The Board of Commissioners of Jefferson County on Sept. 18 approved Ordinance 2025-06 amending the county zoning ordinance to add regulations for commercial solar energy systems, adopting the changes recommended by the county planning commission and amended during the meeting. The board approved the ordinance “as amended tonight,” after commissioners voted on two discrete amendments during discussion.
The measure matters because the ordinance sets countywide rules for where commercial solar can be located, how much land such projects may cover and the distances required between solar facilities and nonparticipating properties. That affects property owners, neighbors and developers across Jefferson County.
During discussion commissioners added language to paragraph 4(c) on land-coverage caps to specify that pasture acreage taken out of production will count toward the total acreage cap. A motion to add that clarification was made and seconded and approved during the meeting. A separate motion to change the minimum setback for nonparticipating parcels from 500 feet to 650 feet was made but failed for lack of a second; a proposal to use a 1,000-foot setback also was discussed but was not advanced.
The ordinance text reviewed at the meeting refers to a land-coverage cap tied to a 4,000-acre threshold and incorporates the planning commission’s favorable recommendation and required public-hearing certifications under Indiana Code sections cited in the planning commission’s resolution. Commissioners said the 500-foot setback, combined with required screening (6-foot trees and opaque fencing) and placement of inverters away from fences, would provide visual and noise screening in many cases. One commissioner noted that very large setbacks would effectively preclude projects from locating in the county.
No additional board vote counts were recorded in the transcript; the chair called for those in favor to raise their hands and the ordinance was approved “as amended.” The transcript records the failed 650-foot amendment specifically as having died for lack of a second.