Cumberland County, PA — Solar Development Risk Assessment

No Moratorium

None codified at county level. Municipal (township/borough) setbacks govern.

Municipal Planning Board/Zoning Hearing Board: CUP or Special Exception. No county-level siting authority in PA; each municipality has own zoning ordinance.

Generally receptive — growing suburban economy; some farmland preservation sentiment in rural townships

Growing suburban county with remaining agricultural land in south/west; moderate solar activity; strong economic development interest

Stable

Local permit: Conditional Use or Special Exception in agricultural zoning district; governed by PA Municipalities Planning Code (MPC), 53 P.S. §10101 et seq. No statewide preemption of local ordinances — municipalities and counties may restrict or prohibit utility-scale solar without state override. ~5% of PA's 2,559 municipal codes explicitly address grid-scale solar (Penn State Dickinson Law, 2023); most projects require ordinance amendment or variance. No state CPCN requirement for solar. Net metering available under PA Act 35 of 2007. AEPS Act 213 of 2004: ~18% renewable energy standard; no significant solar carve-out.

PA Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard (AEPS): 18% Tier I renewable by 2021 (met); no solar-specific carve-out in AEPS — PA's renewable credit market is small vs. NJ/MD. Net metering: PA Act 35 of 2007; net metering for systems up to 5 MW; PPL, PECO, Met-Ed, West Penn, Penelec, Penn Power offer programs. SREC market: very limited; PA SRECs trade at near-floor value. USDA REAP grants and loans: available for rural projects. PACE financing: available in Allegheny, Philadelphia, and other PA counties. Solar not preempted: all PA utility-scale permitting at local zoning level. Utility varies by county: PECO (Philadelphia/SE PA); PPL (eastern/central PA); West Penn Power (FirstEnergy, SW/western PA); Met-Ed (eastern border); Penelec (Allegheny/NW PA areas); Duquesne Light (Allegheny County metro).

Carlisle Area School District | 1 MW | Carlisle, Cumberland County | generates 16% of district total energy needs. Cumberland Valley School District | 1 MW | Cumberland County | utility costs cut 15% (Paradise Solar Energy analysis). PPL Electric Utilities serves Cumberland County. Carlisle is county seat; active commercial solar corridor.

No confirmed township-level solar denial on record for Cumberland County as of Mar 2026. PA has no statewide solar siting authority — township/borough zoning controls. Contact individual township zoning offices in Cumberland County for recent CUP history.