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Dorchester County Council introduces zoning bill to regulate accessory, small‑ and utility‑scale solar systems
Summary
The County Council introduced an amendment to Dorchester County Code §155‑50(LL) to define and regulate accessory, small‑scale and utility‑scale solar energy systems and agreed to publish a public hearing; Planning & Zoning Director Susan Webb provided highlights and the motion passed by unanimous roll call.
The Dorchester County Council on Sept. 17 introduced an amendment to Chapter 155 (Zoning) of the Dorchester County Code to repeal and reenact §155‑50(LL) and add rules and definitions for accessory, small‑scale and utility‑scale solar energy systems. Ms. Irene Barnes said the bill is being introduced to clarify zoning rules for solar installations and to update the table of permitted uses by zoning district.
Susan Webb, Planning & Zoning Director, summarized highlights of the proposed regulations, outlining separate provisions for accessory rooftop and ground‑mounted systems, standards intended for small community systems, and additional criteria proposed for utility‑scale arrays. The Council agreed to proceed with publication of a public hearing on the legislation. The roll call to publish the hearing and move the bill forward was recorded as: Pfeffer — aye; Detmer — aye; Kramer — aye; Nichols — aye; Travers — aye.
The move to introduce the bill starts a formal local review process that will include a public hearing before the Council. The proposal would change how solar projects are classified and where different scales of installation are allowed under county zoning rules. No final regulatory language or map changes were adopted at the Sept. 17 meeting; the public hearing will be the next opportunity for community input.
