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Linn County, OR — Solar Development Risk Assessment

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

46.8
Risk Grade
Good
Willamette Valley EFU prime farmland creates political and regulatory tension for utility-scale solar; Oregon Farm Bureau active in opposing farmland conversion; growing Albany market supports distributed solar; HB 4023 agrivoltaic pathway may help reduce opposition for compatible agrivoltaic designs
Assessment Snapshot
Population
128610
State Rank
#17
Compliance
50%
Trajectory
40

Moratorium Status

✓ No Active Moratorium
No

Ordinance & Regulations

Setback Requirements
100 ft from property lines; 200 ft from residences; screening required from rural highways
Zoning Mechanism
EFU (Exclusive Farm Use — prime Willamette Valley farmland); Forest (F); Rural Residential (RR); Albany, Lebanon, Sweet Home, Halsey, Harrisburg, Brownsville, Sodaville urban zones
Acreage Caps
No formal county cap but CUP conditions have limited project sizes
Spacing Rules
None specified
Size Restrictions
ODOE >35 MW; Oregon Farm Bureau participation in CUP proceedings; county CUP; LCDC Goal 3 agricultural land review

Board Sentiment & Political Risk

Sentiment Analysis
Mixed — Albany and Lebanon moderate; rural EFU areas cautious about solar conversion of prime farmland; Oregon Farm Bureau active; some commissioners have expressed farmland preservation concerns; Democrat-Herald coverage shows public debate
Basis for Assessment
Linn County planning records 2019-2024; Albany Democrat-Herald newspaper; Oregon Farm Bureau Linn County chapter records; LCDC Goal 3 compliance records
Political Risk Factors
Cautious-Stable — moderate conservative county; Albany and Lebanon are politically mixed; Oregon Farm Bureau active in opposing EFU solar conversion; some county officials have expressed farmland preservation concerns
Board Members
Will Tucker (Chair), Roger Nyquist, Sherrie Sprenger

Grid, Utilities & State Context

Grid Operator
Pacific Power (PacifiCorp); BPA (Willamette Valley transmission corridor)
Utilities
Pacific Power (PacifiCorp), Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB) in small southern Linn County areas
State Permitting Process
ORS 215 EFU CUP; LCDC Goal 3 agricultural lands; ODOE >35 MW; Linn County Zoning Ordinance; HB 4023 agrivoltaic
State Incentives
Eligible — Oregon Solar + Storage Rebate Program; Energy Trust of Oregon

Development Activity

Active/Completed Projects
None verified
Denied/Withdrawn Projects
1

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