Solar permitting — Boone County, Indiana
On file: local news, known opposition groups.
Lebanon/Zionsville Indianapolis ring rapidly suburbanizing. Permitting: Boone County Area Plan Commission; 1,000-ft max / 500-ft min setbacks; very high compliance stringency. Track record: denial on record
Key driver: Lebanon/Zionsville Indianapolis ring rapidly suburbanizing. Ordinance Most Stringent as of 2023 amendment; 1,000-ft residential setbacks eliminate most viable parcels. Lebanon community solar (5 MW) approved 2022 — only small-scale feasible going forward. Worsening as suburban expansion eliminates remaining agricultural land by ~2027.
Permitting process
Local permitting pathway
Boone County Area Plan Commission (APC): CUP or Improvement Location Permit (ILP) in Agricultural district.
Setbacks & buffers
1,000 ft non-participating; 500 ft participating; 2-mile buffer from municipal boundaries
Spacing requirements
None codified.
Size restrictions
None codified; managed via CUP/SUP conditions
Penalties & bonding
Total penalty: +37 (Moratorium +32; Denial +5)
State-level permits & approvals
Local permit: Special Exception (SE) in A-1 Agricultural zoning via county Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA); some counties use two-step process (Plan Commission recommendation + BZA approval). BZA SE is the standard county-level pathway for all utility-scale solar. IURC CPCN: Indiana Code §8-1-8.5 — IURC Certificate of Public Convenience & Necessity (Cause No.) required for generating facilities >80 MW; process runs parallel to county BZA SE and does not replace it. IURC approval does NOT override a county BZA denial except where federal jurisdiction applies (see Mammoth Solar / Pulaski County precedent, 2023). IC 36-7-4: Indiana Code §36-7-4 limits how restrictive county ordinances can be for solar; basis for developer preemption litigation against overly restrictive ordinances (Randolph County 2024 litigation pending). SB 411 (2022): Voluntary 'solar-ready county' designation for counties meeting solar-friendly siting standards. SB 390 (2023): $1/MWh financial incentive for solar-ready counties.
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State policy & grid context
State RPS & clean energy policy
No binding RPS — voluntary 10% by 2025 | Indiana Voluntary Clean Energy Portfolio Standard (2011) | Ind. Code §8-1-37
State incentive programs
Indiana Renewable Energy law (IURC): no Renewable Portfolio Standard — Indiana repealed its RPS (HB 1271, effective 2023). Net metering: available for ≤1 MW retail customer generation (IURC regulated utilities); Indiana Michigan Power (AEP), Duke Energy Indiana, Vectren/CenterPoint, NIPSCO offer programs. IURC CPCN: required for generating facilities ≥80 MW. HEA 1381 (2022): counties retain siting authority for solar in unincorporated areas. No state cash incentive program for solar. Utility: Duke Energy Indiana serves central/eastern IN; NIPSCO (NiSource) serves NW IN (Cook/Lake/Porter); Indiana Michigan Power (AEP) serves northeastern IN; Vectren/CenterPoint serves SW IN; REMC cooperatives serve rural areas.
Grid & interconnection
MISO / Duke Energy Indiana or Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) zone (verify by project location)
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Battery storage (BESS) P1 Standalone Ordinance
STATE FRAMEWORK FOR ALL UTILITY-SCALE BESS
BESS ordinances & bylaws
County-level battery-storage status, safety requirements, and projects — each linked to a primary source.
Community opposition P1
Organized opposition signals on record for this county — petitions, community groups, and oppositional coverage — each linked to its primary source.
- Boone County considering moratorium on data center development – Inside INdiana Business Data center
- Wind Energy – Popular Yet Contentious Wind
- Commissioners hold off solar park moratorium, plan special meeting Solar
- Sign petition: No Wind Farms in Boone County, Indiana · GoPetition.com Wind
- Wind farms in Boone County are not likely Wind
- Solar and Wind Moratorium Wind
SitePath maintains the most complete community-opposition dataset available, refreshed continuously from primary sources.
Subscriber intel Subscribers
Researched for this county and available with a subscription:
- Project track record
- Developer intelligence
- Governing board
Energy-related meetings & dockets P1
No tracked activity yet — coverage expands weekly.
State PSC dockets P1
No tracked activity yet — coverage expands weekly.
Local news P3
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