Solar permitting — Yellowstone County, Montana
On file: local news, known opposition groups.
Most active commercial/utility solar market in MT; queue backlog most serious constraint; residential solar… Permitting: Conditional Use Permit. Track record: denial on record — MTSUN Solar Farm — 80 MW, 2024, Board
Key driver: Most active commercial/utility solar market in MT; queue backlog most serious constraint; residential solar mature; large acreage sites available east of Billings
Permitting process
Local permitting pathway
Conditional Use Permit (CUP) or Special Use Permit (SUP) in Agricultural (A) or Rural zoning district; administered by county planning board or zoning board of adjustment. Process varies by county; most counties lack solar-specific ordinance.
Setbacks & buffers
Occupied dwellings: SOLAR ENERGY FACILITIES – continued (b) Height: The maximum height for a ground-mounted SEF shall be as follows: (1) Residential districts: 10 feet (2) All other districts: 20 feet (c) Setbacks: Ground-mounted SEFs shall comply with the following setback standards: (1) All SEFs shall meet the setbac
Spacing requirements
None codified.
Size restrictions
None codified; managed via CUP/SUP conditions
Penalties & bonding
Total: -5 | Permissive ordinance flag: -5
State-level permits & approvals
Sub-250 MW: county-level CUP or SUP in agricultural/rural zone; county planning board or BZA approval; process and timelines vary by county (typically 60–180 days). Facilities ≥250 MW nameplate: Montana Major Facility Siting Act (MCA 75-20) — requires BER siting certificate; full environmental review. MPSC regulates net metering interconnection for qualifying facilities. No state preemption statute; counties retain full authority for sub-250 MW.
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State policy & grid context
State RPS & clean energy policy
15% by 2015 (target passed; still in force) | Montana Renewable Power Production and Rural Economic Development Act (2005) | MCA §69-3-2001 et seq.
State incentive programs
Montana: No binding RPS. Voluntary 15% renewable goal (expired 2015). Net metering: available under MPSC rules (≤50 kW residential, up to 5 MW commercial). Property tax exemption: renewable energy systems exempt from state property tax (MCA 15-6-225). No state solar production tax credit or SREC market. Federal ITC (30% under IRA 2022) and USDA REAP grants apply. NorthWestern Energy community solar program limited in capacity.
Grid & interconnection
WECC / NorthWestern Energy (NorthWestern Corp) transmission zone
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Battery storage (BESS) P1 State-Default Permitting
No confirmed county BESS ordinance.
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.
- As WA’s coal ban looms, Montana wind fills only some of the energy gap Wind
- News of Interest Solar
- Yellowstone County Dems are seeking two-year moratorium on large data centers in Montana Data center
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
- 2026-09-26 After Weeks Of Public Outcry Yellowstone County Asks State To Clarify 2025 Data Center Law
- 2026-08-14 Butte Activist Group Sues County Seeks Right To Vote On Proposed Data Centers
- 2026-06-03 Broadview Woman Seeking Signatures To Fight Proposed Data Center
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