Understanding a solar project's setback, zoning, and permit requirements across local jurisdictions is essential for developers. Transect simplifies this process by providing a preliminary assessment of the required permits and regulations, giving you a central place to see all the state, federal, and local permit requirements at a glance.
Local Solar Regulations only appear when your Project Type is Renewable Energy Generation and your Project Subtype is Solar or Mixed Use + Solar. If your Project Subtype doesn't include Solar, this section won't show up. Storage and wind projects have their own regulatory considerations, which aren't covered in this release.
Here's what we'll cover in this article:
Key Features of Local Solar Regulations
Local Solar Regulations (LSR) help solar developers quickly identify which county-level ordinances apply to their project. Here's what LSR covers:
- Solar-Related Permits: Identify any permits you might need — often labeled "conditional use" or "special use" permits.
- Setbacks: See how far your solar farm needs to sit from roads, homes, power lines, railroad lines, and property boundaries.
- Size Limits: Get details on height restrictions for solar arrays, plus caps on overall acreage or capacity.
- Zoning Information: Determine which zoning categories (like agricultural, commercial, or industrial) permit solar farm construction.
- Solar Moratoriums: Check for temporary bans on solar development — similar to what you'd find in Solar Pulse.
- Contact Information: Get phone numbers or email addresses for the county or the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) to verify information or ask questions.
- Additional Information: Catch any other jurisdiction-specific solar requirements not covered elsewhere.
Have questions about our current coverage? Just reach out to support@transect.com.
Viewing Local Solar Regulations in your Transect Report
To view the Local Solar Regulations in your report, select Permit Matrix from the left-side navigation. This page will show you the solar regulations that apply to your area of interest.
If a local solar regulation applies within your AOI, you'll see information on at least one of the following: Permits, Setbacks, Size Limits, Zoning Information, or Additional Information.
Moratoriums
If there's an active moratorium in your area of interest, you'll see a red banner at the top of the Permit Matrix, along with a summary at the top of the Local Permits section.
Setbacks
Here you'll find the required distance solar projects must maintain from roads, homes, power lines, railroad lines, and more — all set by the AHJ to keep things safe and interference-free. These setbacks are typically laid out in local zoning regulations.
Size Limits
This section covers height restrictions on solar arrays, along with limits on total acreage or capacity. These caps are usually in place to address visual impact, property values, and environmental concerns.
Permits
This section highlights the jurisdiction's required solar permits — including Special Use, Conditional Use, Major Use, Minor Use, Solar, Use, Land Use, and Zoning. To view source information, click the 
icon next to the collected date.
Zoning Information
This section shows which zones allow solar farm construction — typically industrial or commercial, though agricultural zones may also qualify under certain conditions.
Additional Information
This section captures any other relevant solar regulations that don't fall under Permits, Setbacks, Size Limits, or Zoning — giving you a complete picture of the requirements that apply to your site.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Where does this data come from?
We check all publicly available sources and official county websites, which usually captures most counties in a given state. If you have counties of interest without local permit data in Transect for states in our coverage area, contact support and our team will contact the AHJ directly on your behalf. - How often is this data refreshed?
We monitor official sources for updates and periodically re-review every covered jurisdiction. - What project types does this work for?
This model is built specifically for local permits tied to solar projects. When setting up your report, just select Renewable Energy Generation as the project type and Solar or Mixed Use + Solar as the project sub-type.