Montezuma County enacts six-month moratorium on utility-scale solar; approves permit amendment, contracts and loans

Montezuma County commissioners on April 15 voted to temporarily halt acceptance of new utility-scale solar power applications for six months while the county considers updates to its land-use code.

The board approved Resolution 6-2025, which prohibits the county planning department from accepting new applications for utility-scale solar power generation for a period of six months or until appropriate standards are incorporated into the Montezuma County Land Use Code, whichever comes first. The resolution defines utility-scale generation for the moratorium as facilities of 1 megawatt or greater and excludes applications submitted prior to the April 8 public hearing and rooftop or small systems sited on individual residential or commercial structures.

The moratorium followed public comment at an April 8 hearing and discussion at the board's workshop. "The Planning and Zoning Department has requested to address solar power generation facilities in the context of a Renewable Energy Master Plan and or appropriate revisions to the Montezuma County Land Use Code," the staff-prepared resolution states. Commissioner discussion referenced recent state legislation adding nuclear energy to the list of clean energy resources, which they said warrants consideration as part of future code updates.

In addition to the moratorium, the board recorded several administrative approvals during the meeting.

Votes at a glance

- High-impact permit amendment (HIP-09-2023): The board approved an amendment submitted by Yesco LLC, agent for HD Cortez LLC and Maverick Inc., to permit a 46-foot lighted pylon sign at 7255 Highway 160/491, conditioned on submission of the FAA letter documenting the allowable height. (Motion approved; tally recorded as aye.)

- Public Health Air Quality Monitoring Program contract: The board approved the county's contract with the State of Colorado for the Public Health Air Quality Monitoring Program. (Motion approved; tally recorded as aye.)

- Intergovernmental agreement with the Town of Dolores: The board approved an IGA concerning cooperative planning for the Dolores Affordable Housing Strategy Grant; staff noted a ministerial correction to the document (it mistakenly named the Town of Mancos). (Motion approved; tally recorded as aye.)

- Resolution 5-2025 (senior services loan): The board approved a resolution authorizing a $70,000 loan from the general fund to the Senior Services and Transportation Fund to address a short-term cash-flow issue. (Motion approved; tally recorded as aye.)

- Order 7-2025 (transfer): The board approved Order 7-2025 to transfer $70,000 from the general fund to the Senior Services and Transportation Fund in conjunction with the loan resolution. (Motion approved; tally recorded as aye.)

All motions passed by voice vote during the April 15 meeting; the record shows affirmative responses from the commissioners on each item.

Why it matters

The moratorium pauses new large-scale solar applications to give planning staff and the Planning Commission time to draft standards and conditions for utility-scale projects. Commissioners said the pause is intended to allow a Renewable Energy Master Plan or targeted land-use code revisions to be prepared, rather than to block projects indefinitely.

Details and conditions

- Moratorium scope: The moratorium applies to new applications defined as utility-scale (1 megawatt or larger). It does not apply to applications that were submitted before the board's April 8 public hearing, nor to residential or small commercial rooftop systems or other installations that do not meet the utility-scale definition in the resolution.

- Yesco/Maverick sign permit: Planning staff reported the applicant obtained FAA review that sets a 46-foot maximum height for the lighted pylon sign because the site lies within a flight path. The requested 46-foot height exceeds the county's 35-foot typical standard for structures; the board's approval was conditioned on the FAA letter being placed in the record.

- Air quality contract and IGA: Staff described the air quality contract as a routine update of a program the county has participated in previously. The IGA with the Town of Dolores will be executed after staff corrects a clerical reference to the wrong town inside the draft.

- Senior services loan: The $70,000 loan from the general fund is intended as a short-term measure to keep MOCO Senior Services operating; the board approved both the resolution authorizing the loan (Resolution 5-2025) and the transfer order (Order 7-2025).

What the board directed next

Commissioners asked staff to return with draft land-use code language or a timeline for the Renewable Energy Master Plan and requested that planning staff attach the FAA correspondence to the Yesco/Maverick permit file. Staff confirmed the moratorium will be revisited if Planning Commission work produces standards sooner than six months.

Provenance

The moratorium discussion and vote appear in the meeting record beginning with staff remarks at 00:42:37 (transcript block starting at 2557.855) and concluding with the vote at 00:46:37 (transcript block starting at 2757.68).