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

172, adopted by Ordinance 2813 in 2015, exists specifically to comply with California's Solar Rights Act and AB 2188 (Chapter 521, Statutes of 2014). 010 states the chapter's purpose is to establish an expedited, streamlined solar permitting process to achieve timely and cost-effective installations of small residential rooftop solar energy systems while removing unreasonable barriers and minimizing costs to property owners and the city. It applies citywide to systems no larger than 10 kilowatts AC or 30 kilowatts thermal on single or duplex family dwellings.

060 puts concrete duties on the building and safety division: all application documents must be posted on the city's public website, electronic submittal by e-mail, internet, or fax must be offered to every applicant, and an electronic signature must be accepted in place of a wet signature. The division must adopt a standard plan and checklist for what a system needs to comply with in order to qualify for expedited review, and that checklist must substantially conform to the California Solar Permitting Guidebook published by the Governor's Office of Planning and Research.

55, 66015, and 66016, and Health and Safety Code section 17951. Systems legally installed before the chapter's effective date are grandfathered and do not need to be repermitted unless they are physically modified in a way that changes their size, type, or components.