Use this guide
Choose the questions relevant to your situation. Expand each answer, save the checklist and request written clarification where evidence is missing.
Questions homeowners ask
Does this guide cover every Los Angeles County address?
No. This guide addresses City of Los Angeles Building and Safety processes and LADWP interconnection. Confirm the parcel jurisdiction and electric provider first. A postal address, nearby neighborhood name or installer service-area claim is not enough to select the correct authority. Other cities and unincorporated areas can have different processes. Start with the responsible authority for your property.
Source: Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety: official permit starting point. Reviewed 2026-10-06.
Where should my applicant check the current City permit route?
Start on the official Building and Safety website, which links permit services, plan review and inspections. Ask your applicant to identify the correct route for the actual project and keep the submission receipt. A portal account or application receipt is not an issued permit. Record the authority, application number, submitted configuration and unresolved review items.
Source: Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety: official permit starting point. Reviewed 2026-10-06.
Can a small rooftop system receive an express permit?
The City’s 2026 bulletin lists a contractor-only online route for qualifying rooftop PV on one- or two-family dwellings, up to 10 kW. It also imposes electrical and equipment conditions. Size alone is insufficient: ask the contractor to verify every criterion in section V.15 against the actual design.
Source: City of Los Angeles: 2026 express permit bulletin, sections V.15–16. Reviewed 2026-10-06.
Does an express electrical permit settle structural questions?
Not necessarily. The bulletin says structural support may require a separate building permit. Ask who confirms the roof-support scope and which approval records document it.
Source: City of Los Angeles: 2026 express permit bulletin, sections V.15–16. Reviewed 2026-10-06.
What changes when the project includes a battery?
The express bulletin has separate storage criteria, including an AC-coupled system no greater than 10 kW AC and other electrical and equipment conditions. It requires Fire Department plan-check approval and a permit for that listed storage route. Ask the applicant to confirm full eligibility and Fire review requirements for your configuration.
Source: City of Los Angeles: 2026 express permit bulletin, sections V.15–16. Reviewed 2026-10-06.
Is every home project a LADWP Type 1 application?
No. Type 1 covers eligible systems up to 30 kW aggregate and excludes panel upgrades, three-phase service, certain cogeneration and multi-meter projects. Ask LADWP or the applicant to confirm the category; a small array alone does not settle it.
Source: LADWP: interconnection types and approval steps. Reviewed 2026-10-06.
Which size should the applicant use for utility classification?
LADWP specifies battery kW AC and solar kW AC-CEC. Aggregate size includes customer-owned generation on site. Do not substitute a proposal’s panel DC rating for the required utility calculation.
Source: LADWP: interconnection types and approval steps. Reviewed 2026-10-06.
What utility evidence should I request before installation?
LADWP’s listed process includes an application with required documents and photos, a Work Request number, charges and preliminary review. Its preconstruction approval is described as “OK to build.” Request the applicable approval record, not just a screenshot of a submitted application.
Source: LADWP: interconnection types and approval steps. Reviewed 2026-10-06.
Does passing the City inspection mean I can operate the system?
LADWP lists City and utility inspections, applicable agreements, commissioning and meter work before its final NEM Permission to Operate notice. Retain the actual PTO notice. A City inspection alone does not document that final utility authorization.
Source: LADWP: interconnection types and approval steps. Reviewed 2026-10-06.
How should I evaluate promises about fees and approval dates?
Ask for a dated, itemized estimate identifying City, Fire and utility charges, who pays them, excluded work and the assumptions behind the schedule. Keep promised dates separate from completed approvals. This guide provides no universal fee or approval-time guarantee. If a correction or equipment change occurs, ask the responsible applicant to explain its effect on the remaining steps.
What can a Solar Survey AI assessment contribute?
Ask our team to confirm available homeowner scope, qualifications, conflicts and deliverables. Site evidence can help organize roof, shade, access and equipment questions within that scope. A report does not issue a City permit, replace required engineering or Fire review, or grant LADWP operating authorization. Third-party status alone does not prove independence.
Your decision checklist
- Confirm City jurisdiction and the actual electric provider.
- Record the applicant and project configuration.
- Check all current express eligibility criteria rather than only system size.
- Track structural, electrical and applicable Fire review separately.
- Request the correct LADWP category and rating calculation.
- Keep the Work Request number and applicable preconstruction approval.
- Record inspection corrections, accepted revisions and final PTO.
- Confirm the assessment scope and each unresolved question’s responsible specialist.
Save or print this guide from your browser. Keep completed records privately.
Keep an approval record, not just a promise
| Record | Evidence to request | Unresolved question |
|---|---|---|
| Authority and utility | Parcel jurisdiction and service account provider | Is this the correct process for the address? |
| City approvals | Issued permits and approved configuration | Does structural or Fire review remain? |
| Utility application | Work Request number and required rating calculation | Which interconnection category applies? |
| Preconstruction checkpoint | Applicable written approval to begin installation | Are any conditions still open? |
| Completion | Inspection results, corrections and accepted revisions | Does the record match the installed equipment? |
| Operation | Actual utility authorization notice | Which configuration is authorized? |
Example: a contractor says an 8 kW project is eligible for an express permit. Ask for the complete criterion check, including equipment and electrical conditions, rather than relying on size. Keep the applicant’s explanation with the approved design. This example does not determine eligibility for an actual home.
Example: the City inspection is complete, but the homeowner has no utility authorization notice. Keep those milestones separate and ask the applicant which utility steps remain. An assessment report or a successful inspection screenshot does not fill that evidence gap.
Continue with permit and utility responsibilities, roof and battery questions and independence and assessment limits. See Solar Survey AI’s site-evidence methodology and our Los Angeles location guide. Confirm actual service scope before booking.
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About these guides
Published by Solar Survey AI, a commercial survey-services company. Our original decision checklists are recommendations; linked authorities support the referenced facts. We may benefit if you purchase our services. This is not independent certification of our company, a project-specific engineering decision or personal tax/legal advice. Local rules, contracts and site evidence control individual decisions. Reviewed 2026-10-06.
For available survey or inspection services, confirm your project scope and availability with our team. Our planned free homeowner remote diagnosis remains coming soon.
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