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Ouachita Parish Police Jury votes to opt out of state solar siting law
Summary
The Police Jury adopted Resolution No. 25-28 on Aug. 18, 2025, electing to opt out of the siting provisions of Act 279 (R.S.30:1131, 1141–1145) for solar farms, saying local ordinances should continue to govern siting decisions.
The Ouachita Parish Police Jury voted Aug. 18 to adopt Resolution No. 25-28 electing to opt out of the siting provisions of Act 279 of the 2025 Louisiana Legislative Session. The resolution, presented by President Shane Smiley, cites the parish’s previously adopted local solar ordinance and says the jury finds it in the parish’s interest to remain under its own siting rules.
The resolution references Act 279 (effective Aug. 1, 2025) and codified language in R.S.30:1131 and R.S.30:1141–1145. By adopting the opt-out, the jury is declining to submit to the state siting framework enacted by the Legislature and intends to continue applying local Article V – Additional Site Development Regulations for Solar Farms adopted under prior parish ordinance No. 9489.
The resolution text explains that R.S.30:1142 permits a parish that previously adopted solar ordinances to elect an opt-out. The jury adopted the resolution by voice vote; the minutes record adoption without opposition. The resolution does not itself change local ordinances; it records the parish’s choice regarding the state statute and preserves the parish’s existing local development rules for solar facilities.
Next steps: the resolution was entered into the record at the Aug. 18 meeting. Any future changes to the parish’s local solar siting rules would require separate ordinance action by the Police Jury.
