FAQ’s

Many CA HVAC, water heater, and appliance installs need city/county permits. Share your project/address—we'll check local rules and confirm before filing.

Residential/light commercial mechanical, including:

• HVAC replacements (furnaces, AC, heat pumps, mini-splits)

• Water heaters (high-efficiency/heat pump)

• Title-24 energy compliance (when required)
  Describe on intake form; we'll confirm fit.

It’s a city/county fee to process your permit—not ours. Paid directly to them (you or contractor).

Our service fee covers preparing and submitting your permit paperwork. The government issuance fee is separate and is set by the jurisdiction. When we handle your filing, we’ll tell you the required permit fees for your project and provide a copy of the official receipt once the permit is issued.

We submit within days of complete docs. Approval varies by jurisdiction (quick for simple residential; longer in peak seasons).

Standard: We monitor, handle corrections, keep you updated.requests, and keep you informed if additional information is needed.

 Yes, state wide coverage:

• Where online portals are available, we file through those systems.
  
  

• If your jurisdiction still uses in-person, or mail-in submissions, we’ll guide you through the process or handle it for you where possible.

If we need anything specific from you to use a particular portal (such as owner authorization), we’ll let you know upfront.

Utility/manufacturer programs for:

• HVAC (AC, heat pump, furnace, mini-split)
  
  

• Water heaters (gas/heat pump)
  
  

• Smart thermostats/controls

• Duct sealing/replacement
  

• Insulation/efficiency upgrades
  

Active program? We'll prep/submit.

 Varies by utility/equipment/program. We'll review your details/location and tell you:

• Eligible rebates
  
  

• Amounts offered
  
  

• Requirements/deadlines
  Upfront, before filing.

Rebates are issued by the utility or manufacturer running the program, not by Permit & Rebate Hub. Our role is to make sure your application is complete, properly documented, and submitted to the correct place.

Most programs send rebates directly to you by check or direct deposit. For supported plans, we monitor status updates and let you know when the rebate has been approved and marked as paid.

 If your rebate is delayed or initially denied, we’ll review the explanation and see whether it can be corrected or appealed. Common issues include missing documents, incorrect equipment details, or program changes.

• For higher-support plans, we handle follow-up with the utility or manufacturer and manage re-submissions when possible.
  
  

• If the denial is due to factors outside anyone’s control (for example, an expired program or ineligible equipment), we’ll still explain what happened and what options, if any remain.

 We keep you updated at key milestones:

• Application submitted
  
  

• Status changes or requests for more information (Standard plan)
  
  

• When issued, marked as approved, or paid

You’ll receive completion confirmation by email so you have a clear record of what was filed and how it was resolved.

 Yes. If you begin with a lower-support plan and decide you’d prefer us to handle more of the process, you can upgrade. We’ll continue from wherever the application currently stands.

Yes. We can step in on a partially completed permit or rebate application. We’ll first review what’s already been submitted and what the city, county, or utility has requested.

Pricing for takeover work depends on how far along the application is when you come to us. Contact Us!

Cancel pre-prep: If you cancel before we start preparing your application, you may be eligible for a full refund. 

Post-work: Once we’ve begun document review, preparation, or submission, a partial refund may apply because administrative work has already been started.

Our error? If a filing is rejected due to an error on our side, we correct it and resubmit at no additional charge. 

Unavoidable denial? If a filing is denied for reasons outside our control (such as ineligible equipment, expired programs, or missing documents we never received), refunds usually aren’t available because the work to prepare and submit the application has already been done.

 Work completed: No refund.

 Yes. Your documents are stored in secure, encrypted cloud storage with restricted internal access. We only share your information with the agencies and programs that need it to process your permit or rebate (such as a city building department, county office, or utility rebate program).

No selling/marketing use.

 Yes. Contractors, installers, and property managers regularly use Permit & Rebate Hub to offload permit and rebate paperwork across multiple projects.

Right now, each job can be submitted through our intake process, and we manage the filings for you. Our Pro-level solutions are designed to make multi-job management even easier, with consolidated tracking and reporting. If you handle repeat or high-volume work, contact us  and we’ll help you choose the best setup.

Currently, yes. Our primary focus is California building departments, utilities, and rebate programs.

We’re familiar with how California jurisdictions and energy providers operate, which allows us to move faster and reduce back-and-forth on your filings. Expansion into additional states may be added in the future, and any new service areas will be clearly listed on our website.