Solar permitting — Putnam County, Indiana
No tracked activity yet — coverage expands weekly.
⛔ ACTIVE MORATORIUM — Active Moratorium — 1-yr ban on solar, wind, data centers & SMR, passed Nov 2025 (expires ~Nov 2026); moratorium expires Nov 2025. Permitting: Putnam County Area Plan Commission. Track record: denial on record — 4Leaf Solar (EnergyRe) — 150-300 MW; application withdrawn citing
Key driver: Rural west-central Indiana; SE pathway; limited track record.
Permitting process
Local permitting pathway
Putnam County Area Plan Commission (APC): CUP or Improvement Location Permit (ILP) in Agricultural district.
Setbacks & buffers
Putnam County IN: IC 36-7-4-607.5 decommissioning standards adopted. Specific setback numbers not confirmed in available source -- verify with Putnam County APC.
Spacing requirements
None codified.
Size restrictions
None codified; managed via CUP/SUP conditions
Penalties & bonding
Total penalty: +28 (Moratorium +28)
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Indiana Renewable Energy law (IURC): no Renewable Portfolio Standard — Indiana repealed its RPS (HB 1271, effective 2023).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)
Full records for this county are part of a SitePath subscription.
Community opposition P1
No organized opposition on record for this county yet — no petition, group, or oppositional coverage tracked. Absence of opposition is a positive siting signal.
Subscriber intel Subscribers
Researched for this county and available with a subscription:
- 🔒Project track record
- 🔒Developer intelligence
- 🔒Community & board sentiment
- 🔒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.
Sentiment rollup P2
No sentiment rollup yet (requires meeting transcripts to be processed).
Local news P3
No tracked activity yet — coverage expands weekly.
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