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

180 requires the building official to adopt a checklist covering every requirement for an expedited permit application for a small residential rooftop solar energy system, and that checklist must substantially conform to the California Solar Permitting Guidebook published by the Governor's Office of Planning and Research. If the building official finds the application complete and consistent with the checklist, the expedited permit issues on review: there is no separate discretionary hearing. An incomplete application instead draws a written correction notice spelling out the deficiencies and the additional information needed to qualify.

The city must publish the checklist, the application form and any related documents on its website, and applicants may file by fax or by email rather than in person. Only one inspection is required for the completed installation, and a second visit is triggered only if the system fails that inspection. 040: a 'small residential rooftop solar energy system' must be no larger than 10 kilowatts AC nameplate rating or 30 kilowatts thermal, must meet the state fire, structural and electrical codes as locally amended, must satisfy California Civil Code § 714(c)(3), must sit on a single-unit dwelling or duplex, and cannot exceed the maximum legal building height for the zone.

180 and go through the standard building permit track instead, without the checklist or single-inspection guarantee. The expedited track was added by Ord. 2015-0032 § 2; the eligibility definition has been amended repeatedly through 2025, most recently by Ord. 2025-0031 § 2.