Polk County approves fire marshal’s solar‑farm plan‑review fee schedule

Polk County Commissioners approved a new plan‑review fee schedule for proposed solar farms after Fire Marshal John Fugate told the court that the county has received multiple solar farm applications ranging from about 100 acres to more than 3,000 acres and that “solar farms don't actually have us, large structures to to recoup the time and effort put into the plans review.”

Fugate said solar facilities require special review because of energized equipment, placement of inverters and electrical shutoff locations, and emergency egress and access for first responders. He recommended a flat fee for site plan review with add‑on fees for larger sites or for battery‑storage units and inverters, stating his office “recommend[s] that we go with the flat rates, fee for each site, due to the complexity of the plan review and and the site evaluation.”

The court discussed two approaches the fire marshal offered: a flat, acreage‑based fee with add‑ons, or a more detailed per‑component fee that would charge by inverter and battery unit. Commissioners approved the flat‑rate approach as presented; the court recorded an affirmative voice vote and the motion carried.

The new schedule is intended to standardize cost recovery for plan reviews and inspections for projects that vary widely in size, and to ensure the fire marshal’s office has resources for site visits and coordination with emergency services. No specific fee amounts beyond the examples presented were independently adopted in the discussion beyond the fire marshal's proposal.