San Rafael Solar Permit Guide
Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) territory · Marin 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.
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
Not yet verified.
Rebates
Not yet verified.
Utility and generation supplier
Utility
Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E)
Generation supplier
MCE (Marin Clean Energy) (Community Choice Aggregator)
MCE's own service-area page confirms San Rafael as one of Marin County's member communities (alongside Belvedere, Corte Madera, Fairfax, Larkspur, Mill Valley, Novato, Ross, San Anselmo, Sausalito, Tiburon, and unincorporated Marin County). PG&E continues to deliver the power and provide billing/customer service.
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.
Required documents
- Site plan (panel locations, layout, clearances) (required when: always)
- Electrical details (required when: always)
- Manufacturer specifications (required when: always)
Inspection steps
- Log in to or create an account in the City's OpenGov online permitting system
- For a permit originally issued in eTRAKiT, select the issuing department, submit the 'Inspection Request (Permits Issued in eTRAKiT)' record, then use '+ New Appointment' to request the inspection
- For a permit issued in OpenGov, open the permit record's Inspections tab and use '+ New Appointment'
- City staff will schedule the inspection and send an email notification
This is the City's general Building/Fire inspection scheduling process via its OpenGov permitting system (the same process covers all building permit types, including solar); the City does not describe a separate, solar-specific inspection sequence.
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: Standard residential solar permit (OpenGov online permitting system)
- Other conditions:
- Solar panels, battery backup, and/or service panel upgrades done simultaneously can be included on a single solar permit (additional fees may apply)
- Reroof-with-solar-tile permits should list only the reroof value, excluding solar tile costs
- Building permits issued after January 1, 2023 are valid for 2 years; minor permits expire after 180 days
- All new permit applications must be submitted through OpenGov beginning February 23, 2026
Official contacts
- City of San Rafael Chief Building Official, phone: 415-485-3367, email: building@cityofsanrafael.org, official website
Need a solar installer who handles permits in San Rafael?
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
- Renewable Energy, City of San Rafael (government). Accessed 2026-08-08.
- Net Energy Metering (NEM), Pacific Gas & Electric (utility). Accessed 2026-08-08.
- Service Area, MCE (Marin Clean Energy) (other_official). Accessed 2026-08-08.
- About, Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP) (cpuc). Accessed 2026-08-09.
- Scheduling Inspections, City of San Rafael (government). Accessed 2026-08-09.
- 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 Rafael, California?
Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) is the interconnection and distribution utility for San Rafael. The default electricity generation supplier is MCE (Marin Clean Energy), a Community Choice Aggregator (CCA), separate from Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E).
What documents are required for a solar permit in San Rafael?
Commonly required documents include: Site plan (panel locations, layout, clearances); Electrical details; Manufacturer specifications.
Who do I contact about solar permits in San Rafael?
City of San Rafael Chief Building Official, phone 415-485-3367, email building@cityofsanrafael.org.
Related California cities
Other verified cities related to San Rafael. See all cities on the California solar permit guide index.
- Corte Madera, Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E)
- Fairfax, Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E)
- Larkspur, Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E)
- Mill Valley, Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E)
- Novato, Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E)
- Ross, Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E)