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Ada County approves rewrite of zoning code with new solar siting, surety and decommissioning rules
Summary
The Ada County Board of Commissioners on Oct. 28 approved a repeal-and-replace of Title 8 of the Ada County Code, adding a new section on centralized power facilities that sets siting tests for solar on prime farmland, financial assurance and decommissioning requirements, and a one-mile notice radius for such projects.
Ada County commissioners on Oct. 28 approved Application 202402581, a repeal-and-replace of Title 8 of the Ada County Code that revises the county’s planning and zoning ordinance and introduces specific standards for centralized power (solar) facilities.
The ordinance adds a new, reserved overlay chapter and a specific section requiring applicants who propose solar on land classified as prime farmland to demonstrate the land is not economically viable for agriculture using one or more established tests. The ordinance also requires irrevocable financial assurance to cover decommissioning, periodic review of surety amounts, county inspection rights, successor liability, and a decommissioning trigger tied to 12 months of ceased commercial generation.
Stacy Dupree, Development Services staff, outlined the standards included in the update, saying staff added criteria that…
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