SolarAPP+, short for Solar Automated Permit Processing, is an online web portal that automates the plan review and process for issuing permits to qualified businesses or individuals to install code-compliant residential photovoltaic (PV) systems. Based on model building, electrical, and fire codes, SolarAPP automatically performs a compliance check on inputs supplied by the contractor to ensure the proposed system is safe and code compliant. Installation practices, workmanship, and adherence to the approved design are then verified by the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) through the inspection process.

Senate Bill 379 requires most California cities and counties to implement an online, automated permitting platform that verifies code compliance instantly for a residential solar energy system, or solar paired with storage.

You may register for a new SolarAPP+ account at https://solarapp.nrel.gov/register. First provide basic contact information such as the name and address of your company. Then create a password that meets the security requirements  (8 or more characters, 1 or more upper- and lower-case characters,1 or more numbers, 1 or more special characters and does not contain the user’s email or name). Additionally, you must select ‘Installer’ in the Account Type field. Our system will verify whether your provided address is valid. Please ensure that you read and accept the SolarAPP+ Terms of Use and Privacy Policy prior to registering for an account. 

After you submit the registration form, you should see a pop-up screen that confirms your account registration. Before proceeding to submit project applications, you must provide the SolarAPP team your contractor license information, including numbers and expiration dates, for the each jurisdiction in you which you operate.

We will review the eligibility information and verify your contractor license in our system to complete the registration process. Once verified, you will be able to submit project applications in SolarAPP+ for addresses in enabled jurisdictions. Contact us if you have difficulty registering for an account. 

Before you can submit a project through SolarAPP+, you must first register and take the How to Use SolarAPP+ For Rooftop Solar Projects training, developed by IREC, which will show you how to submit a project through SolarAPP+. Once completing this training module, you will receive a certificate documenting your successful completion of the training, which you can then send to NREL, and your account will be enabled to submit projects in any jurisdictions where you are licensed. The training should take about an hour, and only needs to be completed once.

If the project you want to submit also included energy storage systems (such as batteries), you must register and take the How to Use SolarAPP+ For Solar and Storage Projects. This will walk you though the process of submitting solar + storage projects in SolarApp+, as well as help you identify which systems and projects can be approved through the platform.

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