San Bernardino County – Solar Energy Development Standards

San Bernardino County’s Solar Energy Development Standards include standards and permit procedures for the establishment, maintenance and decommissioning of solar energy generating facilities.

Setbacks: Solar energy generating equipment and their mounting structures and devices shall be set back from the property line either pursuant to the standards in the Land Use Zoning District, or 130 percent of the mounted structure height, whichever is greater.

Glare: Solar energy facilities shall be designed to preclude daytime glare on any abutting residential land use zoning district, residential parcel, or public right-of-way.

Night Lighting: Outdoor lighting within a commercial solar energy generation facility shall comply with the provisions of Chapter 83.07 of the Development Code.

Public Safety Services Impact Fees: The developer of an approved commercial solar energy generation facility shall pay a fee on an annual basis according to parcel size. The fee per acre is $580 for parcel size between 0 to 4.99 acres, $280 for 5 to 14.99 acres and $157 for parcel size of 15 acres or greater.

Alternatively, the developer of an approved commercial solar energy generation facility shall pay an annual public services impact fee on a per acre basis based on a project-specific study of the project’s public safety services impacts.

Special Use Permit: A Special Use Permit (SUP) from County of San Bernardino Code Enforcement is required prior to the start of construction. The SUP shall be renewed annually subject to annual inspections and the payment of fees required in Subsection (d) of this Section. 

Project Notices: Owners of property located within 1,000 feet of the external boundaries of the parcel of the proposed site, or owners of property located up to 20 separate parcels away but not to exceed one quarter mile (1,320 feet), whichever is greater. Notification shall be accomplished upon acceptance of a new Conditional Use Permit application or a revision to an approved action application for a commercial solar energy generation facility.