Two applications: one to the city, one to the utility
A new system needs a city or county building permit and an interconnection application to the utility, and the two run separately. PG&E's review clock starts once it has the contractor's paperwork, and PG&E asks for the customer's and the contractor's e-mail on the application so approval can come by e-mail. Ask the company in writing who files each application and who pays each fee.
What the utilities and cities charge, in one table
This page has no estimate row, because interconnection and permits are fees set by utilities and cities, not installer prices. The table shows the utility application fees and the city rows, each with its date and caveat.
The rows leave out the system itself and any building permit, surcharge or SolarAPP+ processing fee beyond the PV line. A quote that lists permit and interconnection costs should match these lines for your utility and city.
| Item | Figure | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| PG&E interconnection application fee | $145 | Stated for systems of 1 MW or less; the CPUC table also shows $145. |
| SCE interconnection application fee | $94 | The CPUC's figure; ask SCE to confirm the amount for your application. |
| SDG&E interconnection fee, systems of 1 MW or less | $132 | As of SDG&E's page archived December 8, 2023 and the CPUC table. |
| Cap on a city's residential PV permit fee | $450 plus $15 per kW above 15 kW | Gov. Code 66015(a). A statutory limit, not a fee; a city may exceed it with a written finding. |
| PV electrical permit, San Diego | $275.80 inspection, $154.20 plan check | Information Bulletin 301 (web page carries no revision date); the fees apply to electrical permits, and a building permit adds fees. |
| Solar electric, residential, inspection, Oakland | $450 | FY 2025-26 schedule effective July 1, 2025; $4.03 per kW above 15 kW. |
| PV residential, expedited, Chula Vista | $453 (traditional $722) | Fee Bulletin 10-400, September 2024. |
| Residential solar system up to 15 kW, Riverside | $350, then $15 per added kW | Fee schedule created June 18, 2025. |
| PV residential 1 to 15 kW, Visalia | $450 ($375 on SolarAPP+) | FY 2026-27 schedule effective July 1, 2026. |
| Express permit, PV without storage, Long Beach | $386.62 ($447.45 with storage) | IB-023; a total with surcharges and filing fees included. |
| Solar PV system, 10 kW or less, electrical permit and inspection, San Francisco | $283 (each added 10 kW $238) | DBI Fee Table 1A-E, for permits issued on or after September 1, 2025; DBI may revise it on July 1. |
| Photovoltaic system, single-family home or duplex, Sunnyvale | $392 | FY 24/25 schedule effective August 17, 2024; the schedule also lists a $39.50 issuance fee per project and a 5 percent technology surcharge. |
| Photovoltaic system, residential up to 15 kW, Victorville | $372 | Stand-alone fee chart updated January 8, 2026; technology (4.6 percent of subtotal), seismic and green fees are added. |
These are fees as the utilities and cities print them, not estimates. Each row shows its source date; a medium row carries the caveat in its note. Full method. Prices as of Oct 23, 2026.
PG&E, SCE and SDG&E: fees and review times
PG&E says permission to operate typically takes 5 to 10 business days after it has the contractor's paperwork, up to a maximum of 30, and states a $145 fee for systems of 1 MW or less. SCE says a simple solar-only request with the right documents may get permission within 10 business days, up to 30 when it's busy, and that paired storage or non-standard metering will need more time. The $94 SCE fee is the CPUC's figure. SDG&E's October 2024 deck puts initial review at 15 business days of a complete request, and its $132 fee is as of its NEM-ST page of December 2023 and the CPUC table.
SDG&E's current solar pages don't print a residential Solar Billing Plan application fee, so ask the company to show the amount it pays on your quote. Per SDG&E's Solar Billing Plan page, the time-of-use plan carries a $16 basic monthly service fee.
Which tariff and rule your utility applies
Rule 21 is the CPUC tariff covering interconnection, operating and metering requirements for generation connecting to an investor-owned utility, and it applies to PG&E, SCE and SDG&E. Since April 15, 2023 new applicants there take service on net billing, keep it for nine years, and must use an electrification time-of-use rate (E-ELEC, TOU-D-PRIME or EV-TOU-5). SCE adds $0.04 per kWh to export credits for first-year enrollees, or $0.09 for low-income residential customers. The NEM tariffs are closed to new enrollments, and PG&E's older applications had to finish before April 15, 2026.
LADWP and SMUD are municipal utilities with their own rules, and net billing doesn't apply there. Some cities are served by a municipal utility too: Santa Clara's SolarAPP+ path requires a Silicon Valley Power interconnection pre-approval letter, and Roseville sends solar customers to Roseville Electric's interconnection page.
The city permit and automated permitting under SB 379
Under Gov. Code 65850.5, cities and counties approve solar applications administratively, with a building permit or similar nondiscretionary permit. SB 379 requires most cities and counties to run an online automated platform for residential systems up to 38.4 kW AC with storage. Cities and counties over 50,000 people were due by September 30, 2023, smaller non-exempt cities by September 30, 2024, and a city under 5,000 or a county under 150,000 is exempt. As of October 8, 2025, 328 cities and 35 counties had self-reported a platform to the CEC, which does not certify compliance.
SolarAPP+ is one platform and not a mandate. The SolarAPP+ Foundation table of October 23, 2026 lists Oakland, Fresno, Sacramento and Chula Vista. Per their own permit pages, Fremont, Riverside, Fontana, Roseville, Sunnyvale, Fullerton, Elk Grove and Simi Valley print a $25 SolarAPP+ processing fee, and Santa Ana's FAQ, dated September 24, 2024, prints $35. Other cities chose other tools: Long Beach runs its own express permit for flush-mounted rooftop PV up to 38.4 kW, Ontario has used the Symbium platform since August 4, 2025, and Lancaster has since November 1, 2024.
Approval on a platform isn't always the permit. Thousand Oaks says SolarAPP+ approval is not a permit until fees are paid and the city issues it. Simi Valley sends new roof-mounted systems through SolarAPP+ before its own portal, and Santa Ana's notice says that from June 1, 2026 projects without SolarAPP+ approval before permit issuance won't be processed.
What Gov. Code 66015 caps, and what cities print
Gov. Code 66015 says a residential PV permit fee may not exceed $450 plus $15 for each kilowatt above 15 kW, unless the city adopts a written finding with substantial evidence of the reasonable cost. It's a limit, not a fee, and the section is repealed January 1, 2034.
Nine cities' rows are in the table, each with its date, and Chula Vista's expedited total on its September 2024 bulletin is $453. San Francisco's DBI table effective September 1, 2025 prints $283 for an electrical permit and inspection on a system of 10 kW or less. Victorville's chart of January 8, 2026 prints $372 and says technology, seismic and green fees will be added to the permit fee. Get your own city's line before you sign.
When a connection problem can't wait
- Smoke, flame or a burning smell anywhere on the system means a 911 call, with everyone kept clear of the equipment.
- The utility hasn't yet given permission to operate.
- The monitoring app is offline.
What to settle before the application goes in
- Name your utility from the latest bill, since PG&E, SCE and SDG&E differ from LADWP and SMUD.
- Ask who files the utility application, who pulls the permit, and who pays each fee.
- Keep the permission-to-operate letter, which carries your interconnection date.
Who issues the permit and who gives permission to operate
Your city or county building department issues the permit, under Gov. Code 65850.5, and your utility gives permission to operate. Ask your building department for its PV fee line, and whether it runs SolarAPP+, Symbium or its own platform, before you sign.
Ask for the company's contractor license number and look it up with your state's licensing board before you sign.
Questions people ask
How long does PG&E take to grant permission to operate?
PG&E says it typically takes 5 to 10 business days after it has the contractor's paperwork, up to 30. SCE says about 10 business days for a simple solar-only request.
What is the utility interconnection fee?
PG&E $145, SCE $94 and SDG&E $132. The SCE figure is the CPUC's, and SDG&E's is as of a December 2023 copy of its page, so ask the company to confirm both.
Is the California solar permit capped at $450?
Not as a flat fee: the statute caps it at $450 plus $15 per kilowatt above 15 kW. A city may exceed it with a written finding, and the cap is repealed January 1, 2034 (Gov. Code 66015).
Does my city have to use SolarAPP+?
No, SB 379 requires an automated platform, and SolarAPP+ is one of them. Smaller non-exempt cities were due by September 30, 2024.
Does net billing apply at LADWP or SMUD?
No, they are municipal utilities with their own rules. Net billing and Rule 21 cover PG&E, SCE and SDG&E.
Does SolarAPP+ approval mean I have my permit?
Not in Thousand Oaks, which says approval isn't a permit until fees are paid and the city issues it. Ask your building department how its own platform hands over the permit.
- PG&E Net Energy Metering (NEM) Program Read Oct 23, 2026.
- CPUC Net Energy Metering and Net Billing Read Oct 23, 2026.
- SCE Net Energy Metering FAQ; SCE Solar Billing Plan factsheet Read Oct 23, 2026.
- SDG&E Generation Interconnection 101; SDG&E NEM and Solar Billing Plan pages Read Oct 23, 2026. Confirm with the source before you rely on it.
- Government Code 66015 (leginfo) Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Solar permit fee, San Diego Read Oct 23, 2026. Confirm with the source before you rely on it.
- Solar permit fee, Oakland Read Oct 23, 2026. Confirm with the source before you rely on it.
- Solar permit fee, Chula Vista Read Oct 23, 2026. Confirm with the source before you rely on it.
- Solar permit fee, Riverside Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Solar permit fee, Visalia Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Solar permit fee, Long Beach Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Solar permit fee, San Francisco Read Oct 23, 2026. Confirm with the source before you rely on it.
- Solar permit fee, Sunnyvale Read Oct 23, 2026. Confirm with the source before you rely on it.
- Solar permit fee, Victorville Read Oct 23, 2026.
- CPUC Electric Rule 21: Generating Facility Interconnections Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Government Code 65850.5 (leginfo) Read Oct 23, 2026.
- CEC Residential Solar Permit Reporting Program - SB 379 Read Oct 23, 2026.
- CEC California Energy Storage Permitting Guidebook Read Oct 23, 2026.
- SolarAPP+ Foundation: Where is SolarAPP+ available Read Oct 23, 2026. Confirm with the source before you rely on it.
- City solar permit page, Oakland Read Oct 23, 2026.
- City solar permit page, Fresno Read Oct 23, 2026.
- City solar permit page, Sacramento Read Oct 23, 2026.
- City solar permit page, Long Beach Read Oct 23, 2026.
- City solar permit page, Santa Clara Read Oct 23, 2026.
- City solar permit page, Roseville Read Oct 23, 2026.
- City solar permit page, Ontario Read Oct 23, 2026.
- City solar permit page, Lancaster Read Oct 23, 2026.
- City solar permit page, Thousand Oaks Read Oct 23, 2026.
- City solar permit page, Simi Valley Read Oct 23, 2026.
- City solar permit page, Santa Ana Read Oct 23, 2026.