Solar permitting — San Bernardino County, California
On file: local news, known opposition groups, court cases.
Premier US utility-scale solar county; DRECP DFA coverage across vast Mojave Desert, SCE and LADWP offtake dem. Permitting: DRECP DFA: streamlined permitting; 200-ft max / 30-ft min setbacks. Track record: denial on record — eGroup Solar — 184-…
Key driver: Premier US utility-scale solar county; DRECP DFA coverage across vast Mojave Desert, SCE and LADWP offtake demand, massive completed portfolio and active pipeline, and strongly supportive Board of Supervisors create top-tier development environment; enormous land base means saturation risk remains low despite large pipeline; some tortoise habitat mitigation costs in sensitive desert areas
Permitting process
Local permitting pathway
DRECP DFA: streamlined permitting; BLM NEPA for federal land; county CUP for private non-DFA land; Board of Supervisors broadly supportive
Setbacks & buffers
≥200 ft from all occupied structures; height ≤30 ft for tracker systems.
Spacing requirements
Per project design; desert tortoise avoidance required in sensitive areas
Size restrictions
No size cap; DRECP DFA covers hundreds of thousands of viable acres across Mojave Desert
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 — Southern California Edison (SCE) and LADWP Balancing Authorities
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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
BESS ordinances & bylaws
Tracked storage projects
Full records for this county are part of a SitePath subscription.
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.
- Lawmakers push a bill to impose an AI data center ... Data center
- Temecula-area tourism groups weigh in against proposed power line project – Press Enterprise General
- Verdict is still out on San Bernardino County's solar moratorium Solar
- California sets precedent by overriding local blockade to advance 1.2 GWh Soda Mountain BESS Storage
- E-Group Solar unapproved after Twentynine Palms hearing; 18 of 22 speakers opposed Solar
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
- Litigation & legal challenges
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
- 2026-08-28 Off Grid In Antelope Valley Rvers Elude Homeless Count
- 2026-08-27 Californias Extreme Heat Soaring Utility Bills Make Cooling Unaffordable For Millions
- 2026-08-20 California Investing 95M For More Ev And Hydrogen Fueling Stations
- 2026-08-07 Virginia Firm Drops Plans For Battery Storage Site In Coyote Valley
- 2026-05-26 Terra Gen Lockhart Iii Solar Project Reaches Commercial Operations 0001
- 2026-05-21 Renewable Energy News Cnte Lockhart Iii Solar Project Terra Gen 1Komma5 53479
- 2026-05-20 Terra Gen Lockhart Iii Solar Project Reaches Commercial Operations 302777922
- 2026-05-20 Daily On Energy Trump Pipeline Chief Permitting Negotiations Ev Sales
- 2026-05-20 Caiso Approves Transmission Plan Enabling 45Gw Of New Solar…
- 2026-05-20 Renewable Energy News Nordex Res Terra Gen 53467
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