SB1876 Summary

• Establishes state policy to promote distributed energy resources, including residential solar and energy storage systems, by reducing permitting obstacles.

• Creates a grant program administered by the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity with grants up to $20,000 per jurisdiction to implement automated online permitting platforms for residential photovoltaic solar systems.

• Requires grant recipients to implement online automated permitting platforms (such as SolarAPP+) that verify code compliance and issue permits in real time for eligible solar and energy storage technologies.

• Allocates a minimum of $1,000,000 from federal Inflation Reduction Act, Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, or other funding sources to support the grant program.

• Mandates quarterly public reporting on the Department's website disclosing grant recipients, grant amounts, implementation dates, and list of jurisdictions using automated permitting platforms.