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

Sec. 74-300 requires the building division to adopt an administrative, nondiscretionary review process for small residential rooftop solar applications and, for any application meeting the approved checklist and standard plan, to issue a building permit or other nondiscretionary permit within three business days of submission. The building official's review is limited to whether the applicant meets local, state and federal health and safety requirements, nothing more; the ordinance bars the city from imposing any condition beyond what is needed to mitigate a specific, adverse impact at the lowest possible cost, and requires the city to use its best efforts to keep any condition within the limits of Civil Code Section 714(d)(1)(A)-(B).

The city also cannot condition approval of an application on the approval of a homeowners' association as defined in Civil Code Section 4080. If an application is incomplete, Sec. 74-300(e) requires a written correction notice detailing every deficiency and what the applicant must submit to become eligible for expedited review, rather than an outright denial. Only one inspection is required for a system eligible for expedited review, and Sec. 74-300(g) requires that inspection to be scheduled within two business days of a request and, where possible, consolidated with other required inspections.

If the system fails that inspection, a follow-up inspection is authorized but is not bound by the expedited article's timelines. The building division was required to have this expedited process operating within 30 days of the ordinance's adoption, and must keep its standard plan, checklist and process substantially aligned with the current California Solar Permitting Guidebook issued by the Governor's Office of Planning and Research.