Pasadena, CA Solar Energy: Expedited Solar Permitting (2026)

Chapter 14.90, adopted by Ordinance No. 7267 in 2015, implements the state's solar permitting mandate at the local level. Section 14.90.030 directs the building official to publish a checklist on the city's website that substantially conforms to the California Solar Permitting Guidebook issued by the Governor's Office of Planning and Research, and any application meeting that checklist must be processed administratively rather than through discretionary review. Section 14.90.040 requires the building official to accept electronic submittal of permit applications and supporting documents, and to accept electronic signatures in place of a wet signature. Section 14.90.050 bars the building official from conditioning approval of a solar permit on approval by a homeowners association, as defined by Civil Code Section 4080.

Under Section 14.90.060, an application that satisfies the checklist must be deemed complete and processed; if the building official finds it incomplete, a written correction notice detailing every deficiency must be issued. Approval of the permit does not authorize connecting the system to the utility grid, which the applicant must arrange separately with Pasadena Water and Power. Section 14.90.070 limits the city to a single inspection for a qualifying small residential rooftop system, though a failed inspection allows follow-up inspections. The definitions used throughout the chapter track Government Code Section 65850.5, per Section 14.90.020.