Shortlisting Solar Installers by Real Permits: A Guide to the Cali-Graf Contractor Directory
Advertising and review sites tell you who's visible; building permits tell you who actually does the work. The contractor directory in Cali-Graf — the free platform built by Cali Energy, a Los Angeles solar and roofing contractor — ranks licensed solar installers in each Southern California county by the permits that name their license on the county's permit portals, and puts each company's license status, bond, workers' comp and permit history on one page. In Los Angeles County, as of October 2026, it lists 314 active holders of the C-46 Solar license, 136 of them with solar permits on the loaded portals, covering 6,338 solar installs; companies installing solar under a C-10 or B license come on top of that. A good way to use it: open your county's list, narrow it to companies with recent permitted work near you — with batteries if you want one — read three profiles, confirm the licenses on cslb.ca.gov and ask those three for quotes.
Step 1 — Open your county's list
Pick Solar installers and your county. Lists exist for Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, San Bernardino, Riverside, Ventura and other Southern California counties, but permit data isn't loaded everywhere yet: where a county's portal isn't loaded, the list shows licensed companies with an office there instead of a ranking by permits.
| County (solar) | Installers with permits here | Listed |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 136 | 314 |
| Orange | 100 | 182 |
| San Diego | 22 | 184 |
| San Bernardino | 7 | 47 |
| Riverside | — | 78 |
| Ventura | — | 17 |
Each list says which permit portals it covers and for which years.
Step 2 — Narrow it down
| Filter or sort | Use it when |
|---|---|
| With permits here | You want companies with permitted solar work in your county, not just an office |
| 10+ jobs | You'd rather not be someone's first job |
| Installs batteries | You want a battery, and an installer who has permitted battery work |
| Verified website | You want the company's own website confirmed |
| Sort: Most jobs here | The default — volume in your county |
| Sort: Recently active | Recent permits matter more to you than total volume |
| Sort: Longest licensed | Years in business matter to you |
Each card in the list shows the office city, CSLB license number and classes, the last permit in the county, solar installs there, how many included a battery, the year licensed and the equipment brands named in their permits.
Step 3 — Read three profiles
Open a profile and read it top to bottom; the order is the order of the questions you should ask:
- The status line. CSLB status Active; workers' comp insured or exempt — no employees reported; the bond amount. "Exempt" means the company declared no employees — ask who will be on your roof.
- The tiles. Permits on record, how many in the last three years and the last date; solar systems and battery installs.
- Work history. Permits by year and the most recent permits, with dates and ZIP codes — is the work recent and near you?
- Equipment they install. Panels, inverters and batteries named in their permits, with counts — do they install what you want?
- Where they work. Jurisdictions and top ZIP codes where their permits were issued — not the office address, which for some large installers is out of state.
- License, bond and insurance. Every class, the dates, the bond company and the workers' comp insurer.
What each part of a profile means is in how to check a solar contractor's license and permits and what a contractor's permit history tells you.
Have a shortlist? Check each license on one page, then ask Cali Energy for a second quote to compare.
What the directory can't tell you
- Workmanship and service. Permits show that work was done and inspected, not how well the company treats customers. Reviews and references still matter — see best-reviewed solar companies in Los Angeles.
- Prices. There are none; get quotes and compare them on the same footing — see how to compare solar quotes.
- Work outside the loaded portals. A company busy in a city whose portal isn't loaded looks smaller than it is.
- Today's license status. Profiles show the date they were last checked against CSLB; confirm on cslb.ca.gov before you sign.
Who runs the directory
Cali-Graf is developed by Cali Energy, a licensed contractor in Northridge that installs solar and roofs. Profiles carry a button offering a free second quote from Cali Energy, labeled as such. The ranking rules apply to every company the same way — nobody can pay to appear or move, including Cali Energy — and the full rules are on how rankings work. How many licensed solar companies actually pull permits in each county is in C-46 solar licenses vs. permits, and short answers about the directory are in Is Cali-Graf legit?.
Frequently asked
How do I find a licensed solar installer near me in Southern California?
How are installers ranked in the Cali-Graf directory?
Why does a big company show an office in another state?
Does the directory show reviews or prices?
Is the Cali-Graf directory independent?
Related reading
Sources & methodology
Product facts on this page come from Cali-Graf's own help center and the pages linked below; figures in examples come from the stated inputs. Features, limits and supported utilities change; each was verified October 16, 2026.
- Cali-Graf — Solar installers in Southern California
- Cali-Graf — Solar installers in Los Angeles County
- Cali-Graf — How rankings work
- Cali-Graf — Check a contractor license
- Contractors State License Board — License check
- Federal Trade Commission — Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials (16 CFR Part 465)
Shortlist installers, then compare quotes
Check each installer's license, insurance and permits before you sign. Cali Energy (CSLB #1032379), which develops Cali-Graf, can give you a second quote designed on your roof and modeled on your LADWP or SCE bill. Lists are ordered only by public data; nobody can pay to appear or move, Cali Energy included.
Prepared by Cali Energy, October 16, 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)