What are the actual FINES if they catch you with unpermitted Solar in California?
The ostensible reasons for permits, of course, are the risks; public safety, liability and insurance, resale value and/or liability when the house gets sold. Liability if your installation kills some unfortunate PG&E worker.
But how would they discover your unpermitted installation? What is the title of the actual person who would put their eyes on it, and make legal trouble for you?
Would you get a nasty letter from PG&E if you suddenly zeroed out your usage? You may not get paid for it, but what if you started feeding small amounts back into the grid, without closing your account? How about larger amounts? Do you think they watch your individual bill that closely? What kind of "checks and balances "do they have?
Do you think the cops would show up at your door? The FBI? The CIA? The FAA? The USCG? President Biden himself?
I am being facetious of course, but I really want to know. The whole situation reminds me of photos of World War II, where two Nazi guards are marching 500 prisoners off to their deaths. A revolt could easily overcome the guards, though one or two prisoners might get picked off… and then of course they would have to figure out how to get out of Germany after that... but the prisoners were so defeated in their own minds that they just marched off to their deaths with resignation and without a fight.
Or the IRS, where they are well documented as committing horrible financial atrocities on innocent citizens... so to maintain "voluntary compliance" (fear,) they pick out one or two high profile individuals a year and make a highly publicized example out of them.
Is that what would happen? Would you see yourself on TV? As in "California resident fined $50,000 for illegal solar installation… details at 11..." Fie upon thee, evil knave! Shame that rotten bastard!
I truly didn't mean to wax political or philosophical with this question, But I do want to know… Can anybody cite me the actual California county or city code, law or regulation, by number, that spells out a dollar amount, or whatever else they "could" do to you if "caught" with "illegal," unpermitted solar? I can't seem to find anything online, but then again, I'm not a lawyer. Maybe I just don't know where to look.
Like most decisions in life, installing unpermitted solar is a matter of risk versus reward….
The ostensible reasons for permits, of course, are the risks; public safety, liability and insurance, resale value and/or liability when the house gets sold. Liability if your installation kills some unfortunate PG&E worker.
But how would they discover your unpermitted installation? What is the title of the actual person who would put their eyes on it, and make legal trouble for you?
Would you get a nasty letter from PG&E if you suddenly zeroed out your usage? You may not get paid for it, but what if you started feeding small amounts back into the grid, without closing your account? How about larger amounts? Do you think they watch your individual bill that closely? What kind of "checks and balances "do they have?
Do you think the cops would show up at your door? The FBI? The CIA? The FAA? The USCG? President Biden himself?
I am being facetious of course, but I really want to know. The whole situation reminds me of photos of World War II, where two Nazi guards are marching 500 prisoners off to their deaths. A revolt could easily overcome the guards, though one or two prisoners might get picked off… and then of course they would have to figure out how to get out of Germany after that... but the prisoners were so defeated in their own minds that they just marched off to their deaths with resignation and without a fight.
Or the IRS, where they are well documented as committing horrible financial atrocities on innocent citizens... so to maintain "voluntary compliance" (fear,) they pick out one or two high profile individuals a year and make a highly publicized example out of them.
Is that what would happen? Would you see yourself on TV? As in "California resident fined $50,000 for illegal solar installation… details at 11..." Fie upon thee, evil knave! Shame that rotten bastard!
I truly didn't mean to wax political or philosophical with this question, But I do want to know… Can anybody cite me the actual California county or city code, law or regulation, by number, that spells out a dollar amount, or whatever else they "could" do to you if "caught" with "illegal," unpermitted solar? I can't seem to find anything online, but then again, I'm not a lawyer. Maybe I just don't know where to look.
Like most decisions in life, installing unpermitted solar is a matter of risk versus reward….