Start with your address, usage, and responsibilities
A solar project in San Bernardino has two approval tracks: the local building permit and utility interconnection. They answer different questions and can run partly in parallel. A building permit addresses the proposed construction; the electricity utility separately decides whether the system may connect and operate with its grid. Keep both records together, and do not mistake progress in one track for completion of the other.
As the homeowner, gather recent electricity usage, identify the utility on your bill, and confirm whether the property is within City limits or unincorporated San Bernardino County. A postal address alone should not decide the permitting authority. Tell prospective installers about roof age, planned repairs, existing solar or batteries, and electrical work. Ask each company to explain its proposed scope before you authorize applications.
The installer normally prepares the design and coordinates permit and interconnection paperwork, but the contract should identify those responsibilities. Ask who will answer correction requests, arrange access, retain approvals, and explain any design changes. Read documents that require your signature and keep copies. Referral matching through this site does not appoint us as your contractor or representative before either authority.
Track 1: Local building permit
Inside San Bernardino city limits, the Community Development and Housing Department’s Building & Safety Division handles building permits and inspections. Start with its official guidance and the dedicated residential-solar page, rather than using another community’s checklist. City Building & Safety Division
The City’s residential-solar page directs contractors and homeowners to Symbium for automated plan review. It also describes in-person submission at the Building & Safety counter for other projects or applicants choosing that route. Electrical panel upgrades require a separate electrical permit. Documents submitted through the portal must also be available in hard copy at the job site for inspection. City residential solar applications
For an address in unincorporated San Bernardino County, use County Land Use Services, Building & Safety. The County identifies roof-mounted and ground-mounted solar as permit work and provides local-office and EZ Online Permitting application routes. Confirm parcel jurisdiction before choosing an application. County building permits
Ask the installer to record the authority, permit reference, approved equipment and plan set, and the person responsible for revisions. Keep approved plans accessible during construction. If the proposal changes after review, ask how the installer will obtain any necessary revised approval before carrying out the changed work.
SolarAPP+: What the jurisdiction list actually shows
SolarAPP+ was developed by the National Laboratory of the Rockies and project partners to automate eligible residential solar permit review. Laboratory development report
Rialto, Fontana, Upland, Redlands, Highland, Yucaipa, Chino, and Chino Hills appear on the SolarAPP+ jurisdiction list reviewed for this guide. The City of San Bernardino does not appear on that list. Absence from the list is not proof of non-adoption; the City’s own SolarAPP+ position remains unverified here. The City’s published Symbium route does not, by itself, establish SolarAPP+ adoption or non-adoption. SolarAPP+ jurisdiction list
San Bernardino County also appears on the list. Its entry is relevant to unincorporated county addresses, including Bloomington, rather than automatically covering incorporated cities. Ontario, Montclair, Loma Linda, Grand Terrace, and Bloomington do not appear as separate entries in the reviewed list. An entry does not mean every equipment combination or property qualifies; ask the relevant authority to confirm the route for your design.
The County’s own SolarAPP+ instructions require an eligible project and qualified licensed contractor. Automated review comes first, followed by an EZOP permit application with the SolarAPP+ approval and specification documents. The instructions also address inspection arrangements. The automated review result is therefore not the whole local permitting process. County SolarAPP+ application steps
Permit details still needing project-specific confirmation
The City fee schedule applicable to your project, plan-review turnaround, and required inspection sequence remain unverified here. We verified the published application route, not a fee calculation, promised completion date, or inspection checklist for your roof, equipment, and electrical scope. Ask Building & Safety and the installer to confirm those details against the actual application. County project-specific requirements also need confirmation.
Have the installer explain whether roof repairs, a service-panel upgrade, storage, or a revised equipment layout changes the submission. Agree who handles corrections and who supplies supporting documents. Request the final inspection record when local work is signed off, and keep it with the approved plans. An installer’s scheduling estimate should identify outstanding dependencies rather than promise a date that the authority has not confirmed.
Track 2: Utility interconnection and permission to operate
San Bernardino is expected to be Southern California Edison territory, but we were unable to confirm this from an SCE source during this review, so it remains unverified here. Check the utility named on your electricity bill.
The installer normally coordinates the utility application, proposed system details, required agreements, and any requests for further information. The homeowner should check account and property details, review authorizations, and ask for the application reference and submission date. Utility review and local permit review may overlap, but each has its own requirements. Ask for a clear status update on both tracks whenever a design change occurs.
A system must not operate in parallel with the grid until the utility authorizes it. Permission to operate is a utility authorization, not a sales milestone or a substitute for local inspection approval. Obtain the utility’s written authorization and follow its conditions before activation. The CPUC describes utility interconnection agreements and permission for parallel operation in its program guidance. CPUC interconnection guidance
The interconnection application date determines which tariff applies, so this step affects the proposal’s bill-credit assumptions as well as paperwork. The CPUC adopted the Net Billing Tariff (NBT) in D.22-12-056 for new interconnection applications since April 15, 2023. Ask your utility to confirm the recorded application date and tariff treatment; do not substitute the contract, installation, or activation date. CPUC tariff guidance
These CPUC export-compensation rules apply in large investor-owned utility territories: Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), Southern California Edison (SCE), and San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E); customers of publicly-owned municipal utilities instead follow their own utility’s rules. Check the utility named on your electricity bill. CPUC scope
Close both tracks and keep the handover records
Before treating the project as complete, ask for the local permit and inspection signoff, the utility authorization, equipment documentation, warranties, and monitoring instructions. Compare the installed equipment with the agreed scope. Have the installer explain whom to contact for equipment faults, workmanship issues, monitoring access, and utility billing questions. These are different responsibilities, even when one company coordinated the applications.
Keep your interconnection application date with those records and revisit the tariff assumptions if a future proposal expands or changes the system. For a new project, compare companies on how clearly they document both approval tracks and resolve open questions. This site can help you begin comparing options; it cannot issue a permit, grant permission to operate, or guarantee a project schedule.