1. Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction and Safety
Inspection Guidelines and
Suggested Practices

2. Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction and Safety
Inspection Process
• To verify that the installation is in
conformance with the design of the
approved set of plans
• To verify that the installation is in
compliance with the California Electrical
Code and other applicable codes and
regulations

3. Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction and Safety
Purpose of the Code
“….the practical safeguarding of
persons and property from
hazards arising from the use of
electricity”

4. Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction and Safety
Current Code – 2007 California Electrical Code

5. Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction and Safety
2010 California Electrical Code – effective
date – January 1, 2011 (adoptive code –
2008 NEC) 5

6. Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction and Safety
Inspection Process
• Contractor/owner responsibility to
schedule and coordinate all required
inspections
• Responsible party on site
• Provide access to all elements of
system installation

7. Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction and Safety
Inspection
• Ground-mounted
1. footings for array frame
2. underground raceways
3. final
Observe regulations for -
Brush Management Zones,
Environmentally Sensitive Lands, and
Multiple Habitat Planning Areas

8. Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction and Safety
Inspection (continued)
• Roof mounted arrays
Rough electrical (for any concealed
work)
Roof array and bond (for integrated
systems or for tile roofs)
Final inspection

9. Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction and Safety
Necessary Paperwork on Site
• Approved plans
• Inspection record card (DS-1798)
• Manufacturer’s Installation instructions –
modules, racking, inverter

10. Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction and Safety

11. Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction and Safety
Installation manuals – inverters,
modules

12. Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction and Safety
Roof Mounted Systems

13. Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction and Safety
Roof Access
• Cal -OSHA
Compliant
Ladder
• Sitting
squarely on
level
surface
• Secured at
top

14. Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction and Safety
14

15. Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction and Safety
Tile roofs

16. Building Integrated Safety
Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction and
PV

17. Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction and Safety
Racking Installation

18. Flashing and Weather and Safety Protection
Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction

19. Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction and Safety

20. Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction and Safety
Clearance to Vents

21. Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction and Safety
21

22. Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction and Safety
Plumbing Vents
•Plumbing vents cannot be covered
by module installation
•Vents shall terminate a minimum
of
•6” above or 1’ away horizontally
from adjacent PV modules
•Termination shall not be higher
than the highest point of the
existing roof
•Vents less than 3” can be
extended /offset but shall be
properly and independently
supported
•All extensions shall meet the
requirements of the California
Plumbing Code
•Extension on any plumbing vent 3”
diameter or larger is not allowed
22

23. Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction and Safety
Using Identified grounding points and approved
devices and materials

24. Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction and Safety
Combiner Boxes, Junction Boxes
and Wiring Methods
• Listed equipment
• Installed per manufacturer's installation
instructions
• Cable Management
• Conduit support

25. Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction and Safety
Combiner box – string protection but
mounted in incorrect orientation

26. Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction and Safety
Listed Combiner Box providing string protection –
correctly mounted and installed
26

27. Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction and Safety
Junction boxes, conduit support

28. Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction and Safety
Wiring methods and materials

29. Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction and Safety
Cable Management

30. Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction and Safety
Inverters and DC Disconnects
• Listed utility interactive inverters
• As-built conforms to the design
• Installed per manufacturer’s installation
instructions or recommendations
• System grounding electrode conductor
properly terminated

31. Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction and Safety
Listed Utility-Interactive Inverter

32. Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction and Safety
Conductor terminations

33. Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction and Safety
Inverter locations

34. Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction and Safety
Service Equipment
• bus rating
• existing main overcurrent protection
• PV overcurrent protection
• manufacturer breakers
• cable or conduit entry
• labeling
• multiwire branch circuit relocation and
balanced load on bus
• grounding system

35. Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction and Safety
Verifying Bus Rating

36. Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction and Safety

37. Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction and Safety

38. Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction and Safety
PV breakers and existing multi-
wire circuits

39. Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction and Safety
Service Upgrades involving
Scheduled Outages with SDG&E
• Schedule DSD inspection for day of the
scheduled outage
• Contact the inspector re: time frame
• Equipment installed,
• framing weather-protected,
• grounded,
• service entrance raceway or riser and service
entrance conductors installed

40. Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction and Safety
Ready for reconnection?

41. Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction and Safety
Grounding
• Verify acceptable grounding for existing
service equipment or provide a
supplemental electrode
• Provide service and system grounding
compliant with the Code

42. Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction and Safety

43. Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction and Safety
Water piping ground must be supplemented

44. Development Services Department
Driven Ground Rod
Division of Building, Construction and Safety

45. Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction and Safety
DC and AC wiring through a
structure
45

46. Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction and Safety
CAUTION – Notching and
46
Boring Wood Members

47. Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction and Safety
Load-bearing 2 x 12 floor joists @ 12” OC
notched in middle 1/3 of span
47

48. Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction and Safety
48

49. Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction and Safety
Properly fire stop around all penetrations of
rated assemblies 49

50. Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction and Safety
Signage and Placarding
• Alternate power source placard
• DC raceways and DC disconnects
• Cautionary
• Site specific design
• PV disconnect for utility operation

51. Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction and Safety
Alternate Power Source Placard

52. Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction and Safety

53. Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction and Safety

54. Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction and Safety

55. Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction and Safety
Suggested practices
• Survey the site – verify the adequacy
and condition of the existing electrical
system to accommodate a PV system
• A service upgrade or other corrections
may be required

56. Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction and Safety
Inadequate work space

57. Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction and Safety
Service Disconnects – Maximum Six
Handles without a Main Disconnect

58. ExistingofService Department
Development Services
Division
Entrance
Building, Construction and Safety

59. Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction and Safety
Existing service

60. Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction and Safety
Service supplied by SIDA cable

61. Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction and Safety
Alternative
Energy
Systems
installed with
safeguarding
life and
property in
mind

62. Development Services Department
Division of Building, Construction and Safety
Questions?