42.2

Risk Grade

Good

Flat Sacramento Valley with very low density; conservative development-friendly Board of Supervisors seeking property tax revenue; PG&E interconnection with adequate capacity; Williamson Act constrains prime rice land but non-prime and fallow land viable; small planning department makes processing efficient for appropriately scoped projects; solid secondary California solar market

Assessment Snapshot

Population

98000

State Rank

Compliance

38%

Trajectory

Moratorium Status

✓ No Active Moratorium

No specific moratorium information available.

Ordinance & Regulations

Setback Requirements

50 ft from property lines; additional setbacks from residences; case-by-case

Zoning Mechanism

CUP via Sutter County Planning Commission; Board of Supervisors final; CEQA standard review

Acreage Caps

None formal

Spacing Rules

Not specified; case-by-case

Size Restrictions

Prime rice land excluded by Williamson Act; non-prime and fallow land viable

Board Sentiment & Political Risk

Sentiment Analysis

Favorable; conservative rural county with development-friendly BOS; agricultural community accepts solar on non-prime land as revenue diversification; no organized opposition

Basis for Assessment

Sutter County Planning Commission records; CA Energy Commission project data; Williamson Act records; PG&E interconnection queue

Political Risk Factors

Conservative; development-friendly; Board of Supervisors receptive to solar as agricultural economy diversification and property tax revenue

Board Members

James Gallagher | R | 2026; Dan Flores | R | 2028; Jim Whiteaker | R | 2026; Pau Heer | R | 2028; Larry Munger | 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

Denied/Withdrawn Projects

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Sutter County, CA — Solar Development Risk Assessment