It’s essential for developers understand a project’s setback, zoning, and permit requirements in local jurisdictions. Transect simplifies this process by providing a preliminary assessment of the required local permits and regulations, which saves developers time and provides a central location for all (state, federal, and local) permits.
In this article, we’ll review the:
This feature is still currently in BETA and should act as a first pass for local permits. If you’re ready to move forward with development, we highly recommend ordering a Local Environment Regulations report from the Marketplace. With this request, our Environmental Specialists will call jurisdictions to confirm permitting requirements when it is not available online.
Overview
- Solar-Related Permits: LSR identifies permits you might need, often called "conditional use" or "special use" permits.
- Setbacks: Find out how far your solar farm needs to be from roads, homes, power lines, railroad lines, and property boundaries.
- Size Limits: Learn about restrictions on the height of solar arrays and the overall acreage or capacity of your solar project.
- Zoning Information: Determine which zoning categories (like agricultural, commercial, or industrial) allow solar farm construction.
- Solar Moratoriums: LSR includes information on any temporary bans on solar development, similar to what you'd find in Solar Pulse.
- Contact Information: Get phone numbers or email addresses for county or authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) contacts to verify information or ask questions.
As of June 2025, there is 80%+ county-level coverage in 6 states: CA, IL, NM, AZ, CO and TX. Additional states and coverage will be added throughout the year.
Locating Local Solar Regulations in your Transect Report
You can locate the Local Solar Regulations found in your report by selecting Permit Matrix from the left-side toolbar. On this page, you’ll be shown the relevant local floodplain and solar regulations for your area of interest.
If a local solar permit is found within your AOI, you’ll receive information about at least one of the following recommendations: Permits Found, Setbacks Found, Size Limits Found, and Zoning Information. You can select Click Here for Source to be routed to the source data.
Permits Found
This section highlights the jurisdiction’s required solar permits—including Special Use, Conditional Use, Major Use,Minor Use, Solar, Use, Land Use, and Zoning— and will include links to the relevant source material. When available, the floodplain permit application will also be included.
Setbacks Found
This section indicates the distance required for solar projects to be from roads, housing, transmission lines, and railroad lines to ensure safety and prevent interference. These setbacks are typically specified in local zoning regulations.
Size Limits Found
This section will provide any height restrictions of solar arrays or the total acreage or capacity of the installation. These limits are designed to address concerns about visual impact, property values, and environmental impacts.
Zoning Information Found
This section showcases the zones permitted for solar farm construction, including industrial or commercial zones, but may also be permitted in agricultural zones with certain conditions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does this data come from?
We first check publicly available online sources and official county websites. If we can't find what we need online, we'll try to contact the county directly. If we still can't get the information, we'll try again during the next update.
How should we approach inaccuracies in this data?
We have noticed that occasionally information is categorized under the wrong jurisdiction. In this case, we recommend providing feedback within the Permit Matrix: 
How often is this data refreshed?
It depends on the source. If we are pulling the data from online codifiers, it will be refreshed monthly. If we are calling or emailing, it will be refreshed yearly.
What project types does this work for?
This model works specifically for local permits associated with solar projects. When running a report, you would select the project type as Renewable Energy and the project sub-type as Solar, Mixed Use, or Other Renewable.