California moves to cut permitting delays for heat pumps and solar panels
Two bills awaiting the governor's signature would cap permit fees and expand remote inspections for home heat pumps and solar installations, potentially saving Californians hundreds of millions of dollars.
California's legislature has passed two bills meant to speed up permitting and inspections for residential clean energy projects, sending them to Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has until Sept. 30 to sign them. The Heat Pump Access Act would cap permit fees at $150 for heat-pump water heaters and $200 for heat pumps, while the Remote Virtual Inspection Act would expand video-based inspections statewide.
California currently has roughly 600 different local jurisdictions with inconsistent permitting rules, and some require three separate permits for a single heat-pump water heater installation. Contractors often wait two to six hours for inspections that take only five to 15 minutes, adding an estimated $600 to $1,000 to project costs. "This is something that touches families' pocketbooks directly," said Nick Josefowitz of the group Permit Power.
State Sen. Scott Wiener, who introduced the heat pump bill, said it would help protect residents from extreme heat and rising energy costs, while Brian Hanlon of California YIMBY said the inspection bill addresses one of the state's biggest affordability barriers. The moves follow the elimination of federal tax credits for home solar, batteries and heat pumps last year, and California joins states including Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, Texas and Virginia in adopting similar streamlined permitting rules.
Based on reporting by Alison F. Takemura for Canary Media. Read the original: https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/heat-pumps/california-to-cut-red-tape-heat-pumps-solar
This article was produced with the assistance of AI tools and reviewed by an editor before publication.
