SolarRisk Tracker / Explore / CA / San Bernardino

San Bernardino County, CA — Solar Development Risk Assessment

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

28.2
Risk Grade
Excellent
Premier US utility-scale solar county; DRECP DFA coverage across vast Mojave Desert, SCE and LADWP offtake demand, massive completed portfolio and active pipeline, and strongly supportive Board of Supervisors create top-tier development environment; enormous land base means saturation risk remains low despite large pipeline; some tortoise habitat mitigation costs in sensitive desert areas
Assessment Snapshot
Population
2181000
State Rank
#2
Compliance
18%
Trajectory
22

Moratorium Status

✓ No Active Moratorium
No specific moratorium information available.

Ordinance & Regulations

Setback Requirements
DRECP DFA standard: 50 ft from property lines; road/utility setbacks per project; additional requirements for desert tortoise habitat avoidance in DRECP mitigation
Zoning Mechanism
DRECP DFA: streamlined permitting; BLM NEPA for federal land; county CUP for private non-DFA land; Board of Supervisors broadly supportive
Spacing Rules
Per project design; desert tortoise avoidance required in sensitive areas
Size Restrictions
No size cap; DRECP DFA covers hundreds of thousands of viable acres across Mojave Desert

Board Sentiment & Political Risk

Sentiment Analysis
Generally favorable; significant county revenue and construction jobs from desert solar; desert communities such as Needles, Barstow, and Twentynine Palms broadly supportive
Basis for Assessment
San Bernardino County Planning Dept records; DRECP federal register; BLM Desert District records; SCE/LADWP PPA disclosures; CA Energy Commission project database
Political Risk Factors
Very Favorable; county actively promotes desert solar for economic development; significant tax revenue from large projects
Board Members
Curt Hagman | R | 2026; Janice Rutherford | R | 2026; Dawn Rowe | R | 2026; Jesse Armendarez | R | 2028; Joe Baca Jr. | D | 2028

Grid, Utilities & State Context

Grid Operator
CAISO — Southern California Edison (SCE) and LADWP Balancing Authorities
Utilities
Southern California Edison (SCE), Los Angeles DWP (LADWP)
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
70
Denied/Withdrawn Projects
5

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