Rio Grande County, Colorado solar ordinance
Solar: 50 ft (Community Solar Energy Facility) from property lines, 100 ft (Community Solar Energy Facility) from homes. Every figure is quoted from the county's ordinance, read October 8, 2026.
Updated October 2026
Solar rules
7 figures read from the county's ordinance, each with the sentence it comes from.
| Rule and what the ordinance says | Requirement |
|---|---|
Property line setbackCommunity Solar Energy FacilitySolar Collectors and all portions of their support structures shall maintain a minimum setback of fifty (50) feet from all property lines. | 50 ft |
Property line setbackMajor Solar Energy FacilitySolar Collectors and all portion of their support structures shall maintain a minimum of fifty (50) feet from all property lines. | 50 ft |
Setback from homesCommunity Solar Energy FacilityAll Community Solar Energy Facility equipment must be separated from existing residential dwelling units by at least one hundred (100) feet. | 100 ft |
Setback from homesMajor Solar Energy FacilityAll Major Solar Energy Facility equipment must be separated from existing residential dwelling units by at least one hundred and twenty five (125) feet. | 125 ft |
Maximum project sizeCommunity Solar Energy Facility(2) The facility’s energy generating capacity is less than ten (10) megawatts (MW). | 10 MW |
Decommissioning bondCommunity Solar Energy Facility(c) The surety bond shall, at minimum, cover one hundred twenty - five percent (125%) of the third - party cost estimate. | 125% |
Decommissioning bondMajor Solar Energy Facility(c) The surety bond shall, at minimum, cover one hundred twenty - five percent (125%) of the third - party cost estimate. | 125% |
Source: Rio Grande County ordinance (PDF), read October 8, 2026. Check the cited section with the county before relying on a figure.
Colorado state law
State law can cap or override county rules. All Colorado rules and counties.
Limits on local rules
For public utilities and power authorities only, local governments must decide within set deadlines and a denial can be appealed to the Public Utilities Commission.
C.R.S. 29-20-108. Source
Every Colorado figure in one spreadsheet
79 figures from 19 counties, each with its quote, source, date read and any condition. 8 of those places are not on this site. Plus the 3 moratoria and bans on file and Colorado state law.
How these figures were read
We found Rio Grande County's own ordinance and had two AI models read it separately. A figure is shown only when both read the same number and the sentence it comes from was found in the document. Moratoria and bans are checked against the adopting document. Ordinances change and many figures apply only in some cases, so check the cited section with the county before relying on one.
Common questions
What are the solar setbacks in Rio Grande County, CO?
The county's ordinance sets solar facilities back 50 ft (Community Solar Energy Facility) from property lines, 100 ft (Community Solar Energy Facility) from homes, 50 ft (Major Solar Energy Facility) from property lines and 125 ft (Major Solar Energy Facility) from homes. Check the cited section with the county before relying on a figure.