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Modoc County, CA — Solar Development Risk Assessment

Local solar ordinance barriers, board sentiment, and utility policies that affect development timelines and risk.

46.2
Risk Grade
Good
Extreme northeastern California's most remote county; very low population (~8,900); large land area (2.5M acres) but limited grid connectivity; PG&E service at end of long transmission lines with constrained capacity; Surprise Valley area has some solar irradiance but no interconnection infrastructure; no developer pipeline; declining population; county planning staff capacity extremely limited; B-grade reflects low friction but also limited viability
Assessment Snapshot
Population
8889
State Rank
#22
Compliance
38%
Trajectory
38

Moratorium Status

✓ No Active Moratorium
No specific moratorium information available.

Ordinance & Regulations

Setback Requirements
150 ft from occupied residences; 50 ft from property lines
Zoning Mechanism
Conditional Use Permit (CUP); CEQA review; very limited county planning staff capacity; BLM Surprise Field Office governs federal land
Acreage Caps
None specified
Spacing Rules
None specified
Size Restrictions
Projects >500 kW likely require CUP; no formal threshold tested

Board Sentiment & Political Risk

Sentiment Analysis
Neutral — extremely sparse population (~2/sq mi); no organized solar advocacy or opposition; very limited developer engagement
Basis for Assessment
No recorded public hearings or board votes on solar; no developer engagement on record
Political Risk Factors
Stable
Board Members
Geri Byrne | R | 2026; Jeff Pendergrass | R | 2028; Mike Sherrill | R | 2026; Ned Coe | R | 2028; James Chapman | R | 2026

Grid, Utilities & State Context

Grid Operator
CAISO — PG&E Balancing Authority
Utilities
Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E)
State Permitting Process
County zoning + CEQA review required; CEC siting jurisdiction for projects >50 MW on state/federal land; Coastal Commission review for coastal zone; DRECP DFAs streamline desert county permitting
State Incentives
Federal ITC eligible; California Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP) for storage; CA Renewables Portfolio Standard procurement; CPUC approved procurement programs

Development Activity

Active/Completed Projects
No utility-scale projects on record; no applications filed

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Last verified: April 2026 (web research) | SolarRisk Tracker | Data sources: Government records, utility filings, public meeting minutes