Sacramento 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 — for unincorporated Sacramento County. Building and electrical permits are issued by the Sacramento County Building Permits & Inspection Division. Incorporated cities (Sacramento, Elk Grove, Citrus Heights, Folsom, Rancho Cordova, Galt, Isleton) permit their own. 90% · county code (Title 16)
• What does this authority permit itself, and what does it delegate? Both — building and electrical. Fire is delegated to the fire protection district (Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District over most of the unincorporated area). 90% · county code — § 16.28.030 Adoption of the California Electrical Code
• Is a permit required for a residential rooftop PV system? Yes. A building permit is required for a residential rooftop PV system; the Division publishes a dedicated 'Residential Roof Mount PV Submission Checklist' (EC-23) and lists 'Residential solar permit' among permits it issues. 95% · published checklist (EC-23, updated 5/2023)
• Is there a separate electrical permit, or is it combined? Combined — one residential solar permit. The FAQ lists a single 'Residential solar permit or solar with a energy storage system (ESS) using SOLARAPP', and County Code § 16.90.030(M) sets one solar permit fee schedule rather than separate building and electrical fees. 70% · department FAQ
• Is there a system-size cap on residential generation? Cap is set by the utility, not the county: SMUD limits the system to 'up to 110% of the customer's own electrical requirements'. SMUD also caps single-phase generators on a shared single-phase secondary at 20 kVA gross AC nameplate, with no more than 6 kVA of imbalance between the two sides of a 240-volt service. No county-level size cap was found. 85% · utility checklist (SMUD 3815_6/25) + Guidelines 11-01 § 3.1.6

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, but the fast path is contractor-only. The SolarAPP+ auto-issued permit is expressly 'for contractor use only' and open to licensed contractors. An owner-builder route exists outside SolarAPP+ (form AP-16 Notice To Property Owner as Owner Builder). 60% · department FAQ + forms library
• Is a homeowner permitted to self-install and self-permit? Yes — an owner-builder route exists. The Division publishes form AP-16 'Notice To Property Owner as Owner Builder'. It cannot be used through SolarAPP+, which is contractor-only. 65% · forms library

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 EC-23, a complete submittal is: (1) Site Plan; (2) Roof Plan; (3) Single Line Electrical Diagram; (4) PV Module and Inverter Specifications; (5) Equipment Mounting Specifications; (6) Signage details; (7) SMUD Interconnection Approval Letter. Verbatim on the last: 'A SMUD interconnection letter must be included at submittal.' 95% · published checklist (EC-23, updated 5/2023)
• How many copies, and in what format? Electronic submittal — plans are submitted and reviewed online through the Accela Citizen Access portal; fees are paid there too ('All plan review and/or permit fees will be paid online through the Citizen Access Portal'). No copy count is published because submittal is not paper. 60% · department FAQ
• Is a site plan required, and what must it show? Yes. Verbatim from EC-23: 'A site plan drawn to scale showing the property lines, location of dwelling, side yards, north arrow, location of the panels on the roof, total number of panels, location of electrical service, junction boxes, system disconnect and inverter.' A separate Roof Plan is also required 'indicating the number of modules, location of modules, roofing material and fire access setbacks.' 95% · published checklist (EC-23)
• Is a one-line / three-line diagram required? Yes — a Single Line Electrical Diagram is required, and EC-23 enumerates ten mandatory contents: 1. Array configuration; 2. Array wiring; 3. Combiner junction box; 4. Conductor sizes; 5. Conduit sizes; 6. Grounding conductor and equipment grounding specifications; 7. Inverter type and model number specified; 8. Location of equipment disconnect identified; 9. Size of electrical panel and or sub-panels; 10. Point of connection attachment method identified. (SMUD separately asks for a 'labeled solar one-line/three-line drawing'.) 95% · published checklist (EC-23)
• Are string and conductor calculations required? Partly. Conductor sizes and conduit sizes are required on the single line diagram, and module specs must state 'total voltage output ... and recommended conductor and grounding sizes'. Standalone string/voltage-drop calculations are not called for as a separate submittal item. 75% · published checklist (EC-23)
• Is a structural PE stamp required, and at what threshold? No structural PE stamp is called for on a standard residential roof-mount PV submittal, and no threshold is published. EC-23 requires only 'Equipment Mounting Specifications ... with the specific mounting arrangement identified which is based upon the type of roof framing and roof covering' — manufacturer mounting details, not an engineer's calculations. 55% · published checklist (EC-23)

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? Two portals in sequence: SolarAPP+ (gosolarapp.org) for the automated design review, then Sacramento County's Accela Citizen Access portal at https://aca-prod.accela.com/SACCO (also reachable as actonline.saccounty.gov/CitizenAccess) for the permit itself, fee payment and inspection scheduling. 90% · department page + FAQ
• Can the whole application be completed online? Yes — application, fee payment and inspection scheduling are all online. Fees: 'All plan review and/or permit fees will be paid online through the Citizen Access Portal.' Inspections can be booked in the same portal. 90% · department FAQ
• What does a residential solar permit cost? Tiered by system size and statutorily capped — the County no longer publishes dollar figures for 1–15 kW. County Code § 16.90.030(M)(1) 'Residential rooftop solar panel fees (calculated per SB1222/Cal. Govt. Code Section 66015 limits)' gives: 1 kW to 8 kW and 9 kW to 15 kW — 'fees are calculated based on Cal. Gov't Code sections 65850.55, 66016 and Health and Safety Code Section 17951. Fees are limited pursuant to Gov't Code Section 66015.'; 16 kW and greater — 'fee calculated is fee immediately above plus $15.00 per additional kW over 15kW'. Minimum fee is based on the hourly BI-II rate. 80% · county code — § 16.90.030(M) Solar Permit Fees
• How is the fee calculated? Tiered (by system kW), with a per-kW adder above 15 kW and a statutory cap. 90% · county code — § 16.90.030(M)
• Is there a separate plan-check fee? Generally yes — § 16.90.030 provides 'Upon submittal of a plan for plan review, a plan review fee of 40% of the total building permit fee shall be collected'. For residential solar this is almost certainly subsumed in the capped solar fee rather than charged on top, since Gov't Code 66015 caps the total. 55% · county code — § 16.90.030

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? Effectively instant for the standard case — a residential rooftop solar permit run through SolarAPP+ is auto-issued online with no plan review queue. The FAQ lists 'Residential solar permit or solar with a energy storage system (ESS) using SOLARAPP' among applications 'automatically issued online', and the Division describes SolarAPP+ as giving 'an online application for an auto-issued permit'. 80% · department FAQ + SolarAPP+ news page
• How long is an issued permit valid before it expires? 365 days. County Code Ch. 16.02 re-titles and amends CBC § 105.5: 'Every permit issued by the Building Official ... shall expire by limitation and become null and void if the building or work authorized by such permit is not commenced within 365 days from the date of permit issuance or if the building or work authorized by such permit is suspended or abandoned as indicated by no inspection of work within a period of 365 days.' Renewal costs one-half a new permit fee. Separately, an application with no permit issued within 180 days expires (amended CBC § 105.3.2). 90% · county code — Ch. 16.02, amended CBC §§ 105.3.2 and 105.5
• Which utility handles interconnection here? Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) — a publicly-owned utility, not a CPUC investor-owned utility. It interconnects under its own Rule 21 and its own Interconnection Guidelines (Manual 11-01), not the CPUC Rule 21 tariff. 95% · county checklist + SMUD Interconnection Guidelines 11-01
• Where does the utility sit in the sequence? Before permit — and again after. EC-23: 'SMUD Interconnection Approval Letter: A SMUD interconnection letter must be included at submittal.' Then at the far end, SMUD Interconnection Guidelines § 1.5: 'The Facility Owner is responsible for all local building permits and final inspections with the local agency before SMUD performs its final inspection.' So the sequence is SMUD approval → county permit → install → county final → SMUD final → PTO. 90% · utility interconnection guidelines (Manual 11-01, rev. 13, 04/17/2025) + county checklist EC-23

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? 2025 California Electrical Code (Title 24 Part 3), which is based on the 2023 NEC. County Code § 16.28.030: 'The 2025 California Electrical Code, Title 24, Part 3 of the California Code of Regulations ... are hereby adopted as amended and incorporated by reference herein.' (SCC 1710 § 12, 2022; SCC 1775, 5/12/2026) 95% · county code — § 16.28.030
• Which building code edition is in force? 2025 California Building Code (Title 24 Part 2) per § 16.04.030, and 2025 California Residential Code (Title 24 Part 2.5) per § 16.10.030 — the latter adopted together with Appendices BF (Patio Covers), BO (Existing Buildings and Structures), BG (Sound Transmission) and CJ (Emergency Housing). A one- or two-family dwelling rooftop PV job falls under the CRC. 95% · county code — §§ 16.04.030 and 16.10.030
• Which fire code edition is in force? 2025 California Fire Code (Title 24 Part 9), adopted not by the County but by the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District in Ordinance 2025-02, introduced 23 October 2025, 'including Appendix 4, Appendix B, Appendix BB, Appendix C, Appendix CC, Appendix H, Appendix O, Appendix P'. The ordinance defines 'municipality' to 'include the incorporated and unincorporated areas of the County of Sacramento', and its provisions are 'controlling within the boundaries of the District'. 90% · fire district adopting ordinance
• Are there local amendments to any of the above? Yes, local amendments exist — but none of them touch solar PV. County amendments found: Ch. 16.02 re-titles and amends CBC § 105.3.2 (plan review expiry, 180 days) and § 105.5 (permit expiry, 365 days); § 16.10.050 amends CRC R310.1 emergency escape openings, adds Appendix BO 106.4 'Limitation of Reconstruction' (50%-removal triggers new-construction treatment), and adopts/amends Appendix CI pool safety. The fire district's amendment table (read in full) amends §§ 105.5.5, 105.6, 108.7, 110.3.1, 112.1, 113.4, 114.4, 202, 503.6.1, 507.1.1, 510.4.1.x, 901.4.7, the 903.2 sprinkler series, 1028.5.1, 5003.9.1.2, 5601.1.6, Chapter 80 and Appendices B/C. Chapter 12 (Energy Systems — § 1204 solar PV, § 1207 ESS) is absent from that table entirely, so unamended state text governs solar. 90% · county code Ch. 16.02 / § 16.10.050 + fire district Ord. 2025-02 amendment table
• What is the installation judged against? The 2025 California Electrical Code as adopted at § 16.28.030, applied to 'all electrical systems associated with construction, alteration, moving, demolition, repair, and use of any building, structure or building service equipment within this jurisdiction'. EC-23 reinforces this for PV specifically: equipment 'shall be properly signed in accordance with the installation instructions and applicable code year CEC requirements'. 95% · county code — § 16.28.030

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? Unamended 2025 California Fire Code Chapter 12 (§ 1204) applies — the fire district adopted the CFC with no amendment to Chapter 12. Under that state text: at least one 36-inch-wide pathway from lowest roof edge to ridge on each roof plane carrying an array (on the same plane, an adjacent plane, or straddling both), plus at least one pathway on the street or driveway side of the roof; ridge setback of not less than 18 inches on both sides of a horizontal ridge where the array covers 33% or less of plan-view total roof area, and not less than 36 inches on both sides where it exceeds 33%. EC-23 requires the roof plan to show 'fire access setbacks'. 75% · fire district adopting ordinance (adoption + non-amendment) + state CFC 2025 Ch. 12 (dimensions)

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 2025 California Electrical Code, i.e. the 2023 NEC rapid-shutdown provisions at Article 690.12. No county amendment modifies it. 75% · county code — § 16.28.030 (edition in force); requirement inherited from adopted CEC

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? The county requires no placard of its own design. EC-23, verbatim: 'All PV equipment shall be properly signed in accordance with the installation instructions and applicable code year CEC requirements. Provide details of the various safety signage specified by the manufacturer and current code year CEC.' In practice that means the 2025 CEC placard set — permanent plaque/directory at the service equipment (705.10), PV system disconnect marking, rapid-shutdown labelling (690.56) and disconnect markings (690.13) — plus whatever the module and inverter listings require. 75% · published checklist (EC-23)
• Does the authority specify placard wording of its own? No. The county specifies no placard wording of its own — it defers entirely to manufacturer installation instructions and the adopted CEC. 90% · published checklist (EC-23)
• Does it specify letter height, colour or material? No county specification of letter height, colour or material. These fall to the adopted CEC and the ANSI Z535.4 conventions it invokes, and to manufacturer instructions. The only county-adjacent durability language found anywhere is SMUD's, requiring disconnect marking durable enough for the outdoor environment. 80% · published checklist (EC-23)
• Is a site plan / facility map placard required, and what must it show? Yes, by inheritance rather than by county rule — 2025 CEC 705.10 requires a permanent plaque or directory at the service equipment (or at an approved readily visible location) denoting all electric power source locations on the premises. The county adds no facility-map content requirement of its own; its site-plan requirements (EC-23) are a submittal item, not a placard. 70% · county code — § 16.28.030 (edition in force); requirement inherited from adopted CEC 705.10
• Does the UTILITY specify placards beyond the AHJ's? Yes — SMUD imposes marking requirements beyond the AHJ's. Where an isolating switch is required, Interconnection Guidelines § 3.1.5 requires the device to 'include markings or signage that clearly indicates open and closed positions', and further: 'be clearly marked on the submitted single line diagram and its type and location approved by SMUD prior to installation. If the device is not adjacent to the PCC, permanent signage must be installed at a SMUD approved location providing a clear description of the location of the device.' Generating facilities with non-islanding inverters totalling 1 kVA or less are exempt. 85% · utility interconnection guidelines (Manual 11-01, rev. 13, 04/17/2025) § 3.1.5
• Where must the labels be placed? At the service equipment (CEC 705.10 plaque/directory), on the PV and interconnection disconnecting means, and on the rapid-shutdown initiation device — all per the adopted 2025 CEC, since the county states no placement rule. SMUD adds: signage on the isolating device showing open/closed position, and if that device is not adjacent to the Point of Common Coupling, permanent signage at a SMUD-approved location describing where the device is. 75% · utility guidelines § 3.1.5 + adopted CEC

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? Usually no AC disconnect at all for a typical house: SMUD no longer requires one on inverter-based systems where the premises has a self-contained meter and the inverter is on the California Energy Commission eligible list. It still applies to transformer-rated-meter services, non-listed inverters, and non-inverter generators. Where required, Guidelines § 3.1.5 places it 'near the Point of Interconnection' and requires it to: allow visible verification of separation; indicate open/closed position; be reachable 'for Emergency purposes quickly and conveniently 24 hours a day by SMUD personnel ... without obstacles or requiring those seeking access to obtain keys, special permission, or security clearances'; and 'be capable of being locked in the open position'. No numeric distance from the meter is specified. 70% · utility interconnection guidelines § 3.1.5
• Must equipment be on a specific approved list? Yes, at utility level: SMUD requires the installer to 'Ensure PV equipment and inverter are listed and approved by the CEC' — here 'CEC' means the California Energy Commission's list of eligible inverters, not the California Electrical Code. SMUD's AC-disconnect waiver is also conditioned on the inverter appearing on that list. 85% · utility checklist (SMUD 3815_6/25)
• Are batteries permitted, and under what conditions? Permitted. The county issues a combined 'Residential solar permit or solar with a energy storage system (ESS) using SOLARAPP'. Conditions come from the unamended 2025 CFC § 1207 (Energy Storage Systems), since the fire district's ordinance amends no part of Chapter 12; the only ESS-adjacent amendment is a sprinkler exception in § 903.2 for telecommunications-building batteries, which does not apply to dwellings. 70% · department FAQ + fire district Ord. 2025-02
• Is there a separate ESS permit or inspection? No separate ESS permit for the standard case — the FAQ describes one auto-issued permit covering 'solar with a energy storage system (ESS) using SOLARAPP'. 60% · department FAQ (conflicting with department news page)
• Is a ground mount treated as a structure? Yes — treated differently from rooftop and priced as a structure. County Code § 16.90.030(M)(3) gives ground mounts their own fee basis, 'Solar permit fees for ground mount panels for commercial or residential projects': 1 kW to 10 kW = 7 hourly units; 11 kW to 1.0 MW = 7 hourly units plus 1 hourly unit for each additional 10 kW or portion thereof; 1 MW and greater = 106 hourly units plus 25 hourly units per additional MW. Note this is time-and-materials pricing, NOT the capped per-kW residential rooftop schedule. 65% · county code — § 16.90.030(M)(3)
• Is a specific mounting system or attachment spacing required? No specific proprietary mounting system or attachment spacing is mandated, but EC-23 requires 'Equipment specifications showing the various mounting details for both the panels and inverter with the specific mounting arrangement identified which is based upon the type of roof framing and roof covering. The mounting diagram must specify that the panel shall provide sufficient space to allow for the removal of debris and allow for water drainage.' 90% · published checklist (EC-23)

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 or text — three published routes: online at https://aca-prod.accela.com/SACCO; phone IVR on (916) 875-5296 following the menu prompts; or SMS to (855) 280-5383 using the keywords SCHEDULE, CANCEL, RESCHEDULE or RESULTS. 95% · department page
• How much notice is required? Next business day, booked by 5 p.m. the day before — 'Next day inspection, if available, you must schedule by 5 p.m. the previous day.' 90% · department FAQ
• Are same-day or AM/PM windows offered? No — no time windows offered. Verbatim: 'No, We cannot schedule a specific time for your inspection.' No AM/PM banding is published either. 85% · department FAQ

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 — Sacramento County Building Permits & Inspection Division performs its own inspections. It publishes its own numbered inspection-code list and operates its own scheduling IVR, text line and portal, and its own 'Today's Inspections' page. 85% · 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? No PV-specific inspection code exists. The published code list contains 351 'Solar Water Heater' and 583 'Solar Pool Heater' — both thermal, not PV. A rooftop PV job therefore books against the general codes, principally 299 'Final Electrical' and, where structural work is inspected, 199 'Structural Final'. For a SolarAPP+ permit this is typically a single combined final. 55% · department inspection code list

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.

• What must be on site at inspection? The signed job card, at minimum — 'Your signed job card for final is your Certificate of Occupancy for Residential projects only', which requires the card to be present and signed on site through the inspection sequence. Approved plans would conventionally accompany it. 65% · department FAQ

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 signed job card. Verbatim: 'Your signed job card for final is your Certificate of Occupancy for Residential projects only.' No separate certificate document is issued for residential work; commercial projects 'may receive a signed Certificate of Occupancy'. 85% · department FAQ
• Who notifies the utility for PTO? Installer / facility owner — the county does not notify SMUD. SMUD Interconnection Guidelines § 1.5: 'The Facility Owner is responsible for all local building permits and final inspections with the local agency before SMUD performs its final inspection.' SMUD then performs its own inspection and, after meter work, issues Permission to Operate. 90% · utility interconnection guidelines § 1.5