Agricultural Land Use

​The Solar Act of 2021 directed the Board to establish Siting Criteria for all grid supply solar installations, as well as non-residential net metered solar installations with a capacity greater than 5 MW. The directive implies that the Siting Criteria will be applicable to all solar installations that are eligible to participate in the CSI Program.

2.5% Statewide Threshold: CSI-eligible facilities are not allowed to register with the Board and pursue development if the aggregate solar development on covered agricultural lands exceeds 2.5% of such lands Statewide. For the March – April 2026 solicitation, this limit is 7,257 acres, shown in the first table below.

5% County-by-County Development Limit: CSI-eligible facilities are not allowed to pursue development if the aggregate solar development on unpreserved agricultural land within a specific county exceeds 5% of such lands in the county. County-specific limits for the March – April 2026 solicitation are shown in the second table below.

Please see Appendix C of the December 2022 Board Order Establishing the CSI Program for further information on the GIS analysis procedure performed.

Approximate 2.5% Statewide Threshold
Designations	Approximate Area Calculations1
Land Use–Land Cover areas designated as Agriculture that are co-located with Prime Farmland Soils and Soils of Statewide Importance within ADAs	325,332 acres
(0.025*325,332) – 8761	7,257
Calculations performed using Esri ArcGIS Pro version 3.0, as of March 2026 1Includes 876 acres of CSI awarded and registered projects on covered agricultural land from previous solicitations

 

County-By-County 5% Development Limit
County	Approximate Area Calculations
HUNTERDON	1,3042
SALEM	1,3023
CUMBERLAND	8584
GLOUCESTER	779
BURLINGTON	549
MONMOUTH	493
SOMERSET	475
WARREN	4195
ATLANTIC	403
SUSSEX	250
MERCER	226
CAMDEN	184
MIDDLESEX	100
MORRIS	68
OCEAN	54
CAPE MAY	50
BERGEN	3
PASSAIC	1
ESSEX	–
HUDSON	–
UNION	–
Calculations performed using Esri ArcGIS Pro version 3.0, as of March 2026 2, 3, 4, 5 Includes removal CSI awarded and registered projects on covered agricultural land from previous solicitations amounting to 17 acres, 271 acres, 205 acres, and 383 acres in Hunterdon, Salem, Cumberland, and Warren Counties, respectively