Jefferson County, WA — Solar Development Risk Assessment

No Moratorium

No county-specific solar setbacks; federal land regulations govern large portions of county.

Jefferson County: CUP in Agricultural Resource and Rural zones; Jefferson County Planning Dept and Board of County Commissioners.

Neutral — progressive Port Townsend community supports renewables but low irradiance and land constraints limit opportunity; no significant utility-scale developer activity

Jefferson County PUD and PSE serve area; Olympic National Park covers ~50% of county; Port Townsend has active sustainability community; low irradiance (3.4 kWh/m²/day) makes utility-scale economics poor; Hood Canal area has some rooftop opportunity

Stable

Large facilities (≥350 MW): Washington EFSEC exclusive siting jurisdiction — state preempts local permitting. Projects <350 MW: county CUP or SUP in agricultural or resource-zoned land; no statewide preemption floor for smaller projects. SEPA review required for utility-scale; DNS/MDNS/EIS per county SEPA lead agency. GMA counties must address energy siting in comprehensive plans. SMA applies near shorelines. Critical Areas Ordinances: wetlands, fish habitat, flood zones require county CAO compliance. Agricultural land: county-specific farmland protection policies apply; prime farmland conversion may require additional findings.

Washington Clean Energy Transformation Act (CETA/SB 5116, 2019): IOUs must be carbon-neutral by 2030; 100% carbon-free by 2045. Net metering: ≤100 kW for IOU customers under WUTC; PUDs set individual limits, most allow up to 100% annual consumption offset. RESIP (Renewable Energy System Incentive Program): production incentives for systems ≤100 kW, utility-funded. Sales & use tax exemption: solar PV equipment fully exempt (RCW 82.08.962). Property tax exemption: solar systems excluded from assessed value (RCW 84.36.635). Community solar programs through PSE, SnoPUD, Tacoma Power, Clark Public Utilities, and most WA PUDs. PACE financing available in participating WA counties. Federal ITC: 30% (IRA 2022); low-income adder: 10% bonus ITC for qualifying community benefit projects.

Very limited utility-scale solar; Jefferson County PUD has small net metering program; some residential rooftop in Port Townsend and Quilcene areas.

No formal denials on record; limited developer activity.