Solar permitting — McLennan County, Texas
On file: public meetings, local news, known opposition groups.
No active county solar moratorium (adjudicated 2026-09-08). Permitting: No enacted county solar ordinance. Track record: Waco Solar Farm — 150 MW, Open Road Solar, Waco City PPA, operational late 2023. Project Pepper — 120 MWac/156. Political environment: Re
Key driver: Grade B: No moratorium, three major projects approved/operational, proving permitting pathway exists. Risk elevated by divided Commissioners Court with skeptical leadership (Judge Felton, Commissioner Jones vocal opposition to solar incentives), absence of explicit solar-friendly ordinance, and potential resistance to future tax abatement approvals under SB 819 (2025) restrictions. Projects advancing despite political friction — functional B county.
Permitting process
Local permitting pathway
No enacted county solar ordinance; projects navigate standard county and TCEQ permitting. Waco Solar Farm and Project Pepper both received Commissioners Court tax abatement approvals despite board skepticism, establishing a precedent for project advancement.
Setbacks & buffers
No solar-specific county setback requirements codified [TBV].
Spacing requirements
None codified — no county zoning. No inter-project spacing requirements in unincorporated Texas.
Size restrictions
None.
State-level permits & approvals
No state siting board for solar in Texas. PUCT regulates utilities; ERCOT manages interconnection for ERCOT service territory (most of state); SPP governs Panhandle/northwest TX. County Commissioners Court governs unincorporated areas under Texas Local Government Code. Many rural TX counties have NO zoning authority — solar is essentially by-right without county approval requirement. HB 2527 (2023) requires counties with solar ordinances to provide a 'reasonable' permitting framework. No statewide preemption prevents county restrictions. ERCOT interconnection queue is severely congested — grid study delays of 2-4+ years common.
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State policy & grid context
State RPS & clean energy policy
5,880 MW by 2015 (reached 2009) | Senate Bill 7 (1999) — capacity-based RPS | PURA §39.904
State incentive programs
Texas has no state RPS mandate. Key incentives: Federal ITC (30% base + bonus adders for energy communities/domestic content). Property tax abatement via Chapter 312/313 successor frameworks (county-level negotiation required). ERCOT wholesale market provides strong merchant revenue stack. No state income tax benefits developer HQ decisions. USDA REAP available for rural projects.
Grid & interconnection
ERCOT
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Battery storage (BESS) P1 State-Default Permitting
No confirmed county BESS ordinance
BESS ordinances & bylaws
Tracked storage projects
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.
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
Halo color matches the energy category tagged on each meeting.
- 2026-06-16 OtherSolar
Authorization of Road Use Agreement with Pepper Solar Farm, LLC H.
- 2026-06-16 OtherData Center
Carla Garcia addressed the Court regarding the proposed data center on North Katy Road in Precinct 3.
- 2026-06-02 OtherData Center
Amy Gage addressed the Court regarding the Al Data Center in Elm Mott, McLennan County, else speak, County JudgeTX.
- 2026-05-19 OtherSolar
Recording of Certification Statement / Compliance Letter for Markum Solar Farms, LLC f/k/a Glory Leasing, LLC Tax Abatement Agreement c.
- 2026-05-19 OtherSolar
McLennan County recorded certification statements and compliance for two agreements related to tax abatement and industrial business grants.
- 2026-02-17 OtherData Center
Discussion of a proposed data center in Elm Mott…
- 2026-01-06 OtherData Center
County Judge Felton closed the hearing on a proposed data center in Northeast McLennan County.
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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.