering equipment itself. 88% · utility DG manual
• Must equipment be on a specific approved list? Yes 82% · ordinance
• Are batteries permitted, and under what conditions? Yes, batteries/ESS are permitted, but the City's two solar pages give conflicting routes: the SolarAPP+ page allows a paired residential ESS up to 38.4kW AC combined with the PV system via SolarAPP+ (provided batteries are spaced ≥3ft apart; closer spacing requires standard plan review), while the Solar Energy Systems page says the ≤10kW streamlined/SolarAPP+ path is only for systems 'for which no ESS/battery is proposed' and routes any battery project to the Building Division by email for standard plan review. Either way, a battery-paired system is permittable in Daly City -- only the review pathway is in dispute between the City's own pages. 62% · fire code + amendments
• Is there a separate ESS permit or inspection? No separate ESS-specific permit or fee line found; a paired battery system is folded into the same building/electrical PV permit application (routed to standard plan review rather than SolarAPP+, per q45). 58% · fee schedule
• Is there a local rule on service upgrades or busbar sizing? Yes -- the Solar PV Standard Plan restricts eligible systems to a single-phase 120/240V service with a bus-bar rating of 225A or less, and applies CEC 705.12(D)(2)'s 120%/100% busbar rule with City-specified maximum combined OCPD values, expressly reduced (e.g. to 60A) 'to reflect 10kW AC size maximum.' The general Electrical Installation of Residential Services handout also gives Daly City-specific grounding-electrode and service-conductor rules (DCMC 15.24.x). 85% · amendments
• Is a specific mounting system or attachment spacing required? For flush-mounted arrays, the City's prescriptive Structural Criteria requires: modules parallel to and within a 2-10in gap of the roof plane, no overhang past roof edges, ≤4psf combined weight for PV (5psf for solar thermal), array covering no more than half the total roof area, and rafter horizontal span within the City's Table 2 span limits (or a licensed engineer's site-specific calculations if not). 88% · amendments

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 or email 82% · department page
• How much notice is required? At least 2 business days for standard-route requests (general Inspections page); for the ≤10kW Standard Plan solar path, requests received during business hours are 'typically scheduled for the next business day,' with a fallback 'within a five-day window' if next-day is unavailable. 80% · department page
• Are same-day or AM/PM windows offered? Approximate arrival-time windows are posted the morning of the scheduled inspection (finalized by 8:00am) via the online portal's 'Today's Inspections' page, rather than a customer-selected AM/PM slot at booking time. 70% · 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 85% · department page
• If delegated, to whom? Not delegated for the routine building/electrical/structural PV final -- performed by Daly City's own Building Division. Fire-code plan review/inspection generally is delegated to the North County Fire Authority (JPA of Daly City, Brisbane, Pacifica), reachable at (650) 800-6580, though its role specifically in residential rooftop PV sign-off could not be confirmed (NCFA's website blocked automated fetches -- see jurisdiction notes). 68% · 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? A single field/final inspection covering structural mounting, fire classification, grounding/bonding, conduit/conductor installation, equipment listing/labeling, disconnects and rapid shutdown -- Daly City's residential PV process does not describe separate rough-in/mechanical/electrical-only stages the way a home addition would; the Photovoltaic Inspection Checklist is organized as one consolidated field inspection with 22 verification items. 80% · department page
• Is a rough-in or mid-roof inspection required? No separate rough-in/mid-roof inspection is described for the streamlined residential PV path; attic conduit clearance is verified at the same final inspection (installer must 'provide attic access for inspection' at that time) rather than at a distinct mid-construction visit. 65% · department 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 98% · department page
• What must be on site at inspection? Means to safely access and inspect the roof; knowledgeable personnel on-site familiar with the installed system; interior access to verify required smoke/CO alarms; and photographic/video evidence of at least 10% (minimum two) of the roof attachment points, all keyed to the approved plans. 92% · department page
• Does the inspector verify labels and listings? Yes 95% · 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 82% · department page
• Who notifies the utility for PTO? Installer 55% · utility DG manual
• Is there a re-inspection fee? No solar/PV-specific re-inspection fee found; the FY2027 Master Fee Schedule's only line explicitly labeled 'Construction Re-inspections' ($416.00 flat) sits inside the schedule's Fire (Section 5) fee group, alongside Fire plan-check items -- it is not clearly a general Building Division re-inspection fee. Building Division's closest general-purpose line is 'Inspection for which no fee is specifically indicated' at $168.00/hour (fee 3.95). 50% · fee schedule
• How are corrections issued and cleared? Plan-review comments are compiled and emailed to the permit's listed contacts; resubmittals go back through the Building Division email. At inspection, failed items are corrected on-site or the inspection is failed and must be rescheduled by calling the Building Division; there is no online corrections portal described for solar specifically. 68% · department page