California advances remote inspections for residential solar projects

Solmar Insights

California lawmakers have unanimously approved AB 1738, a bill that allows remote inspections for residential solar and select clean energy upgrades, pending Governor Gavin Newsom’s signature. The legislation standardizes a process already in use across 19 jurisdictions, aiming to reduce wait times and costs for solar contractors and homeowners statewide.

Remote inspections bill details

Authored by Assemblymember Juan Carrillo, AB 1738 creates a clear legal path for cities and counties to conduct remote inspections of home solar, battery storage, heat pump water heaters, heat pump HVAC, and new roof installations at their discretion. Homeowners or their contractors will soon be able to request a remote inspection where available. The process is designed to preserve building departments’ authority, enabling inspectors to require in-person site visits as needed for safety or complexity.

The bill was supported by policy groups such as SPUR, who sponsored an analysis highlighting the burden of traditional inspections on clean energy deployment. Carrillo emphasized the time and cost savings for both homeowners and building officials, citing reduced delays and the potential to accelerate permitting for more complex projects.

Current use and anticipated impact

Remote inspections are not new to California. In counties such as Los Angeles and Placer, and cities including San Diego, Santa Barbara, Berkeley, and Santa Rosa, the option has been in place for a range of low-risk home energy improvements. Los Angeles County alone estimates that 20 to 40 percent of inspections are already performed remotely, particularly for rooftop solar and battery systems, water heater replacements, and minor plumbing and electrical work.

An analysis by SPUR found that contractors typically wait between two and six hours for in-person inspections, delays that add cost and churn to project timelines. By allowing remote reviews, AB 1738 is expected to reduce contractor downtime, help local jurisdictions clear inspection backlogs, and lower the cost of home energy upgrades.

Implications for solar deployment

The move comes as California continues to grapple with the need to rapidly retrofit existing buildings to meet ambitious climate and wildfire resilience targets. According to SPUR’s sustainability and resilience policy manager, remote virtual inspections are a practical step to address the state’s “existing buildings dilemma,” where thousands of roofs in wildfire risk zones require upgrades and new energy technologies.

With permitting and inspections quietly adding both time and expense to every installation, remote options could accelerate the rollout of distributed solar and adaptable technologies like heat pumps and battery storage. By cutting field time for inspectors and minimizing homeowner scheduling bottlenecks, AB 1738 provides a scalable administrative tool for both municipalities and developers.

Next steps for implementation

The bill awaits Governor Newsom’s signature, after which jurisdictions statewide will have explicit authority to offer remote inspections at their discretion. Current policy gives building officials complete discretion to opt for on-site reviews when warranted, ensuring safety standards are not compromised for higher-risk or complex projects.

Passage of AB 1738 follows closely on the heels of another bill awaiting gubernatorial sign-off that would legalize plug-in solar for residential use. As both policies move forward, the expectation is that home energy project timelines, and thus connection to the electric grid, will become significantly more predictable for developers, contractors, and institutional investors assessing California’s distributed energy landscape.

Reporting via the original publisher