Burlington County, NJ — Solar Development Risk Assessment

No Moratorium

Burlington County: setbacks governed by individual municipality AND Pinelands CMP where applicable. Pinelands: buffer requirements from wetlands/streams per CMP. Typical NJ municipal: ≥100 ft property line; ≥200–300 ft from dwellings; ≤15 ft height. Pinelands wetlands: no solar within 300 ft of freshwater wetlands in Preservation Area.

Burlington County: municipal planning board (MLUL). Pinelands Area: Pinelands Commission Certificate of Filing required. Non-Pinelands: standard MLUL D variance or conditional use.

Moderate — active solar development; Pinelands constraints significant; non-Pinelands portions receptive

Largest NJ county by area; Pinelands Area covers major portion; Pinelands Commission approval required adds regulatory layer; agricultural portions outside Pinelands active solar market

Improving

Local municipal zoning approval required; no statewide preemption of local ordinances. DEP Office of Permitting and Project Navigation: coordination required for large non-rooftop solar (CAFRA permits for coastal areas, Freshwater Wetlands, Flood Hazard, Stormwater). BPU SREC-II pre-construction registration required for incentive eligibility. PJM interconnection required. NJ Pinelands Commission approval required for projects in Pinelands Area. Historic districts (Cape May, Princeton) require architectural review board approval. DEP Guidance Document for Construction of Solar PV Arrays available at dep.nj.gov/cleanenergy.

NJ SuSI SREC-II (Successor Solar Incentive) Program: fixed $85/MWh payment for 15 years for net-metered systems <5 MW; grid supply solar subject to competitive TRECs/variable rate. NJ Sales Tax Exemption: solar equipment purchases fully exempt. NJ Successor Solar Incentive (SuSI) Registered Solar Program: for larger commercial arrays. NJ Community Solar: pilot program expanded to permanent program 2024 (Board of Public Utilities). NJ RPS: 35% renewable by 2025; 50% by 2030; significant solar carve-out. Utility: PSE&G serves northern NJ; JCP&L (FirstEnergy) serves central NJ; Atlantic City Electric (Exelon/ACE) serves southern NJ; Rockland Electric serves Bergen/Essex/Warren areas.

Jacobstown Solar | part of 28 MW (AC) total | Burlington County | Community Energy Inc. | one of few farmland projects approved by NJ BPU after 2012 Solar Act | JCP&L 34.5 kV interconnection | operational Multiple community solar (CSEP) and SuSI-eligible projects | ACE + JCP&L service territory overlap | active pipeline

No confirmed denial on record for Burlington County as of Mar 2026. NJ solar regulated at municipal level (565 municipalities) — denial data fragmented across municipalities. Contact NJBPU for CSEP application status.