Solar Permits in Los Angeles (LADBS), 2026
Short answer: every rooftop solar system in the City of Los Angeles needs an LADBS electrical permit; a separate building permit is needed only when the array misses LADBS’s structural exemption — for example, heavier than 4 pounds per square foot or covering more than half the roof. Systems of 10 kW or less on a one- or two-family home with a panel of 225 A or less are issued online as express permits, with no plan check; anything else goes through counter or regular plan check. The online route is open to licensed contractors only.
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- An electrical permit is required for every PV system in the City of LA. A building permit is required for the structural support only when the array fails LADBS’s exemption conditions.
- Express (online, no plan check): rooftop PV of 10 kW or less on a one- or two-family home, 120/240 V single phase, service panel 225 A or less, and simple inverter layouts. An AC-coupled battery of up to 10 kW AC can ride the same route but also needs a Fire Department plan check and permit.
- Everything else goes to counter plan check (up to 10 kW with the LADBS Solar PV Standard Plan) or regular plan check with a full plan set.
- Glendale, Burbank, Pasadena and unincorporated LA County are not LADBS — each has its own building department and, except the county, its own city-owned utility.
Which permit route your solar project takes
| Your project | Electrical permit | Building permit | Other sign-offs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rooftop PV, 10 kW or less, one- or two-family home, 120/240 V single phase, panel 225 A or less, up to two string inverters (four strings) or four microinverter branch circuits, no hybrid or building-integrated panels | Online express permit, no plan check (contractors only) | Not required if the array meets the structural exemption below | No Fire Department approval if the install follows LAFD’s rooftop PV reference requirements |
| The same PV plus an AC-coupled battery of up to 10 kW AC on the load side | Online express permit | Same exemption | Fire Department plan check approval and permit for the battery |
| Up to 10 kW on a one- or two-family home but outside an express condition | Counter plan check with the LADBS Solar PV Standard Plan | Same exemption | As above |
| Over 10 kW, apartments, businesses, ground mounts and everything else | Regular plan check with a complete plan set | Building plan check unless exempt | Fire Department approval — except one- or two-family rooftop arrays that follow LAFD’s reference requirements |
| Historic building | Route as above | Route as above | Sign LADBS’s advisory notice; no City Planning clearance needed |
| Every project | — | Utility approval to connect (LADWP or SCE) — the installer obtains it; LADBS does not refer you | |
Sources: LADBS P/GI 2026-003, Express Permits · LADBS P/GI 2023-027, Solar Energy Systems. Criteria as published; LADBS revises its bulletins, so check the current edition.
When you can skip the building permit
LADBS requires a building permit “for the structural support of all solar energy systems” and then exempts the typical flush-mounted home array. For a one- or two-family dwelling, no building permit is needed when all of these hold (P/GI 2023-027, Exception 2):
- one layer of roofing, and a roof that shows no sagging, deterioration or alterations;
- panels parallel to the roof, 2 to 10 inches above it, not overhanging any ridge, hip, gable end or eave;
- modules and racking together weigh no more than 4 pounds per square foot;
- the array covers no more than half of the total roof area;
- 5/16-inch lag screws with 2.5 inches of embedment into the rafters, or the racking maker’s fastener if stricter;
- a roof plan showing the module, anchor and rafter layout, plus the racking maker’s completed worksheets or calculator results, ready for the inspector.
Miss any of them and the array needs building plan check. The exemption never removes the electrical permit.
A 6.44 kW City of LA job, January 2025
Fourteen 460 W panels with one microinverter each (6.44 kW DC) on a single-family home fit every express condition, so the solar permit was issued online with no plan check — along with separate express permits for the main-panel upgrade and the re-roof — on the third business day after the contract was signed. The solar permit fee was $200.56: fourteen module fees and one inverter fee in the 5.1–20 kW band. What happened after installation is in waiting on the meter and PTO.
How LADBS solar fees are built
The electrical permit fee is counted by equipment, not set as a flat rate: LADBS’s own permit fee calculator prices solar per module and per inverter, with inverter bands of 0–3, 3.1–5 and 5.1–20 kW and up, plus items such as combiner boxes, panelboards and service upgrades. A main-panel upgrade or a re-roof is its own permit with its own fee, and projects that need plan check pay plan-check fees on top. The calculator shows estimates under the current fee ordinance; the final amount is set when the application is filed.
What the contractor files, route by route
- Express: the application is made in LADBS’s online system, which generates the approved plans the installation must match. For the building-permit exemption, the roof plan and racking worksheets go to the field inspector.
- Counter plan check: the LADBS Solar PV Standard Plan — based on the California Solar Permitting Guidebook — with the equipment specifications.
- Regular plan check: a complete plan set under Section 93.0207 of the Los Angeles Electrical Code, plus building plans if the structural exemption does not apply.
- Always: equipment listed by a City-recognized electrical testing laboratory, and fire-rated panel and racking assemblies — Class A where the roof must be Class A, as in Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones.
Two items often become their own project: an older or full electrical panel (see do you need a main panel upgrade?) and a battery, whose code and siting rules are in home battery safety & code.
After the permit: inspection and permission to operate
A permit lets the work start. After installation an LADBS inspector checks the work against the approved plans; then the utility — LADWP for most City of Los Angeles homes — approves the interconnection and gives permission to operate. LADBS does not route the application to LADWP; your installer files it. Published durations for each utility stage are in permit to PTO in Los Angeles, and the common reasons inspections fail are in why solar inspections fail.
SB 379: the state’s automated-permit law
Senate Bill 379 (2022) requires most California cities and counties to offer an online, automated permitting platform that verifies code compliance and issues permits in real time for residential solar of up to 38.4 kW AC and storage paired with it. Cities of more than 50,000 people had to comply by September 30, 2023, smaller ones by September 30, 2024; cities under 5,000 and counties under 150,000 are exempt. Jurisdictions report compliance and annual permit data to the California Energy Commission (CEC SB 379 program, bill text). In the City of Los Angeles, the online route LADBS publishes in its express-permit bulletin covers the criteria in the table above.
Not every LA address is LADBS
LADBS covers only the City of Los Angeles. Glendale, Burbank and Pasadena run their own building departments and their own city-owned utilities — Glendale Water & Power, Burbank Water & Power and Pasadena Water & Power (Pasadena Permit Center). Homes in unincorporated Los Angeles County permit through County Public Works on EPIC-LA. A mailing address that says “Los Angeles” is not proof of the jurisdiction — check it first with who’s my electric utility.
Frequently asked
Do I need a permit to install solar panels in Los Angeles?
Yes. Every solar PV system in the City of Los Angeles needs an LADBS electrical permit. A separate building permit is also required unless the array meets LADBS’s structural exemption — for a flush-mounted array on a one- or two-family home that means, among other conditions, no more than 4 pounds per square foot, no more than half the roof, one layer of roofing and no overhang (Information Bulletin P/GI 2023-027).
Which solar systems get an express LADBS permit?
Rooftop systems of 10 kW or less on a one- or two-family home, on 120/240 V single-phase service with a panel of 225 A or less, with up to two string inverters (four strings) or up to four microinverter branch circuits, no GFCI or AFCI devices on the inverter output, and no hybrid or building-integrated panels. They are issued online, to contractors only, with no plan check (Information Bulletin P/GI 2026-003).
Can a home battery get an express permit in Los Angeles?
Yes, if it is an AC-coupled system of up to 10 kW AC paired with PV that meets the express criteria, on the load side of a 120/240 V panel of 225 A or less, with listed equipment. The battery must also be submitted to the Los Angeles Fire Department for fire plan check approval and a permit. Other battery projects go through plan check.
How much does an LADBS solar permit cost?
LADBS prices the electrical permit per module and per inverter band, so the fee grows with the equipment count. On one 6.44 kW City of LA job in January 2025, the express solar permit cost $200.56 — 14 module fees and one inverter fee in the 5.1–20 kW band. Panel upgrades and re-roofs are separate permits, and plan check adds its own fees. For a current estimate, use the LADBS permit fee calculator.
Who pulls the solar permit, me or the installer?
For a professional install, the licensed contractor. LADBS’s online express route for PV and batteries is available to contractors only, and the installer, not LADBS, files the utility application.
What is SB 379 and does it apply in Los Angeles?
SB 379 (2022) requires most California cities and counties to offer automated online permitting that issues permits in real time for residential solar of up to 38.4 kW AC and paired storage; cities over 50,000 people had until September 30, 2023. Jurisdictions report to the California Energy Commission. In the City of Los Angeles, the published online route is LADBS’s express permit, covering the criteria on this page.
Do Glendale, Burbank and Pasadena use LADBS?
No. LADBS covers only the City of Los Angeles. Glendale, Burbank and Pasadena have their own building departments and city-owned utilities, and unincorporated areas permit through Los Angeles County Public Works on EPIC-LA.
Related reading
Sources & methodology
Figures on this page come from the primary sources below and, where noted, from Cali Energy calculations using the stated assumptions. Rates, incentives, and program terms change; each was verified September 28, 2026.
- LADBS — Information Bulletin P/GI 2026-003, Express Permits (No Plan Check Required), revised 06-10-2026 — items 15 (PV) and 16 (ESS)
- LADBS — Information Bulletin P/GI 2023-027, Guidelines for Plan Check and Permit Requirements for Solar Energy Systems
- LADBS — Express Permits
- LADBS — Permit fee calculator (fee estimate system)
- California Energy Commission — Residential Solar Permit Reporting Program (SB 379)
- California Legislature — SB 379 (Wiener, 2022), Chapter 356
- Los Angeles County Public Works — EPIC-LA permit portal
- City of Pasadena — Permit Center
Let us handle the LA solar permit
We check the jurisdiction, design to the express criteria where the roof allows, pull the right LADBS (or Glendale, Burbank, Pasadena or County) permits and file the utility application. Call +1-323-844-7777.
Get a free estimatePrepared by Cali Energy, September 28, 2026. This article is for general educational purposes only and is not legal, tax, financial, engineering, or utility advice. Rates, incentives, codes, permit requirements, equipment specifications, prices, and program terms may change; figures and timelines are estimates, not guarantees. Confirm current requirements with the applicable utility, AHJ, program administrator, manufacturer, or a licensed professional. See our Content Disclaimer. Cali Energy · 19201 Parthenia St, Unit E, Northridge, CA 91324 · CSLB #1032379 (B, C-10, C-39)