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Solar permitting — St. Joseph County, Michigan

FIPS 26149

0 indexed meetings (0 energy-related), 0 PSC dockets, 0 news items, 6 known opposition groups.

B
St. Joseph County, MI
Risk score 41.0/100 · Full scorecard →
Compliance: ModerateSolar ordinance on fileTrajectory: StableSaturation: Low

SW Michigan; PJM/AEP; active agricultural solar; PA 233 provides certainty. Permitting: Saint Joseph County/Township: CUP in applicable zoning district; 300-ft max / 100-ft min setbacks. Track record: no prior utility-scale solar on

Permitting process

Local permitting pathway

Saint Joseph County/Township: CUP in applicable zoning district (sub-50 MW). ≥50 MW subject to MPSC siting unless CREO adopted.

Setbacks & buffers

State default (PA 233/2024): 100 ft from property line; 300 ft from dwellings; 100 ft from water bodies

Spacing requirements

None codified.

Size restrictions

None codified; managed via CUP/SUP conditions

Penalties & bonding

No penalties or adjustments. Standard CUP/SUP process.

State-level permits & approvals

PA 233 of 2023 (HB 5120) — effective Nov 29, 2024: MPSC has siting authority for solar ≥50 MW, wind ≥100 MW, storage ≥50 MW / 200 MWh, unless affected local unit has adopted a Compatible Renewable Energy Ordinance (CREO) meeting state setback/height minimums. If CREO in place, developer must use local process; if no CREO or CREO is more restrictive than PA 233, developer may go directly to MPSC. MPSC may overrule local denial; if it does, local unit loses CREO status for future projects. 21 minimal conditions apply to all MPSC-approved projects (fencing, acoustics, decommissioning bond, etc.). As of Mar 2026, multiple townships and counties have sued MPSC challenging PA 233 implementation. Projects <50 MW solar / <100 MW wind: local CUP/SUP process governs under township/county zoning. MISO interconnection required. Most of MI in MISO; SE corner (Lenawee, Monroe, parts of Wayne) in PJM via AEP.

State policy & grid context

State RPS & clean energy policy

60% renewable by 2035, 100% clean by 2040 | PA 235 (2023) / Clean Energy and Jobs Act | MCL 460.1001 et seq.

State incentive programs

Michigan Renewable Energy Standard (PA 295/PA 342): 15% by 2021 (met); Michigan EGLE: state agency oversees environmental permitting for solar under MI PA 233 (2023) and PA 235 (2023). MI PA 233/235 (enacted Nov 2023): new state preemption for solar ≥50 MW — county renewable energy overlay or state MPSC review. Net metering: PA 235 of 2023 raised DG cap to 10% of utility peak load; DTE Energy, Consumers Energy offer net metering programs. MI EGLE grants: Community Resilience Grant for local solar/storage. Utility: DTE Energy serves SE MI/Detroit metro; Consumers Energy serves mid-Michigan; Upper Peninsula Power (UPPCO) serves some UP areas; various electric cooperatives rural.

Grid & interconnection

PJM / AEP Ohio (SE Michigan corner)

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Energy-related meetings & dockets P1

No meetings indexed yet for this jurisdiction.

State PSC dockets P1

No PSC dockets matched to this county yet.

Local news P3

News ingestion not yet active for this county (GDELT/RSS pipeline pending).

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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 2026-06-10. See the county risk scorecard or the full Michigan permitting index.