San Leandro Solar Permit Guide
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) territory · Alameda County
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.
Permit timeline
3–7 days
The PV Submittal Guidelines state: 'After you pay the application fee, you will receive a permit number, which will be assigned to Permit Staff within 3 to 5 business days,' then for residential projects 'Initial Plans Review can take 3 to 7 business days before plan check comments or final packaging instructions are given. Resubmittal Reviews can also take another 3 to 7 business days.' The min/max recorded here (3-7 days) represents the Initial Plans Review stage specifically, the closest single figure to a 'permit review timeline'; the full process can take longer if a resubmittal round is needed, and commercial/industrial review windows are longer (12-15 and 10-12 business days) and out of scope for a residential-only record.
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.
Permit fees
- Building/Electrical Permit Fee: amount not verified
Amount not stated on the page read this session. The Submittal Guidelines state: 'Permit Fees are due when the permit is ready to be issued,' i.e. after plan review is complete, before the permit is issued and construction may begin.
Rebates
Not yet verified.
Utility and generation supplier
Utility
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E)
Generation supplier
Ava Community Energy - Renewable 100 (default for residential, municipal, and commercial accounts) (Community Choice Aggregator)
Per Ava's own San Leandro page: 'The City of San Leandro helped found Ava in 2016—and has been using Ava's clean energy since 2018. Its residential, municipal, and commercial accounts are automatically enrolled in Ava's Renewable 100 service.'
Interconnection
Same PG&E-wide Net Energy Metering program URL already verified for other PG&E-territory records this session — reused as a utility-level fact. pge.com returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch; confirmed to exist via search engine indexing under its expected title.
Required documents
- Plans (site plan; roof framing plan and cross-section; elevation/section detail; attachment detail and load calculations; grounding detail; single line diagram) combined into one PDF, stamped/signed if prepared by an architect or engineer (required when: always)
- Photo of the existing Main Electric Service Panel with the dead front off showing the breakers (required when: always)
- Labels, including one with contact information for the qualified maintenance and service provider (per 2025 CRC R330.11 #2) (required when: always)
- Manufacturer Specifications for the solar panel, inverter, attachment system, and energy storage systems (required when: always)
Inspection steps
- Construction can begin only after the permit is issued
- The project is considered complete when the Final Inspection result is Pass
The Submittal Guidelines confirm a final inspection gates project completion but do not describe a multi-step inspection checklist or how to schedule inspections; the city's Online Permit Portal is referenced generally ('Schedule an Inspection' appears as a portal menu item) but its own scheduling process was not detailed on the page read this session.
Eligibility constraints
Not yet verified.
Official contacts
- City of San Leandro Building & Safety Division, phone: (510) 577-3405, email: PermitsByEmail@SanLeandro.org, official website
- SGIP Program Administrator (PG&E territory), phone: 415-973-6436, email: selfgen@pge.com, official website
Need a solar installer who handles permits in San Leandro?
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
- Solar Permitting Guidelines | San Leandro, CA, City of San Leandro (government). Accessed 2026-08-03.
- City of San Leandro PV Submittal Guidelines (Updated 2/2026), City of San Leandro, Building & Safety Division (government). Accessed 2026-08-03.
- Net Energy Metering (NEM) Program | PG&E, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (utility). Accessed 2026-08-01.
- San Leandro Electricity Provider | Ava Community Energy, Ava Community Energy (other_official). 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.
- 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 San Leandro, California?
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is the interconnection and distribution utility for San Leandro. The default electricity generation supplier is Ava Community Energy - Renewable 100 (default for residential, municipal, and commercial accounts), a Community Choice Aggregator (CCA), separate from Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E).
How long does a residential solar permit take in San Leandro?
The PV Submittal Guidelines state: 'After you pay the application fee, you will receive a permit number, which will be assigned to Permit Staff within 3 to 5 business days,' then for residential projects 'Initial Plans Review can take 3 to 7 business days before plan check comments or final packaging instructions are given. Resubmittal Reviews can also take another 3 to 7 business days.' The min/max recorded here (3-7 days) represents the Initial Plans Review stage specifically, the closest single figure to a 'permit review timeline'; the full process can take longer if a resubmittal round is needed, and commercial/industrial review windows are longer (12-15 and 10-12 business days) and out of scope for a residential-only record.
What documents are required for a solar permit in San Leandro?
Commonly required documents include: Plans (site plan; roof framing plan and cross-section; elevation/section detail; attachment detail and load calculations; grounding detail; single line diagram) combined into one PDF, stamped/signed if prepared by an architect or engineer; Photo of the existing Main Electric Service Panel with the dead front off showing the breakers; Labels, including one with contact information for the qualified maintenance and service provider (per 2025 CRC R330.11 #2); Manufacturer Specifications for the solar panel, inverter, attachment system, and energy storage systems.
Who do I contact about solar permits in San Leandro?
City of San Leandro Building & Safety Division, phone (510) 577-3405, email PermitsByEmail@SanLeandro.org.
Related California cities
Other verified cities related to San Leandro. See all cities on the California solar permit guide index.