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

Sec. 210 states the article's purpose is to adopt an expedited, streamlined solar permitting process pursuant to the Solar Rights Act, as amended by AB 2188 (Chapter 521, Statutes 2014), to achieve timely and cost-effective installations of small residential rooftop solar energy systems by removing unreasonable barriers and minimizing costs. Sec. 55, 66015, and 66016 and Health and Safety Code Section 17951. Sec. 230 sets the operative timeline: the department must create a nondiscretionary administrative review process, and the building official must issue the permit within three business days of receiving a complete standard or electronic application meeting the checklist.

Review is limited to whether the application meets local, state, and federal health and safety requirements; if the building official finds a specific, adverse health or safety impact with no feasible mitigation, written findings must issue within three days. Only one inspection may be required, scheduled within two business days of a request, though a failed inspection allows a follow-up inspection outside the expedited framework. Systems legally installed before the article's effective date are grandfathered unless physically modified in a way that requires new permitting, and routine maintenance or like-kind replacement needs no permit at all under Sec. 215.