Solar permitting — McCormick County, South Carolina
2 news items.
Active Moratorium; moratorium expires —confirm expiration with county planning. Permitting: CUP via McCormick County Planning Board; 150-ft max / 50-ft min setbacks. Track record: McCormick Solar (~18 MW, 2022, Aiken Electric Cooperative PPA). Political environment: Republican
Key driver: McCormick earns B grade as SC's smallest and least-populated county — regulatory barriers are low, the council is receptive, and the economic case for solar lease income is compelling; moderate setback requirements near lake buffers are the only notable constraint; one operating project confirms viability
Permitting process
Local permitting pathway
CUP via McCormick County Planning Board; County Council approval for >5 MW
Setbacks & buffers
150 ft from residential structures; 100 ft from lake or stream buffers; 50 ft from road ROW; 50 ft from property lines
Spacing requirements
Not specified
Size restrictions
None codified; managed via CUP/SUP conditions
Penalties & bonding
Total penalty: +28 | Active moratorium: +28
State-level permits & approvals
County zoning authority; no state solar preemption; special exception or conditional use permit typically required for utility-scale (>1 MW); decommissioning bond increasingly required
Full records for this county are part of a SitePath subscription.
State policy & grid context
State RPS & clean energy policy
No binding RPS | None | Energy Freedom Act (2019) addresses solar but no state RPS
State incentive programs
Federal ITC eligible; SC state income tax credit for solar (25% up to $35,000 for commercial); SC Energy Freedom Act net metering provisions
Grid & interconnection
SERC-SE; Duke Energy Carolinas
Full records for this county are part of a SitePath subscription.
Battery storage (BESS) P1 State-Default Permitting
No confirmed county BESS ordinance.
Local BESS ordinances & bylaws
County-level battery-storage status, safety requirements, and projects — each linked to a primary source.
Community opposition P1
No organized opposition on record for this county yet — no petition, group, or oppositional coverage tracked. Read that as nothing found, not as nothing there: absence of records is not evidence of local support.
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
Filter by grade, state, moratorium status, and compliance stringency. Compare counties side by side.