Jefferson County hears public objections to proposed solar and battery UDO rules; commission narrows technical requirements but delays final recommendation

At a public hearing on proposed revisions to Jefferson County’s Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) governing large-scale solar energy systems and battery storage, residents, landowners and developer representatives delivered more than two hours of testimony about setbacks, caps on farmland conversion, decommissioning and potential effects on property values.

The hearing drew speakers on both sides of the issue. Several residents urged stricter limits and protections for agricultural land, asking the commission to adopt a countywide cap of 2 percent of prime farmland and larger setbacks for nonparticipating residences. Attorneys and landowners supporting solar argued that Indiana law promotes and protects solar development and that the draft ordinance should avoid measures that would effectively bar projects.

Why it matters: the UDO changes under consideration would establish where utility-scale solar and associated battery storage can be sited in Jefferson County, how much farmland may be converted, what buffers and screening are required, and what restoration and bonding rules apply after projects end. Those choices determine whether and how projects proceed, affect farm operations and shape property owners’ financial exposure.

Public testimony and key claims - Multiple speakers said the draft would allow too much farmland conversion under the proposed 4,000-acre cap expressed in the draft materials and asked the commission to limit conversion to 2 percent of prime farmland countywide. One speaker described farmland as “the land that feeds” and urged protections for future…