What should a site-survey report include?

A solar site-survey report is the foundation for the design and the permit, so it has to cover roof condition (material, age, structural concerns), available area and pitch per plane, shade analysis (with photographed obstructions and ideally a quantified shade-impact reading from a survey tool), electrical service (panel size, available breaker positions, main bus rating, condition), grounding, the planned roof penetration approach, and any condition that affects the install (skylights, vents, HVAC equipment). Photograph the roof from multiple angles, the electrical panel inside and out, and the meter; date, sign, and archive. The technical assessment is your professional judgement; the PDF presents and retains it so the design team, the AHJ, and the customer all see the same basis.

How do I structure a customer proposal that wins?

A proposal that wins residential solar leads with what the customer cares about — system size, expected annual production, the financial picture (cash price, financing if offered, estimated savings against utility rate, payback) — and supports it with the technical detail (layout diagram on the roof, module/inverter/optimiser selection, monitoring) and the warranty terms (module performance, workmanship, monitoring). Brand it, keep it scannable in the first two pages, and finish with a clear signable acceptance page. As a PDF, an honest, itemised, signed proposal sets expectations correctly and reduces churn at install. Avoid fabricated savings numbers — base estimates on the customer's actual utility-rate schedule and modelled production, and say so. Customers reject proposals whose numbers feel inflated.

What goes into an AHJ permit package?

Permit content varies by AHJ (authority having jurisdiction), but a typical residential PV package contains: cover application, site plan, roof layout with module locations and setbacks, one-line electrical diagram (DC and AC sides, rapid-shutdown if applicable, grounding, OCPD ratings), structural attachment detail, fire-setback compliance, equipment datasheets (modules, inverter/optimisers, racking, rapid-shutdown device), placards/labels per code, and sometimes a structural letter. Assemble these as one bookmarked PDF in the order the AHJ requires, signed/sealed where required, sized for the portal — see the broader combining-permit-PDFs guide. The technical content is your responsibility; the assembly discipline is what avoids intake rejection.

How do utility interconnection applications work in PDF?

In addition to the building permit, most installs require a separate utility interconnection application for net metering, export limits, or simply to interconnect to the grid. The utility paperwork is typically a fillable PDF (or portal) requiring system details (size, inverter, expected export), site information, and customer details, supported by the one-line diagram from the plan set. Submit it in parallel with the permit, track the utility approval status alongside the permit status, and retain a copy of exactly what was submitted. As a PDF workflow, treat the interconnection package as a parallel deliverable: it travels with the permit package conceptually, but lives in its own approval lane with the utility, and final commissioning often cannot proceed without it.

What does commissioning and final inspection documentation look like?

At install completion you typically have two parallel sign-offs: the AHJ final inspection (electrical, structural, and any local PV-specific items) and the utility permission-to-operate (PTO). Document the commissioning data on a templated PDF — system size as installed (any deviations from plan), inverter startup readings, string voltages and currents, monitoring confirmed online, customer walk-through and sign-off. Photograph all signage, the as-installed array, the inverter and rapid-shutdown labels. Issue final warranty documents (module manufacturer warranty registration, workmanship warranty) at the same time. A complete commissioning pack is what closes the install professionally and what supports any later O&M visit.

How should the per-site solar record be organised?

A solar install has a multi-decade lifecycle, so the per-site record matters more than for most trades. Build one folder per address containing: site survey, signed proposal, permit submission and approval, utility interconnection submission and approval, sealed plan set (including any revisions), datasheets at install, commissioning report, warranty documents and manufacturer registration confirmations, monitoring access details, and every O&M visit thereafter. Name files consistently, OCR scanned items, and retain for the warranty horizon (often 25 years on module performance, often 10+ on workmanship). Being able to produce the full record decades later — what was installed, the as-built revisions, the monitoring history — is exactly what supports a long-term claim and what distinguishes a serious installer.

Is it safe to handle solar paperwork in an online tool?

Solar paperwork contains customer addresses, property details, financial information, and sometimes utility-account details, so prefer a tool that processes files locally. ScoutMyTool fills, signs, merges, bookmarks, OCRs, and compresses entirely in your browser tab, so customer files never leave your machine. For sensitive financial-proposal records, confirm the tool does not upload before using it, and follow your AHJ and utility submission requirements for the actual portal upload.

PDF for solar installers: proposals…

6 min read

By ScoutMyTool Editorial Team · Last updated: 2026-05-28

Solar has more paperwork than almost any other residential trade — a thorough site survey, a customer proposal with financial modelling, an AHJ permit package with sealed plans, a parallel utility interconnection application, commissioning documentation, and a per-site record you may have to produce twenty-five years later when a module warranty claim arrives. I have watched fast-growing installers lose more deals to slow, inconsistent paperwork than to price or technology. The install is the easy part once the documents are right. This guide is the PDF workflow that holds the documents together: what each deliverable contains, how to assemble it, and how to retain a per-site record that scales with the practice and outlives most of the equipment.

The documents a solar install runs on

Document	Use	PDF need
Site survey report	Roof, electrical, shade, structural assessment	Diagrammed; photographed; signed
Customer proposal	System design + production + savings	Branded; clear; signable
AHJ permit package	Plans, calcs, datasheets	Bookmarked; per-jurisdiction order
Plan set (one-line + layout)	Sealed electrical + roof layout	Vector; sealed; revision-controlled
Utility interconnection app	Net-metering / export agreement	Complete; submitted; tracked
Commissioning + final inspection report	Confirm install meets design	Signed; photographed; archived
Per-site solar record	Lifetime O&M and warranty	Organised; retained; searchable

Step by step — running solar paperwork on PDF

Document the site survey thoroughly. Fill a templated survey on a tablet, photograph everything, sign, archive.
Issue an honest, signable proposal. Branded PDF, two-page summary up front, technical and warranty detail behind, signable acceptance page.
Assemble the AHJ permit package. Plan set, calcs, datasheets, placards, application — combine and bookmark per AHJ order; see combining permit PDFs.
Get the plan set sealed where required. See engineering stamps and seals for the seal/flatten workflow.
Submit the utility interconnection package in parallel. Track utility status alongside permit status.
Sign and date all customer-facing documents. Sign PDF for proposals, change orders, warranty acknowledgements.
Capture commissioning data + final inspection. Templated commissioning PDF, photograph signage and labels, customer walk-through sign-off.
Register and deliver warranties. Manufacturer registration submitted, workmanship warranty PDF signed and delivered.
OCR, compress, archive per address. OCR scans, compress for portal delivery, retain for the warranty horizon.

Pitfalls that cost solar installs and claims

Inflated savings numbers in the proposal. Build on the customer’s actual rate schedule; modelled production, transparently.
Permit package in the wrong AHJ order. Intake rejection is the most common cause; follow the published checklist.
Plan set unsealed where required. Returns the package to design at the worst moment.
Utility interconnection forgotten until commissioning. Blocks PTO; install sits dark.
Warranty never registered with manufacturer. Customer’s 25-year warranty exists in name only.
Per-site record scattered across drives. Multi-decade claims are then impossible to support.
Uploading proposal/financial paperwork to a cloud tool without checking whether it leaves the machine.

Combining permit PDFs: the AHJ-package assembly discipline.
Engineering stamps and seals: sealed plan-set workflow.
PDF for electricians (service work): parallel trade-service paperwork.
PDF for roofers: shared roof-attachment and warranty discipline.
Redlining drawings: review-cycle discipline for plan revisions.
Fill PDF: site surveys and commissioning sheets.
Sign PDF: proposals and warranties.
Merge PDF: assembling the permit and utility packages.
All ScoutMyTool PDF tools: the full toolkit.

FAQ

What should a site-survey report include?: A solar site-survey report is the foundation for the design and the permit, so it has to cover roof condition (material, age, structural concerns), available area and pitch per plane, shade analysis (with photographed obstructions and ideally a quantified shade-impact reading from a survey tool), electrical service (panel size, available breaker positions, main bus rating, condition), grounding, the planned roof penetration approach, and any condition that affects the install (skylights, vents, HVAC equipment). Photograph the roof from multiple angles, the electrical panel inside and out, and the meter; date, sign, and archive. The technical assessment is your professional judgement; the PDF presents and retains it so the design team, the AHJ, and the customer all see the same basis.
How do I structure a customer proposal that wins?: A proposal that wins residential solar leads with what the customer cares about — system size, expected annual production, the financial picture (cash price, financing if offered, estimated savings against utility rate, payback) — and supports it with the technical detail (layout diagram on the roof, module/inverter/optimiser selection, monitoring) and the warranty terms (module performance, workmanship, monitoring). Brand it, keep it scannable in the first two pages, and finish with a clear signable acceptance page. As a PDF, an honest, itemised, signed proposal sets expectations correctly and reduces churn at install. Avoid fabricated savings numbers — base estimates on the customer's actual utility-rate schedule and modelled production, and say so. Customers reject proposals whose numbers feel inflated.
What goes into an AHJ permit package?: Permit content varies by AHJ (authority having jurisdiction), but a typical residential PV package contains: cover application, site plan, roof layout with module locations and setbacks, one-line electrical diagram (DC and AC sides, rapid-shutdown if applicable, grounding, OCPD ratings), structural attachment detail, fire-setback compliance, equipment datasheets (modules, inverter/optimisers, racking, rapid-shutdown device), placards/labels per code, and sometimes a structural letter. Assemble these as one bookmarked PDF in the order the AHJ requires, signed/sealed where required, sized for the portal — see the broader combining-permit-PDFs guide. The technical content is your responsibility; the assembly discipline is what avoids intake rejection.
How do utility interconnection applications work in PDF?: In addition to the building permit, most installs require a separate utility interconnection application for net metering, export limits, or simply to interconnect to the grid. The utility paperwork is typically a fillable PDF (or portal) requiring system details (size, inverter, expected export), site information, and customer details, supported by the one-line diagram from the plan set. Submit it in parallel with the permit, track the utility approval status alongside the permit status, and retain a copy of exactly what was submitted. As a PDF workflow, treat the interconnection package as a parallel deliverable: it travels with the permit package conceptually, but lives in its own approval lane with the utility, and final commissioning often cannot proceed without it.
What does commissioning and final inspection documentation look like?: At install completion you typically have two parallel sign-offs: the AHJ final inspection (electrical, structural, and any local PV-specific items) and the utility permission-to-operate (PTO). Document the commissioning data on a templated PDF — system size as installed (any deviations from plan), inverter startup readings, string voltages and currents, monitoring confirmed online, customer walk-through and sign-off. Photograph all signage, the as-installed array, the inverter and rapid-shutdown labels. Issue final warranty documents (module manufacturer warranty registration, workmanship warranty) at the same time. A complete commissioning pack is what closes the install professionally and what supports any later O&M visit.
How should the per-site solar record be organised?: A solar install has a multi-decade lifecycle, so the per-site record matters more than for most trades. Build one folder per address containing: site survey, signed proposal, permit submission and approval, utility interconnection submission and approval, sealed plan set (including any revisions), datasheets at install, commissioning report, warranty documents and manufacturer registration confirmations, monitoring access details, and every O&M visit thereafter. Name files consistently, OCR scanned items, and retain for the warranty horizon (often 25 years on module performance, often 10+ on workmanship). Being able to produce the full record decades later — what was installed, the as-built revisions, the monitoring history — is exactly what supports a long-term claim and what distinguishes a serious installer.
Is it safe to handle solar paperwork in an online tool?: Solar paperwork contains customer addresses, property details, financial information, and sometimes utility-account details, so prefer a tool that processes files locally. ScoutMyTool fills, signs, merges, bookmarks, OCRs, and compresses entirely in your browser tab, so customer files never leave your machine. For sensitive financial-proposal records, confirm the tool does not upload before using it, and follow your AHJ and utility submission requirements for the actual portal upload.

Citations

Wikipedia — “Photovoltaic system,” the system type being installed. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photovoltaic_system
Wikipedia — “Net metering,” the utility interconnection arrangement in many residential installs. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Net_metering
Wikipedia — “Building permit,” the AHJ approval that the permit package serves. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Building_permit

Run solar paperwork on PDF — without uploading customer data

Fill site surveys, sign proposals, assemble permit and utility packages, capture commissioning data, and archive a per-site solar record entirely in your browser with ScoutMyTool — customer files never leave your machine.

Open Merge PDF →

PDF for solar installers: proposals, permit packages, and interconnection

Introduction

The documents a solar install runs on

Step by step — running solar paperwork on PDF

Pitfalls that cost solar installs and claims

Related reading and tools

FAQ

Citations

Run solar paperwork on PDF — without uploading customer data