Solar installer urges SFFD to avoid new plan-check requirements as federal tax credits expire

A San Francisco solar and energy-storage contractor told the Fire Commission on July 9 that planned federal tax-credit changes will likely create a year-end surge in rooftop solar and battery installations that could overwhelm San Francisco Fire Department plan review capacity.

Eric Schoonberg, director of engineering at Luminalt, said changes at the federal level will end residential tax credits for solar and energy storage at the end of the year and that many residents are expected to try to complete installations before that deadline. He urged the department to commit resources to reduce photovoltaic (PV) and energy-storage-system (ESS) plan-review wait times to avoid a bottleneck.

Schoonberg also told commissioners that, in his view, some plan-check comments from SFFD are imposing requirements that are not supported by state code or existing fire bulletins. He referenced Section 1.01 and Section 104 of the California Fire Code as the relevant authorities that allow local interpretation but do not permit unilateral creation of new requirements without the city’s formal adoption process. Schoonberg said his company requests that SFFD "review plans and inspect installations to the standards written in the California code" and that "safety standards be thoughtfully applied with input from stakeholders."

Schoonberg said he had spoken with the Fire Marshal earlier the same day and that steps were already being implemented to address plan-review backlog; he thanked the Fire Marshal for the dialogue.

The commission did not take action on the request. No SFFD official made a formal presentation or ruling during the public-comment period; commissioners and staff noted the exchange during the department reports that followed.

Speakers listed in the meeting record for this item included Eric Schoonberg (Luminalt) and Fire Marshal Law, who was mentioned as having spoken with Schoonberg prior to the meeting.