Considering battery storage on your Alameda County property?

Find the planning authority before discussing an application

Start with the parcel number and a map of the land the developer wants to use. Mark the battery equipment, entrance, construction space and route to the electrical connection. Include the fields, buildings, roads and other areas you need to keep using.

The county’s land-use permit portal serves unincorporated Alameda County. A property inside a city needs its own jurisdiction check. A county mailing address or a nearby project does not establish that the same office reviews your property.

Ask for the parcel’s zoning, general plan designation, existing approvals and any agricultural contract or other land restriction. The county offers a zoning verification letter process for information such as zoning, permit history and approved plans. A letter about existing records is different from approval of the proposed battery use.

For agricultural land, ask staff how the actual battery arrangement would be classified. The posted agricultural district chapter lists several kinds of uses, including conditional public utility uses and privately owned wind generators. Those descriptions do not, by themselves, establish which category fits a developer’s battery proposal.

The posted procedures describe a way to consider uses whose classification is uncertain. Sections 17.54.050 and 17.54.060 provide for referral to the planning commission and comparison with listed uses. Ask for the determination or other basis the developer relies on rather than assuming a battery project is treated the same as solar or wind.

Reference: Alameda County: Land-use permits for unincorporated areas · Alameda County: Zoning verification letter request · Alameda County: Posted agricultural district provisions, Chapter 17.06 · Alameda County: Posted zoning procedures, Chapter 17.54

An early meeting helps identify questions; it does not approve the project

Alameda County’s pre-application form asks for the owner, applicant, contact person and a description of the proposal. Its signature statements include accuracy and an agreement to pay fees. Ask who would request the meeting and sign the form.

The form expressly distinguishes the meeting request from a formal development application. It also says the request does not start the processing time limits under the Permit Streamlining Act. An early discussion should not be represented as an accepted application or a guaranteed decision date.

Request a copy of the submitted description, drawing and staff response. Have the developer explain which questions were answered and which still need a study, application or agency decision. Keep preliminary comments separate from written approvals.

The county’s archived 2022 solar and battery policy describes components intended to be incorporated into draft zoning amendments, with environmental review before adoption. It discusses agricultural land, location and restoration, but the archived statement is not enough to establish the rules in force for your parcel today.

A property inquiry to Sunland America is an earlier, separate step. You can share the location and your questions using this page’s form before arranging a county meeting or authorizing an application.

Reference: Alameda County: Pre-application meeting request · Alameda County: Solar and battery policy statement adopted May 12, 2022 · Alameda County: Archived solar policy development

Know what the owner signature covers

The standard application has separate fields for the property owner, applicant and responsible contact for payment. The second page contains an affidavit with signature spaces. Review both pages and the attachments together before signing.

The affidavit addresses the truth of the information under penalty of perjury. The posted zoning procedures also require an owner verification of facts and drawings for the applications covered by those provisions. Do not sign an incomplete description or a drawing you have not seen.

The standard form authorizes entry by county staff and reviewing bodies for evaluation, including photographs. It describes an effort to notify the owner or applicant before a site visit. Ask how access will be coordinated around locked gates, animals, tenants or other activities; do not assume every visit is guaranteed to have advance notice.

The affidavit also includes defense and hold-harmless language concerning the county and discusses obligations where more than one party signs. Have your attorney explain any wording you would accept, including whether one signer could be responsible for the whole obligation. A promise that the developer handles permits does not replace review of the county documents.

Keep the completed, signed version and identify who receives correspondence. The proposed option or lease should explain how you review changes to the application, access arrangements and project footprint.

Reference: Alameda County: Standard application and affidavit · Alameda County: Posted zoning procedures, Chapter 17.54

Separate the initial deposit from the final bill

The application’s payment contact is a practical detail worth settling early. Ask who is named, which company funds the account and where invoices and requests for additional money will go. Do not leave your name in a payment field merely because you own the property.

The standard affidavit describes charges based on staff time, overhead, consultants and other direct costs. It addresses further deposits and payment responsibilities regardless of the application’s outcome. An initial deposit should not be treated as the full cost of obtaining an approval.

The form describes unused deposit balances and refund procedures, while the posted zoning procedures say required application fees are not returned. Ask staff to distinguish the required fee from a processing deposit and explain the current billing rules for the requested service. Neither approval nor withdrawal should be assumed to return every dollar paid.

The zoning verification request also includes an agreement to pay fees. Use the current forms and obtain current amounts before ordering work. An older printed date, newer filename or listed deposit does not establish the final cost of a battery proposal.

Put responsibility for studies, processing, corrections and outstanding invoices in the developer agreement. Discuss what happens if the developer withdraws, runs out of funds or transfers the project to another company. You should be able to identify who closes the file and pays the bills that remain.

Reference: Alameda County: Standard application and affidavit · Alameda County: Zoning verification letter request · Alameda County: Planning forms and applications · Alameda County: Posted zoning procedures, Chapter 17.54

Check the decision, conditions and connection separately

Ask for the actual approval documents and the plans they cover. The county’s posted conditional-use procedures address conditions, time limits, compliance with drawings, guarantees and requirements of other county departments. A favorable discussion is not a substitute for those records.

If the drawing changes, ask whether the change needs further review. The posted procedures describe modifications to approved plans and conditional-use terms. Your private agreement should also explain which changes need your consent and how they affect the land you retain.

Project records can show why it helps to identify the agency and stage. The Aramis county notice reports a 2021 approval for a mixed solar and battery proposal. A separate 2024 wildlife-agency notice reports an incidental take permit decision for the unincorporated North Livermore Valley location. The later record is a different agency action, not a second description of the same permit.

Those records use different acreages for the mixed project descriptions. They should not be used as a minimum battery acreage, the battery-only footprint or a current layout for another parcel. Ask for your proposal’s own boundaries, environmental review and approvals.

An archived Kola letter requests withdrawal of its conditional-use application in January 2023. That letter establishes the request at that time; it does not settle later permitting or construction status. Check the file and latest decisions rather than relying on an old project name in a search result.

Electrical capacity needs its own review. Obtain the proposed connection point, study status, route and required rights. Proximity to a substation or another approved project does not prove that your property can connect. Match the remaining reviews to option payments, extension terms and the date the property is released if the developer stops.

Reference: Alameda County: Posted zoning procedures, Chapter 17.54 · California CEQAnet: Aramis county notice of determination, 2021 · California CEQAnet: Aramis wildlife-agency notice of determination, 2024 · Alameda County: Kola application withdrawal request, January 24, 2023

Tell us about the property before paying for an application

Send a parcel number or clear location, approximate acreage and contact details through the form on this page. Tell us how you use the land now, what you want to preserve and whether someone has requested an owner signature or offered an option.

If you already have a proposal, the drawing and list of unfinished approvals can help explain it. You do not need to order a zoning letter, pay a county deposit or sign a development application before contacting Sunland America. We can begin with the property and your questions. An inquiry does not commit you to a lease, option or sale.

Reference: Alameda County: Land-use permits for unincorporated areas