Pennsylvania solar ordinance provisions
4,900 provisions from 300 local governments across 57 counties. Filter and sort below, then share the link. Your filters travel with the URL.
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| Ordinance type | Local government | County | Relevant text | Citation & source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decommissioning (see "Site Restoration" for related requirements) | Adams County | Adams County | "Decommissioning
1. The Solar Energy Production Facility owner is required to notify the County immediately upon cessation or abandonment of the operation. The facility shall be presumed to be discontinued or abandoned if no electricity is generated by such facility for a period of twelve (12) continuous months.
2. The facility owner shall then have twelve (12) months in which to dismantle and remove the facility, including all solar related equipment and appurtenances related thereto, including but not limited to buildings, cabling, electrical components, roads, foundations, solar facility connections, and other associated facilities.
3. To the extent possible, the materials shall be re-sol… | 1028.P.1 to 1028.P.7 (2022) [pg. 133-134 of linked PDF] View source (opens in a new tab)Entered May 23, 2024 |
| Design | Adams County | Adams County | "The design of the facility shall conform to applicable industry standards, including those of the American National Standards Institute. The facility developer shall submit certificates of design compliance obtained by the equipment manufacturers from Underwriters Laboratories (UL), IEEE, Solar Rating and Certification Corporation (SRCC), ETL, or other similar certifying organizations." | 1028.O (2022) [pg. 133 of linked PDF] View source (opens in a new tab)Entered May 22, 2024 |
| Design | Adams County | Adams County | "Building Permit Required – The installation of solar panels shall be subject any permitting and inspections with regard to applicable provisions of the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code (UCC) in addition to any permitting required to demonstrate compliance with the provisions of this Ordinance. Issuance of any required building permitting shall be listed as a condition of approval for the Zoning Permit required by this Ordinance." | 1027.C.2 (2022) [pg. 131 of linked PDF] View source (opens in a new tab)Entered May 23, 2024 |
| Environmental protection (e.g., trees, wetlands) | Adams County | Adams County | "No portion of the facility, exclusive of access driveways to the facility, shall be located within any floodplain regulated by the local municipal Floodplain Management Ordinance. No portion of the facility, including access driveways to the facility, shall be located within a designated wetland." | 1028.D (2022) [pg. 132 of linked PDF] View source (opens in a new tab)Entered May 23, 2024 |
| Environmental protection (e.g., trees, wetlands) | Adams County | Adams County | "B. The structures comprising the facility shall be constructed and located in a manner so as to minimize the necessity to remove existing trees upon the lot. In no event shall wooded acreage comprising more than two percent (2%) of the deeded acreage of the lot be removed.
C. Where wooded acreage is removed, land area equivalent to two (2) times the area of wooded acreage removed shall be shall be planted with trees at a sufficient density to re-establish a forest in the setting. At a minimum, at least fifty-five (55) trees per acre shall be planted. Such trees shall be depicted on a Landscaping Plan submitted in conjunction with the Land Development Plan for the site. The trees shall be su… | 1028.B & 1028.C (2022) [pg. 132 of linked PDF] View source (opens in a new tab)Entered Not recorded |
| Fencing, site screening, landscaped buffers | Adams County | Adams County | "The facility shall be enclosed by a fence, barrier, or similar structure with a minimum height of eight (8) feet to prevent or restrict unauthorized persons or vehicles from entering the property." | 1028.K (2022) [pg. 133 of linked PDF] View source (opens in a new tab)Entered May 23, 2024 |
| Fencing, site screening, landscaped buffers | Adams County | Adams County | "A twenty-five (25) foot wide, densely planted, landscaped buffer shall be installed around the outside of the required fence, barrier, or similar structure. Such buffer shall meet the following requirements." | 1028.M (2022) [pg. 133 of linked PDF] View source (opens in a new tab)Entered May 22, 2024 |
| Financial assurance (in addition to or in lieu of bond) | Adams County | Adams County | "At the time of issuance of the Zoning Permit for the construction of the facility, the owner shall provide financial security in the form and amount acceptable to the Borough to secure its obligations under this Section.
a. The facility developer shall, at the time of application, provide the Borough with an estimate of the cost of performing the decommissioning activities required herein, together with an administrative and inflation factor of twenty-five percent (25%) to account for the cost of obtaining permits to complete said activities. The estimate may include an estimated salvage and resale value, discounted by a factor of twenty percent (20%).
The decommissioning cost estimate form… | 1028.P.8 (2022) [pg. 134-135 of linked PDF] View source (opens in a new tab)Entered May 23, 2024 |
| Glare | Adams County | Adams County | "The facility shall be designed and located in order to prevent reflective glare toward any inhabited buildings on adjacent properties as well as toward any adjacent street rights-of-way." | 1028.N (2022) [pg. 133 of linked PDF] View source (opens in a new tab)Entered May 23, 2024 |
| Glare | Adams County | Adams County | "Glare from ground mounted solar panels shall be directed away from adjoining properties or street rights-of-way. Fences or vegetative screens may be utilized to prevent glare from impacting adjoining properties or street rights-of-way." | 1027.B.5 (2022) [pg. 131 of linked PDF] View source (opens in a new tab)Entered May 23, 2024 |
| Height | Adams County | Adams County | "Solar arrays shall not exceed ten (10) feet in height. For fixed solar arrays, height shall be measured at the highest point of the solar array above ground level. For solar arrays designed to be able to change the angle of the individual solar panels, height shall be measured with the solar array oriented at maximum tilt." | 1028.F (2022) [pg. 132 of linked PDF] View source (opens in a new tab)Entered May 23, 2024 |
| Height | Adams County | Adams County | "Ground mounted solar panels shall not exceed a height of ten (10) feet." | 1027.B.3 (2022) [pg. 131 of linked PDF] View source (opens in a new tab)Entered May 23, 2024 |
| Land development plan (specific to utility-scale solar) | Adams County | Adams County | "The facility shall receive Land Development Plan approval in accordance with the local Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance. Should Special Exception review of the facility occur prior to Land Development Plan submission, Special Exception approval shall include a condition that the applicant achieve Land Development Plan approval." | 1028.A (2022) [pg. 132 of linked PDF] View source (opens in a new tab)Entered May 23, 2024 |
| Lighting | Adams County | Adams County | "The facility shall not be artificially illuminated except to the extent required by safety or by any applicable federal, state or local authority." | 1028.I (2022) [pg. 133 of linked PDF] View source (opens in a new tab)Entered Not recorded |
| Local Ordinance Compliance | Adams County | Adams County | "Building Permit Required – The installation of solar panels shall be subject any permitting and inspections with regard to applicable provisions of the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code (UCC) in addition to any permitting required to demonstrate compliance with the provisions of this Ordinance. Issuance of any required building permitting shall be listed as a condition of approval for the Zoning Permit required by this Ordinance." | 1027.C.2 (2022) [pg. 131 of linked PDF] View source (opens in a new tab)Entered May 23, 2024 |
| Lot coverage; see also "Impervious use treatment" for related requirements | Adams County | Adams County | "In calculating the maximum lot coverage, portions of the solar panels may be considered pervious if the criteria within the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) FAQ document entitled "Chapter 102 Permitting for Solar Panel Farms," dated January 2, 2019, as may be updated or amended, has been met." | 1027.B.4 (2022) [pg. 131 of linked PDF] View source (opens in a new tab)Entered May 23, 2024 |
| Pollinator plants/vegetation preservation and maintenance | Adams County | Adams County | "B. The structures comprising the facility shall be constructed and located in a manner so as to minimize the necessity to remove existing trees upon the lot. In no event shall wooded acreage comprising more than two percent (2%) of the deeded acreage of the lot be removed.
C. Where wooded acreage is removed, land area equivalent to two (2) times the area of wooded acreage removed shall be shall be planted with trees at a sufficient density to re-establish a forest in the setting. At a minimum, at least fifty-five (55) trees per acre shall be planted. Such trees shall be depicted on a Landscaping Plan submitted in conjunction with the Land Development Plan for the site. The trees shall be su… | 1028.B & 1028.C (2022) [pg. 132 of linked PDF] View source (opens in a new tab)Entered Not recorded |
| Proof of federal and state permits | Adams County | Adams County | "Building Permit Required – The installation of solar panels shall be subject any permitting and inspections with regard to applicable provisions of the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code (UCC) in addition to any permitting required to demonstrate compliance with the provisions of this Ordinance. Issuance of any required building permitting shall be listed as a condition of approval for the Zoning Permit required by this Ordinance." | 1027.C.2 (2022) [pg. 131 of linked PDF] View source (opens in a new tab)Entered May 23, 2024 |
| Safety, equipment labeling, and warning signs; see "Fencing..." for security fencing requirements | Adams County | Adams County | "Clearly visible warning signs shall be placed on the required fence, barrier, or similar structure to inform individuals of potential voltage hazards." | 1028.L (2022) [pg. 133 of linked PDF] View source (opens in a new tab)Entered May 23, 2024 |
| Setbacks and location restrictions | Adams County | Adams County | "No portion of the facility, exclusive of access driveways to the facility, shall be located within any floodplain regulated by the local municipal Floodplain Management Ordinance. No portion of the facility, including access driveways to the facility, shall be located within a designated wetland." | 1028.D (2022) [pg. 132 of linked PDF] View source (opens in a new tab)Entered May 23, 2024 |
| Setbacks and location restrictions | Adams County | Adams County | "Ground mounted solar panels shall not be permitted by-right in any front yard. The Zoning Hearing Board may authorize, by special exception, the installation of a ground mounted solar panel in a front yard if the applicant demonstrates that, due to solar access limitations, no location exists on the property other than the front yard where the solar panel can perform effectively. " | 1027.B.2 (2022) [pg. 131 of linked PDF] View source (opens in a new tab)Entered May 23, 2024 |
| Setbacks and location restrictions | Adams County | Adams County | "The location of solar arrays and all other accessory structures and buildings shall be subject to fifty (50) foot setbacks from all property lines, or to the setback requirements of the underlying zoning district, whichever is greater. " | 1028.E (2022) [pg. 132 of linked PDF] View source (opens in a new tab)Entered May 23, 2024 |
| Site Restoration (See "Decommissioning") | Adams County | Adams County | "2. The facility owner shall then have twelve (12) months in which to dismantle and remove the facility, including all solar related equipment and appurtenances related thereto, including but not limited to buildings, cabling, electrical components, roads, foundations, solar facility connections, and other associated facilities.
3. To the extent possible, the materials shall be re-sold or salvaged. Materials that cannot be re-sold or salvaged shall be disposed of at a facility authorized to dispose of such materials by Federal or State law.
4. Any soil exposed during the removal shall be stabilized in accordance with applicable erosion and sediment control standards.
5. Any access drive pave… | 1028.P.1 to 1028.P.7 (2022) [pg. 134 of linked PDF] View source (opens in a new tab)Entered May 23, 2024 |
| Soils--agricultural | Adams County | Adams County | "4. Any soil exposed during the removal shall be stabilized in accordance with applicable erosion and sediment control standards."
"7. Any necessary permits, such as Erosion and Sedimentation and NPDES permits, shall be obtained prior to decommissioning activities." | 1028.P.4 & 1028.P.7 (2022) [pg. 134 of linked PDF] View source (opens in a new tab)Entered May 23, 2024 |
| Stormwater management | Adams County | Adams County | "Stormwater management for the facility shall be in accordance with the local municipal Stormwater Management Ordinance and the DEP FAQ document entitled "Chapter 102 Permitting for Solar Panel Farms," dated January 2, 2019, as may be updated or amended, as applicable." | 1028.H (2022) [pg. 133 of linked PDF] View source (opens in a new tab)Entered May 23, 2024 |