Navajo County, AZ Solar Energy: Panel Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Allowed districts
- A-General, Rural and Industrial only
- Permit type
- Special Use Permit and/or Development Agreement
- Application fee
- $600 plus $50 per acre
- Fee cap
- $25,000 maximum
- Pre-filing step
- Conceptual/pre-application meeting with the Department required
- Buffering
- Fencing, walls or landscaping required next to residential use
Summary
In unincorporated Navajo County, Arizona, a Solar Energy Generation Facility needs a Special Use Permit, Development Agreement, or both, and is allowed only in the A-General, Rural or Industrial zoning district. Section 1203 layers on setback, buffering and screening standards, and Section 1204 sets the permit fee at $600 plus $50 per acre, capped at $25,000.
Renewable Energy Generation facilities are allowed only in the A-General, Rural, and Industrial Zoning Districts, subject to either securing a Special Use Permit, Development Agreement, or both, and to the applicable site development standards set forth herein. ... ... 1. Setbacks. ... All Solar Energy Generation Facilities and structures must comply with setback, building height, and performance standards between zones for the zoning district in which the system is located, unless the County determines a modified setback is necessary to address impacts to existing adjacent uses. ... Fees for Special Use Permits for Renewable Energy Generation Facilities shall be $600.00 plus $50.00 per acre, with a fee cap of $25,000.00.
Full Breakdown
Sections 1201-1204 run the whole permit track for a solar project, from where it can sit to what it costs to file. 1 confines every Renewable Energy Generation Facility, solar included, to the A-General, Rural and Industrial zoning districts and requires a Special Use Permit, a Development Agreement, or both before construction, plus compliance with the site development standards in the rest of the Article; the section is explicit that it does not reach a project on state or federal land except where those agencies themselves require compliance with county zoning as part of their own approval.
a requires a conceptual and pre-application meeting with the Department, with the fire authority notified and invited. 2 allows a reduced setback if the project shares a property line with another approved solar facility or the affected owner records an irrevocable written consent. 3 requires buffering, fencing, walls or landscaping, wherever a solar facility adjoins residential development. 00 cap regardless of project size.
Violations & Fines
Building or operating a Solar Energy Generation Facility without the required Special Use Permit, or outside the A-General, Rural or Industrial districts, is a zoning violation a Code Enforcement Officer can cite under Section 2103. Section 1201.2.aa lets the Board of Supervisors suspend or revoke an issued SUP, in whole or part, after a public hearing if the holder fails to cure material noncompliance within 30 days of the Director's written notice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can a solar energy facility be built in unincorporated Navajo County?
How much does the solar facility permit cost?
What setback does a solar project have to meet?
Does a solar facility next to homes need screening?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Navajo County
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