From San Mateo Daily Journal
County to reduce solar permit fees
By Michelle Durand
San Mateo County is poised to slash solar permit fees in half, mimicking moves made by its cities as a way to promote green building and alternative energy sources.
The Board of Supervisors is scheduled to vote on the change June 20.
"We need to encourage as much as possible alternative energy use. It is the most patriotic thing we can do," said Supervisor Rich Gordon who proposed the change along with Supervisor Adrienne Tissier.
The panel fee reduction was suggested as part of the general overhaul of the Building and Planning Department and aims to ameliorate relations with constituents who lodged complaints about hefty permit costs.
Currently, building permits are $690. If the proposal is approved, fees drop to $345 for a pilot period. After the term's end, the board will review solar panel use, the fees and possibly change them again.
"We're trying to get them as low as possible," Gordon said.
Most recently, San Carlos voted to eliminate the $600 permit fees altogether, becoming the first city in the county to take such a dramatic step. Other cities have lowered costs but not abolished them outright.
The Sierra Club issued a report last October comparing solar electric permit fees in 40 cities throughout the Silicon Valley. The findings spurred many changes throughout the Peninsula, including San Carlos' elimination, and dropped the average permit fee from $652 to $541.
The permits are for a standard residential solar-panel system covering 320 square feet, with the solar panels installed flush to the roof, generating three kilowatts and costing $27,000. The Sierra Club study found the average photovoltaic rooftop installation fee ranges from $50 in Portola Valley to $1,200 in San Bruno.
State legislators are also pushing solar use, offering 30 percent rebates to homeowners who add the panels.
In the last year, 18 permits were issued in San Mateo County, raking in more than $12,000, according to Gordon's staff.
City Permit fee
Belmont $1,100
Brisbane $816
Burlingame $1,022*
Half Moon Bay $50
Millbrae $1,180
San Bruno $1,200
San Carlos $0
San Mateo $218
South San Francisco $642
*expected to be lowered to $300 |
