Baltimore County, MD Solar Energy: Panel Permits (2026)

Article 4F of the Zoning Regulations governs a "solar facility," defined at § 4F-101 as one or more solar collector panels or systems on a tract of land generating photovoltaic power for commercial use, including a solar energy generating station, power plant, or photovoltaic farm. B, the article applies only to a facility with the capacity to produce no more than one megawatt, per Md. Public Utilities Article § 7-218(b). H. Zones. B bars siting within 300 feet of a residential building or another approved solar facility, and on land meeting the USDA's prime farmland definition, and caps the county at ten solar facilities per councilmanic district, tracked by the Director of Permits, Approvals and Inspections.

Section 4F-105 requires a 100-foot boundary from all property lines, non-barbed-wire fencing no taller than 20 feet, a four-season landscaping buffer, and a landscaping bond equal to 100 percent of landscaping cost held for five years, released in stages tied to a 90-percent plant survival threshold. Section 4F-106 requires an applicant to post a security bond before a building permit issues. Section 4F-103 exempts rooftop solar, solar accessory to a residential, agricultural, commercial or institutional use, and government-owned facilities. Section 4F-107 requires removal within 150 days of discontinued operation, with the County authorized to enter and remove an abandoned facility if the owner fails to act.