California's Fast-Track Solar Permits Let the Sun Shine In Faster—and Cheaper

Cities have responded to a California law by approving some residential solar permits in as little as a day, saving homeowners not just time, but money too.  Cities have responded to a California law by approving some residential solar permits in as little as a day, saving homeowners not just time, but money too.

California cities are leading the nation in eliminating one of the biggest hurdles to the growth of residential solar: lengthy and confusing permitting.

Spurred by a recent state law, hundreds of California communities have streamlined their permit process for small residential solar systems over the past year, some bringing it down to a single day.  Some cities have also fast-tracked inspections to within a few days of permit approvals.  The outcome?  The state's biggest cities are now processing and signing off on hundreds of these solar projects each month.

San Jose, for example, streamlined its permit review and approval process last August and has since approved more than 4,500 residential rooftop solar permits.  That's a nearly 600 percent increase over the previous year, when San Jose, California's third-largest city, permitted a mere 661.

Read more at California's Fast-Track Solar Permits Let the Sun Shine In Faster—and Cheaper