Data through April 2025 · updated 21 Oct 2026
1,001 solar permits were issued in Richmond, May 2023 through April 2025: about 500 a year and 15% of all permits. 497 solar permits in the last 12 months on file (May 2024–Apr 2025), about the same as the 504 in the 12 months before. The busiest month is May. The usual one took 63 days from issue to the city's final. 94804 has the most, 364.
Permits issued each month, May 2023 through April 2025.
| Month | Permits |
|---|---|
| May 2023 | 104 |
| Jun 2023 | 46 |
| Jul 2023 | 28 |
| Aug 2023 | 45 |
| Sep 2023 | 54 |
| Oct 2023 | 33 |
| Nov 2023 | 25 |
| Dec 2023 | 24 |
| Jan 2024 | 21 |
| Feb 2024 | 45 |
| Mar 2024 | 40 |
| Apr 2024 | 39 |
| May 2024 | 28 |
| Jun 2024 | 29 |
| Jul 2024 | 50 |
| Aug 2024 | 45 |
| Sep 2024 | 70 |
| Oct 2024 | 57 |
| Nov 2024 | 35 |
| Dec 2024 | 18 |
| Jan 2025 | 22 |
| Feb 2025 | 51 |
| Mar 2025 | 32 |
| Apr 2025 | 60 |
By calendar month, 100 = an average month (the thin line). May is the busiest (158), December the quietest (50). A busy month at the permit counter usually means a longer wait for a contractor.
| Month | Index |
|---|---|
| January | 52 |
| February | 115 |
| March | 86 |
| April | 119 |
| May | 158 |
| June | 90 |
| July | 94 |
| August | 108 |
| September | 149 |
| October | 108 |
| November | 72 |
| December | 50 |
Permits issued May 2023–Apr 2024, at least 12 months before the file ends. Usual days is the middle permit among the 401 with a final date.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Permits issued May 2023–Apr 2024 | 504 |
| Finished | 79.8% |
| Expired | 15.9% |
| Usual days, issue to final | 63 |
| Middle half, days | 35–123 |
The value written on the permit at application, from 994 permits with one. Not a quote and not the final bill.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Usual declared value | $18,820 |
| Middle half | $12,888–$26,250 |
Counted at the property's ZIP code. Share is the part of the city's 1,001 solar permits.
How the city filed these permits. We group its types into kinds of work; this is the split.
| Permit type | Permits | Share |
|---|---|---|
| BLD ELC RESIDENTIAL: SOLAR | 923 | 92% |
| BLD ELC COMMERCIAL: SOLAR | 25 | 2% |
| ONLINE SOLARAPP+ APPLICATION: BLD RESIDENTIAL | 20 | 2% |
| BLD RESIDENTIAL: SOLAR | 15 | 1% |
| ONLINE SOLARAPP+ APPLICATION: SOLAR | 8 | under 1% |
| BLD ELC INDUSTRIAL: SOLAR | 6 | under 1% |
| BLD INDUSTRIAL: SOLAR | 3 | under 1% |
| BLD COMMERCIAL: SOLAR | 1 | under 1% |
Electrical (1,176)Remodels & repairs (1,159)Roofing (1,054)Plumbing (726)HVAC (549)
From our cross-city data studies: the same measure, read the same way, for every city we cover.
Solar permits for other places in the Bay Area. Each permit office keeps its own file, so the numbers are not added together.
San Francisco, CAPalo Alto, CAMarin County, CASonoma County, CA
Source: Transparent Richmond, PermitTrak (Socrata dataset qg2r-652v), read 21 Oct 2026. We count permits issued May 2023 through April 2025; denied and withdrawn permits are left out.
Building and trade permits the City of Richmond issued inside the city limits, including SolarAPP+ solar permits; a few city parcels carry an El Sobrante or San Pablo mailing address. Encroachment, fire, wastewater, rent-control and business permits, plan-check records and revisions of earlier permits are left out. Unincorporated North Richmond and El Sobrante are permitted by Contra Costa County and are not in this file.
Counts are permits, not jobs: one job can need several permits. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can. Sources and definitions →
Free to reuse with attribution (CC BY 4.0). Please credit Contractor Records and link to this page. Suggested citation:
Contractor Records, "Solar permits in Richmond, CA", https://contractorrecords.com/richmond-ca/solar-permits, data through April 2025, from City of Richmond Building Services building-permit records.Link to a table: By month · Season · Days to final · Declared value · By ZIP code · Permit types.
Download the tables (CSV): Solar permits by month · Solar permits by calendar month (index) · Solar permits: days to final · Solar permits: declared value · Solar permits by ZIP code · Solar permits by permit type.