Sawyer County extends temporary moratorium on solar and battery storage permitting for six months

The Sawyer County Zoning Committee voted May 15 to extend an existing temporary moratorium on the consideration and issuance of permits for solar energy systems and battery energy storage systems for an additional six months.

County staff explained the extension is intended as a procedural buffer in case the county board remands or declines the proposed new solar ordinance currently scheduled for county‑board consideration. The original moratorium, enacted about nine months earlier, set out steps the county would take to draft a permanent ordinance; staff said those steps remain underway and that the extension would prevent a gap that could allow permits to proceed under the old rules.

Public commenters, including Sawyer County property owner Linda Zilmer, urged more time for town plan commissions and the public to review drafts and for the county to better coordinate with towns. "The public has not given that opportunity to address it before it gets too far in the process," Zilmer said, urging additional outreach and refinement of the draft ordinance.

County counsel noted the extension is legally distinct from the proposed solar ordinance itself: the moratorium is an ordinance pause, while the solar ordinance would set long‑term rules. The committee approved the six‑month extension on a voice and roll‑call vote.

Staff said the proposed solar energy systems ordinance is posted on the county website and will move to the county board; the moratorium extension gives staff and towns more time to review that proposed ordinance without permitting lapses.