California / Local permit guide
Cerritos Solar Permit Guide
Choose the express or standard City path first. LA County building review is additional, and SCE PTO remains separate.
- Permit authority
- City of Cerritos Department of Community DevelopmentSource linked
- Electric utility
- Southern California Edison (SCE)Source linked
- Local pathway
- Express Solar Roof Mount (via LA County EPIC-LA Portal) / Standard Solar Energy System ApplicationProject-specific eligibility conditions apply.
- Review time
- Not yet verified.
Los Angeles County · Explore related utility guides
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Your permit path,
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This shows what GridPermit has verified for Cerritos. It does not show the status of a specific project.
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01 / Know your path
Two approvals.
One project.
Permit & inspection
City of Cerritos Department of Community Development
Local requirementsA 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.
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.
Sources & confidence
Permit fees
- City Planning Permit Fee - Solar (Residential, Over-the-Counter): $360 (flat fee)
Per the City's own Master Fee Schedule (revised 7/13/2026); this is the City Planning fee only. The City contracts its Building and Safety services to Los Angeles County, whose separate Plan Check, Building Permit, and Permit Issuance fees (assessed by project valuation) are additional and not itemized on this schedule.
Sources & confidence
Rebates on record
Rebates on record
Not yet verified.
Utility and generation supplier
Utility
Southern California Edison (SCE)
SCE's own 'Incorporated Cities and Counties Served by SCE' fact sheet (updated 3/17/2025) explicitly lists 'Cerritos' by name among the cities in its service area. Note: the City of Cerritos separately operates its own small municipal utility, Cerritos Electric Utility (CEU), confirmed via SCPPA's own member page — but CEU explicitly 'serves educational institutions, City-owned facilities and major retail businesses' (about 449 non-residential accounts) rather than general residential customers, so this does not change the applicable utility for a residential solar permit.
Sources & confidence
Generation supplier
Southern California Edison (SCE) (utility)
Clean Power Alliance's own homepage states it serves '38 communities across Los Angeles and Ventura counties' and names each one individually via its site's community directory; Cerritos is not among the named communities. No other Los Angeles County CCA serving Cerritos was found, so SCE is recorded as both the distribution and generation utility.
Sources & confidence
Interconnection
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.
Inspection steps
Not yet verified.
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: Express Solar Roof Mount (via LA County EPIC-LA Portal) / Standard Solar Energy System Application
- Other conditions:
- The Express Solar Roof Mount pathway applies exclusively to eligible residential installations that do not require supplementary work such as a service panel upgrade or re-roof
- More complex projects must use the standard planning application process
Sources & confidence
Official contacts
Official contacts
- City of Cerritos Department of Community Development, phone: (562) 916-1201, official website
- SGIP Program Administrator (SCE territory), email: SGIPGroup@sce.com, official website
Official sources
Official sources
- Apply for a Residential Permit/Planning Approval, City of Cerritos (government). Accessed 2026-08-06.
- Cerritos — SCPPA, Southern California Public Power Authority (SCPPA) (other_official). Accessed 2026-08-06.
- Incorporated Cities and Counties Served by SCE, Southern California Edison (utility). Accessed 2026-08-06.
- Net Energy Metering (NEM) Time of Use, Southern California Edison (utility). Accessed 2026-08-03.
- 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.
- Master Fee Schedule (City Building and Safety Fees, revised 7/13/2026), City of Cerritos (government). Accessed 2026-08-10.
- Homepage (community directory listing all 38 CPA member communities), Clean Power Alliance (other_official). Accessed 2026-08-10.
- 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 Cerritos, California?
Southern California Edison (SCE) is the interconnection and distribution utility for Cerritos. The same utility is also listed as the default electricity generation supplier.
What documents are required for a solar permit in Cerritos?
Commonly required documents include: Solar Energy System Application form (standard pathway); Residential Solar Energy System Express Acknowledgment (Express Solar Roof Mount pathway, via LA County's EPIC-LA Portal).
Who do I contact about solar permits in Cerritos?
City of Cerritos Department of Community Development, phone (562) 916-1201.
Related cities
Related cities
Other verified cities related to Cerritos. See all cities on the California solar permit guide index.
- Alhambra, Southern California Edison (SCE)
- Arcadia, Southern California Edison (SCE)
- Azusa, Azusa Light & Water
- Baldwin Park, Southern California Edison (SCE)
- Beverly Hills, Southern California Edison (SCE)
- Burbank, Burbank Water and Power (BWP)