Marin County

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% · ordinance
• What does this authority permit itself, and what does it delegate? Both 90% · ordinance
• Is a permit required for a residential rooftop PV system? Yes 95% · department page
• Is there a separate electrical permit, or is it combined? Combined 88% · fee schedule
• Is a HOA or architectural approval required first? No 75% · ordinance
• Is there a historic-district review? No 70% · ordinance
• Is a wind or windstorm certification required? No 85% · ordinance
• Is a Specific Use Permit or Council approval ever required? No, for ordinary rooftop PV. INLAND (Title 22): MCC 22.06.050.H exempts 'Solar energy systems that do not exceed the height limit of the governing zoning district for structures or the roof height of a building by more than two feet, whichever is less restrictive' from all land use permit requirements - so no Use Permit, no Design Review, no Board or Commission hearing. The one carve-out is a Stream Conservation Area within the San Geronimo Valley combining district, where the exemption does not apply 'unless the exemption is required by State law'. COASTAL (Title 20): MCC 20.32.161.A makes a roof-mounted solar energy system a Principal Permitted Use in ALL coastal zoning districts and allows it to exceed the district height limit by up to two feet; if it exceeds by more than two feet, findings of consistency with the LCP including Policies C-DES-1-3 are required 'in addition to and independent of required Design Review'. A Coastal Development Permit is required only where the location triggers in MCC 20.68.060 apply - see Q47 and the coastal note in the jurisdiction block. 82% · ordinance
• Is there a system-size cap on residential generation? None published 70% · ordinance

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 80% · portal
• Must the contractor be registered with this authority before applying? Yes 70% · portal
• Is a homeowner permitted to self-install and self-permit? Yes 75% · portal

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 residential rooftop PV: an online self-service application only - no plan set is submitted and no plan review occurs before issuance. The county states that Minor Improvement Permits are 'specific larger-scope residential alterations where the permit may be issued online, but plans are still required for the inspectors to reference during site inspections', so a plan set must exist and be on site. The content of that plan set is set by the fire code amendment MCC 16.16.040 Section 1201.4: 'A scaled and dimensioned site plan showing the location of all energy systems, property lines, buildings, service and electrical panels, transfer switches, disconnects, underground wiring and piping, fuel type and piping, map placard and signage. Site Plan shall clearly designate property frontage for viewer orientation.' Permits that DO require plan review (not PV) use a Part A Application plus the 12-page Submittal Requirements Checklist. 78% · portal
• How many copies, and in what format? Electronic only. Effective 1 January 2026 the county 'will no longer accept paper plan submittals' - all plan submittals must be completed electronically through the online portal, with plan review conducted in ProjectDox. No paper copy count is published because rooftop PV submits nothing up front; MCC 19.04.033(1)(b)(ii) separately requires that expedited permit instructions and forms 'allow for completed electronic permit application submittal with electronic signature'. 85% · department page
• Is a site plan required, and what must it show? Yes. MCC 16.16.040 Section 1201.4 (added to CFC Chapter 12) requires a scaled and dimensioned site plan showing the location of all energy systems, property lines, buildings, service and electrical panels, transfer switches, disconnects, underground wiring and piping, fuel type and piping, and the map placard and signage, and requires the site plan to 'clearly designate property frontage for viewer orientation'. For plans-and-review permits the general Submittal Requirements Checklist additionally requires a site plan at minimum 1/8"=1'-0" architectural or 1/10"=1'-0" engineering scale drawn to an accurate boundary survey (aerial photo site plans are not accepted), showing property lines and dimensions, easements, zoning setbacks, north arrow, contours, and - expressly - 'rooftop and ground-mounted PV systems, generators, propane tanks'. 80% · ordinance
• Is a one-line / three-line diagram required? No 65% · ordinance
• Are string and conductor calculations required? No 60% · published checklist
• Is a structural PE stamp required, and at what threshold? None published for residential rooftop PV. No structural engineer's stamp threshold appears in MCC Title 19, on the Building and Safety pages, or in the fee schedule, and the rooftop PV permit is issued online without plan review. For permits that DO require plans, the Submittal Requirements Checklist lists 'Structural Engineering, Civil Engineering, and Surveyor Plans' and 'Engineer's Structural Calculations' as documentation that 'may be required' depending on the specific scope and location, and requires a named 'Design Professional in Responsible Charge' (a licensed individual) or 'Individual in Responsible Charge' - but sets no numeric trigger. 60% · published checklist
• Is an electrical PE stamp required, and at what threshold? None published. No electrical PE stamp requirement or threshold appears anywhere in MCC Title 19, MCC 16.16.040, the fee schedule or the Submittal Requirements Checklist. 60% · published 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? Marin County's own in-house portal at cdaportal2.marincounty.org - 'Marin Building Permits' (cdaportal2.marincounty.org/MarinBuildingPermits) for the public-facing catalogue and fees, 'MarinCounty_DP_Building' for self-service permit application, issuance and payment, and ProjectDox for electronic plan submittal and review on plans-and-review permits. NOT Accela, and NOT SolarAPP+. 85% · portal
• Can the whole application be completed online? Yes 88% · portal
• What does a residential solar permit cost? $148.00 88% · fee schedule
• How is the fee calculated? Flat 90% · fee schedule
• Is there a separate plan-check fee? No 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? 0 business days - issued immediately online 80% · department page
• How long is an issued permit valid before it expires? 365 days 85% · department page
• Which utility handles interconnection here? Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) 95% · utility page
• Where does the utility sit in the sequence? Parallel 85% · 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 95% · adopting ordinance
• Which building code edition is in force? 2025 California Building Code (2024 IBC base) and 2025 California Residential Code (2024 IRC base), effective 1 January 2026 95% · adopting ordinance
• Which fire code edition is in force? 2025 California Fire Code (2024 IFC base), plus the 2024 International Fire Code, the 2025 California Wildland-Urban Interface Code and the 2024 International Wildland-Urban Interface Code 92% · adopting ordinance
• Are there local amendments to any of the above? Yes 90% · ordinance
• What is the installation judged against? The 2025 California Electrical Code (2023 NEC) as adopted by MCC 19.04.010(3) with no local amendment, plus the 2025 California Residential Code (solar at R329, storage at R330) and the 2025 California Fire Code Section 1205 as adopted by MCC 16.16.010, plus Marin's own added CFC provisions: 102.7.3 (all products installed under a permit must be Labeled and Listed), 1201.4 (energy-systems site plan), 1201.5 (caution signs at the main service panel and on disconnect equipment), 1201.6 (single, clearly labelled, readily accessible exterior disconnect ahead of any load/service panel, as close as possible to the main service panel; integrated toggle, rocker or electronic switches may not serve as the independent disconnect) and 1201.7 (whole-system operational shutdown test on new installations). On the utility side the job is also judged against PG&E Electric Rule 21 and PG&E's Greenbook TD-7001M. 85% · 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.

• What ridge setback and access pathways are required? 2025 California Fire Code Section 1205 (solar photovoltaic power systems) as adopted, with NO local amendment - the state ridge setback and access/smoke-ventilation pathway rules apply as written 85% · fire code + amendments

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 - NEC 2023 Article 690.12, via the 2025 California Electrical Code adopted at MCC 19.04.010(3), with no California and no Marin amendment. Marin adds a second, separate shutdown requirement of its own: MCC 16.16.040 Section 1201.6 requires an approved, readily accessible, independent and clearly labelled SINGLE EXTERIOR disconnect ahead of any load/service panel, and Section 1201.7 requires new installations to be tested for complete power and energy system shutdown - a normal power failure is simulated by closing the main service breaker, and 'a successful result of the shutdown test shall include termination of all alternate energy power sources serving the building (i.e. main service, photovoltaic system, energy storage systems, and generators, when installed).' 88% · ordinance

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 layers. (1) NEC 2023 as adopted: the Article 690/705 labelling set, including 690.13(B) disconnect marking, 690.56(C) rapid-shutdown labelling and 705.10 point-of-interconnection directory - state law, not local. (2) MARIN's own, from MCC 16.16.040 Section 1201.5: 'Caution signs or labels are required to identify the quantity and type of additional power source(s) located on site. Signs shall be required at the main service panel, and on disconnect equipment. Additional locations may be required by the fire code official.' (3) PG&E's, from Greenbook TD-7001M section 7.7: 'Customers who install distributed generation (e.g., solar, wind, battery storage) that is connected to the electric meter panel are required to install permanent signage affixed to the panel indicating an alternative source of generation is interconnected', plus 'Signage and maps ... at the meter panel for the alternating current (ac) disconnect switch location when it is more than 10 feet away and out of the line of sight from the meter panel', plus - for a line/supply-side connection - 'an engraved placard (signage), indicating there is a line/supply side connection, installed on the metering equipment' (Greenbook 6.3.a). 88% · ordinance / utility spec
• Does the authority specify placard wording of its own? No 82% · ordinance
• Does it specify letter height, colour or material? No. Marin specifies no letter height, no colour and no material for any energy-system placard. 80% · ordinance
• Is a site plan / facility map placard required, and what must it show? Yes - and Marin's is a site plan requirement rather than a pure placard. MCC 16.16.040 Section 1201.4: 'A scaled and dimensioned site plan showing the location of all energy systems, property lines, buildings, service and electrical panels, transfer switches, disconnects, underground wiring and piping, fuel type and piping, map placard and signage. Site Plan shall clearly designate property frontage for viewer orientation.' The reference to a 'map placard' inside the required site-plan contents is the county's hook for a posted facility map. PG&E adds a genuine posted-map requirement: Greenbook TD-7001M section 7.7 requires 'Signage and maps ... at the meter panel for the alternating current (ac) disconnect switch location when it is more than 10 feet away and out of the line of sight from the meter panel.' NEC 705.10 as adopted supplies the permanent plaque or directory at each service equipment location. 85% · ordinance / utility spec
• Does the UTILITY specify placards beyond the AHJ's? Yes. PG&E Greenbook TD-7001M 'Electric & Gas Service Requirements' (publication date 04/22/2026, effective 06/22/2026, rev. 2026-04) requires, at section 7.7, permanent signage affixed to the electric meter panel indicating that an alternative source of generation is interconnected, and signage and maps at the meter panel giving the AC disconnect switch location whenever that switch is more than 10 feet away AND out of the line of sight from the meter panel. Section 6.3.a requires, for generator interconnections ahead of the main breaker (line/supply-side connection, after the meter), a fusible AC disconnect switch AND 'an engraved placard (signage), indicating there is a line/supply side connection, installed on the metering equipment'. Electric Rule 21 H.1.d.ii additionally requires the isolating device to 'include markings or signage that clearly indicates open and closed positions', and H.1.d.v requires that where the device is not adjacent to the point of common coupling, 'permanent signage must be installed at a Distribution Provider approved location providing a clear description of the location of the device'. 88% · utility DG manual
• Where must the labels be placed? At the main service panel and on the disconnect equipment (MCC 16.16.040 Section 1201.5), with additional locations at the fire code official's discretion. Affixed to the electric meter panel for the alternative-generation-source notice, and at the meter panel for the AC disconnect location signage and map when the disconnect is over 10 feet away and out of line of sight (PG&E Greenbook 7.7). On the metering equipment for the engraved line/supply-side placard (Greenbook 6.3.a). On the isolating device itself for the open/closed markings, and at a PG&E-approved location where the device is not adjacent to the point of common coupling (Rule 21 H.1.d). Plus the NEC 705.10 plaque or directory at each service equipment location. 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? There is NO county rule fixing a distance from the meter, and PG&E's tariff sets none either. Marin's rule is proximity-to-panel, not proximity-to-meter: MCC 16.16.040 Section 1201.6 requires 'an approved and readily accessible independent and clearly labeled single exterior disconnect ... located prior to any load/service panel and installed as close as possible to the main service panel or as approved by the fire code official', and adds that 'integrated equipment toggle, rocker, or electronic switches shall not be utilized as an independent disconnects.' PG&E Electric Rule 21 H.1.d (Advice 7692-E, effective 29 August 2025) requires only that the isolating switch be 'near the Point of Interconnection', allow visible verification of separation, carry open/closed markings, be reachable 24 hours a day by PG&E personnel without keys or special permission, be lockable in the open position, and be marked on the submitted single-line with its type and location approved by PG&E before installation; facilities with non-islanding inverters totalling 1 kVA or less are exempt. NO DISTANCE APPEARS ANYWHERE IN RULE 21. The '10 feet' that the trade repeats does exist in a PG&E document, but it is a SIGNAGE TRIGGER, not a maximum distance: Greenbook TD-7001M section 7.7 requires signage and maps at the meter panel for the AC disconnect location 'when it is more than 10 feet away and out of the line of sight from the meter panel'. Both conditions must be met before the signage is owed, and a disconnect further than 10 feet away is entirely lawful. Finally, on the commonest residential case PG&E requires no AC disconnect at all: Greenbook Table 6-3 requires none for inverter-based generators on a single-phase self-contained socket-based meter panel of 320 amps or less continuous rating (an AC disconnect IS required for all K-base meter panels of any rating, and for all other self-contained or transformer-rated panels, and for all non-inverter-based generators); if one is installed voluntarily it must still be PG&E-approved. Marin's Section 1201.6 nonetheless requires its own single exterior disconnect for the fire department's benefit regardless of what PG&E requires. 90% · utility DG manual
• Must equipment be on a specific approved list? Yes 85% · ordinance
• Are batteries permitted, and under what conditions? Permitted, and treated as a routine self-service job. 'Energy Storage System Installations' is one of the four Minor Improvement Permit types, issued online with no up-front plan review, at a $148.00 base fee. The installation is judged against the 2025 CRC Section R330 and 2025 CFC Chapter 12 energy-storage provisions as adopted at MCC 19.04.010 and 16.16.010, neither of which Marin amends. Marin's own added CFC provisions apply to ESS in exactly the same way they apply to PV: the Section 1201.4 energy-systems site plan; the Section 1201.5 caution signs at the main service panel and on disconnect equipment identifying the quantity and type of additional power sources; the Section 1201.6 single labelled exterior disconnect; and the Section 1201.7 whole-system shutdown test, which names 'energy storage systems' explicitly among the sources that must terminate. The county also publishes a homeowner fact sheet comparing battery backup with gas generators. 82% · fee schedule + fire code
• Is there a separate ESS permit or inspection? Yes 85% · fee schedule
• Is a ground mount treated as a structure? Yes 80% · ordinance
• Is there a local rule on service upgrades or busbar sizing? No local rule 75% · fee schedule
• Is a specific mounting system or attachment spacing required? None specified 70% · department page

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 page
• How much notice is required? Next business day; no fixed minimum notice is published 70% · department page
• Are same-day or AM/PM windows offered? No same-day inspections and no AM/PM half-day windows. Instead: the inspector calls or texts between 8:00 and 9:00 a.m. on the day of the inspection to confirm and to give a TWO-HOUR inspection window; alternatively the applicant can ring 415-473-6550 after 8:00 a.m. on the morning of the inspection to get the window. 88% · 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 92% · department page
• If delegated, to whom? N/A - not delegated 90% · portal

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? Marin issues the permit with a blank inspection card listing the 3-digit inspection codes that apply to that permit, and the inspector initials the card on each pass. The published code list gives the codes a PV job draws on: ELECTRICAL 230 Roof Elec, 240 Rough Elec, 280 Elec Serv and 299 Final Electrical; BUILDING 199 Final; and for permits issued through the online 'B' route the combined codes 139 Rough Combo and 198 Final Combo. The realistic sequence for a self-service rooftop PV permit is a single combined final (198), which is consistent with Gov. Code 65850.5's one-inspection rule for eligible small residential rooftop systems. Two things happen at that inspection that are specific to Marin: the MCC 16.16.040 Section 1201.7 operational shutdown test, and the MCC 19.14.020 signed affirmative declaration. 75% · department page
• Is a rough-in or mid-roof inspection required? No 55% · 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? No solar-specific inspection checklist is published, but two published documents do the same work 78% · department page
• What must be on site at inspection? The permit itself, the approved plans, and 'other documents described in your permit'; the posted job card (so neighbours and passing inspectors can see the work is approved); and the inspection card for the inspector to initial. For a Minor Improvement Permit such as rooftop PV the plans are never sent to the county, so the ONLY copy is the one on site - the county states plainly that for this permit class 'plans are still required for the inspectors to reference during site inspections'. In addition, MCC 19.14.020 requires that before and as a condition of the final inspection of any maintenance or minor improvement permit, the applicant hand the building inspector a SIGNED AFFIRMATIVE DECLARATION of compliance with four items, which is then attached to the permanent permit record: water-conserving plumbing fixtures (Civil Code 1101.4(a), 1101.5(d)(2), CPC 401.3); State Fire Marshal approved smoke alarms, required in any dwelling undergoing an alteration or improvement worth at least one thousand dollars - which a PV job always is; carbon monoxide alarms where the dwelling has a fuel-fired appliance or fireplace or an attached garage communicating with the dwelling; and gate safeguards providing fall-over protection on any gate wider than 48 inches or taller than 84 inches. 85% · ordinance
• Does the inspector verify labels and listings? Yes 75% · ordinance / practice

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 80% · department page
• Who notifies the utility for PTO? Installer 88% · utility DG manual
• Is there a re-inspection fee? None published 50% · fee schedule
• How are corrections issued and cleared? Plan review corrections come back as a written plan review report listing the corrections or clarifications needed, which the applicant answers by resubmitting the plans - relevant only to plans-and-review permits, not to a self-service PV permit. At inspection, 'if they find problems, they will work with you on a plan to correct them' and the inspector re-visits; a failed or incomplete item is cleared by a further inspection. The separate and more consequential mechanism is the HOLD: holds can be added mid-project for unfinished work, safety concerns, code violations, missing documentation, unpaid fees or construction differing from the approved plans, and while any hold is pending the automated system will not let an inspection be booked at all. Holds can be placed by the fire department, Building and Safety, Public Works, Planning, a school district or a sanitation or water district, and can be cleared by quite different actions - a letter, proof of payment, or revised plans. 70% · department page