SD’s solar permit fee now 6 times more expensive

Six months after proudly announcing that San Diego leads the state in the number of rooftop solar systems, city officials last month made it more expensive to go green by raising its fees sixfold. The cost of getting a solar installation plan approved and the system inspected has risen to $565 from $93. The increase reflects a policy change by the city to quit subsidizing solar installations and adjust fees to reflect what it costs to issue the permits, officials say. Solar advocates and installers say the fee increase is unjustified and may hurt efforts to cut carbon emissions that contribute to global warming. “It doesn’t make a lot of sense,” said Daniel Sullivan, whose San Diego installation business has grown from two employees to 28 in the past five years. “You don’t start taxing the industry that’s growing the fastest just because your general fund is hurting.” Read the entire Union Tribune article and see what the Coronado fees are here.