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Jay County approves zoning standards for wind, solar, batteries and data centers; president dissents on solar vote
Summary
On May 11, the Jay County Commissioners approved a package of zoning amendments setting setbacks and standards for wind farms, solar energy systems, commercial battery storage and data centers, lifting moratoria on those developments. Solar measures passed over President Duane Monroe’s dissent.
The Jay County Commissioners on May 11 approved a set of zoning ordinance amendments that set new setbacks and technical standards for wind farms, solar energy systems, commercial battery storage and data center facilities.
The measures — Ordinances 2026-02 (Wind Farm Standards), 2026-03 (repeal of the wind moratorium), 2026-04 (Solar Energy System Standards), 2026-05 (repeal of the solar moratorium), 2026-06 (Commercial Battery System Standards) and 2026-07 (repeal of the battery moratorium) — were considered during a series of public hearings and passed either unanimously or by majority vote. The board also approved Ordinance 2026-08 amending data center facility standards.
Why it matters: the ordinances change local land-use rules that affect where and how energy projects and data centers may be sited in Jay County, including new setback distances, special-exception review by the Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA), and provisions that address technical and community impacts such as water use and safety reviews.
During the wind farm hearing, resident Jase Small thanked the commission for moving the setback to 1,500 feet "from neighboring property lines." Bryan Alexander, a council member, warned that larger setbacks could mean "only a few landowners would own enough ground to accommodate the new setbacks." Planning Director John Hemmelgarn replied that any setback could be waived with adjacent landowner permission.
Solar standards produced the only recorded dissent. Duane Monroe, commission president, said he would not vote for the solar ordinance until a first array was in place "to know what might need to change," and he voted against Ordinances 2026-04 and 2026-05. Commissioners Chad Aker and Doug Horn voted to adopt the solar ordinance and to repeal the moratorium.
Battery storage and data center measures passed without recorded opposition. Commissioners noted the battery-storage standards were designed to align with the wind and solar requirements; Hemmelgarn said the data center ordinance provides "a lot of protection to citizens" and reminded the board that the BZA would review projects as special exceptions. Concerns about data-center water usage were raised by commissioners during discussion.
The commissions’ recorded votes: wind ordinances and battery/data center ordinances passed unanimously; the solar ordinances passed by a 2–1 majority with Duane Monroe voting no. The board adjourned at 11:09 a.m.
Next steps: The ordinances were approved at the meeting and will follow the county’s adoption procedures (publication/effective date not specified in the meeting record).
