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

San Francisco Solar Permit Guide

Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) territory · San Francisco County

San Francisco Solar Permit Checklist
Printed from mygridpermit.com/california/san-francisco/solar-permit-guide/ · Last verified 2026-08-09 · San Francisco Department of Building Inspection (DBI) / PG&E · Verify current requirements before relying on this checklist. Programs and fees change.
✓ Last verified 2026-08-093 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 San Francisco Department of Building Inspection (DBI) 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

No battery/storage incentive program is on record for this locality.

Permit fees

  • Residential solar permit fee cap (systems up to 15kW, under AB 1132): $450 (flat)

    AB 1132 caps residential solar permit fees at $450 for systems up to 15kW, effective through 2034.

Confidence: Medium (0.7)

Source(s): Get a permit for a solar photovoltaic system

Rebates

Not yet verified.

Utility and generation supplier

Utility

Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E)

Confidence: High (0.9)

Source(s): Get a permit for a solar photovoltaic system

Generation supplier

CleanPowerSF (Community Choice Aggregator)

CleanPowerSF, operated by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC), is the default electricity generation provider for San Francisco (except customers already directly served by SFPUC). PG&E continues to own and operate the electric grid, deliver electricity, and issue a single combined monthly bill that includes CleanPowerSF's generation charges in place of PG&E's own generation charges.

Confidence: High (0.9)

Source(s): How It Works

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

San Francisco Department of Building Inspection (DBI)

Confidence: High (0.85)

Source(s): Get a permit for a solar photovoltaic system

Permit page: https://www.sf.gov/step-by-step--get-permit-solar-photovoltaic-system

Required documents

  • SolarAPP+ Approval ID, Inspection Checklist, and Specification Sheet (required when: SolarAPP+-eligible projects (existing single/two-family R3 homes, 4kWdc and under, PV-only, no ballasted/ground-mount, no new service/panel upgrade))
  • Plan drawings (required when: Solar Permit and PV Plans electrical permit applications)
  • Data sheets (required when: Solar Permit and PV Plans electrical permit applications)
  • Structural drawings and calculations, stamped and signed by a California-licensed civil or structural engineer (roof coverings, framing type/size/spacing, panel weight/support/attachment method, any roof-strengthening framing, site-specific structural calculations, and racking-system documentation) (required when: Solar Permit and PV Plans electrical permit applications)

Confidence: High (0.85)

Source(s): Get a permit for a solar photovoltaic system

Inspection steps

  • Every San Francisco solar installation requires a mandatory SF Fire Department inspection before DBI's electrical inspection can proceed
  • Some system types may also require a separate DBI building inspection

Confidence: Medium (0.7)

Source(s): Get a permit for a solar photovoltaic system

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: SolarAPP+ (for existing single/two-family R3 homes) or standard DBI plan submittal
  • Other conditions:
    • Some projects require both an electrical permit and a building permit; others can obtain an electrical permit via SolarAPP+ or by submitting plans directly to DBI

Confidence: Medium (0.6)

Source(s): Get a permit for a solar photovoltaic system

Official contacts

Confidence: Medium (0.7)

Need a solar installer who handles permits in San Francisco?

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 San Francisco, California?

Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) is the interconnection and distribution utility for San Francisco. The default electricity generation supplier is CleanPowerSF, a Community Choice Aggregator (CCA), separate from Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E).

What documents are required for a solar permit in San Francisco?

Commonly required documents include: SolarAPP+ Approval ID, Inspection Checklist, and Specification Sheet; Plan drawings; Data sheets; Structural drawings and calculations, stamped and signed by a California-licensed civil or structural engineer (roof coverings, framing type/size/spacing, panel weight/support/attachment method, any roof-strengthening framing, site-specific structural calculations, and racking-system documentation).

Who do I contact about solar permits in San Francisco?

San Francisco Department of Building Inspection (DBI).

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 San Francisco Department of Building Inspection (DBI) and PG&E before starting a project. Last verified 2026-08-09.

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