Solar inspection checklist

What does a solar inspector check?

The inspector compares the installed system to the permitted plan set. Jurisdictions differ, so the plan set is the reference, not a generic list. Common items:

• Attachments and flashing on the roof.
• Racking grounding and bonding.
• Conduit runs and supports.
• Module count and layout against the plan.
• Disconnects where the plan placed them.
• Labels and placards at the service.
• Rapid shutdown equipment and its labeling.
• Conductor sizing and overcurrent protection.
• Point of interconnection and main breaker against the plan.
• For storage: battery location, clearances, separation, the gateway and backup arrangement.

What fails most often is small: a label not applied, a placard with the wrong wording, a disconnect a few feet from where the plan put it, a flashing detail the inspector wanted to see from a ladder.

Is an issued permit the same as a passed inspection?

No. Three documents get confused:

• The issued permit proves the work was allowed to start.
• The scheduled inspection proves someone called the city.
• The passed inspection is the result.

A financier whose milestone is tied to inspection wants the pass: the signed inspection card, the jurisdiction's portal showing the final approved, or the inspector's report with the date and address.

Which milestone needs the inspection result?

It depends on the financier.

• Sunrun ties its second milestone to the passed inspection and equipment registration.
• Participate Energy submits its installation milestone after the inspection passes, not on install day.
• LightReach folds the inspection into the activation milestone that pays at permission to operate.

An office that runs several financiers needs the result in hand either way, and needs to know which milestone each one attaches it to.

What happens if the inspection fails?

The inspector leaves a correction notice. The job is open, not failed. Each line becomes a task with an owner, the re-inspection has to be scheduled, and the milestone waiting on the pass keeps waiting.

The cost is time: the crew's return visit, the re-inspection queue, and the days running against the installer agreement's window to reach activation. Schedule the re-inspection before the crew leaves the lot, and keep the package assembled so the day the pass arrives is the day it goes.

Before the package goes

R11 takes on the preparation, corrections, and follow-up agreed for the engagement. Bring the records you have. We define the result, the authorized work, and anything that still needs your team.

The prepared handoff keeps the supporting evidence and the next decision together. Your team authorizes submission. The financier decides approval and payment.