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SolSmart Designees
San Carlos
California
Population: 30,185
Designation Level:
SolSmart Gold
Year Designated:
2016
San Carlos was one of the first 22 SolSmart designees, announced in 2016 at a ceremony in Kansas City, Missouri.
Key accomplishments include:
- Created a streamlined process to approve certain solar permit applications over the counter
- Provided an online process for scheduling and responding to inspection requests
- Hosted a community “Solarize” campaign, allowing residents to benefit from group discounts and affordable solar financing
- Provided Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing for eligible properties
- Created an online permitting checklist, increasing transparency for community members and solar installers
- Reviewed local zoning codes and identified restrictions that intentionally or unintentionally prohibit solar PV development
- Allowed solar by-right accessory use in all zones (so solar installations don’t require special permits or hearings)
- Cross-trained both inspection and permitting staff on solar PV
- Provided a streamlined permitting pathway for small PV systems
The City of San Carlos has been working toward streamlining the solar permitting process for some time. We wanted to make this process fast, easy and transparent. By reducing the “soft costs”, we are doing our part to help make solar more affordable for our residents and business owners. Achieveing SolSmart recognition demonstrates our leadership and commitment to bringing solar power to our community.
- Mayor Cameron Johnson
