A tree that shades a San Diego solar array is a neighbor-and-statute question before it is a pruning job. California’s Solar Shade Control Act does not give a panel owner a blank order to cut every nearby tree.

Public Resources Code section 25982 says that after a solar collector is installed, a person shall not allow a tree or shrub on another property to cast a shadow greater than 10 percent of the collector absorption area between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. local standard time. That is a neighbor’s tree after the collector is in, during that four-hour window, above a 10 percent shadow. It is not a rule about your own tree over your own roof.

Public Resources Code section 25984 lists exemptions, including a tree or shrub planted before the solar collector, timberland and agriculture, replacement of a pre-existing tree that later dies or is removed for health, safety, or environment, and a tree subject to a city or county ordinance.

Branch Pro San Diego is a referral service. We connect you with licensed, insured independent local tree professionals. You hire and pay the professional directly. We don’t measure shade for a lawsuit or tell you to cut a neighbor’s tree.

Is this your tree or the neighbor’s?

If the tree is on your parcel and it shades your own panels, the Solar Shade Control Act’s neighbor-to-neighbor 10 percent rule is not the main tool. That is a pruning or removal conversation about your tree, your roof, and any local tree ordinance.

If the tree is on the neighbor’s parcel, do not send a crew across the line. Overhang on your airspace is a narrower question than taking the tree down. See neighbor tree law.

A City street tree between the sidewalk and the curb is usually the City’s. The City’s street-tree maintenance program uses a no-fee permit after City inspection. Shade on private panels does not authorize a private removal of a City tree.

What should you document before anyone cuts?

From the ground, record:

  • Who owns the parcel the trunk sits on
  • When the collector was installed, if you know
  • Whether the tree was already there
  • Whether a city or county ordinance names the tree
  • What you actually see between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. local standard time, not a winter sunset photo

A La Jolla roof with a west-side eucalyptus and a Ramona ground-mount with a pepper tree are different shade geometries. A phone photo of a shadow at 5 p.m. does not prove a 25982 violation.

If the conflict is a canopy hanging over the house rather than a collector, see tree too close to a house.

What belongs in a written pruning scope?

Ask the independent professional for a written scope that separates:

  • Clearance cuts on your tree over your collectors
  • Deadwood versus live-crown reduction
  • Work that would require the neighbor’s written permission
  • City street-tree permit steps, if the trunk is in the right-of-way
  • Who is not being asked to interpret the statute for a civil claim

Don’t top the tree to “let the sun in.” Topping is a defect. See tree topping in San Diego and structural pruning.

For paid tree work, look up the license on the CSLB license lookup. An active C-49 Tree and Palm license or an active legacy D-49 can both be valid. California’s current minor-work threshold is an aggregate price under $1,000, with extra conditions.

Frequently asked questions

Does a new solar array let me force the neighbor to cut an older tree?

Not automatically. Section 25984 exempts a tree or shrub planted before the collector, among other cases. Read the statute and talk to counsel for a dispute. A pruning quote is not a legal opinion.

Can I trim the parts that hang over my roof?

Overhang is a narrower property-line question. See neighbor tree law. Do not treat that as permission to drop the whole tree.

Is 10 percent shade measured all day?

The named window in section 25982 is 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. local standard time, on the collector absorption area.

Can Branch Pro calculate the 10 percent shadow from a photo?

No. The independent professional can scope tree work. Shade-law disputes belong with the owners and, if needed, counsel.

Get connected with a local pro

If the tree is on a conductor, call 911 and SDG&E at 1-800-411-7343 first. For pruning on a tree you own, call (858) 400-4423. We’ll connect you with a licensed, insured independent local professional. You hire and pay that professional directly.