East Palo Alto Municipal Code Ch. 15.12 Electrical Code

Footnotes:

--- (4) ---

Editor's note— Ord. No. 339A, § 2, Exh. A, adopted Dec. 21, 2010, amended former Ch. 5.12, § 5.12.010, in its entirety which pertained to similar subject matter and derived from Ord. No. 334, § 8, adopted July 20, 2010.

This chapter shall be known and may be cited and referred to as the "Electrical Code for the City of East Palo Alto."

(Ord. No. 339A, § 2(Exh. A), 12-21-2010; Ord. No. 365, §§ 1, 2(Exh. A), 11-19-2013)

The "2022 California Electrical Code" is hereby adopted by reference as the electrical code of the City of East Palo Alto. All references to jurisdictional requirements are found in the East Palo Alto Municipal Code or other appropriate schedules.

(Ord. No. 339A, § 2(Exh. A), 12-21-2010; Ord. No. 365, §§ 1, 2(Exh. A), 11-19-2013; Ord. No. 426, 12-17-2019; Ord. No. 10-2022, § 4, 12-6-2022)

A. The following words and phrases as used in this section are defined as follows:

"Electronic submittal" means the utilization of one or more of the following:

1. E-mail;

2. The internet;

3. Facsimile.

"Small residential rooftop solar energy system" means all of the following:

1. A solar energy system that is no larger than ten (10) kilowatts alternating current nameplate rating or thirty (30) kilowatts thermal.

2. A solar energy system that conforms to all applicable state fire, structural, electrical, and other building codes as adopted or amended by the city and paragraph (iii) of subdivision (c) of Section 714 of the Civil Code, as such section or subdivision may be amended, renumbered, or redesignated from time to time.

3. A solar energy system that is installed on a single- or duplex-family dwelling.

4. A solar panel or module array that does not exceed the maximum legal building height as defined by the authority having jurisdiction. "Solar energy system" has the same meaning set forth in paragraphs (1) and (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 801.5 of the Civil Code, as such section or subdivision may be amended, renumbered, or redesignated from time to time.

B. Section 65850.5 of the California Government Code provides that, on or before September 30, 2015, every city, county, or city and county shall adopt an ordinance that creates an expedited, streamlined permitting process for small residential rooftop solar energy systems.

C. Section 65850.5 of the California Government Code provides that in developing an expedited permitting process, the city, county, or city and county shall adopt a checklist of all requirements with which small rooftop solar energy systems shall comply to be eligible for expedited review. The building official is hereby authorized and directed to develop and adopt such checklist.

D. The checklist shall substantially conform to the recommendations for checklists contained in the most current version of the California Solar Permitting Guidebook adopted by the Governor's Office of Planning and Research. The checklist shall be published on the city's internet website. The applicant may submit the permit application and associated documentation to the city's building division by personal, mailed, or electronic submittal together with any required permit processing and inspection fees. In the case of electronic submittal, the electronic signature of the applicant on all forms, applications and other documentation may be used in lieu of a wet signature.

E. Prior to submitting an application, the applicant shall:

1. Verify through the use of standard engineering evaluation techniques that the support structure for the small residential rooftop solar energy system is stable and adequate to transfer all wind, seismic, and dead and live loads associated with the system to the building foundation; and

2. At the applicant's cost, verify using standard electrical inspection techniques that the existing electrical system including existing line, load, ground and bonding wiring as well as main panel and subpanel sizes are adequately sized, based on the existing electrical system's current use, to carry all new photovoltaic electrical loads.

F. For a small residential rooftop solar energy system eligible for expedited review, a minimum of two inspections shall be required, the first shall be an inspection for the solar PV racking system roof attachments and watertight seals and the second shall be the final inspection when the fire inspection has been completed. These inspections shall be done in a timely manner and may include a permittee coordinated consolidated inspection. A separate fire safety inspection will be performed by Menlo Fire District Fire Prevention to conduct a fire safety inspection on behalf of the fire authority. If a small residential rooftop solar energy system fails inspection, a subsequent inspection is authorized, however the subsequent inspection need not conform to the requirements of this subdivision.

G. An application that satisfies the information requirements in the checklist, as determined by the building official, the application shall be deemed complete. Upon receipt of an incomplete application, the building official shall issue a written correction notice detailing all deficiencies in the application and any additional information required to be eligible for expedited permit issuance.

H. Upon confirmation by the building official and fire marshal of the applications and supporting documentation being complete and meeting the requirements of the checklist, the building official and fire marshal shall administratively approve the applications and issue all required permits or authorizations. Such approval does not authorize an applicant to connect the small residential rooftop energy system to the local utility provider's electricity grid until final inspection approval. The applicant is responsible for obtaining such approval or permission from the local utility provider.

(Ord. No. 390, § 1, 7-21-2015)