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

Monterey Solar Permit Guide

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

Monterey Solar Permit Checklist
Printed from mygridpermit.com/california/monterey/solar-permit-guide/ · Last verified 2026-08-11 · City of Monterey Community Development, Building and Safety Services / PG&E · Verify current requirements before relying on this checklist. Programs and fees change.
✓ Last verified 2026-08-118 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 Monterey Community Development, Building and Safety Services 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): Building and Safety Services

Generation supplier

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

3CE's own official site confirms it serves Monterey County, including the City of Monterey, as part of its 5-county, 33-community service area (3CE's main office is in Monterey). 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 Monterey Community Development, Building and Safety Services

Directly re-verified via browser this session (an earlier HTTP 403 to automated fetch was intermittent, not a persistent block).

Confidence: High (0.85)

Source(s): Building and Safety Services

Permit page: https://monterey.gov/your_city_hall/departments/community_development/building_and_safety_services/

Required documents

  • Completed Building Permit Application (submitted via the online portal or emailed to gogreen@monterey.gov) (required when: always)
  • Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Systems Expedited Submittal Checklist, completed and signed by the owner or licensed contractor (required when: always)
  • Plans (minimum sheet size 11"x17", PDF format), including a Site Plan, Single Line Diagram, and Sheet Index (required when: always)
  • Manufacturer's Equipment Specifications/cut sheets (panels, racking, inverter, microinverter/power optimizers) (required when: always)
  • Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detector Affidavit (required when: always)
  • Statement or engineering analysis confirming existing roof framing can support the added solar panel load (full engineering analysis required for ballasted systems) (required when: conditional)

Confidence: High (0.85)

Source(s): Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Systems Expedited Submittal Checklist (Rev. 12/30/2024)

Inspection steps

  • Call 831-646-3890 to schedule a construction inspection no later than the business day prior to the desired inspection date, by 4:00pm
  • Have the permit number, job address, type of inspection needed, and requested date available when calling
  • Someone must be present for the inspection, and the plans and job card must be left at the site for inspector review
  • Inspection requests received before 2:00pm are scheduled for the next business day; requests received after 4:00pm may be scheduled for the following day

This is the City's general Building Permit & Inspection Services construction-inspection process (covers all permit types, including solar PV building permits per the City's own Building Permit Application); the City does not publish a separate, solar-specific inspection sequence.

Confidence: Medium (0.7)

Source(s): Residential Property Inspections

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: Solar PV Expedited Submittal Checklist review, submitted via the City's Online Permit Portal (mymontereyportal.org, effective 1/7/2026) or by email
  • Other conditions:
    • The expedited checklist applies to Residential Solar PV Systems under 10kW; Energy Storage System (ESS) installations use a separate ESS checklist
    • Permits may only be issued to the property owner or a properly licensed contractor

Confidence: High (0.85)

Source(s): Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Systems Expedited Submittal Checklist (Rev. 12/30/2024)

Official contacts

Confidence: High (0.8)

Need a solar installer who handles permits in Monterey?

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 Monterey, California?

Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) is the interconnection and distribution utility for Monterey. 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 Monterey?

Commonly required documents include: Completed Building Permit Application (submitted via the online portal or emailed to gogreen@monterey.gov); Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Systems Expedited Submittal Checklist, completed and signed by the owner or licensed contractor; Plans (minimum sheet size 11"x17", PDF format), including a Site Plan, Single Line Diagram, and Sheet Index; Manufacturer's Equipment Specifications/cut sheets (panels, racking, inverter, microinverter/power optimizers); Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detector Affidavit; Statement or engineering analysis confirming existing roof framing can support the added solar panel load (full engineering analysis required for ballasted systems).

Who do I contact about solar permits in Monterey?

City of Monterey Building and Safety Division, phone 831-646-3890, email gogreen@monterey.gov.

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 Monterey Community Development, Building and Safety Services and PG&E before starting a project. Last verified 2026-08-11.

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