Independent Educational Guide: California residential solar permit facts, sourced, dated, and confidence-scored. Not legal, engineering, or permit advice.

Carmel-by-the-Sea Solar Permit Guide

Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) territory · Monterey County

Carmel-by-the-Sea Solar Permit Checklist
Printed from mygridpermit.com/california/carmel-by-the-sea/solar-permit-guide/ · Last verified 2026-08-09 · City of Carmel-by-the-Sea Community Planning and Building Department / PG&E · Verify current requirements before relying on this checklist. Programs and fees change.
✓ Last verified 2026-08-096 official sources
Informational only. This page is not legal, engineering, or permit advice. Every fact below links to the official source it came from and shows how confident we are in it. Verify current requirements with City of Carmel-by-the-Sea Community Planning and Building Department and PG&E before making a decision.

Overview

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.

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.

Confidence: High (0.9)

Source(s): About, 2026 Self-Generation Incentive Program Handbook, SGIP Program Metrics and Incentive Step Tracker

Permit fees

Not yet verified.

Rebates

Not yet verified.

Utility and generation supplier

Utility

Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E)

Confidence: High (0.85)

Source(s): Interested in Solar Systems?

Generation supplier

Central Coast Community Energy (3CE) (Community Choice Aggregator)

3CE's own official site confirms it serves Monterey County, and separately lists Carmel among its named member communities. PG&E continues to deliver the power and provide billing/customer service.

Confidence: High (0.85)

Source(s): About Us — Service Area

Interconnection

https://www.pge.com/en/save-energy-and-money/rebates-and-incentives/nem.html

PG&E's own utility-wide Net Energy Metering (NEM) program page.

Confidence: Medium (0.55)

Permit authority

City of Carmel-by-the-Sea Community Planning and Building Department

Confidence: High (0.85)

Source(s): Interested in Solar Systems?

Permit page: https://ci.carmel.ca.us/pod/interested-solar-systems

Required documents

  • SOG 18-10: Submittal Requirements - Solar PV Systems of 10kW or Less in One-Two Family Dwellings (required when: conditional)
  • Job Aid 12 or 13: Standard plans (central string inverter, or microinverter/ACM systems) (required when: conditional)
  • Job Aid 14: Structural criteria for residential flush-mounted arrays (required when: conditional)

Confidence: Medium (0.75)

Source(s): Interested in Solar Systems?

Inspection steps

  • Job Aid 11 provides the city's inspection guidance for small solar PV systems

Confidence: Medium (0.55)

Source(s): Interested in Solar Systems?

Eligibility constraints

  • Property types: residential
  • Max system size (AC): 10 kW
  • Max system size (DC): Not yet verified.
  • Max thermal capacity: Not yet verified.
  • Program/pathway: Expedited permitting for small solar PV systems, per AB 2188 and the California Solar Permitting Guidebook
  • Other conditions:
    • Applies to solar PV systems of 10kW or less in one- or two-family dwellings

Confidence: Medium (0.75)

Source(s): Interested in Solar Systems?

Official contacts

Confidence: High (0.85)

Need a solar installer who handles permits in Carmel-by-the-Sea?

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 has a partner relationship with EnergySage; this link is not currently tracked, and whether the partnership results in compensation to GridPermit has not yet been confirmed.

Sources

Frequently Asked Questions

What utility serves solar customers in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California?

Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) is the interconnection and distribution utility for Carmel-by-the-Sea. The default electricity generation supplier is Central Coast Community Energy (3CE), a Community Choice Aggregator (CCA), separate from Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E).

What documents are required for a solar permit in Carmel-by-the-Sea?

Commonly required documents include: SOG 18-10: Submittal Requirements - Solar PV Systems of 10kW or Less in One-Two Family Dwellings; Job Aid 12 or 13: Standard plans (central string inverter, or microinverter/ACM systems); Job Aid 14: Structural criteria for residential flush-mounted arrays.

Who do I contact about solar permits in Carmel-by-the-Sea?

City of Carmel-by-the-Sea Building Safety Division, phone 831-620-2059, email building@ci.carmel.ca.us.

Disclaimers: This page is for informational purposes only and is not legal, engineering, financial, tax, or permit advice. GridPermit is not a solar installer, contractor, engineering firm, public utility, or government agency. Requirements, fees, and program terms change. Verify current requirements with City of Carmel-by-the-Sea Community Planning and Building Department and PG&E before starting a project. Last verified 2026-08-09.

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