Benton County, AR Solar Energy: Panel Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Small-scale threshold
- Under 100 kW
- Small-scale exemption
- No site plan review, Sec. 6.1(13)
- Large/utility-scale trigger
- Over 100 kW, sold off-site
- Large-scale requirement
- Full site plan review
- Applies to
- Unincorporated Benton County only
Summary
Rooftop and other small-scale solar systems on the owner's own property skip Benton County's site plan review entirely under Section 6.1. Cross the 100-kilowatt small-scale definition into a system built to sell power off-site and the county treats it as a large or utility-scale facility requiring full review.
13. Installation of a small-scale solar energy system. ... SOLAR ENERGY GENERATION SYSTEM, SMALL SCALE - A solar energy generation facility for the production of electrical energy or solar heat in which the facility is located on the power beneficiary's premises; is intended primarily to offset part or all of the beneficiary's requirements for electricity, is secondary to the beneficiary's use of the premises for other lawful purpose, is less than 100 Kilowatts in size/capacity. ... SOLAR ENERGY FACILITY, LARGE/UTILITY SCALE (LUS) - a solar energy generation facility which has a rated capacity of more than 100 kW and which is intended to produce electricity for sale to a rate regulated or non-regulated utility or use off site.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: the cited page had not changed since it was quoted.
Full Breakdown
1 of the Planning and Development Regulations lists 'installation of a small-scale solar energy system' among the developments exempted from Benton County's site plan review, alongside fences, small accessory buildings under 250 square feet and one-and-two-family dwellings. ' A rooftop or ground-mount array sized to power a home or farm building on its own lot needs no site plan and no Planning Board review under Chapter VI. ' That size and purpose combination moves the project out of the small-scale exemption; Chapter VI's use table lists large and utility-scale solar among the uses requiring site plan review, so a solar farm or grid-sale installation must go through the same Planning Board process as any other commercial development.
Violations & Fines
Building a solar array that meets the large/utility-scale definition without going through site plan review triggers the same enforcement as any unpermitted development in the unincorporated county: Section 1.2 makes it unlawful to erect or use a structure 'in violation of this Ordinance,' and Section 2.6 exposes the owner to the penalties in Section 1-9 of the Benton County Code of Ordinances plus denial of a building permit until the plan is approved.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a county permit to install rooftop solar panels in unincorporated Benton County?
What makes a solar project 'utility-scale' under the county's rules?
Does a solar farm need Planning Board approval?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Benton County
Compare Benton County to another location·View the Arkansas solar energy overview
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