The County rule
The County's adoptive ordinance (PDS 110, rev. 1 January 2026) requires anyone who intends to "erect, install, enlarge, alter, repair, remove, convert or replace any electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing system" to "first make application to the building official and obtain the required permit". Its electrical exemptions stop at minor repairs, lamp replacement and low-voltage signal wiring; solar is not on the list.
The County's Homeowner's Relief Act sheet (PDS 612, rev. 20 June 2025) confirms it for houses: "Residential photovoltaic electrical systems (effective September, 2001) and solar water heaters" are permits that "will not require fees", but "a no-fee permit must be obtained, and all applicable inspections are still required."
| Your system | What PDS needs |
|---|---|
| Roof-mount on an existing, permitted house, all equipment and the meter on that house | Roof plan, single-line diagram, equipment data sheets, racking details |
| Roof-mount with equipment or meter elsewhere on the lot | Roof plan and a plot plan |
| Ground-mount | Plot plan against the setbacks in PDS #276, foundation plan; DEH approval first if the parcel is on septic |
| Arrays integrated with the roof membrane | Class "A" fire-retardant rating |
| Grid-connected | Approval from the utility for the installation |
Those rows are from the County's minimum plan requirements for PV (PDS 663). It also asks for temperature correction factors for the site, a note that "All modules will be grounded", and racking connection details; additional engineering "may be required".
Who pulls it
Usually the installer, with a CSLB license: C-46 Solar, or C-10 Electrical for the electrical side (CSLB classifications). The County's online application asks for the installer's CSLB license number under "Professional". 83.6% of the 495 solar firms on County permits matched an active CSLB license in our file.
A homeowner can file as owner-builder. PDS will not issue the permit until you initial and sign the Owner-Builder Acknowledgement (PDS 421), which says you are "the responsible party of record" and may be an "employer" under state and federal law if you pay anyone other than licensed contractors on a job of $500 or more.
How to apply
- Confirm the parcel is unincorporated. In the County's portal, the parcel's Domain must be "CN"; other values mean a city issues the permit (PDS 807).
- Apply online in Accela Citizen Access under PDS: Apply for a Record, then Building, with the parcel number from your tax bill. PDS 807, a 2013 handout, names the scope code "(Online) RES Roof Mt Solar PV No Meter Upgrade (HRA)"; a system with a meter or panel upgrade is a different scope.
- Upload the plans as one PDF and note the record ID.
- Inspections and final. "FINAL INSPECTION: To be made after work is complete." A permit expires if work does not start and get a valid inspection within two years of issue, or if work stops for 180 days; between inspections more than 180 days apart, request a progress inspection.
What it costs
| Line | Source | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Photovoltaic roof mount, online | Fee schedule PDS 613, effective 10 July 2026 | $292 |
| Photovoltaic roof mount, in person | PDS 613 | $345 |
| Photovoltaic ground mount | PDS 613 | $502 |
| Re-inspection / progress inspection | PDS 613 | $205 |
| Residential PV under the Homeowner's Relief Act | PDS 612, rev. June 2025 | No fee for permit, plan review or inspections |
The two County documents disagree on their face. The fee schedule lists PV prices and refers to PDS 612 for Relief Act fees; PDS 612 says residential PV pays none; and the County's Building Division page says the Relief Act program, "other than for solar", ended on 1 July 2025. Our reading is that a rooftop system on a house still files under the no-fee Relief Act scope, but we could not confirm the amount charged; the invoice in Accela, or the Permit Center on (858) 565-5920, is the final word. Applying online is $53 cheaper than in person if the fee applies. A re-inspection, at $205, can cost more than the permit.
What 8,832 County solar permits show
| Measure | Unincorporated San Diego County solar |
|---|---|
| Residential permits, October 2023 to September 2026 | 8,832 |
| Installers | 495 |
| Installers with a permit in the last 12 months | 282 |
| Closed (permits a year or more old) | 82.5% |
| Usual days from issue to final | 81 |
| Installers with 10+ permits closing under 70% | 8 of 88 |
| 10th / 90th-percentile installer (10+ permits) | 71.3% / 94.2% |
| Share held by the busiest installer / five busiest | 25.7% / 46.2% |
| Busiest / quietest month | October (130) / January (86) |
Solar closes better than most County trades (82.5%, against 59.3% for HVAC), and most busy installers sit between 71.3% and 94.2%. The exceptions matter: 8 installers with 10 or more permits closed under 70%, and a permit with no final can expire on your address. One installer holds 25.7% of all County solar permits, so read your own installer's share rather than the county figure. Solar permits here carry no job value; national prices are in solar panel installation cost.
See every County solar installer by permits closed and CSLB license →
Next steps
Compare installers on the San Diego County solar list and check the CSLB license with the San Diego County contractor license lookup. Look up past permits with San Diego County building permit search. Monthly counts: San Diego County permit statistics. Other places' rules: do I need a permit for solar panels, and for the city of San Diego, San Diego solar permit.
What this does not tell you
This covers the unincorporated county only (Fallbrook, Ramona, Alpine, Valley Center, Spring Valley and the rest); the 18 incorporated cities issue their own permits. A County final is not the utility's permission to operate. Battery permits are counted as their own trade, on the County battery list.
How we know this
Permit rules, plan requirements, the online process, expiration and fees are quoted from County of San Diego PDS documents PDS 110, 421, 612, 613, 663 and 807 and the Building Division page, read 23 October 2026; license classes from CSLB. Counts are County PDS residential solar permits, October 2023 to September 2026; "closed" uses permits a year or more old, days to final is the median from issue, and license status is our match to CSLB records.
Numbers come from 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 20, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- Do I need a permit for solar panels in unincorporated San Diego County?
Yes. The County's adoptive ordinance (PDS 110) requires a permit to install or alter any electrical system it regulates, and its list of work exempt from permits does not include solar. The County's Homeowner's Relief Act sheet says residential PV systems still need a permit and all applicable inspections.
- How much is a solar permit in San Diego County?
The County's fee schedule effective 10 July 2026 lists $292 for a roof-mount PV permit applied for online, $345 in person and $502 for a ground mount. Its Homeowner's Relief Act sheet (PDS 612, June 2025) says residential PV electrical systems get a no-fee permit, so a house may owe nothing; the invoice in Accela settles it.
- How long does a solar permit take in San Diego County?
In our file the usual County residential solar permit reached final 81 days after issue, and 82.5% of those a year or more old had closed.
- Can a homeowner pull a solar permit in San Diego County?
Yes, as owner-builder, after reading, initialing and signing the County's Owner-Builder Acknowledgement (PDS 421). It makes you the responsible party of record and warns that anyone you pay who is not a licensed contractor may make you an employer under state and federal law.
- Does a ground-mounted solar system need extra approvals in San Diego County?
Yes. PDS 663 requires a plot plan showing the panels against zoning setbacks, a foundation plan, and, if the parcel is on a septic system, Department of Environmental Health approval before the permit is issued. The ground-mount permit fee on the schedule is $502.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
- Albuquerque building permit search: how to look up permits on an address
- Do I need a solar permit in Albuquerque? Building and electrical permits, the engineer triggers and the fee
- Do I need a solar permit in Anaheim? The online small-rooftop permit, the 10 kW line and the City utility
- Do I need a solar permit in Bend, OR? The prescriptive checklist, the 2026-27 fees and how fast permits final
- Do I need a solar permit in Scottsdale? The $168 permit, the $168 review, roof setbacks and Arizona's solar permit law
- Do I need a solar permit in Seattle? An electrical permit always; a building permit only sometimes
For one city
- Building Permit Requirements per Adoptive Ordinance (PDS 110, rev. 01/01/2026) — County of San Diego PDS (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Building Fee Schedule (PDS 613, effective 07/10/2026) — County of San Diego PDS (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Homeowner's Relief Act (PDS 612, rev. 06/20/2025) — County of San Diego PDS (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Building Division — County of San Diego Planning & Development Services (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Minimum Plan Requirements for Solar Photovoltaic Projects (PDS 663) — County of San Diego PDS (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Online Solar Photovoltaic Permit: Important Customer Information (PDS 807) — County of San Diego PDS (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Owner-Builder Information (PDS 421) — County of San Diego PDS (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Accela Citizen Access — County of San Diego (2026-10-23)
- CSLB Licensing Classifications (2026-10-22)