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- Contractor Solar Permits (SB) 379
Contractor Solar Permits
On September 16, 2022, Senate Bill (SB) 379 was approved by California Governor Gavin Newsom to establish instantaneous plan review practices and create consistent permitting processes at cities and counties for automated permitting of residential solar and energy storage systems.
The City of Ventura is proud to announce the partnership with Symbium to establish an automated permitting platform that complies with requirements of SB 379.
Symbium is currently only available to licensed contractors. Contractors seeking to pull permits under SB 379 will be able to apply for instantaneous plan review approval via this Symbium portal. You may begin your application below by first verifying the address is within our city limits.
Read Press Release October 16, 2023
Step 1: Check if your Project Qualifies
To qualify for an instant solar permit, you must meet the following criteria:
- Be a licensed contractor with one or more of the following licenses: A, B, C-10, C-46
- Your project is a residential solar energy system that is no larger than 38.4 kilowatts alternating current nameplate rating.
- The contractor applying for the work must have an active business license with the city of Ventura. Apply for a business license.
If you do not qualify:
If your project does not meet this criteria, you can apply for a traditional solar permit using Ventura OPS
Step 2: Register or already have a Ventura OPS Account
Create an account on Ventura OPS, if you already have an active Ventura OPS account you can skip this step.
Step 3: Apply for a Permit with Symbium
The use of the new platform is highly encouraged as it facilitates and expedites plan review and permit issuance. To get started, enter your project address in the search bar below. Permit applications submitted using Symbium will be issued in real time, in a matter of minutes.
Applicants seeking to apply for residential rooftop systems or energy storage systems outside of the Symbium platform, or for those that are disqualified from utilizing the system, can still submit electronically via Ventura OPS.
Step 4: Your Permit is Issued
After your application is reviewed by and paid for using Symbium, you will be provided with a permit through Ventura OPS. Once the permit is processed, you will be able to login to Ventura OPS to view your issued permit, print your permit, and inspection checklist needed at the inspection.
Step 5: Getting your Project Inspected
How to Make a Building Inspection Request
Once you are ready for inspection you can scheduled your inspection two ways:
- Ventura OPS
- Building Inspection Request phone: 805-654-7874
Note: To ensure a guaranteed inspection, please use Ventura OPS. The building inspection request phone line does not guarantee inspections.
Reminder: Inspections must be scheduled no later than 5:00 P.M. on the city business day before the requested inspection.
A.M. or P.M. Requests
While we strive to accommodate your inspection request, scheduling limitations may affect our ability to fulfill your preferred time frame.
Cancelling a building inspection
If you need to cancel an already scheduled inspection for any reason, please call: 805-654-7869
Inspections are performed from 8:30 A.M. – 3:00 P.M.
Check our Building Inspection Calendar for applicable inspection dates.
After 8:00 A.M. check the city’s website for accurate inspection times.
3-hour window
The schedule will provide a 3-hour timeframe for your inspection. Typically, the building inspector will arrive within the first hour of this window. If the building inspector does not arrive within the first hour, please allow the remainder of the 3-hour window for the building inspector to arrive.
Per California Building Code 110.1 “…It shall be the duty of the owner or the owner’s authorized agent to cause the work to remain visible and able to be accessed for inspection purposes…”
Per California Building Code 110.5 “It shall be the duty of the holder of the building permit or their duly authorized agent to notify the building official when work is ready for inspection. It shall be the duty of the permit holder to provide access to and means for inspections of such work that are required by this code.”
Access:The inspection should be staffed by a competent person. Means for access such as ladders, tools to open any compartments (Crawl spaces, attics, electrical components, etc) should be available.
Ladders
If ladders are necessary for inspection, they should comply with the City of Ventura Ladder Policy.
Per California Building Code 105.7 “The building permit or copy shall be kept on the site of the work until the completion of the project.”
The assigned building inspector will provide the permit card during the first inspection at the jobsite. It is your responsibility to keep the job card on the premises throughout the entire inspection process until the final inspection is conducted.
Per California Building Code 107.3.1 “When the building official issues a permit, the construction documents shall be approved, in writing or by stamp, as “Reviewed for Code Compliance.” One set of construction documents so reviewed shall be retained by the building official. The other set shall be returned to the applicant, shall be kept at the site of work and shall be open to inspection by the building official or a duly authorized representative.”
Stamped/Approved Plans
The stamped/approved plans AND Inspection Checklist must be present on the jobsite and easily accessible for the inspector upon their arrival.
Failure to be properly prepared for your inspection may result in a reinspection fee.
- How do I apply for an instant solar permit on Symbium?
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https://symbium.com/faq/rooftop_solar_ess/how-do-i-apply-for-an-instant-solar-permit-on-symbium
- Who is eligible to apply for a solar permit on Symbium?
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In general, an applicant needs a valid contractor’s license with a relevant license classification (e.g., A, B, C-10, C-46 CSLB license classifications). The contractor must also have a valid business license in City of Ventura
- I'm unable to apply for an instant solar permit using Symbium. How do I find out why?
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We’re sorry you’re encountering this issue!
There are two potential reasons that you may be unable to apply for an instant solar permit using Symbium.
First, Symbium may have detected that your project scope is not fully code compliant. If this is the case, you will see at the top of your screen in the Enter Project Scope section a message noting that an issue has been detected and that a permit is not available through Symbium. If you click on the purple text in that message, you will be taken directly to the Analysis section, where you will find detailed information about the detected issue and how to correct it.
Second, you may not have answered every required question or uploaded all the necessary documentation in support of your permit application. If you’re entering your project scope and cannot advance to the Apply for Permits section, check if there’s a notice at the top of the page indicating that not all requirements have been met yet or a notice at the bottom of the page indicating that you need to answer a few more questions. If this is the case, go over your scope of work and answer all the required questions, which will be noted with a red asterisk.
If you are in the Apply for Permits section and cannot Proceed to Payment, review whether you’ve answered all the required questions and uploaded all the required documents in the Apply for Permits section. Required questions and uploads will be noted with a red asterisk.
- How do I submit a revision to my permit application?
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Unfortunately, do to the limitation of the software revisions are not possible at this time. If you encounter an issue with your permitted project such as a change of materials, or a reconfiguration of the system that is not part of the approved project you will need to do the following:
- Cancel the permit
- Reapply for a permit using Symbium with the correct equipment/configuration
Please see our refund policy below:
California Building Code 108 Fee Refund: The Building Official is authorized to establish a refund policy.
1. The Building Official may authorize the refunding of any fee paid which was erroneously paid or collected. Proof shall be provided.
2. The Building Official may authorize refunding not more than 80% of plan check fees paid when an application for a permit is withdrawn or canceled before any plan review is completed.
3. The Building Official may authorize the refunding of not more than 80% of the permit inspection fee paid when a permit that has been issued is withdrawn or canceled before any inspections have been completed.
4. The Building Official shall not authorize the refunding of any fee paid except upon written application filed by the original permittee no later than 180 days after the date of fee payment.
Please note: Symbium’s processing fee is non-refundable
- How do I get technical support while using Symbium?
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Please email [email protected] with any questions.