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Solar permitting — Pacific County, Washington

FIPS 53049

No tracked activity yet — coverage expands weekly.

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Pacific County, WA
Risk score 41/100 · Full scorecard →
Compliance: ModerateTrajectory: StableSaturation: Low

Lowest solar irradiance in Washington (3. Permitting: Pacific County: CUP in Agricultural and Resource zones. Track record: no prior utility-scale solar on record — greenfield jurisdiction; no established approval precedent in this…

Key driver: Lowest solar irradiance in Washington (3.1 kWh/m²/day) fundamentally limits utility-scale viability; coastal marine layer is persistent; very small market for any solar investment pathway.

Permitting process

Local permitting pathway

Pacific County: CUP in Agricultural and Resource zones; Pacific County Planning Dept and Board of County Commissioners.

Setbacks & buffers

No county-specific solar setbacks; coastal resource protection regulations apply near shorelines.

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

Large facilities (≥350 MW): EFSEC exclusive jurisdiction. <350 MW: county CUP/SUP; no statewide preemption floor. SEPA review required. GMA energy siting required in comprehensive plans. SMA applies near shorelines. Critical Areas Ordinances: wetlands, fish habitat, flood zones require county CAO compliance. Ag land conversion: county-specific farmland protection policies apply.

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Full permitting requirements

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State policy & grid context

State RPS & clean energy policy

100% clean by 2045 | Clean Energy Transformation Act / SB 5116 (2019) | RCW 19.405

State incentive programs

Washington Clean Energy Transformation Act (CETA/SB 5116, 2019): IOUs carbon-neutral by 2030; 100% carbon-free by 2045. Net metering: ≤100 kW IOU customers under WUTC; PUDs set individual limits. RESIP: production incentives for ≤100 kW systems. Sales & use tax exemption (RCW 82.08.962). Property tax exemption (RCW 84.36.635). Community solar via PSE, SnoPUD, Tacoma Power, Clark Public Utilities, and most WA PUDs. PACE financing in participating counties. Federal ITC: 30% (IRA 2022); 10% low-income adder for qualifying projects.

Grid & interconnection

WECC / BPA Transmission — Pacific Power and Pacific County PUD service territory; SW coastal WA grid

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Full state policy & grid detail

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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.

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Researched for this county and available with a subscription:

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Energy-related meetings & dockets P1

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State PSC dockets P1

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Sentiment rollup P2

No sentiment rollup yet (requires meeting transcripts to be processed).

Local news P3

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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 2026-07-08. See the county risk scorecard or the full Washington permitting index.