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Solar permitting — Woodbury County, Iowa

FIPS 19193

19 news items, 1 known opposition group.

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Woodbury County, IA
Risk score 36/100 · Full scorecard →
Compliance: ModerateTrajectory: StableSaturation: Low

W Iowa; Sioux City; urban/suburban; Morningside/Briar Cliff colleges; active solar in agricultural areas; loca. Permitting: Woodbury County Planning & Zoning: CUP/SUP in Agricultural district.; 200-ft setback. Track record: Neal Sola…

Key driver: W Iowa; Sioux City; urban/suburban; Morningside/Briar Cliff colleges; active solar in agricultural areas; local CUP

Permitting process

Local permitting pathway

Woodbury County Planning & Zoning: CUP/SUP in Agricultural district.

Setbacks & buffers

State guidance: 50-200 ft from property lines typical; county-by-county variation

Spacing requirements

None codified.

Size restrictions

None codified; managed via CUP/SUP conditions

Penalties & bonding

Total penalty: +15 | Hostile ordinance flag: +15

State-level permits & approvals

Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) generating certificate required for projects ≥25 MW (Iowa Code §478). Projects <25 MW: local CUP/SUP under county/township zoning governs. No statewide preemption of local ordinances — Iowa is a strong local-control state. County boards have full authority to restrict or deny solar below 25 MW threshold. Active local opposition movement in many agricultural counties; several moratoriums and restrictive ordinances enacted 2021–2024. IUB certificate does not override local zoning for sub-25 MW projects. MISO interconnection territory statewide.

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Full permitting requirements

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State policy & grid context

State RPS & clean energy policy

105 MW total (first state RPS, 1983) | Alternative Energy Production Law | Iowa Code §476.41-476.44

State incentive programs

Iowa Renewable Energy Standard: minimal (105 MW aggregate mandate met since late 1990s). Net metering: IUC-regulated utilities (MidAmerican Energy, Alliant IPL) offer net metering under Iowa Code §476A; programs vary by cooperative. Property tax exemption: 5-year exemption for solar equipment added via IA Code §427B.26. MidAmerican Energy planning 800 MW new solar at ~6 IA sites by 2028 (filed IUC Feb 17 2025). Utility: MidAmerican Energy serves Des Moines metro, western/central IA; Alliant Energy/IPL serves eastern/southern IA; rural areas served by 60+ electric cooperatives.

Grid & interconnection

MISO / MidAmerican Energy (MEC) zone

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Full state policy & grid detail

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Community opposition P1 1 tracked

Organized opposition signals on record for this county — petitions, community groups, and oppositional coverage — each linked to its primary source.

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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

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12 more news items

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Data sources: public agendas/minutes from local government sites; PSC dockets from state regulators; news from GDELT and curated RSS; sentiment derived from public meeting transcripts. Last refreshed 2026-07-12. See the county risk scorecard or the full Iowa permitting index.