Considering battery storage on your Tulare County land?

Get a proposal that shows the entire property

A battery company may describe the land it wants as a small equipment area. The useful drawing shows more: the whole parcel, the proposed fenced site, driveways, electrical routes, drainage work and any areas needed temporarily during construction. Ask the company to put those pieces on the same plan.

Tulare County’s January 2026 major application asks for a development plan showing the entire parcel and the project location. It also asks how much of the total parcel would be used, the existing use, proposed phases, access, utilities and nearby land uses. Those questions are useful well before an application is ready.

For a working farm, mark irrigation lines, wells, canals, farm roads and places where machinery needs to turn. Explain which connections must keep operating and which routes you use during harvest. The project layout and private agreement should reflect the uses you intend to retain.

Ask the company to distinguish existing equipment from proposed construction. A drawing that leaves out a new road or cable route can give you the wrong impression of how much land is involved. Have later versions identify what changed and why.

A site plan helps you discuss a proposal. It does not show that the county has accepted the use, that electrical capacity is available or that you have agreed to lease the land. Keep those separate questions open until there is evidence for each.

Reference: Tulare County: Major Discretionary Projects Application, January 2026 · Tulare County: Project Review Committee application

Confirm who reviews this battery project

Give the company the property location or parcel number and ask which jurisdiction handles its proposed use. A Tulare County mailing address does not, by itself, identify the planning office or the rules for the tract. Have the company check the actual location before outlining its permit schedule.

For a proposal using county planning, ask for the zoning, general-plan designation, applicable approvals and the basis for that conclusion. The county publishes separate zoning sections and several application types. Its general application packet is a way to request particular approvals, not a determination that battery storage is allowed everywhere.

The permit FAQ says battery systems generally require a building permit and may involve electrical, fire and location requirements. That general guidance does not answer every question about a larger standalone project. Planning review and construction permits should be explained separately.

Ask whether the proposal serves an existing facility or exports power, and whether it includes solar, a substation or other development. The company should describe the complete project to the reviewing office. A process discussed for one design may need reconsideration after equipment, acreage or operations change.

If the company intends to use a state certification process, ask it to identify that process and explain its relationship to local review. This guide discusses the county’s posted planning materials; it does not decide the correct permitting route for every battery facility.

Reference: Tulare County: selected land-use, solar/storage and agricultural-preserve FAQs · Tulare County: Land Use and Development · Tulare County: zoning ordinance section index

Distinguish an early discussion from a county application

It is reasonable to ask what staff have said about a proposal. Request the actual questions, written comments and next steps, rather than relying on “the county is fine with it.” Preliminary advice can help define the work needed without being an approval.

The county lists a Project Review Committee application for preliminary review when applicable. Its posted packet asks for a site plan, an operational statement and an owner affidavit. It also lists a preliminary-review fee that is expressly subject to change. Confirm the current requirements and payment before treating this as a free informal conversation.

The preliminary plan requirements cover access, drainage, utilities, easements, existing and proposed improvements, and watercourses or areas subject to flooding. Ask the company to prepare enough detail for staff to understand those issues. Keep a copy of the plan and the response.

If the company asks you to sign preliminary paperwork, read the completed submission and its attachments. The preliminary packet includes the owner’s declaration about the information provided. The word “preliminary” does not make an owner signature unimportant.

Have the company explain the next stage and what remains unknown after the review. A staff discussion, a filed application, a planning decision and permission to build are different steps. Your option deadlines and access permissions should make sense for the work actually being proposed.

Reference: Tulare County: Project Review Committee application · Tulare County: selected land-use, solar/storage and agricultural-preserve FAQs · Tulare County: Planning and Land Use Applications

Read the owner affidavit and keep the submitted version

The major application separates the applicant from the property owner. Its checklist calls for an owner affidavit, and that affidavit says it must be signed by the owner. It declares the application information, documents and maps true and correct to the owner’s knowledge and belief, under penalty of perjury.

Before signing, ask for the full packet rather than only the signature page. Check the parcel number, project description, acreage, existing improvements and the plans referenced. Raise errors or unanswered questions before the company files the documents.

The packet contains other statements as well, including information about hazardous-waste-site lists and a request or waiver concerning notice of certain proposed land-use actions. Ask who prepares each statement, what evidence supports it and how notices will reach you. Do not assume every signature serves the same purpose.

Listing an agent or prospective buyer for notifications is different from agreeing to a private sale, lease or entry onto the land. Make sure the company explains each document it wants from you and the role it would have. Private surveys and site visits should have their own clear permission.

Retain the completed version that was actually submitted, including attachments. Ask how amended descriptions or plans will be shared with you. If ownership or the company changes, find out what needs updating rather than assuming earlier paperwork covers the new arrangement.

Reference: Tulare County: Major Discretionary Projects Application, January 2026

Separate review deposits from the recorded cost-recovery covenant

The major application places processing fees on the applicant and says additional deposits may be required. Its fee page distinguishes deposits, hourly processing and other charges. An initial payment should not be presented as a guaranteed total project cost; confirm current charges and who will fund them.

The same packet requires a separate indemnification and cost-recovery agreement for discretionary review. The linked form is a covenant concerning the development and environmental approvals. It describes challenge-related legal and other costs separately from ordinary application fees.

The covenant’s applicant definition includes parties applying for the approvals, including site owners and successors. It describes reimbursement and advance funding, county choice of defense counsel and consequences for unpaid amounts. Have your adviser review the actual completed covenant and the role you would take before signing.

The linked form also says obligations bind successors while the site continues to benefit from or be entitled by the project. It places recording and delivery of a certified copy on the applicant and says the applicant cannot terminate the covenant. These terms deserve attention alongside any lease, sale or project-transfer provisions.

Ask the company how its private agreement addresses these public commitments: who funds requests, who receives notices, what happens if the project is challenged and what remains after a transfer. A promise that the developer pays costs should be compared with the documents you would sign and record.

This is a reason to understand the proposed paperwork, not a conclusion that every landowner automatically owes every listed cost. Applicability, the completed documents and legal effect need review for the actual transaction. Do not infer those answers from a short description of the filing fee.

Reference: Tulare County: Major Discretionary Projects Application, January 2026 · Tulare County: linked indemnification and cost-recovery covenant

Check agricultural contracts before relying on a lease

The county’s agricultural page distinguishes an Agricultural Preserve from a Williamson Act contract and from a Farmland Security Zone. A contract involves continued agricultural or compatible use in exchange for potential tax benefits. Find the recorded agreement and the status of your own parcel before judging a battery proposal.

The major and preliminary applications have fields for preserve and contract numbers. Give the company the records you have and ask it to verify any remaining information. An agricultural zoning label or a tax statement alone may not explain the full contract history.

Ask whether the proposed equipment, roads and associated work are compatible with the actual contract and county requirements. Do not assume that leasing only a corner of the property resolves the question. The relationship between the proposed footprint and the contracted land needs checking.

The county lists different processes for full or partial nonrenewal, cancellation and diminishing or disestablishing a preserve. Its FAQ explains that nonrenewal phases out a contract over the remaining term, while early cancellation involves county approval and additional requirements. These are different processes, not interchangeable ways to clear land immediately.

If the company proposes one of those steps, ask which land it affects, who prepares and pays for it, what approvals are needed and what happens if the request is refused. Consider the effect on retained farming and tax treatment before committing to a schedule. This guide does not establish that a particular battery project qualifies as a compatible use or for contract removal.

Reference: Tulare County: Agricultural Preserves and Williamson Act contracts · Tulare County: selected land-use, solar/storage and agricultural-preserve FAQs · Tulare County: Planning and Land Use Applications · Tulare County: Major Discretionary Projects Application, January 2026 · Tulare County: Project Review Committee application

Keep your property inquiry simple

You can start a conversation without assembling a county application. Use the property-review form with your contact details and the property location. If you have a parcel number, acreage estimate, proposed layout or existing developer offer, those details can help describe the situation.

Tell us whether you want to discuss a lease or sale, whether the land is farmed and whether you know of an agricultural contract. You can also identify an irrigation or access concern that should be preserved. There is no need to guess answers you do not have.

The inquiry helps us discuss the property and what needs checking. It does not file a permit, make a sworn statement, record a covenant, authorize entry or commit you to a land agreement. If further documents are needed, their purpose should be explained before you decide whether to provide or sign them.

A useful next conversation should leave you clear on the proposed land area, the company involved and the main open questions. Project suitability, approvals, connection costs and commercial terms require further work; submitting your details does not settle them.