Solar Permits in Los Angeles (LADBS), 2026
Short answer: a rooftop solar install in the City of Los Angeles needs a building/PV permit and an electrical permit from LADBS — usually pulled by your licensed contractor, not you. For eligible standard homes, LADBS may issue those permits same day, online through its ePermit-Solar system with no plan check (subject to eligibility and portal availability). After the work, an inspection and utility approval finish the job.
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- A City of LA solar install needs a building/PV permit and an electrical permit — often issued together.
- Eligible standard systems may qualify for automated or express online issuance (ePermit-Solar) without conventional plan review — issuance timing depends on eligibility, system complexity and portal availability; larger or complex systems still go through plan review.
- Your licensed contractor usually pulls the permit. Requirements differ if your home is in Glendale, Burbank, Pasadena, or LA County — each has its own building department.
What permits does solar actually need in Los Angeles?
Rooftop solar isn't a single “solar permit.” In the City of Los Angeles it normally involves two things: a building/PV permit for mounting panels to your roof structure, and an electrical permit for the wiring, inverter, and connection to your main panel. If you're adding a battery, that storage system is covered too, sometimes with extra fire-safety requirements.
The good news for LA homeowners: these are routine, well-defined permits. LADBS — the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety, the city's Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) — has streamlined residential solar so much that many eligible standard jobs can be permitted the same day. This article is the permit deep-dive; for the full journey from signed contract to switched-on system, see our overview of the solar installation process in California.
This is the permit chapter of a bigger process
Permitting is one step inside the larger install timeline — design, permit, install, inspection, and utility permission to operate. If you want the whole sequence and typical timelines, start with the California solar installation process, then come back here for the LADBS specifics.
LADBS online (instant) permitting and SB 379
Los Angeles is one of the faster cities in the state for solar permits, thanks to online express permitting and a California law that pushed big jurisdictions to automate.
LADBS runs an online ePermit-Solar / Express Permit pathway through its PermitLA portal. If your system meets the standard criteria — a typical residential rooftop PV system, and in many cases PV paired with a qualifying AC-coupled battery — for eligible systems a licensed contractor may apply and receive the permit same day, with no conventional plan check (subject to eligibility and portal availability). Systems that are larger, structurally complex, or fall outside the express criteria still go through a plan review via LADBS's ePlanLA system, which takes longer.
Statewide, this is reinforced by SB 379 (the Solar Access Act), which was signed into law in September 2022 (Chapter 356). It requires larger cities and counties to run an automated online permitting platform — such as NREL's SolarAPP+ or an equivalent city system — that verifies code compliance and issues permits in real time for residential solar (and paired storage) up to 38.4 kW AC. Compliance deadlines were September 30, 2023 for cities over 50,000 people, and September 30, 2024 for smaller cities; the smallest jurisdictions are exempt. Los Angeles satisfies this through its own online express system rather than the SolarAPP+ portal — either way, the homeowner-facing result is a fast, standardized permit.
The permit process, step by step
Here's the typical path for a standard City of LA residential solar job. The timings below are illustrative — real timelines depend on your system, your contractor's queue, LADBS load, and your utility.
| Step | What's required | Who does it | Typical time (illustrative) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Design & sizing | Site assessment, roof & electrical check, panel layout, single-line diagram | Installer / designer | ~1–2 weeks |
| Permit application | Submit plans, equipment spec sheets & forms via PermitLA / ePermit-Solar | Licensed contractor | Same day for eligible systems |
| Plan check (only if needed) | Larger or complex systems reviewed via ePlanLA | LADBS plan checker | Days to a few weeks |
| Installation | Mount panels, wiring, inverter/battery per the approved plans | Contractor crew | ~1–3 days on-site |
| Inspection | On-site check that the work matches the permit and code | LADBS inspector | Scheduled after install |
| Permission to operate (PTO) | Utility interconnection review & final go-ahead | Utility (LADWP / SCE) | Often a few weeks |
Sources: LADBS Express Permits · California Energy Commission — SB 379. Timings are illustrative, not guarantees.
Documents you'll need for a solar permit
Your contractor prepares and submits these — you don't have to assemble them yourself — but it helps to know what a complete solar permit package looks like.
What a standard LADBS solar package includes
- Site / plot plan — roof layout showing panel placement, setbacks, and fire-access pathways.
- Electrical single-line (one-line) diagram — how the array, inverter, and main panel connect.
- Equipment spec / cut sheets — panels, inverter or microinverters, racking, and battery if any.
- Structural details — roof framing / attachment info showing the roof can carry the array.
- System & electrical data — system size, and service/panel details (a small or full main panel may trigger an upgrade).
- Contractor credentials — a valid contractor's license; online express permits require an Angeleno (City sign-on) account.
- Battery (PV + storage) — qualifying equipment plus any additional fire-safety requirements for the storage system.
Two items on that list often turn into their own conversation. If your home has an older or fully loaded electrical panel, solar (or a battery, or an EV charger) can require a service upgrade — we cover when and why in do you need a main panel upgrade for solar? and what it runs in panel upgrade cost in Los Angeles. Whether an upgrade is actually needed depends on the applicable NEC edition, your AHJ and utility, and your specific equipment configuration — final approval depends on the code review.
Inspection and permission to operate
A permit lets the work start; it doesn't mean you can flip the system on. After installation, an LADBS inspector visits to confirm the array, wiring, and any battery match the approved plans and code. Once it passes, your utility completes its interconnection review and grants Permission to Operate (PTO) — the actual green light to run the system and export to the grid. In the City of LA that utility is usually LADWP; parts of the metro area fall under SCE. That final utility step is a common source of waiting, so don't be surprised if PTO trails the inspection by a few weeks.
Different cities, different rules (it's not all LADBS)
LADBS only governs the City of Los Angeles. Plenty of the LA metro sits in separate cities and unincorporated areas, each its own AHJ with its own building department — and often its own municipal utility for interconnection.
Glendale
Its own building & safety department, and Glendale Water & Power handles interconnection — separate process from LADBS/LADWP.
Burbank
Permits through the City of Burbank; Burbank Water & Power runs its own solar interconnection and rules.
Pasadena
City of Pasadena building department, with Pasadena Water & Power as the utility — distinct forms and timelines.
LA County (unincorporated)
Homes in unincorporated areas permit through LA County Public Works, not LADBS — different portal and inspectors.
Other cities
Culver City, Santa Monica, and the Valley's separate cities each set their own process — always confirm the correct AHJ first.
The takeaway
Requirements, fees, and speed vary by jurisdiction. A quote or timeline for one city won't automatically match the next town over.
Your licensed contractor should handle it
For a professionally installed system, the licensed contractor pulls the permit under their license and coordinates the inspection — it's part of a proper installation, not an add-on you chase yourself. A legitimate California solar installer (Cali Energy is CSLB #1032379) permits every job. If a proposal is vague about permits and inspection, that's worth an itemized explanation before you sign.
What do solar permits cost in LA?
LADBS permit fees are set by the city and generally scale with the system's valuation and scope, so there's no single flat number, and fee schedules change. As a rough, approximate guide, residential solar permit and plan-check fees in the City of LA commonly land in the low-to-mid hundreds of dollars — a small line item next to the system itself. Because amounts vary and are updated periodically, confirm the current fees on the LADBS site (or let your contractor, who files these routinely, price them into the proposal). Treat any figure here as a ballpark, not a quote.
We permit across the LA metro every week
Because we install throughout the region, we work with LADBS and the neighboring city and county departments routinely — pulling the right permit for the right AHJ and coordinating each utility's interconnection. You can see the range of homes and neighborhoods in our Los Angeles solar projects.
Frequently asked
Do I need a permit to install solar in Los Angeles?
Yes. A rooftop solar system in the City of Los Angeles needs a building/PV permit and an electrical permit from LADBS, plus utility interconnection approval before you can operate it. Eligible standard residential systems may qualify for automated or express online issuance without conventional plan review; issuance timing depends on eligibility, project complexity, and portal availability. Your licensed contractor normally pulls it as part of the installation.
How long does an LADBS solar permit take?
Eligible standard residential systems may qualify for automated or express online issuance through the ePermit-Solar / Express Permit pathway without conventional plan review; issuance timing depends on eligibility, project complexity, and portal availability. Larger or more complex systems that need a plan review via ePlanLA take longer, from a few days to a few weeks. Separately, the utility's Permission to Operate (PTO) is a separate step whose timing varies by utility, application completeness, and backlog, and may add additional time. These are illustrative timelines, not guarantees.
What is SB 379 and does it affect my solar permit?
SB 379, the Solar Access Act, was signed into law in September 2022 (Chapter 356). It requires larger California cities and counties to run an automated online permitting platform — such as SolarAPP+ or an equivalent city system — that verifies code compliance and issues permits in real time for residential solar and paired storage up to 38.4 kW AC. It requires cities to offer automated online permitting for eligible systems up to that size — it doesn't guarantee every project within that size is issued instantly; eligibility and each city's implementation still apply. In practice it's why standard rooftop solar permits are fast in Los Angeles and many other CA jurisdictions.
Do Glendale, Burbank, and Pasadena use LADBS for solar permits?
No. LADBS only covers the City of Los Angeles. Glendale, Burbank, and Pasadena each have their own building departments and their own municipal utilities (Glendale Water & Power, Burbank Water & Power, Pasadena Water & Power) for interconnection. Homes in unincorporated areas permit through LA County Public Works. Requirements, fees, and timelines vary by jurisdiction, so the correct AHJ has to be identified first.
What documents are needed for a solar permit?
A standard package includes a site/plot plan, an electrical single-line diagram, equipment spec sheets for the panels, inverter, racking, and any battery, structural details for the roof attachment, and system and electrical service data. Contractor-filed permits require an appropriately licensed contractor (separate owner-builder rules may apply), and online express permits use an Angeleno (City sign-on) account. Your contractor assembles and submits all of this.
How much do solar permit fees cost in Los Angeles?
LADBS fees scale with the system's valuation and scope and are updated periodically, so there's no single flat rate. As an approximate guide, residential solar permit and plan-check fees in the City of LA commonly fall in the low-to-mid hundreds of dollars — small next to the system cost. Confirm the current amounts on the LADBS site, or have your contractor include them in the proposal.
Related reading
Let us handle the LA solar permit for you
We pull the right LADBS (or Glendale, Burbank, Pasadena, or LA County) permit, coordinate the inspection, and manage utility approval — so your install clears the paperwork cleanly. Call +1-323-844-7777.
Get a free estimatePrepared by Cali Energy, August 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)