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California Solar Cost Index 2026: Permit Fees, Utilities and Rules by City
A solar quote in California carries a few costs that change from one city to the next. This index puts them side by side for 57 cities: what the city charges for a home solar permit, whether it issues that permit through an instant online platform, which utility bills the address, and whether a community choice aggregator supplies the power. Every cell links to the document it came from.
It does not print a price for a solar system in any city. No reliable public source publishes one, and the number that governs your project is the one in your own contract.
What the data shows
- 15 of 57 cities publish a current dollar figure for a residential solar permit that we could confirm. 33 publish no dollar figure on the permit pages we checked, and 7 cities had a fee schedule we could not read when we checked. Anaheim has only a dated schedule. Roseville publishes two different figures.
- Among the 15 published fees, the city's own charge for a standard home system runs from $170 (Marina) to $670 (Pacific Grove). The median is $333. Some cities list other charges beside the permit, such as a fire plan review; open a row to see them.
- 13 of those 15 are at or below $450, the limit California Government Code section 66015 sets for a residential PV permit up to 15 kW. Two are above it: Chula Vista ($453) and Pacific Grove ($670). The same section lets a city charge more if it adopts written findings on its costs; this index did not check whether either has.
- 40 of 57 cities name an instant permit platform for home solar: SolarAPP+ in 31 and Symbium in 8, while San Diego issues qualifying permits through its own system. 15 name none on the pages we checked, and for 2 we could not confirm either way.
- 51 of 57 cities are served mainly by PG&E, SCE or SDG&E, and 5 by a publicly owned utility; in Corona it depends on the address. 37 are also served by one of 10 community choice aggregators, which supply the generation while the utility still delivers it.
Counts are computed from the table below each time the page is built. Fee limit: Government Code §66015(a)(1)-(2), checked September 23, 2026.
The index
Filter by utility, fee or permit path, or sort any column. Open a row to read the city’s own wording and every source with the date it was checked. The city name goes to that city’s full cost page.
Showing 57 of 57 cities.
Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
How to use it with a quote
- Find the permit line. If your city publishes a fee, you can see whether a quote passes it through as its own line or folds it into the total. Ask who pulls the permit and whether inspections are in the scope.
- Ask which permit path the installer will use. In a city that names SolarAPP+ or Symbium, those platforms charge their own fee on top of the city’s. Ask whether the quote includes it.
- Check the utility name on your bill. The rate column is a utility-wide average, not your rate. In a city with more than one utility, or a community choice aggregator, your bill tells you which one applies. The California utility rate tracker has the history behind each average.
What the index does not cover
The cost of a system depends on your roof, your electrical panel, the equipment and the contract, so the index gives no system price for any city. Under California Business and Professions Code section 7169, the total cost and payments, including financing costs, must be on the front or cover page of a solar contract in boldface 16-point type (B&P Code §7169, checked September 17, 2026). That page is the figure to compare. For a national reference point only:
National benchmark · LBNL
Homeowners who installed residential solar in 2023 paid $3.20–$5.50 per watt (20th to 80th percentile), before any tax credit, according to Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's Tracking the Sun research. This is a national figure for host-owned residential systems, not a California-only number — LBNL does not publish one. LBNL states that California residential pricing, within this national sample, runs "near the middle of the pack."
This is a national research figure, not a quote. It is not a price for any specific city or home.
Source: Tracking the Sun: Pricing and Design Trends for Distributed Photovoltaic Systems in the United States, 2024 Edition, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Energy Markets & Policy Department, published October 2024 — verified 2026-09-22.
Methodology
Last updated September 23, 2026. Permit fields were checked between September 18, 2026 and September 22, 2026; each row shows its own date.
- Which cities. Every California city with a solar cost page on this site. A city only gets a page once every permit field on it carries a source and a checked date.
- City permit fee. The city’s own charge for a permit for a standard home rooftop system, on the simplest path the city lists, taken from the city’s permit page or adopted fee schedule. Where a schedule lists plan check and permit or inspection as separate lines, the index adds them and shows both. It leaves out the separate charge the SolarAPP+ or Symbium platform collects; where a city states that charge, it appears under the fee. Size limits differ by city, and each row says which one applies.
- No estimates. A city that publishes no figure on the pages we checked is marked that way. The range and median use only the 15 cities with a current published figure; Anaheim and Roseville are listed but left out.
- Instant permitting and online filing. As named on the city’s permit page, or for Camarillo, Corona and Murrieta on another City page cited in that row. “None named” means the pages we checked do not name a platform. It does not prove the city has none.
- Electric utility. The utility each city page names. Every city was checked against the California Energy Commission’s service-territory map and Census city boundaries on September 22, 2026. Investor-owned or publicly owned is the Energy Commission’s own label. Where more than one utility serves addresses inside a city, the row says so. Service maps are approximate at the edges, so read the utility name on your bill.
- Utility average rate. The utility-wide average residential rate from the CPUC Public Advocates Office Q2 2026 Electric Rates Report, as carried on our rate tracker. It is not a city figure. That report covers only the investor-owned utilities.
- Community choice aggregator. Checked against each aggregator’s own list of the communities it serves on September 23, 2026. “None recorded” means the city page names no aggregator.
- Corrections. If a city has published a new fee schedule, or a cell is wrong, tell us through the corrections page. The row and its date change when the source does.
Cite this data
If you use these figures, please link to this page and name the city source shown in the row.
Citation
Chad Simpson, "California Solar Cost Index 2026: Permit Fees, Utilities and Rules by City," California Rate Relief, updated September 23, 2026, https://ratereliefca.com/california-solar-cost-index.
Link
<a href="https://ratereliefca.com/california-solar-cost-index">California Solar Cost Index 2026</a> (California Rate Relief)Data file: download the CSV (57 rows, one per city, with every source URL and the city’s own wording).
Sources
81 documents, each with the date it was checked. City permit sources were checked on the date shown in that city’s row.
- Anaheim solar permitting — City of Anaheim Online Permit Center page; City of Anaheim Residential PV Self-Certification Program packet (forms B722/B705, dated 2009-2010) — checked September 18, 2026
- California Energy Commission, Electric Load Serving Entities (IOU & POU) service-territory map — checked September 22, 2026
- Anaheim Public Utilities — Residential Rates — checked September 18, 2026
- Aptos solar permitting — County of Santa Cruz SolarAPP+ page — checked September 18, 2026
- CPUC Public Advocates Office, Q2 2026 Electric Rates Report, p.8, 20 — checked September 22, 2026
- Central Coast Community Energy, Implementation Plan Addendum No. 5 (May 15, 2023), member agencies — checked September 23, 2026
- Auburn solar permitting — City of Auburn Symbium Permits page / Solar Photovoltaic Submittal Guidelines — checked September 18, 2026
- Pioneer Community Energy, About Us — checked September 23, 2026
- Bakersfield solar permitting — City of Bakersfield PV Toolkit Document #1 — Submittal Requirements Bulletin (content.civicplus.com asset a531a051) — checked September 18, 2026
- Beaumont solar permitting — City of Beaumont Photovoltaic Permit Streamlining page — checked September 18, 2026
- California City solar permitting — City of California City Solar Permits page and Master Fee Schedule (5-11-26) — checked September 18, 2026
- Camarillo solar permitting — City of Camarillo Building & Safety handouts page; Master User Fee Schedule not retrievable when checked — checked September 18, 2026
- City of Camarillo, Building & Safety — checked September 23, 2026
- Clean Power Alliance, home page (service area) — checked September 23, 2026
- Carlsbad solar permitting — City of Carlsbad Residential solar permitting with SolarAPP+ page (carlsbadca.gov) — checked September 18, 2026
- Clean Energy Alliance, home page (member cities) — checked September 23, 2026
- Chula Vista solar permitting — City of Chula Vista Master Fee Schedule Fee Bulletin 10-400, Photovoltaic System section (Sept 2024) — checked September 18, 2026
- San Diego Community Power, Our Community — checked September 23, 2026
- Corona solar permitting — City of Corona Expedited Permits page (coronaca.gov) — checked September 18, 2026
- City of Corona Department of Water and Power, Electric Service — checked September 23, 2026
- Danville solar permitting — Town of Danville SolarApp+ Submittals page — checked September 18, 2026
- MCE, Service Area — checked September 23, 2026
- El Cajon solar permitting — City of El Cajon Photovoltaic page (elcajon.gov) — checked September 18, 2026
- El Dorado Hills solar permitting — El Dorado County Building Division Symbium page (Ordinance 5238 fee PDF blocked — 403) — checked September 18, 2026
- Encinitas solar permitting — City of Encinitas Solar Photovoltaic Permit Application page — checked September 18, 2026
- Escondido solar permitting — City of Escondido, Solar App Plus (escondido.gov/1247) — checked September 18, 2026
- Fresno solar permitting — City of Fresno Master Fee Schedule (MFS Amendment #585, Jan 2025; effective 07/01/2025) — checked September 18, 2026
- Grass Valley solar permitting — City of Grass Valley SolarAPP+ Submittals page — checked September 18, 2026
- Hollister solar permitting — City of Hollister Building Permit Fee Schedule (effective August 2022, PDF) - amount not machine-readable — checked September 18, 2026
- Lincoln solar permitting — City of Lincoln Master Fee Schedule (adopted by City Council 11-12-2024) — checked September 18, 2026
- Livermore solar permitting — City of Livermore SolarApp+ page (live site blocked automated fetch; content confirmed via web.archive.org capture) — checked September 18, 2026
- Ava Community Energy, Who We Serve — checked September 23, 2026
- Los Angeles solar permitting — LADBS Information Bulletin P/GI 2020-003, Express Permits (No Plan Check Required) — checked September 18, 2026
- Manteca solar permitting — City of Manteca Instant Residential Solar & Energy Storage System Permits page — checked September 18, 2026
- Marina solar permitting — City of Marina Building Division page; City of Marina Fee Schedule, City Reso. No. 2025-99 (effective 10/6/2025) — checked September 18, 2026
- Modesto solar permitting — City of Modesto Building Safety Division Development User Fees, Fiscal Year 25-26 (fee schedule PDF) — checked September 18, 2026
- Modesto Irrigation District, Who We Are (electric service area) — checked September 22, 2026
- Modesto Irrigation District — Electric Rates — checked September 18, 2026
- Monterey solar permitting — City of Monterey Building and Safety Services page; City of Monterey Master Fee Schedule FY2026/2027 (files.monterey.gov) — checked September 18, 2026
- Murrieta solar permitting — City of Murrieta, Information Bulletin IB-125, Solar Permits (Residential) — checked September 18, 2026
- City of Murrieta, Self-Issuing Permits & Solar App+ — checked September 23, 2026
- Napa solar permitting — City of Napa Solar PV page and Permits and Plan Review Information page — checked September 18, 2026
- Oceanside solar permitting — City of Oceanside SolarAPP+ page (ci.oceanside.ca.us) — checked September 18, 2026
- Ontario solar permitting — City of Ontario Building Department Fees page (the Apply for Residential Reroof and Solar Permits page itself returned a 500 error and could not be read) — checked September 18, 2026
- Pacific Grove solar permitting — City of Pacific Grove SolarAppPlus.php page and Master Fee Schedule (Community Development fees effective 11/4/2024) — checked September 22, 2026
- Palm Springs solar permitting — City of Palm Springs Building Permit and Review Fees page — checked September 18, 2026
- Desert Community Energy, About — checked September 23, 2026
- Petaluma solar permitting — City of Petaluma SolarApp+ Solar Permit page — checked September 18, 2026
- Sonoma Clean Power, Who We Are — checked September 23, 2026
- Rancho Cordova solar permitting — City of Rancho Cordova Forms and Downloads / Building Permit Fee Estimates pages — checked September 18, 2026
- SMUD 2026 Residential Rate Guide — checked September 22, 2026
- Rancho Cucamonga solar permitting — City of Rancho Cucamonga Community Development Fees schedule (Rev 2-5-2024) — checked September 18, 2026
- City of Rancho Cucamonga, Welcome to RCMU — checked September 22, 2026
- Rocklin solar permitting — City of Rocklin Online Solar Permitting page — checked September 18, 2026
- Roseville solar permitting — City of Roseville SolarAPP+ page and FY25 Master Fee Schedule (civiclive.com-hosted PDF) — checked September 18, 2026
- Roseville Electric Utility — Rates — checked September 18, 2026
- Salinas solar permitting — City of Salinas Permit Services page; City of Salinas Schedule of Fees and Charges for City Services, effective July 1, 2025 — checked September 18, 2026
- San Diego solar permitting — City of San Diego Development Services, Information Bulletin 301 — checked September 22, 2026
- San Jose solar permitting — City of San Jose Solar & Storage Battery Projects page — checked September 18, 2026
- City of San José, Energy Department (San José Clean Energy) — checked September 23, 2026
- San Luis Obispo solar permitting — City of San Luis Obispo Solar Documents page (Building & Safety) — checked September 18, 2026
- San Marcos solar permitting — City of San Marcos Solar Permits page (sanmarcosca.gov) — checked September 18, 2026
- Santa Cruz solar permitting — City of Santa Cruz SolarApp+ page; Citywide Fee Schedule effective 1-1-26 (santacruzca.gov) — checked September 18, 2026
- Santa Rosa solar permitting — City of Santa Rosa Solar Panel Installation (SolarApp+) page — checked September 18, 2026
- Seaside solar permitting — City of Seaside Solar App+ page (Building & Code Enforcement Department) — checked September 18, 2026
- Stockton solar permitting — City of Stockton FY 2025-26 Adopted Fee Schedule (effective 7/1/2025) and City of Stockton Automated Solar Permitting page — checked September 22, 2026
- Temecula solar permitting — City of Temecula, Photovoltaic Systems (temeculaca.gov/304) — checked September 18, 2026
- Thousand Oaks solar permitting — City of Thousand Oaks Solar PV Systems page (toaks.gov/solarsystems) — checked September 18, 2026
- Tracy solar permitting — City of Tracy Permit Process and Fees page — checked September 18, 2026
- Tulare solar permitting — City of Tulare Solar APP+ page (fee schedule PDF link blocked — 403) — checked September 18, 2026
- Vallejo solar permitting — City of Vallejo Building Division page — checked September 18, 2026
- Ventura solar permitting — City of Ventura Contractor Solar Permits (SB-379) page — checked September 18, 2026
- Walnut Creek solar permitting — City of Walnut Creek Master Fee Schedule FY26 & FY27 (Community Development - Building Division fees PDF) — checked September 18, 2026
- Watsonville solar permitting — City of Watsonville SolarAPP+ How-To guide (PDF) — checked September 18, 2026
- Winchester solar permitting — Riverside County TLMA SolarAPP+ page (rctlma.org/solarapp) — checked September 18, 2026
- Windsor solar permitting — Town of Windsor Residential Solar Applications page (Building Division) — checked September 18, 2026
- Yuba City solar permitting — City of Yuba City Solar APP+ page — checked September 18, 2026
- Yucaipa solar permitting — City of Yucaipa Building & Safety page (yucaipa.gov); fee schedule PDF inaccessible — checked September 18, 2026
- California Government Code §66015(a)(1)-(2), residential solar permit fees — checked September 23, 2026
- California Business and Professions Code §7169, solar energy system disclosure document — checked September 17, 2026
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Energy Markets & Policy Department, Tracking the Sun: Pricing and Design Trends for Distributed Photovoltaic Systems in the United States, 2024 Edition — checked September 22, 2026
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