Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Battery Storage topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Southampton County adopts local battery energy storage ordinance with 15-foot height cap
Summary
The Southampton County Board of Supervisors on June 23 approved a locally drafted battery energy storage systems ordinance, including a 15-foot height restriction to account for HVAC equipment. Planning staff said the ordinance is tailored to county needs and mirrors solar rules; concerns about fire response and footprint were discussed.
The Southampton County Board of Supervisors voted June 23 to adopt a locally drafted battery energy storage systems (BESS) ordinance designed to meet a July 1 deadline for local regulation.
Reagan Prince, the county’s director of community development and secretary to the planning commission, said staff and the planning commission worked quickly to tailor the ordinance to local conditions and remove redundant language. "We worked very hard on this ordinance," Prince said, noting that the county wanted a local rule rather than relying only on a state template.
Key provisions discussed at the public hearing included a 15-foot height restriction to allow for HVAC equipment on top of storage containers and setbacks patterned after the county’s utility-scale solar ordinance. Prince said the BESS units are generally the size of shipping containers and that the height limit accounts for installed HVAC systems.
Supervisors and attendees raised safety and scale questions. One supervisor asked whether the ordinance limits the overall footprint or number of battery units; Prince said there is no explicit footprint cap but that setbacks and other siting standards apply. A resident and volunteer fire official warned about the technical challenges battery fires pose for local fire departments and noted the county currently lacks a fire marshal to coordinate responses; supervisors said they will evaluate emergency-response needs.
During public comment, Warren Simmons said he supported the ordinance and voiced approval for local tailoring rather than defaulting to state text. After questions and discussion, a motion to approve the ordinance passed with the board’s affirmative vote.
The county attorney reviewed the ordinance language prior to the hearing. Planning staff said the finalized, line-number-free document will be adopted into the county’s code and that related administrative steps are underway.
The board indicated additional implementation steps, including coordination with emergency services and continued review of setbacks and technical safety requirements. The ordinance adoption will enable the county to regulate future battery storage projects locally rather than rely solely on the state model.
