A white label plan set arrives in your inbox with your logo already on it. The next person to read it is a plan checker, and the comment letter will carry your company name, not the vendor’s. That is why the review between “received” and “submitted” matters more than the vendor’s own QC promise.
Quick answer. A white label solar design QA checklist is the receiving-side review an installer runs before submitting a vendor-drafted plan set under its own brand. It checks six things: branding and title block, code basis, electrical consistency, structural basis, fire and layout rules, and release control. The goal is simple. Every value on every sheet must trace to the site survey, the spec sheets, or the adopted code.
TL;DR
- Your brand is on the set, so the correction risk is yours. Review before you submit.
- Use the 36 checks below, grouped into six sections you can split between two reviewers.
- Most checks are cross-document matches: SLD vs spec sheets vs layout vs utility application.
- Confirm the code editions the AHJ has adopted. Do not trust the edition printed in a template.
- If a sheet is sealed, the seal must belong to an engineer licensed in that state. Any later edit needs a dated revision.
This guide is written for the US installer’s operations manager or permit coordinator. If you are still deciding whether to use a white label vendor at all, start with how white label solar design services work. This page assumes the vendor is chosen and the first sets are arriving.
Why does a white label plan set need its own QA step?
The vendor’s QC checks its own work against its own templates. Your QA checks the set against your site, your equipment and your AHJ. Those are different questions.
A vendor may draft from a survey photo that missed a vent pipe. It may use last quarter’s inverter datasheet, or apply a template written for a neighboring county. None of those are drafting errors in the vendor’s eyes, but each one can trigger a correction comment.
There is also a brand question. Under a white label arrangement, the AHJ, the utility and the homeowner only see your name. The vendor-side QC process is useful, but it does not replace a final read by the company that owns the submission.
How should you split the white label solar design QA checklist?
Split the checklist by skill, not by sheet. A permit coordinator can run branding, completeness and release control. A designer or electrician should run the electrical and structural sections.
| Section | Checks | Suggested reviewer | What it catches |
|---|---|---|---|
| A. Branding and title block | 6 | Permit coordinator | Wrong address, wrong logo, vendor name left in a field |
| B. Code basis | 5 | Designer | Template edition drift, missing local amendments |
| C. Electrical | 9 | Designer or electrician | SLD, wire and OCPD mismatches |
| D. Structural | 5 | Designer | Wrong roof data, wrong load basis |
| E. Fire and layout | 5 | Designer | Pathway and setback errors |
| F. Release control | 6 | Permit coordinator | Unsealed edits, stale revisions, missing documents |
Run sections A and F on every set. Run B through E fully on the first ten sets from a new vendor, then on a sample once the error log is clean.
Section A: branding and title block checks
These look trivial. They are also the checks a homeowner or utility notices first.
- Company name, license number and address match your current contractor license record.
- Project address and parcel match the permit application exactly, including unit numbers.
- No vendor names remain in title blocks, file names, PDF metadata, layer names or drawn-by fields.
- Sheet index lists every sheet in the set, and every listed sheet is present.
- Revision block shows revision 0 or the correct current revision, with a date.
- Homeowner name is spelled as on the application and nowhere else is a previous customer’s name.
Fast tip. Open the PDF document properties before you submit. Author and producer fields often carry the vendor's company or software name even when every visible sheet is clean.
Section B: code basis checks
A plan set is only as good as the code edition it was drawn to. Templates drift, and US jurisdictions do not adopt new editions at the same time.
- NEC edition cited on the cover matches the edition the AHJ enforces. Use the state-by-state NEC adoption guide and confirm locally.
- Building, residential and fire code editions (IBC, IRC, IFC) match local adoption.
- ASCE 7 edition used for wind and snow matches the adopted building code.
- Local amendments are noted where the AHJ publishes them, such as altered fire pathways.
- Section numbers match the cited edition. For example, the NEC 120% busbar method is numbered differently in the 2017 and 2020 editions. A citation copied from an old template can be wrong even when the math is right.
Section C: electrical checks for the white label solar design
This is where most cross-document errors live. Print the single-line diagram and the spec sheets side by side.
- Module and inverter models on the SLD match the spec sheets, the BOM and the utility application.
- Module count and string configuration match the roof layout sheet.
- String voltage at the record low temperature stays within inverter limits. Check the temperature source used.
- Conductor sizes and OCPD ratings agree between the SLD, the wire schedule and the calculation sheet.
- Point of interconnection method is stated and the math is shown. For a load-side breaker, check the NEC 705 interconnection calculation, including the 125% factor on inverter output current.
- Main panel and busbar ratings match the site survey photos, not a default value.
- Rapid shutdown method under NEC 690.12 is identified, with the initiating device location shown.
- Labels and placards sheet matches the actual equipment and rapid shutdown type.
- Grounding and bonding notes reference the racking manufacturer’s listed method.
Section D: structural checks
Structural comments are slow to clear because they often need a new calculation, not a drafting fix.
- Roof type, pitch and framing (rafter size, spacing, span) match the survey.
- Wind speed, exposure category and ground snow load are stated, with their source.
- Attachment spacing on the layout matches the spacing in the calculation.
- Racking and attachment models match the spec sheets included in the set.
- Structural letter or calculation is site-specific, not a generic letter with a new address pasted in.
If the AHJ requires an engineer’s seal on the structural work, check who sealed it and in which state. Our guide on how to read a PE-stamped solar drawing shows what to check on the seal block.
Section E: fire and layout checks
Fire pathway rules change with roof coverage, sprinklers and local amendments. Check the actual rule, not the template’s default.
- Ridge setback matches the adopted rule. Under the 2021 International Fire Code, Section 1205.2.1.2, arrays covering 33 percent or less of the plan view roof area need an 18-inch setback on both sides of a horizontal ridge. Larger arrays need 36 inches (ICC text via UpCodes).
- Access pathways from eave to ridge are shown at the required width and on the required roof planes.
- Emergency escape openings have a clear pathway where the code requires one.
- Obstructions such as vents, skylights and chimneys are drawn where the survey shows them.
- Equipment locations (disconnects, meter, inverter, battery) match what the utility and fire department expect to find.
Your local fire authority may amend these dimensions. Verify with the AHJ before you treat any default as final. Our guide to fire setbacks and usable roof area shows how these rules shrink an array.
Section F: release control checks
A correct set can still fail if the wrong version goes out. These checks protect the submission itself.
- Every required document is attached: spec sheets, structural letter, labels, application forms. Compare against the solar permit package checklist.
- No edits after sealing. Under the NCEES Model Rules (August 2025), Section 240.20 E, any revision to a sealed document must be described and dated. Revisions by another engineer need that engineer’s seal (NCEES Model Rules). Your state board’s rule governs.
- Digital seals open as valid in a PDF reader where the AHJ accepts digital signatures.
- File names follow the AHJ portal’s naming rules.
- Your error log is updated with any defect found, by section and vendor.
- A named person on your side approved the set, with the date.
Watch out. Never edit a sealed PDF yourself to fix a typo. Send it back to the vendor so the engineer of record can revise, date and reseal it.
What should you do with the defects you find?
Log each defect with the check number, the sheet and the vendor. After a few weeks, the log tells you which section fails most often.
Use that log in three ways:
- Feedback to the vendor. Send the pattern, not just the single fix, so they can change the template.
- Sampling rate. Reduce full reviews only for sections with a clean record.
- Contract terms. Use the log when you agree revision rules and turnaround in your solar design SLA.
When a set does come back with comments, the redline and resubmission guide covers the response process.
How long should the QA review take?
There is no published standard for this, and it depends on system size and how clean the vendor’s sets are. Time your own first ten reviews and use that as your baseline.
A practical rule: if the review regularly takes longer than drafting would have, the problem is the vendor’s input or template quality. Fix the intake form and the template before adding reviewers.
How Heaven Designs helps
Heaven Designs prepares solar permit design plan sets that US installers can submit under their own brand. We work from your survey data, equipment list and AHJ requirements, and we revise when your QA review or the plan checker raises a comment.
If you want to test the format first, download design samples and run them through the 36 checks above. To scope a white label setup for your volume, get a quote. We reply within one business day.
FAQ
Who is responsible for errors in a white label solar plan set?
Your company submits the set, so the AHJ and customer deal with you. Your contract with the vendor decides who pays for rework. Engineering responsibility for sealed sheets sits with the engineer whose seal is on them, under the state board’s rules.
Can I remove the vendor’s name from sealed drawings?
You can ask the vendor to issue the set with your branding before sealing. Do not alter a sealed sheet yourself. Any change after sealing needs a dated revision by the licensed engineer.
How many sets should I fully review from a new vendor?
Review every set fully until your defect log shows a stable, low error pattern. Many teams use a fixed number, such as the first ten, then move to sampling by section.
Does a white label vendor’s QC replace my review?
No. The vendor checks its work against its templates. You check the set against your survey, your equipment and your AHJ, which the vendor may not fully see.
What is the most useful single check?
Cross-match the SLD, the spec sheets, the roof layout and the utility application. A mismatch between these documents is easy to spot and is a common reason for a correction comment.