Solar permitting — Madera County, California
On file: known opposition groups.
San Joaquin Valley county with flat agricultural land enabling utility-scale solar development; less developed. Permitting: Conditional Use Permit; 200-ft max / 100-ft min setbacks. Track record: Madera Solar (~20 MW, 2021, San Joaqu…
Key driver: San Joaquin Valley county with flat agricultural land enabling utility-scale solar development; less developed pipeline than Fresno to the north but growing; PG&E transmission accessible; Williamson Act land adds process but removal of marginal parcels is achievable; Sierra Nevada foothills portions not suitable for large-scale; actively growing solar market with moderate compliance friction; B-grade with B-C characteristics
Permitting process
Local permitting pathway
Conditional Use Permit (CUP); CEQA review; Williamson Act contract non-renewal required for contracted agricultural land
Setbacks & buffers
200 ft from occupied residences; 100 ft from property lines
Spacing requirements
None specified
Size restrictions
Projects >1 MW require CUP; Williamson Act parcels require NOC or cancellation
Penalties & bonding
No penalties or adjustments. Standard CUP/SUP process.
State-level permits & approvals
County zoning + CEQA review required; CEC siting jurisdiction for projects >50 MW on state/federal land; Coastal Commission review for coastal zone; DRECP DFAs streamline desert county permitting
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State policy & grid context
State RPS & clean energy policy
60% by 2030, 100% zero-carbon by 2045 | SB 100 (2018) + SB 1020 (2022) | Pub. Util. Code §399.11 et seq.
State incentive programs
Federal ITC eligible; California Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP) for storage; CA Renewables Portfolio Standard procurement; CPUC approved procurement programs
Grid & interconnection
CAISO — PG&E Balancing Authority
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Battery storage (BESS) P1 State-Default Permitting
No confirmed standalone county BESS ordinance — except: San Diego County (100 ft setback from residential/institutional/educational); Los Angeles County (10 ft setback from property lines and building
Local BESS ordinances & bylaws
County-level battery-storage status, safety requirements, and projects — each linked to a primary source.
Community opposition P1
Organized opposition signals on record for this county — petitions, community groups, and oppositional coverage — each linked to its primary source.
- AI Data Centers Are Destroying the Earth and Our Health. ... Data center
- California’s newest wind farm is old enough to order at the bar Wind
SitePath maintains the most complete community-opposition dataset available, refreshed continuously from primary sources.
Subscriber intel Subscribers
Researched for this county and available with a subscription:
- Project track record
- Developer intelligence
- Governing board
Energy-related meetings & dockets P1
No tracked activity yet — coverage expands weekly.
State PSC dockets P1
No tracked activity yet — coverage expands weekly.
Local news P3
No tracked activity yet — coverage expands weekly.
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