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How GridPermit Works
GridPermit is a source-linked solar permit research tool for U.S. cities. Here's how a guide gets built and verified, and how to use one.
Step 1: Search your location
Type your city, county, utility, or state into search. If we have a published guide for your city, you'll land on it directly. If we only have partial research on file, or none yet, we say so rather than guessing. See our state-by-state coverage.
Step 2: Read the verified facts
Each published guide lists what permit authority handles solar permitting in that city, what documents and inspections are typically required, and which utility governs interconnection, built only from facts we could confirm against an official source.
Step 3: Check the official source
Every fact on a guide links directly to the government page, ordinance, or utility program page it came from, with a confidence score and the date it was last verified. Nothing is published as fact unless we can point to where it came from. See our Methodology for the full verification process.
Step 4: Compare installers if you're ready
Once you understand the real permitting process for your city, some guides offer an optional link to an independent third-party installer marketplace for property-specific quotes. GridPermit does not provide, review, certify, or guarantee installer quotes.
Our California savings calculator
Separately from the permit guides above, GridPermit also runs a California-only illustrative solar and battery savings calculator. It's a secondary tool, not the main product: here's how it works.
Step 1: Enter your baseline details
Enter a California ZIP code and estimated monthly electricity bill. We check that the ZIP code is within California, then apply one flat, disclosed placeholder assumption, not your utility's actual rate. See our Methodology for the exact numbers.
Step 2: Review your illustrative estimate
See a rough system-size figure. Dollar savings and payback period are currently marked "Coming Soon": producing an honest number requires real utility rate data we haven't integrated yet. Results are educational only, not property-specific engineering or financial advice.
Step 3: Explore third-party quotes
Optionally continue to an independent third-party marketplace for property-specific pricing and installer proposals. GridPermit does not provide, review, certify, or guarantee installer quotes.