Northampton 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 favorable — diverse, growing county; rural portions actively developing solar

Bethlehem/Easton metro fringe; growing suburban; active solar in rural portions; NJ border proximity; Lehigh Valley strong solar market

Improving

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).

Northampton County ranks #8 in PA (255 installations, 12.30 MW). Lehigh Valley (Bethlehem, Easton area): active commercial/industrial solar. Prologis | 4 MW | Easton, Northampton County | one of largest corporate solar projects in PA (SEIA PA). PPL Electric Utilities serves Northampton County.

No confirmed statewide PUC denial for Northampton County. PA has no statewide solar siting authority — township/borough zoning governs. 72 operational utility-scale farms (1,127 MW as of Feb 2026, Cleanview). PA township solar rejections not centrally tracked. Citizens Voice Nov 2024: multiple solar rejections documented in NE PA townships. Source: PA PUC; Cleanview Feb 2026; Citizens Voice Nov 2024