Sumter County enacts emergency moratorium on solar farms, battery storage and data centers

The Sumter County Council voted to adopt emergency ordinance 26‑10‑49, placing a temporary moratorium on applications for photovoltaic arrays (solar farms), battery energy storage systems (BES) and data centers to allow time to study and draft zoning standards.

A county attorney told the council the county currently has no zoning provisions for BES or data centers and that creating appropriate development standards will require time and study. "Ordinance 26‑10‑49 is an emergency ordinance; it's a moratorium on taking any applications for any photovoltaic arrays, solar farms, battery storage facilities or data centers," the attorney said during the meeting.

The attorney said the county will return at the next meeting with three separate moratoria tailored to each use. The council moved, seconded and approved the ordinance on what was described as an emergency, single reading; the attorney noted it became effective immediately after receiving the required two‑thirds vote.

Residents who spoke during public comment urged the council to act and said opposition to large solar and data center projects is countywide. "It's not just those of us from the Rembert‑Dazell area," resident Tracy Rogers said, asking the council to consider concerns raised by communities from Mayesville to Pinewood and Wedgefield.

Another commenter, Sita Henson of District 1, asked about the county's authority to regulate cellular towers and requested to meet with the county attorney about developing permitting or ordinance language for telecommunications facilities.

Next steps: staff and councilors said they will study zoning updates and return with draft moratoria and ordinance language at upcoming meetings; the emergency moratorium remains in effect to pause new applications while work is completed.