Solar Panel Cost in Manteca, CA (2026): $2.88/W Reported
By Chad SimpsonUpdated 7 sources citedManteca, San Joaquin County
Manteca homeowners who bought their own solar systems reported a median of $2.88 per watt between January 2025 and May 2026, across 1,025 systems. The middle half paid $2.52 to $4.29 per watt.
A 5.17 kW system, the median size connected in Manteca in 2025, comes to about $14,900 at that median, or $13,000 to $22,200 across the middle half.
Those are reported costs, not a quote, and no federal credit comes off a Manteca system finished in 2026: 26 U.S.C. §25D does not cover one whose installation is completed after December 31, 2025 (state and federal rules).
- Median reported cost
- $2.88/W
- Manteca addresses, 1,025 systems
- Middle half
- $2.52 to $4.29/W
- 25th to 75th percentile
- Typical 5.17 kW system
- $14,900
- 5.17 kW × $2.88/W, before any incentive
- Same system, middle half
- $13,000 to $22,200
- size: Manteca addresses, 2025 median
Source: California Distributed Generation Statistics (CPUC), Interconnected Project Sites data set, data through May 31, 2026, checked September 24, 2026. Homeowner-owned, solar-only systems of 1 to 25 kW; leases, PPAs and battery systems are left out (method). The CPUC notes these costs are not verified by the government.
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What a solar permit costs in Manteca
Manteca's published permit fee for a home rooftop system is $378 (residential rooftop solar PV permit). An energy storage system is $304 and a residential electrical panel $119; a 5% technology fee applies.
That is $72 under the $450 limit that Government Code §66015 sets for a home system up to 15 kW.
- What Manteca publishes: The building permit fees in Manteca's municipal code list a residential rooftop solar photovoltaic permit at $378 per application, an energy storage system at $304 and a residential electrical panel at $119, plus a plan retention and technology fee of 5 percent of the permit fee. The City's instant permit page says fees are paid online before the permit issues but does not state them.
- How to file: Yes. Rooftop solar and battery storage permits are issued instantly online through Symbium, which checks code compliance automatically, and inspections are scheduled through the City's Citizen Access portal.
- Automated permit platform: Symbium
Sources: City of Manteca, Instant Residential Solar & Energy Storage System Permits, checked September 23, 2026; Manteca Municipal Code, Title FS: Fee Schedules (building permit fees: Residential), checked September 23, 2026; Gov. Code §66015, checked September 24, 2026. Manteca in the California Solar Cost Index sets this fee beside every other city's.
Solar in Manteca: installs, leases and batteries
Home solar systems connected at Manteca addresses: 1,475 in 2021, 1,841 in 2022, 1,727 in 2023, 1,284 in 2024 and 1,715 in 2025. So connections peaked in 2022 and 2025 ran 7% below that peak. Another 504 were connected from January to May 2026.
Of the 1,715 systems connected in Manteca in 2025, 43% were leased or on a PPA, so a solar company owns them, and 57% belonged to the homeowner. 27% had a battery, less often than the 55% statewide. The median Manteca system was 5.17 kW, and 90 companies connected at least one.
| Manteca | San Joaquin County | Statewide | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Systems connected in 2025 | 1,715 | 5,805 | 145,404 |
| Leased or on a PPA | 43% | 52% | 45% |
| With a battery | 27% | 40% | 55% |
| Median system size | 5.17 kW | 5.64 kW | 6.15 kW |
| Median reported cost | $2.88/W (1,025) | $3.22/W (2,861) | $4.14/W (58,628) |
| Companies connecting systems | 90 | 203 | 2,475 |
Source: CPUC DG Stats, data through May 31, 2026. Counts are home systems given permission to operate each year; a city means the service city on the application.
Your utility: PG&E
Manteca is billed by Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E). PG&E's average residential rate is 33.7¢/kWh (June 2026 (unchanged since March 2026); rate tracker).
Before you compare proposals
The Manteca project checks that change the decision
Manteca issues rooftop solar and battery permits instantly online, and its municipal code lists a separate fee for each. Check that a quote's permit lines match the scope.
Ask the same three questions
- Does the design qualify for Manteca's instant Symbium permit for rooftop solar, and is any battery on its own permit?
- Is a main panel change part of the job? Manteca lists a separate residential electrical panel permit.
- Which utility bills the address? Most of Manteca is PG&E, but check your bill before any savings estimate.
Local checks
Three separate permit fees
Manteca's municipal code fee table lists $378 for a residential rooftop solar permit, $304 for an energy storage system and $119 for a residential electrical panel, plus a 5 percent plan retention and technology fee on the permit fee.
Instant permits, inspections in Citizen Access
Symbium checks the design for code compliance and issues the permit in real time; inspections are then scheduled through the City’s Citizen Access portal.
A corner of the map is MID
The California Energy Commission's service-territory map puts a small area in Manteca's southeast corner inside the Modesto Irrigation District's territory, though MID's own description of its service area does not name Manteca. PG&E's CCA list and Ava's list of the communities it serves do not include Manteca either.
Related decisions
Local sources and limits
- City of Manteca — Instant Residential Solar & Energy Storage System Permits — verified 2026-09-23. Symbium checks code compliance and issues rooftop solar and battery permits in real time; fees paid online (not stated); inspections through Citizen Access.
- Manteca Municipal Code — Title FS: Fee Schedules — verified 2026-09-23. Residential building permits: solar PV rooftop $378; energy storage system $304; electrical panels $119; plan retention/technology fee 5% of permit fee.
- California Energy Commission — Electric Load Serving Entities (IOU & POU) service-territory layer — verified 2026-09-23. Overlaid on the Census TIGERweb city boundary to see which utility territories fall inside the city. A map layer, not an address lookup: the bill names the utility for a given home.
- Modesto Irrigation District — Who We Are — verified 2026-09-23. MID’s electric service area: greater Modesto north of the Tuolumne River, Waterford, Salida, Mountain House and parts of Ripon, Escalon, Oakdale and Riverbank. Manteca is not named.
- PG&E — Community Choice Aggregation — verified 2026-09-23. Lists the CCAs in PG&E territory and the areas each serves, and says PG&E continues to provide meter reading, billing, maintenance and outage response for CCA customers. A city missing from the list has no CCA named there; the bill is still the check for a given account.
- Ava Community Energy — Communities We Serve — verified 2026-09-23. Names Albany, Berkeley, Dublin, Emeryville, Fremont, Hayward, Livermore, Newark, Oakland, Piedmont, Pleasanton, San Leandro, Tracy, Union City and unincorporated Alameda County, plus Lathrop, Stockton and unincorporated San Joaquin County.
Before you sign
In Manteca the middle half of reported costs spans $2.52 to $4.29 per watt, and roof, panel work, equipment and contract terms explain most of that gap. California Solar Tax and Permit Rules for 2026 covers them, and the tax, lease and disclosure rules a Manteca contract follows.
Frequently asked questions
How much does solar cost in Manteca?
About $14,900 for a 5.17 kW system, at the $2.88 per watt median that Manteca owners reported (1,025 systems, January 2025 to May 2026; middle half $2.52 to $4.29). Source: CPUC DG Stats. No federal credit applies to a Manteca system finished in 2026.
What does a solar permit cost in Manteca?
$378 for a home rooftop system on Manteca's published schedule (checked September 23, 2026); the state limit is $450 up to 15 kW under Gov. Code §66015.
Which utility serves Manteca?
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E). Its average residential rate is 33.7¢/kWh, as of June 2026 (unchanged since March 2026).
Sources
- California Distributed Generation Statistics (CPUC), Interconnected Project Sites data set, data through May 31, 2026 — checked September 24, 2026
- CPUC, California Solar Consumer Protection Guide — checked September 24, 2026
- 26 U.S.C. §25D(h) and (e)(8)(A), residential clean energy credit — checked September 24, 2026
- Manteca solar permitting — City of Manteca, Instant Residential Solar & Energy Storage System Permits — checked September 23, 2026
- Manteca Municipal Code, Title FS: Fee Schedules (building permit fees: Residential) — checked September 23, 2026
- California Government Code §66015(a), residential solar permit fees — checked September 24, 2026
- PG&E average residential rate — CPUC Public Advocates Office, Q2 2026 Electric Rates Report, p.8, 20 — checked November 9, 2026
The tax, contract and permit rules every California city shares, with their statutes: California Solar Tax and Permit Rules for 2026.
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