Lyon County adopts ordinance setting conditional-use standards for commercial solar, wind, geothermal and energy storage

The Lyon County Board of Commissioners on June 18 approved an ordinance (Bill 25-02) adding conditional-use permit standards and performance rules for commercial wind, geothermal and solar generation and establishing standards for energy storage systems. The ordinance, which updates multiple sections of Lyon County Code Title 15, passed after a second hearing and extensive public comment, with the motion approved 4–1.

County Manager Andrew Haskin told the board the changes clarify that the planned unit development (PUD) process can be used to approve setbacks and other negotiated deviations from strict zoning rules, add fire-protection language if a local fire district will not serve a project, adopt definitions for solar and energy storage facilities, and create standards for decommissioning and reclamation. "This is a zoning ordinance, not a building code ordinance," Haskin said during the presentation. "With zoning, it's just as much about quality of life and maintaining the character of the communities as it is about the safety."

Why it matters: Haskin said Bureau of Land Management (BLM) filings and a recent BLM Western States Solar PEIS have significantly increased the amount of federal land available for solar projects near Lyon County, and the county previously has acted as a cooperating agency on large projects. Staff noted that, excluding projects not in the county or still "to be determined," BLM filings represent roughly 23,237 acres of…