County Wind Ordinance Standards (California)
From Open Energy Information
Last modified on October 1, 2012.
Rules Regulations Policies Program
| Place | California |
|---|---|
| Name | County Wind Ordinance Standards |
| Incentive Type | Solar/Wind Permitting Standards |
| Applicable Sector | Agricultural, Commercial, Industrial, Local Government, Residential |
| Eligible Technologies | Wind |
| Active Incentive | Yes |
| Implementing Sector | State/Territory |
| Energy Category | Renewable Energy Incentive Programs |
| Date added to DSIRE | 2009-10-14 |
| Last DSIRE Review | 10/01/2012 |
| References | DSIRE[1] |
Summary
Assembly Bill 45 of 2009 authorized counties to adopt ordinances to provide for the installation of small wind systems (50 kW or smaller) outside urbanized areas but within the county's jurisdiction. The bill also addressed specific aspects of a typical wind ordinance and established the limiting factors by which a county's wind ordinance can be no more restrictive. Counties may freely make more lenient ordinances, but AB 45 was designed to establish maximum restrictions a county may impose if they choose to develop a small wind ordinance. These provisions apply only to county ordinances developed after January 1, 2011. Maximum restrictions in the following categories are specifically included in the bill:
- Tower height
- Acreage of land parcel
- Setbacks
- Public notice
- Noise level
- Visual effects
- Type of turbine used
- Tower drawings and line drawings
- Engineering analysis
These standards remain in effect until January 1, 2017. By January 1, 2016 the California Energy Commission (CEC) is required to prepare a report for various committees of the General Assembly detailing the number of local wind ordinances adopted after January 1, 2011; the number of applications to install wind turbines that were received and approved by those counties; and the tower heights, parcel sizes and the generating capacities of the wind turbines. The committees will consider these facts and any recommendations offered by the CEC to determine if these ordinance guidelines should be continued, modified or terminated.
Incentive Contact
| Contact Name | James Lee |
|---|---|
| Department | California Energy Commission |
| Address | 1516 Ninth Street, MS-45 |
| Place | Sacramento, California |
| Zip/Postal Code | 95814-5512 |
| Phone | (916) 653-1195 |
| Phone 2 | (800) 555-7794 |
| jslee@energy.state.ca.us | |
| Website | http://www.energy.ca.gov/ |
Authorities (Please contact the if there are any file problems.)
| Authority 1: | CA Government Code § 65893, et seq. |
|---|---|
| Date Effective | 1/1/2010 |
| Date Enacted | 10/11/2009 |
| Expiration Date | 1/1/2017 |
- Incentive and policy data are reviewed and approved by the N.C. Solar Center's DSIRE project staff.[1]