Does Merced County, California have a solar moratorium?

No. As of 2026-08-03, Merced County, California has no active solar moratorium on record. Score has been stable over the last 12 months.

What is Merced County’s solar permitting risk grade?

Merced County, California has a SitePath solar permitting grade of C — risk score 47/100 (Elevated Risk). Grades are based on primary-source county ordinances, board votes, and permitting activity, reviewed as of 2026-08-03.

What are the solar permitting rules in Merced County, California?

Ordinance status: Active solar ordinance on the books. Score has been stable over the last 12 months. See the full primary-source record — ordinance links, setbacks, board actions, and project history — on this page.

SitePath › County map › California › Merced County

California

Merced County

FIPS 06047

Merced County, California: solar permitting grade C (score 47/100, Elevated Risk). Score has been stable over the last 12 months. Primary-source ordinance and board-vote data on SitePath.

Score 47/100

Elevated Risk

Public summary

Grade	C · Elevated Risk · Score 47/100
Population	286,461
Solar ordinance	Active solar ordinance on the books
Active moratorium	None on record
Regulatory trajectory	Stable (no material ordinance movement)
12-month score movement	Stable
Last verified	2026-08-03

Developer outlook

Merced County carries elevated permitting risk. Developers should budget additional time for ordinance review, public hearing preparation, and community engagement. California's state RPS policy provides a supportive macro backdrop for renewables, even where individual county ordinances are restrictive. Market saturation is elevated in this area — expect competition for prime land parcels and interconnection capacity.

Local intel

On file: energy-related meetings

2026-02-10Solar
Board of Supervisors approved a 160-acre expansion for the Las Camas Solar Overlay · agenda
2026-01-28Solar
Planning Commission heard the Las Camas Solar ~160-acre expansion (GPA25-003/ZC25-003/CUP25-016) and recommended approval to the Board; PC minutes not yet… · agenda
2026-01-14Solar
Las Camas Solar expansion item was continued to a future meeting. · agenda

See full meetings + dockets + opposition tracking →

Cities, towns & townships

Local governments in Merced County. An incorporated city, town or village can adopt its own zoning, separate from the county’s.

Atwater city
Dos Palos city
Gustine city
Livingston city
Los Banos city
Merced city

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, incorporated places and county subdivisions with an active government.

Nearby counties

Stanislaus County · ≈30 miC46—
San Benito County · ≈45 miC47—
Mariposa County · ≈51 miB36—
Santa Clara County · ≈53 miD53—
Madera County · ≈54 miB39—
San Joaquin County · ≈59 miD52—

Compare these counties side-by-side →

Merced County ranks #35 of 58 ranked California counties (1 = lowest permitting risk). Lowest-risk in California: Colusa County (A · 23), Glenn County (A · 25), Siskiyou County (A · 29). See all California county grades →

Want the full record?

Setback distances, board vote histories, source documents, and ordinance amendments are available in the full county profile. The map is free; a walkthrough shows you the underlying record.

Open the full Merced County profile → Request a demo

About this score

Every U.S. county is scored 0–100 on solar permitting risk (lower is friendlier to development). The grade is a weighted composite of compliance stringency, market saturation, regulatory trajectory, and data uncertainty. Every figure traces back to a primary government document. Read the full methodology →