Bigger or unusual job? Compare bids from local pros and you pick who does the work.
The service
What solar system inspection is, what a visit covers and where the line is.
The short answer
A solar system inspection is a visit by a qualified pro who examines a rooftop array and its equipment: panels, mounting, roof penetrations, wiring, connectors, disconnects, the inverter and the monitoring. Solar System Inspection in San Francisco is booked through pros who cover its 28 ZIP codes, in neighborhoods such as The Mission, Noe Valley, and The Sunset. SF's microclimates mean fog, wind, and moisture vary dramatically by neighborhood. Providers account for this in material selection. Repairs are separate, and each pro sets what they provide.
What a solar system inspection visit includes
What is included depends on the jobs you pick and on how each pro sets up their visit and timing. You see the exact scope with each pro's price before you book.
- Visual inspection of panels, mounts and roof penetrations
- Check of wiring, connectors and disconnects
- Inverter and monitoring review
- Output and string testing where equipment allows
- Photos and a written report
- Recommendations for repair or cleaning
Pick what is on your list
Tick what you want done, or add your own. Your list goes under the booking card and to the pro you choose, and you can describe anything else when you book.
Panels and mounting
Tick what you want done. One visit can cover several.
Tick jobs above, or add your own. Your list goes under the booking card and to the pro you choose, so they see exactly what you need before they arrive.
What shapes a solar system inspection job
These are the things that make one job different from another. Mention them in your notes so each pro can scope your job properly.
What you receive
A solar system inspection normally ends with a written report and photos of what was observed. Each pro sets what they provide, including whether output or string testing is part of the visit.
- A written report on the panels, mounting, roof penetrations, wiring, disconnects and inverter
- Photos of faults, wear, shading, debris or animal damage
- Inverter error codes and monitoring observations, where available
- Output or string test results, if testing was done and equipment allows
- Recommendations such as cleaning, repair, trimming or further testing, without doing them
- The pro license details so you can show the report to a buyer, installer or insurer
What is not part of solar system inspection
Knowing where the line is keeps the visit on track and keeps you safe. When a job belongs to a specialist, NorTech tells you before you book.
- Repairing or replacing panels, inverters, wiring or roofing. Those are separate services, and electrical and roofing work is licensed-trade work.
- Any job where labor and materials together reach $1,000. Anything at that amount moves to a licensed contractor, which NorTech flags at booking.
- Reviewing or negotiating solar leases, loans, power purchase agreements or net metering terms.
- Opening manufacturer-sealed equipment in a way that may void its warranty, unless the manufacturer or installer allows it.
- A guarantee of future energy production or savings.
- Roof inspection and repair, which have their own services on NorTech.
- In San Francisco, sF DBI permit requirements are among the strictest in California. Smaller jobs stay within the handyman exemption; permitted work is bid on by NorTech-verified licensed contractors.
License and permits for solar system inspection
Solar systems combine electrical work and roof work, both of which are regulated trades in many places. Pros who take these jobs hold the license or certification that applies where the work is done, shown on their profile. Repairs that follow are licensed-trade work done by pros who hold the license.
An inspection usually needs no permit. Repairs, equipment replacement, adding panels or batteries commonly need permits and an inspection by the local building office or the utility, and the rules vary. Your pro explains what applies to the follow-up work.
Check the license on the pro profile and ask whether the person who will be on the roof holds it. Ask for the license number on the report, and for the permit and sign-off if any repair follows.
Plan your visit
How booking works, how to get ready, and what to expect where you live.
How booking solar system inspection works
Say what needs doing
Add your ZIP and a few words about the job.
Compare pros near you
Each pro sets their own price and warranty. NorTech does not pick for you.
Book the pro you pick
Add photos and details on their page. Your card is held and only charged after the work and the photos.
Photos and a warranty
Your pro backs the work with a workmanship warranty — if covered work is not right, your pro makes it right, free.
Before you book solar system inspection
Quick things that save a trip. Tick them off as you go; none of it is required to book.
Pull your monitoring data
Download a recent production chart from the monitoring app or inverter display, and note when output dropped. A before and after pattern helps the inspector separate a fault from normal seasonal changes.
Photograph the inverter display
Take pictures of error codes, warning lights and status screens before you reset anything. A reset can erase the clue the inspector needs.
Gather system paperwork
Find the installation papers, equipment list, warranty documents, permit and any lease or monitoring accounts. They tell the inspector what was installed and who services it.
Do not climb on the roof
Leave roof access to the pro. A wet, hot or steep roof is a fall risk, and walking on panels can damage them and may affect a warranty.
Clear the access
Open gates, make the electrical panel and inverter reachable, and move ladders, storage and vehicles from below the roof edge. Tell the pro about pets and locked areas.
Tell the pro about recent events
Mention storms, hail, roof repairs, tree work, animal activity or a power outage. Events like these often explain a problem and shape what the inspector checks first.
Say where in San Francisco you are
Add your neighborhood, for example The Mission, Noe Valley, and The Sunset, or your ZIP code to your notes. Pros choose the neighborhoods they cover, and it tells them how far they have to travel.
How where you live changes solar system inspection
Best time to book solar system inspection
Mild, dry weather makes roof access safer and gives clearer production readings than extreme heat or snow cover. A spring visit follows winter storms, and a fall visit prepares the array for winter. In San Francisco, the dry season from late spring to fall is the easiest time for outside work, and the fall calendar fills before the first big rain.
Often booked together with solar system inspection
Book several services with one pro. Pros set their own bundle discounts.
Dirty panels are a common item on a report, and cleaning is its own service.
A roof inspection checks the roof under the array and the penetrations the mounts create.
The main panel and wiring that the solar system feeds can be checked at the same time.
Leaks around mounts and flashing found in an inspection are repaired by a roofing pro.
Around San Francisco
Where in San Francisco the work happens, and the cities close by.
Solar System Inspection across San Francisco
Pick your neighborhood to see what homes there tend to need. Pros choose the neighborhoods they cover, so enter your ZIP code to see who covers yours.
Cities near San Francisco
Pros often cover more than one city. The rings show 5 and 10 miles from the center of town.
Other services in San Francisco
Each one has its own page for this city.
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See pros in San FranciscoTrust and answers
What backs the work, who is licensed and insured, what customers say, and your questions.
Backed by your provider’s warranty. If covered work fails, your provider makes it right, free.
Done by a licensed contractor
This work is booked only with an independent contractor who holds the California license it requires, and whose license NorTech has checked against the state record. It is never handed to someone who is still working toward one.
San Francisco homeowners
Solar System Inspection reviews in San Francisco
Verified solar system inspection reviews from San Francisco homeowners will appear here.
Be the first solar system inspection review in San Francisco
Your pro backs the work with a workmanship warranty — if covered work is not right, your pro makes it right, free. Book with confidence and tell San Francisco how your pro did.
Book Solar System Inspection in San FranciscoFrequently asked