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Penn State Center for Energy Law and Policy Pennsylvania Solar Ordinance Database

Provision coverage

Of the 300 local governments with a solar ordinance on record, the share that address each of the 59 ordinance types, from most to least common. Open a type to see which municipalities address it, and follow one to its relevant text.

Height 168 of 300 56%

168 municipalities address “Height”

Setbacks and location restrictions 160 of 300 53%

160 municipalities address “Setbacks and location restrictions”

Fencing, site screening, landscaped buffers 157 of 300 52%

157 municipalities address “Fencing, site screening, landscaped buffers”

Decommissioning (see "Site Restoration" for related requirements) 156 of 300 52%

156 municipalities address “Decommissioning (see "Site Restoration" for related requirements)”

Design 150 of 300 50%

150 municipalities address “Design”

Glare 145 of 300 48%

145 municipalities address “Glare”

Undergrounding of on-site lines 143 of 300 48%

143 municipalities address “Undergrounding of on-site lines”

Site Restoration (See "Decommissioning") 132 of 300 44%

132 municipalities address “Site Restoration (See "Decommissioning")”

Financial assurance (in addition to or in lieu of bond) 122 of 300 41%

122 municipalities address “Financial assurance (in addition to or in lieu of bond)”

Safety, equipment labeling, and warning signs; see "Fencing..." for security fencing requirements 119 of 300 40%

119 municipalities address “Safety, equipment labeling, and warning signs; see "Fencing..." for security fencing requirements”

Sign restrictions (aesthetic purposes) 116 of 300 39%

116 municipalities address “Sign restrictions (aesthetic purposes)”

Local Ordinance Compliance 108 of 300 36%

108 municipalities address “Local Ordinance Compliance”

Screening (See also "Fencing, site screening, and landscaped buffers") 105 of 300 35%

105 municipalities address “Screening (See also "Fencing, site screening, and landscaped buffers")”

Nonexclusive Accessory Use (other types of use allowed) 104 of 300 35%

104 municipalities address “Nonexclusive Accessory Use (other types of use allowed)”

Lot size for utility-scale solar (minimum/maximum) 84 of 300 28%

84 municipalities address “Lot size for utility-scale solar (minimum/maximum)”

Impervious surface treatment; see also "Lot coverage" for related requirements 83 of 300 28%

83 municipalities address “Impervious surface treatment; see also "Lot coverage" for related requirements”

Solar rights/solar access/solar easements/skyspace 82 of 300 27%

82 municipalities address “Solar rights/solar access/solar easements/skyspace”

Interconnection (proof of) 80 of 300 27%

80 municipalities address “Interconnection (proof of)”

Land development plan (specific to utility-scale solar) 76 of 300 25%

76 municipalities address “Land development plan (specific to utility-scale solar)”

Access roads (private on-site roads) 75 of 300 25%

75 municipalities address “Access roads (private on-site roads)”

Proof of federal and state permits 73 of 300 24%

73 municipalities address “Proof of federal and state permits”

Repair 71 of 300 24%

71 municipalities address “Repair”

Soils--agricultural 71 of 300 24%

71 municipalities address “Soils--agricultural”

Conditional use 70 of 300 23%

70 municipalities address “Conditional use”

Permitted use (principal solar or utility-scale solar) 68 of 300 23%

68 municipalities address “Permitted use (principal solar or utility-scale solar)”

Exclusive Accessory Use (solar panels only allowed as accessory use within the municipality) 67 of 300 22%

67 municipalities address “Exclusive Accessory Use (solar panels only allowed as accessory use within the municipality)”

Lighting 62 of 300 21%

62 municipalities address “Lighting”

Heat Load (result of positioning of equipment) 61 of 300 20%

61 municipalities address “Heat Load (result of positioning of equipment)”

Public input (See also "Contact Info.") 61 of 300 20%

61 municipalities address “Public input (See also "Contact Info.")”

Stormwater management 61 of 300 20%

61 municipalities address “Stormwater management”

Lot coverage; see also "Impervious use treatment" for related requirements 60 of 300 20%

60 municipalities address “Lot coverage; see also "Impervious use treatment" for related requirements”

Pollinator plants/vegetation preservation and maintenance 52 of 300 17%

52 municipalities address “Pollinator plants/vegetation preservation and maintenance”

Installer Qualifications 51 of 300 17%

51 municipalities address “Installer Qualifications”

Noise 50 of 300 17%

50 municipalities address “Noise”

Bond--posting required; see also "Financial assurance" for related requirements; see also "Decommissioning" for related requirements 47 of 300 16%

47 municipalities address “Bond--posting required; see also "Financial assurance" for related requirements; see also "Decommissioning" for related requirements”

Environmental protection (e.g., trees, wetlands) 46 of 300 15%

46 municipalities address “Environmental protection (e.g., trees, wetlands)”

Contact Information 45 of 300 15%

45 municipalities address “Contact Information”

Encroachment of commercial/utility-scale solar facility on other uses 44 of 300 15%

44 municipalities address “Encroachment of commercial/utility-scale solar facility on other uses”

Emergency Response Plan 40 of 300 13%

40 municipalities address “Emergency Response Plan”

Fire code 40 of 300 13%

40 municipalities address “Fire code”

Lease agreement (proof of required) 31 of 300 10%

31 municipalities address “Lease agreement (proof of required)”

Insurance 27 of 300 9%

27 municipalities address “Insurance”

Incidental Sale to Utility (see Accessory Use categories for related requirements) 26 of 300 9%

26 municipalities address “Incidental Sale to Utility (see Accessory Use categories for related requirements)”

Wiring 25 of 300 8%

25 municipalities address “Wiring”

Historic Structures/Districts 24 of 300 8%

24 municipalities address “Historic Structures/Districts”

Accessory uses to commercial/utility-scale solar energy systems ***this means uses that accompany large-scale solar systems 21 of 300 7%

21 municipalities address “Accessory uses to commercial/utility-scale solar energy systems ***this means uses that accompany large-scale solar systems”

Public roads--use for wind or solar equipment transport; road bonding 21 of 300 7%

21 municipalities address “Public roads--use for wind or solar equipment transport; road bonding”

Stated Purpose of Solar Ordinance 21 of 300 7%

21 municipalities address “Stated Purpose of Solar Ordinance”

Reporting 20 of 300 7%

20 municipalities address “Reporting”

Parking 19 of 300 6%

19 municipalities address “Parking”

Special Use 19 of 300 6%

19 municipalities address “Special Use”

Agrivoltaics (solar + farming -- grazing or crops) 16 of 300 5%

16 municipalities address “Agrivoltaics (solar + farming -- grazing or crops)”

Signal Interference 16 of 300 5%

16 municipalities address “Signal Interference”

Agricultural provisions--see "Soils-agricultural" and "agrivoltaics" 13 of 300 4%

13 municipalities address “Agricultural provisions--see "Soils-agricultural" and "agrivoltaics"”

Non-conformance 12 of 300 4%

12 municipalities address “Non-conformance”

Second principal use solar 12 of 300 4%

12 municipalities address “Second principal use solar”

Off-site Transmission Lines 9 of 300 3%

9 municipalities address “Off-site Transmission Lines”

Change of Ownership 8 of 300 3%

8 municipalities address “Change of Ownership”

Entries that still need to be placed within a category above (with new rows added to avoid overriding other text) 1 of 300 0%

1 municipality addresses “Entries that still need to be placed within a category above (with new rows added to avoid overriding other text)”