(a)

In accordance with Government Code section 65850.5(g)(1), the city's planning director shall prepare and adopt a checklist of all requirements with which small residential rooftop solar energy systems must comply in order to be eligible for expedited review and an accurate application which satisfies those requirements shall be deemed complete. All requirements in the checklist and any procedures identified therein must conform to the minimum standards and requirements found in the most current version of the California Solar Permitting Guidebook published by the governor's office of planning and research.

(b)

In accordance with Government Code section 65850.5(g)(2), the planning director must ensure the checklist and all document forms required for the submission of an expedited solar energy system application are publicly accessible on a city webpage during such times as the city has an operative Internet website.

(c)

In connection with small residential rooftop solar energy system permit applications, and in addition to an applicant's original wet signatures thereon, the planning director shall alternatively accept an electronic signature and submittal of the required permit application and documents by facsimile. The planning director may also elect to accept any additional form of electronic signatures specified in Government Code section 65850.5(g)(2) provided that the planning director has sufficient equipment, software and other technical and human resources capable of reliably doing so for all applicants so desiring.

(d)

In accordance with Civil Code section 714(e)(1) and Government Code Section 65850.5(b), an application for approval to install a solar energy system shall be processed by the planning director in the same manner as an application for approval of an architectural modification to the property, and must not be willfully avoided or delayed, provided that such review process shall be administrative, nondiscretionary and similar to approval of building permits. The planning director's approval shall be, and is, contingent upon valid issuance of a building permit by the city's building official.

(e)

The planning director and building official must ensure that all fees prescribed for the permitting of small residential rooftop solar energy systems comply with all laws, including Government Code Sections 65850.55, 66015 and 66016 and Health and Safety Code Section 17951, to the extent applicable.

(Ord. No. 599 § 3, 12-14-2015)