Solar Panel Cost in Ontario, CA (2026): $4.25/W Reported

What a solar permit costs in Ontario

Ontario does not publish a dollar figure for a residential solar permit. Whatever it charges, Government Code §66015 limits a city to $450 for a home system up to 15 kW, plus $15 per kW above that, unless it adopts a written finding that its cost is higher. The electrical permit issuance fee is $41.00; plan check is 80% of permit fees.

• What Ontario publishes: Ontario's Building Department Fees page lists no fee specifically for solar. It sets an electrical permit issuance fee of $41.00 and plan check at 80 percent of permit fees, calls its figures an estimate only, and refers applicants to permit technicians at 909-395-2023 for the exact amount due at issuance.
• How to file: Yes. Since August 4, 2025, contractors and homeowners can apply for residential solar and energy storage permits through Symbium's real-time permitting platform, which the City says expedites approval and permit issuance. The California Energy Commission's SB 379 data also lists Ontario's platform as Symbium. The City's separate page on residential reroof and solar permits returned a server error when checked.
• Automated permit platform: Symbium

Sources: City of Ontario, Building Department, checked September 23, 2026; City of Ontario, Building Department Fees (Table B, Electrical Permit Fees), checked September 23, 2026; California Energy Commission, Residential Solar Permitting Program data (SB 379 platform status as self-reported by each jurisdiction; data last updated August 3, 2026), checked September 23, 2026; Gov. Code §66015, checked September 24, 2026. Ontario in the California Solar Cost Index sets this fee beside every other city's.

Solar in Ontario: installs, leases and batteries

Home solar systems connected at Ontario addresses: 1,399 in 2021, 1,860 in 2022, 2,054 in 2023, 1,627 in 2024 and 1,204 in 2025. So connections peaked in 2023 and 2025 ran 41% below that peak. Another 621 were connected from January to May 2026.

Of the 1,204 systems connected in Ontario in 2025, 43% were leased or on a PPA, so a solar company owns them, and 57% belonged to the homeowner. 50% had a battery, less often than the 55% statewide. The median Ontario system was 3.69 kW, and 94 companies connected at least one.

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: SCE

Ontario is billed by Southern California Edison (SCE). SCE's average residential rate is 34.4¢/kWh (June 1, 2026; rate tracker).

Before you sign

In Ontario the middle half of reported costs spans $4.25 to $4.72 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 Ontario contract follows.