Solar permitting — Garrett County, Maryland
1 indexed meeting (1 energy-related), 4 news items.
Most rural and mountainous MD county; ski/lake resort identity; limited flat agricultural land; no ordinance;. Permitting: No Garrett County solar ordinance. ≥2 MW: MD PSC CPCN required. ≥1 MW: HB1036 preempts cou;…
Key driver: Most rural and mountainous MD county; ski/lake resort identity; limited flat agricultural land; no ordinance; minimal developer interest
Permitting process
Local permitting pathway
No Garrett County solar ordinance. ≥2 MW: MD PSC CPCN required. ≥1 MW: HB1036 preempts county prohibition. <1 MW: County general zoning/building permit applies. Appalachian Power (APCo) serves Garrett County.
Setbacks & buffers
Garrett County: no solar-specific setback ordinance. STATE STANDARD (HB1036/SB931, eff. July 1 2025) for ≥1 MW: ≤100 ft from property lines; ≤150 ft from residential dwelling; ≥50 ft from road ROW for fencing. General AG district setbacks apply for smaller projects. MD PSC CPCN (≥2 MW): PSC sets conditions including setbacks in CPCN order.
Spacing requirements
No Garrett County spacing requirements.
Size restrictions
No Garrett County size restrictions beyond state law: ≥1 MW preempts county prohibition; ≥2 MW needs PSC CPCN; ≥5 MW not in growth areas. No MD state BESS mandate.
Penalties & bonding
No penalties or adjustments. Standard CUP/SUP process.
State-level permits & approvals
Local county zoning permit: conditional use or special exception at county level; no uniform statewide solar permitting standard. PPRP (Power Plant Research Program, MD DNR): environmental review for generating facilities ≥70 MW; PSC CPCN required for projects ≥70 MW. Projects <70 MW: county-level permitting only. No statewide preemption of local solar ordinances. Net metering: systems up to 2 MW (residential up to 2× annual load). All MD in PJM territory. Maryland has the largest solar carve-out in the U.S. at 14.5% by 2028 (MD Code, PUC §7-703).
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State policy & grid context
State RPS & clean energy policy
50% by 2030 (14.5% solar carve-out) | Clean Energy Jobs Act (2019) + CESA (2022) | Md. Code Ann. PUA §7-703
State incentive programs
Maryland Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (RPS): 50% by 2030; solar carve-out 14.5% by 2028 — drives strong SREC demand. Maryland SREC market: PSC-administered; ~$50-80/SREC 2023-2024 for Tier 1 Maryland SRECs. Maryland Solar Access Program (Brighter Tomorrow Act 2024): $750/kW up to $7,500 for income-qualifying residential customers. Maryland Community Solar: community solar program active statewide. Maryland PSC: approval required for utility-owned solar; IPP projects via county/local process. Utility: BGE (Eversource) serves Baltimore metro; Pepco serves Montgomery/PG County; Delmarva Power serves Eastern Shore; SMECO serves Southern MD; Potomac Edison (FirstEnergy) serves western MD.
Grid & interconnection
PJM / Potomac Edison (FirstEnergy) transmission zone
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Community opposition P1
No organized opposition on record for this county yet — no petition, group, or oppositional coverage tracked. Absence of opposition is a positive siting signal.
Subscriber intel Subscribers
Researched for this county and available with a subscription:
- 🔒Project track record
- 🔒Developer intelligence
- 🔒Community & board sentiment
- 🔒Governing board
- 🔒Sentiment rollup
Energy-related meetings & dockets P1
1 meeting indexed for this jurisdiction; none flagged as discussing solar, BESS, data centers, wind, or transmission yet. Coverage expands weekly.
State PSC dockets P1
No tracked activity yet — coverage expands weekly.
Local news P3
- 2026-04-02 Us Adds 26 6 Gw Of Solar In 2025 As Renewables Dominate
- 2025-12-31 Marylands Largest Solar Project Launches On Old Coal Mine
- 2025-12-30 Cpv Begins Operations At Maryland S Largest Solar Project 0001
Full records for this county are part of a SitePath subscription.
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