San Diego solar in numbers
| What we measured | City of San Diego |
|---|---|
| Solar permits, three years | 10,027 |
| Firms | 423 |
| Firms with a permit in the last 12 months | 231 |
| Firms matched to an active CSLB license | 64.1% |
| Usual days from permit to final | 72 |
| Finaled (permits a year or more old) | 73.3% |
| 10th / 90th-percentile firm (10+ permits) | 59.2% / 90.4% |
| Firms under 70% finaled | 18 of 78 |
| Share of permits held by the busiest firm / five busiest | 35.7% / 64.1% |
A solar permit that never reaches a final is a system the City never signed off, which can hold up the utility's permission to operate and will come up when you sell. San Diego's finaled share is lower than most solar cities we track, which makes each installer's own number more useful here, not less. National prices are in solar panel installation cost; the unincorporated county is on the San Diego County solar list.
Which license a San Diego solar installer needs
San Diego does not license contractors; California does, through the Contractors State License Board. The class for solar is C-46 Solar, and a C-10 Electrical contractor may also do the electrical side (CSLB Licensing Classifications, read 22 October 2026). CSLB requires a $25,000 contractor's bond and caps a home improvement down payment at 10% of the price or $1,000, whichever is less (CSLB, read 22 October 2026).
The five-minute check:
- Enter the license number on CSLB Check a License: status, classifications (C-46 or C-10), bond and workers' comp.
- Search the company on the CPUC's public watch list of non-compliant solar providers.
- If a salesperson sold the job, ask which company holds the license; it may not be the one on the business card.
More in the San Diego contractor license lookup.
The permit rule for solar in San Diego
The City's "When is a Permit Required?" sheet says it plainly: "All Solar PV installations require a permit" (City of San Diego, read 22 October 2026). The installer pulls it. Once it is issued, find it by address on the City's Permit Finder map or OpenDSD Approval Search, both listed in Information Bulletin 110; the contractor on the permit should be the company on your contract. Rules in other cities are in do I need a permit for solar panels.
Red flags in the San Diego record
- A finaled share under 59.2%. That is the 10th-percentile line among busy San Diego installers. Ask about the open permits by address, and whether those customers have permission to operate.
- A firm that stopped filing. 30 solar firms with 5 or more permits filed none in the last 12 months. A solar warranty runs for decades; the company behind it should still be there.
- A CSLB license that is not active. 11 solar firms on San Diego permits matched a license that is not active. 33.3% had no match by name, often because a sales brand permits under a different licensee: ask for the license number.
- A big deposit. Over 10% or $1,000, whichever is less, is over California's cap. The FTC warns against "large upfront payments or deposits" in solar sales (FTC, September 2024).
- A name on the CPUC watch list.
The busiest San Diego solar installers in the last 12 months
Ranked by City of San Diego solar permits in the last 12 months of the window. Volume, not quality.
| Firm | Permits, last 12 months | Permits, three years |
|---|---|---|
| Sunrun | 946 | 3,583 |
| Baker Electric Home Energy | 294 | 1,288 |
| Stellar Solar | 186 | 470 |
| Lgcy Electric | 175 | 350 |
| Solar Tech Energy Systems Inc | 113 | 276 |
San Diego solar is concentrated: one firm filed 35.7% of the city's solar permits. Large lease and loan providers file a lot of permits, so read their finaled share as closely as a small installer's. Every firm's share and CSLB status are on the compare list.
See every San Diego solar installer by finals and CSLB license →
What the San Diego record does not tell you
Our file is City of San Diego permits only; Chula Vista, Escondido and the other cities issue their own, and the unincorporated county is a separate list. A final means the City passed the install; it says nothing about the panel or battery brand, the financing terms, the production estimate or the utility interconnection. San Diego's solar permits carry no job value, so price has to come from comparing quotes. License status is a name match; unmatched is not unlicensed. The national checklist is in hiring a solar installer, and lease against purchase in solar lease vs buy.
How we know this
Permits are City of San Diego Development Services solar permits on homes, 2023-10 to 2026-09. "Finaled" uses permits a year or more old; days to final is the median from issue to final. Percentile and under-70% figures use solar firms with 10 or more permits. The busiest-firm table ranks by permits in the last 12 months. License status is our name match to CSLB's public license file. Rules are quoted from CSLB and City of San Diego pages (read 22 October 2026), the CPUC watch list (read 20 October 2026) and the FTC (read 21 October 2026).
Numbers come from City of San Diego Development Services approvals; San Diego County Planning & Development Services building permits on homes in the unincorporated county (the County's open-data permit, contractor and status-history files), data through October 15, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- How do I choose a solar installer in San Diego?
Check the CSLB license is active with a C-46 Solar (or C-10 Electrical) class, search the firm on the CPUC's watch list of non-compliant solar providers, make sure it pulls the City permit, and read its San Diego record. 73.3% of City of San Diego solar permits a year or more old reached a final; the 10th-percentile firm with 10 or more permits finaled 59.2%.
- What license does a solar installer need in San Diego?
A California CSLB license with the C-46 Solar classification; a C-10 Electrical contractor may also do the electrical side. The City of San Diego does not license contractors itself.
- Do I need a permit for solar panels in San Diego?
Yes. The City of San Diego says 'All Solar PV installations require a permit.' The installer pulls it, and you can find it on the City's Permit Finder or OpenDSD once it is issued.
- How long does a solar permit take to close in San Diego?
The usual City of San Diego solar permit reached its final 72 days after issue. Utility permission to operate is a separate step; ask the installer who files it and when.
- Who are the biggest solar companies in San Diego?
By permits in the last 12 months, Sunrun led with 946, and it alone filed 35.7% of the city's solar permits. The five busiest firms hold 64.1%. Volume is not quality: compare each firm's finaled share.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
- How to check a contractor's license in California
- Hiring a solar installer: 5 red flags and 10 questions, checked against solar permits in 41 cities
- Hiring a solar installer in Henderson, NV: the NSCB license, the permit, and what 6,100 solar permits show
- Hiring a solar installer in Honolulu: the DCCA license, the permit, and what 16,000 solar permits show
For one city
- Check a License — CSLB (2026-10-22)
- CSLB Licensing Classifications (2026-10-22)
- Finding the Right Contractor — CSLB (2026-10-22)
- Public Watch List of Non-Compliant Solar Providers (CPUC) (accessed 2026-10-20)
- When is a Permit Required? — City of San Diego Development Services (accessed 2026-10-22)
- Information Bulletin 110: Researching Records — City of San Diego Development Services (2026-10-22)
- Solar energy is rising in popularity. So are the scams — FTC Consumer Alert (September 2024; accessed 2026-10-21)