Planning commission forwards small-scale residential solar rule changes for November public hearing

The Lancaster County Planning Commission on an October 2025 meeting advanced proposed changes to the comprehensive plan and the county zoning ordinance that would make small-scale ground-mounted residential solar installations subject to a special exception and increase ground-mounted setbacks.

The changes, forwarded for a November public hearing, would remove a sentence in Chapter 6 of the comprehensive plan that treated rooftop and yard-mounted solar projects “in a manner similar to other structures such as carports and sheds,” and amend the zoning ordinance definitions and Article 28-3 (Small Scale Residential Solar) to add a special-exception requirement for ground-mounted installations.

County planner Crystal Hall told commissioners that the Board of Supervisors asked staff to reevaluate how the existing ordinance is working after concerns about an existing solar facility on a residential property. Hall said staff previously presented research and draft changes at earlier meetings and that removing the specific sentence from the comprehensive plan would allow the staff to pursue the ordinance change that adds a special exception requirement.

Commissioners discussed alternatives and trade-offs. One commissioner noted staff had already proposed increasing the minimum setback for ground-mounted installations from 5 feet to 25 feet, saying the larger setback “would make a big difference in neighbors’ acceptance.” Another commissioner argued a universal special-exception requirement could be costly and deter homeowners — mentioning a filing fee of about $400 and the time and expense of applying — and could disproportionately discourage moderate- and lower-income residents who want ground-mounted systems because their roofs do not face the right direction.

Hall said the county attorney advised that adding a special-exception requirement for all small-scale ground-mounted solar installations requires a comprehensive-plan update, which is why staff presented both the chapter 6 amendment and the zoning ordinance changes. Commissioners recalled that a public hearing on earlier draft revisions was held July 17, 2025, and that the Board of Supervisors requested additional changes following that hearing.

After discussion, the commission voted to forward the comprehensive-plan amendment and the zoning ordinance changes as presented to the November meeting for a public hearing.

What’s next: the amendments will return to the Planning Commission for a public hearing in November and subsequently would proceed to the Board of Supervisors with the commission’s recommendation. The draft language and redline comparisons are in the commission packet; Hall told commissioners staff can provide additional counts of rooftop installations on request.