Sun Valley, CA · 2022 · LADWP / LADBS
How an old electrical permit can block solar PTO
An array can be installed, pass its inspection and still not be switched on, because a different permit on the same house was never closed. Here is the mechanism, drawn from a 6.12 kW project in Sun Valley on LADWP where exactly that happened.
A permit opened for earlier work and never finaled can stand between a finished solar array and permission to operate, because the building department will not final the solar permit while the earlier one on the same service is still open.
At a glance
- Project drawn on
- 6.12 kW DC, Sun Valley
- Modules
- 18 × 340 W
- Inverters
- 18 × Enphase IQ7+
- Arrays
- 12 at 17° · 6 at 5°
- Blocking permit
- Panel upgrade, 2018
- Solar inspection
- Passed
- Required to clear
- Meter spot · combined final
- Utility / AHJ
- LADWP / LADBS
How it happens
Eighteen modules on the roof. The solar inspection passed in March. And still no permission to operate.
The reason had nothing to do with the array. The main service panel on this house had been replaced in 2018, by someone outside the solar project, under a permit that was opened and never finaled. The inspector would not final the solar permit while that one was still open on the same service, and the utility does not grant permission to operate without a finaled permit.
That is the whole mechanism, and it catches people out because the two things look unrelated. The solar was inspected and passed. What could not be signed was the paper.
Clearing an old permit is not simply a matter of booking the inspection that was missed. On this project the building department required one final covering both scopes together — the four-year-old panel work and the new array — rather than two separate sign-offs. Before that could be scheduled the utility had to issue a meter spot for the panel.
When the meter spot came back, it moved the goalposts again: the utility placed the panel in a new location, a long way from where it stood. Closing a permit from 2018 therefore meant relocating the service and running the house wiring across to the new position. We quoted that work, it was approved, and we carried it out in January.
This is the part worth knowing if you are buying solar on a house that has had electrical work done before. A permit that was opened and never closed does not announce itself. It sits in the record until something new needs signing off, and then it is in the way — and what it costs to clear is not set by the original job.
Worth asking before you sign: has anything been permitted on this property before, and was it finaled?
How it ran
| March 2022 | Solar inspection passed; solar permit cannot be finaled |
|---|---|
| March 2022 | Cause traced to a main panel permit pulled in 2018 and never finaled |
| June 2022 | Utility confirms it will not grant permission to operate while it stands |
| August 2022 | Building department requires one final covering the panel and the solar |
| August 2022 | Utility meter spot places the panel in a new location |
| January 2023 | Service relocated and house wiring rerun to the new position |
This is one property and one permitting path, shown because it is typical of how an unfinaled permit surfaces. What a department requires elsewhere depends on the property and on what the earlier permit covered.
What we did on this project
- Installed eighteen modules across two roof planes at different pitches.
- Took the array through its inspection, which passed.
- Traced the hold to an open 2018 panel permit rather than to the array.
- Established that a meter spot was required before any final could be scheduled.
- Relocated the service panel to the position the utility assigned and rerun the house wiring to it.
System specifications
| DC system | 6.12 kW |
|---|---|
| Modules | 18 × Q.CELLS Q.PEAK DUO BLK-G6+, 340 W |
| Inverters | 18 × Enphase IQ7PLUS-72-2-US |
| Array layout | 12 modules at 17°, 6 modules at 5°, both at 181° azimuth |
| Racking | IronRidge XR10 on flashed feet and chem-curb standoffs |
| Attachment | 5/16 in lag bolts at no more than 72 in, embedded at least 2.5 in |
| Roof | Asphalt shingle and rolled composition, rafters 2×4 and 2×6 at 24 in |
| Array load | 2.9 lb per sq ft over 350 sq ft — under half the roof |
| Service panel | Existing 200 A, new AC combiner |
| Battery | None |
| Utility / AHJ | LADWP / LADBS |
Does this apply to your project?
- Your solar is installed and inspected and still is not switched on.
- Your main panel was replaced at some point by somebody else.
- Nobody can tell you whether that earlier work was ever finaled.
- You are being asked for a document you have never heard of.
- Your Sun Valley property is served by LADWP and permitted through LADBS, so two city bodies have to agree before anything happens.
Cali Energy in Sun Valley
Sun Valley sits inside City of Los Angeles boundaries, so every project here is permitted through LADBS and interconnected through LADWP. Our work in this ZIP code runs from single-row arrays on new accessory dwelling units to a 13 kW system on a replaced service panel, on composition shingle and on low-slope rolled composition.
Not all of it is new work. Some of it is untangling what was left behind on the property before we arrived.
This installation is on the Sun Valley projects page alongside the others, and what the work covers is set out on the Sun Valley service area page.
- License and classifications: CSLB #1032379
- Official reference for this process: LADWP interconnection process
Frequently asked questions
Can an old permit stop new solar from being switched on?
It can. On this property the main service panel had been replaced in 2018 under a permit that was opened and never finaled, and that open record was what stood between a finished array and permission to operate. The solar itself had already passed inspection.
How do I find out whether earlier work on my house was finaled?
The building department holds the record, and it is worth asking before solar is designed rather than after it is installed. Panel replacements, service upgrades and additions are the ones that matter, because new work has to be signed off against the same service.
What happens if an old permit is still open?
On this project the building department required a single final covering both scopes — the earlier panel work and the new array together — rather than two separate processes, and the utility had to issue a meter spot first. What a particular department will accept depends on the property and on what the earlier permit covered.
Can clearing an old permit mean more work, not just an inspection?
It can. On this project the utility's meter spot placed the service panel in a new location, so closing a permit from 2018 meant relocating the panel and rerunning the house wiring to it. The scope needed to close an old permit is set by what the utility and the department require now, not by what the original job cost.
Does Cali Energy work on properties with existing permit problems in Sun Valley?
Yes. Sun Valley is inside City of Los Angeles boundaries, so permits run through LADBS and interconnection through LADWP. This project shows how we investigate a permit-history problem that is holding up a solar approval, and carry out the work needed to clear it.
What this would look like on your roof
Every number on this page came off a real job in Sun Valley, CA — not a brochure. Tell us your utility, your roof and what your bill looks like now, and we will model your own version of it before you commit to anything.
Or call +1 (323) 844-7777 · Cali Energy, Northridge · CSLB #1032379 (B, C-10, C-39) — design, permits, install and electrical under one licensed contractor.
Related
This timeline reflects this property and this permitting path. Updated September 2026.