Sunprint
At a glance
Most of the waiting isn't set by law. The legal clocks are short: three business days to change your mind after signing at home, 45 days for an HOA to answer, and an instant online permit in most of the state. The utility's final approval, called permission to operate (PTO), is the step people ask about most. For home solar approved in 2026, half got it within 19 days of the utility receiving the application, three in four within 65 days, and nine in ten within 147 days.
Don't turn the system on before that approval arrives in writing: PG&E says so for safety reasons.
Every step and its clock
| Step | Whose clock | How long | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Signing | You and the company | 3 business days to cancel a contract signed anywhere but the company's place of business; 5 if you're 65 or older | Civil Code 1689.6; Bus. & Prof. Code 7159 |
| HOA approval | Your HOA | Must deny in writing within 45 days of getting the application, or it's approved | Civil Code 714 |
| Building permit | Your city or county | Issued in real time online where a platform covers the system; review limited to health and safety | Gov. Code 65850.52, 65850.5 |
| Installation | Your contractor | No legal clock. It must be a licensed contractor | Bus. & Prof. Code 7048 |
| Inspection | Your city or county | One inspection for a rooftop system up to 10 kW AC on a house or duplex | Gov. Code 65850.5(h) |
| Permission to operate | Your utility | PG&E: typically 5 to 10 business days once it has the paperwork; SCE: within 10 for simple solar-only requests. Median 19 days from first application in 2026 | Utility pages; DG Stats |
The installation itself has no legal deadline. Our data starts at the utility application, so it can't say how many days pass between signing and filing.
Permission to operate: what 2026 approvals took
Days from utility application to permission to operate, 2026
Home solar on net billing approved January to August 2026. The bar runs from the fastest quarter to the slowest quarter; the number is the median; the thin line reaches the day by which nine in ten were approved.
The spread is wide. A quarter of approvals came within 5 days, but one in five (18%) took more than 90. SCE was the fastest of the three at the median, 12 days; PG&E's median was 27 and SDG&E's 30.
Median days to permission to operate, by month approved
The wait has moved a lot. SCE's median climbed to about 40 days through spring 2025 and fell to 6 by August 2026. PG&E's peaked at 48 days in March 2026, then dropped to about 10 by summer. SDG&E's has mostly run 20 to 36 days since January 2025.
Why the numbers differ
The utilities' own figures are much shorter than the medians above. For July to September 2026, the state's published quarterly report gives an average "interconnection time" of 5.1 days for PG&E, 5.5 for SCE and 2.4 for SDG&E, for homes. The application data counts something wider: every day from the first time the utility receives the application to the PTO letter. That can include days the utility doesn't control.
after PG&E receives the paperwork (application, single line diagram, copy of the final building permit), up to a maximum of 30 business days. PG&E asks contractors to file the application early.
for simple, solar-only requests with every document in order, which SCE says may get permission in that time. A battery or non-standard meter needs more review.
on average to process an online application (within 30 days at most). SDG&E reviews the application before installation starts and emails when work can begin.
The clock starts at different points. SDG&E reviews the application before installation starts, so its count includes the installation and inspection. PG&E asks contractors to file early for the same reason, so you can start shortly after the city signs off. SCE recommends sending the application together with the final electrical permit approval. And an application with wrong information or a missing document goes back for correction: SCE emails you or your contractor with what to fix.
Does a battery slow it down?
SCE, median days from application to permission to operate, home solar approved January to August 2026.
At SCE, yes. Solar-only systems approved in 2026 had a median wait of 6 days; systems with a battery, 16. SCE says requests with paired storage need extra technical and engineering review. Most SCE approvals now include a battery, 79% of them in 2026. We can't compare the other two: in this data set PG&E's two battery fields disagree, and SDG&E's lists no batteries. Whether a battery is worth it is a separate question: see solar batteries in California.
Dates that matter in 2026 and 2027
California's exclusion keeps a new solar system from raising your property tax assessment. The Board of Equalization says it applies to systems whose construction is completed before January 1, 2027. The letter talks about construction being finished; it doesn't mention the utility's approval. Property tax guide.
PG&E's tariff locks your export credit schedule to the year your interconnection application is completed, and its bonus credit (ACC Plus) to that year too: 0.88 cents per kWh for 2026 applications, 0.44 cents for 2027. A complete application in December and one in January land in different years.
PG&E's tariff counts the nine years of locked credits from the day permission to operate is issued, not from the application, so time spent waiting for approval doesn't eat into them.
Applications completed after 2027 get no nine-year schedule: their credits follow each year's current values, and the bonus credit ends. The CPUC says PG&E and SCE homes that apply before the end of 2027 get it.
Keeping it on track
- Apply to your HOA early. It has up to 45 days to answer in writing.
- Sign the interconnection agreement when it arrives. It's one of the steps in PG&E's process, and SCE recommends sending the signed agreement with the application.
- Put your email on the application. PG&E says you can get approval faster by email.
- Plan around a battery. At SCE, paired storage means more review and, in 2026, a longer median wait.
- Don't switch it on early. Wait for the written permission to operate. PG&E's engineering review can also find grid upgrades that cost money and add time.
What a free quote call gets you
- One verified local installer
- The installed price for your roof
- Your payback years from that price
- Free, with no obligation
See what solar could save you
About a minute, and no phone number needed. If the number looks good, a free quote call gets you the exact price.
Common questions
How long does it take to go solar in California?
The legal steps are short: 3 business days to cancel a home-signed contract (5 if you're 65 or older), 45 days for an HOA to answer, and an instant online permit in most cities. For home solar approved in 2026, the utility's permission to operate came within a median of 19 days of the application, and within 147 days for nine in ten.
How long does PG&E take to give permission to operate?
PG&E says permission typically takes 5 to 10 business days after it receives the paperwork, up to a maximum of 30 business days. Counted from the day the application was first received, PG&E's median for home solar approved in 2026 was 27 days.
How long does SCE take for PTO?
SCE says simple, solar-only requests with every document in order may get permission to operate within 10 business days, and batteries need more review. In 2026 the median from application to approval was 6 days for solar alone and 16 days with a battery.
How long does SDG&E take to approve solar?
SDG&E says it processes online applications within 30 days, in under five business days on average, and reviews them before installation starts. Because of that, its median from application to permission to operate, 30 days in 2026, includes the installation.
How long does a solar permit take in California?
Where a city or county has an online automated platform such as SolarAPP+, a licensed contractor gets the permit in real time. 379 of the 458 cities and counties the law covers reported one to the Energy Commission as of October 20, 2026.
Can I turn on my solar before permission to operate?
No. PG&E says not to turn the system on until it gives written permission to operate, for safety reasons.
Related guides
- California solar calculator
- Solar permits in California
- NEM 3.0 and net billing explained
- The property tax exclusion
- Cancel a solar contract
- HOA solar rules in California
Application days are counted from the state's data set and can include time before installation. Your own wait depends on your city, your HOA, your contractor's paperwork and your utility. Sources: California DG Stats: Interconnected Applications Data Set and quarterly interconnection times · PG&E: Getting started with solar · SCE: Solar Billing Plan FAQs · SDG&E: Solar and battery installation center · PG&E Schedule NBT (net billing tariff) · CPUC: Net energy metering and net billing · Board of Equalization: Letter to Assessors 2024/031 · Government Code 65850.5 · CEC: Residential Solar Permitting dashboard. Reviewed October 2026.
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