Monterey, CA Solar Energy: Panel Permits (2026)

Monterey's expedited solar ordinance (§§ 9-86 through 9-91) implements the state's Solar Rights Act and AB 2188 for a defined category of system: one no larger than 10 kilowatts AC nameplate rating or 30 kilowatts thermal, installed on a single- or duplex-family home, that meets applicable state fire, structural and electrical codes, and that does not exceed the city's maximum legal building height (§ 9-86(b)). For those systems, the City's Permits and Inspections Office runs an administrative, nondiscretionary review: once an application is complete and matches the City's published checklist and standard plan, a permit must be ready to issue within three business days (§ 9-91(a)).

Applications and the standard checklist are posted on the City's website, and applicants may submit electronically and sign electronically rather than in person (§ 9-90). Only one inspection is required for an eligible system, though a separate fire inspection may still be scheduled, and a failed inspection allows a follow-up inspection outside the normal expedited rules (§ 9-91(h), (j)). The Chief Building Official can pull a project out of the expedited track and require a discretionary use permit only if the Official finds, based on substantial evidence, that the installation would have a specific, adverse, and otherwise unmitigable impact on public health or safety, and any such finding, or any condition the City imposes, must be designed to address that impact at the lowest possible cost; the City cannot condition approval on an HOA's approval, and any decision to require a use permit or deny one can be appealed to the Planning Commission (§ 9-91(a), (c), (f)).