California / Local permit guide
Burlingame Solar Permit Guide
Your local requirements. The official sources. A clearer next step.
- Permit authority
- City of Burlingame Building DivisionSource linked
- Electric utility
- Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E)Source linked
- Local pathway
- Symbium instant permitting (PV and ESS only, per SB 379)Project-specific eligibility conditions apply.
- Review time
- Same-day review for eligible expedited-permit projectsNo verified standard-path permit timeline is available.See source scope and conditions below.
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Your permit path,
at a glance.
This shows what GridPermit has verified for Burlingame. It does not show the status of a specific project.
01 / Know your path
Two approvals.
One project.
A local permit and utility permission to operate are different approvals. Check the local sequence and requirements below.
How to read this guide
GridPermit collects California residential solar and permitting facts directly from official sources (city, county, and state government sites, utilities, and public utilities commissions) and shows only what we can verify, with a confidence score and a link to where it came from. Nothing here is estimated or inferred beyond what's stated below. See our methodology for the rules this page follows.
Permit timeline
Same-day review for eligible expedited-permit projects
No verified standard-path permit timeline is available.
The City's own page, titled 'Symbium for Instant Residential PV and ESS Permits,' states 'Contractors and homeowners seeking to pull permits under SB 379 are able to apply for instantaneous plan review via this Symbium portal.'
Sources & confidence
Battery/solar incentive program on record
California SGIP - current category and budget check required
New applications and waitlist applications for ratepayer-funded SGIP budgets closed on December 30, 2025. New AB 209 applications have a June 30, 2028 deadline. The 2026 SGIP rate table publishes $3.10/W for solar and $1.10/Wh for storage in applicable Residential Solar and Storage Equity categories. Household eligibility and live budget availability vary by category and program administrator; check the official Program Metrics tracker before relying on an incentive.
Status on file: unknown. Verify current status before relying on this.
Sources & confidence
02 / Prepare your application
What you need.
Not yet verified.
Permit fees
Not yet verified.
Rebates on record
Rebates on record
Not yet verified.
Utility and generation supplier
Utility
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E)
PG&E's own electric service territory map lists ZIP codes 94010 and 94011 (Burlingame) within its territory. Some supporting official material could not be independently confirmed from the full source in GridPermit's latest review. Verify the current requirement with the authority before relying on it.
Sources & confidence
Generation supplier
WestLight Energy (formerly Peninsula Clean Energy) - ECOplus (default) (Community Choice Aggregator)
Confirmed directly via the City of Burlingame's own 'Peninsula Clean Energy' page: this CCA is San Mateo County's community choice energy program, and Burlingame residents/businesses are automatically enrolled in the ECOplus default rate (at least 50% renewable, and 100% greenhouse-gas-free as of January 2021). ECO100 (100% renewable) is available as an opt-up tier; customers may also opt out back to PG&E generation. The organization rebranded from 'Peninsula Clean Energy' to 'WestLight Energy' on July 9, 2026 (confirmed via the City of Millbrae's official announcement and WestLight Energy's own site); the Burlingame city page itself was accessed before/without reflecting this rebrand, but the product name (ECOplus) and program itself are unchanged per WestLight Energy's own site.
Sources & confidence
Interconnection
PG&E's own Net Energy Metering (NEM) program page — a utility-wide fact already established for other PG&E-territory records in this dataset.
Inspection steps
- Email Buildinginspections@burlingame.org or call 650-558-7260 to schedule a Building Inspection
- To cancel, call the Inspection Request line at 650-558-7260 before 9am on the day of the inspection
This is the City's general Building Division inspection scheduling process (the same FAQ covers all building permit types, including solar); the City does not publish a separate, solar-specific inspection sequence.
Sources & confidence
Eligibility constraints
- Property types: residential
- Max system size (AC): Not yet verified.
- Max system size (DC): Not yet verified.
- Max thermal capacity: Not yet verified.
- Program/pathway: Symbium instant permitting (PV and ESS only, per SB 379)
- Other conditions:
- Solar projects do not require zoning permits or design review
- Electrical permits are required for all solar PV installations
- Projects that do not qualify for the Symbium automated pathway must use the standard application procedure
Sources & confidence
Official contacts
Official contacts
- City of Burlingame Building Department, phone: 650-558-7200, email: buildingpermits@burlingame.org, official website
- SGIP Program Administrator (PG&E territory), official website
Need a solar installer who handles permits in Burlingame?
EnergySage is an independent solar marketplace where you can request property-specific pricing from installers familiar with local permitting.
Compare quotes from solar installers →You'll continue on EnergySage's website. GridPermit links to EnergySage as an independent third-party resource. This link is not currently tracked for compensation.
Official sources
Official sources
- Peninsula Clean Energy, City of Burlingame (government). Accessed 2026-08-05.
- Symbium for Instant Residential PV and ESS Permits, City of Burlingame (government). Accessed 2026-08-05.
- Solar Resources, City of Burlingame (government). Accessed 2026-08-05.
- PG&E's Electric Service Territory, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (utility). Accessed 2026-08-05.
- SGIP - Statewide Announcements / About, Self-Generation Incentive Program (statewide administrator site) (program_administrator). Accessed 2026-08-01.
- SGIP - Contact, Self-Generation Incentive Program (statewide administrator site) (program_administrator). Accessed 2026-08-01.
- WestLight Energy (Homepage) - 'Peninsula Clean Energy is now WestLight Energy', WestLight Energy (formerly Peninsula Clean Energy) (other_official). Accessed 2026-08-05.
- How do I schedule a Building Inspection? (FAQ), City of Burlingame (government). Accessed 2026-08-09.
- 2026 Self-Generation Incentive Program Handbook, Self-Generation Incentive Program Program Administrators (program_administrator). Accessed 2026-08-26.
- SGIP Program Metrics and Incentive Step Tracker, Self-Generation Incentive Program Program Administrators (program_administrator). Accessed 2026-08-26.
Frequently Asked Questions
What utility serves solar customers in Burlingame, California?
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is the interconnection and distribution utility for Burlingame. The default electricity generation supplier is WestLight Energy (formerly Peninsula Clean Energy) - ECOplus (default), a Community Choice Aggregator (CCA), separate from Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E).
How long does an expedited-eligible residential solar permit take in Burlingame?
The City's own page, titled 'Symbium for Instant Residential PV and ESS Permits,' states 'Contractors and homeowners seeking to pull permits under SB 379 are able to apply for instantaneous plan review via this Symbium portal.' No verified standard-path permit timeline is available.
Who do I contact about solar permits in Burlingame?
City of Burlingame Building Department, phone 650-558-7200, email buildingpermits@burlingame.org.
Related cities
Related cities
Other verified cities related to Burlingame. See all cities on the California solar permit guide index.
- Atherton, Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E)
- Belmont, Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E)
- Daly City, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E)
- East Palo Alto, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E)
- Foster City, Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E)
- Menlo Park, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E)