Solar Energy

The county's land-use ordinance permits accessory ground-mounted and rooftop solar energy systems by right in agricultural (§1.4.B.13.5), resource conservation (§2.4.B.12.5), rural character (§3.4.B.12.5), rural residential (§4.4.B.12.5), critical area (§5.4.13.5), community residential (§6.4.B.12.5), village (§7.4.11.5), village intense (§8.4.12.5), intense village critical area (§9.4.12.5), crossroads commercial (§10.4.6), commercial (§11.4.6), commercial critical area (§12.4.6), marine (§13.4.8.5), employment center (§14.4.6.25), industrial (§16.4.6.25), and industrial critical area (§17.3.6.25) districts.

It also permits primary-use small solar energy systems on farms in agricultural (§1.3.26.5), resource conservation (§2.3.19), crossroads commercial (§10.3.6.5), commercial (§11.3.8.5), and commercial critical area (§12.3.5.5) districts with a special exception permit. It also permits utility-scale solar energy systems as primary uses in employment center (§14.2.17) and industrial (§15.2.18) districts, subject to specific standards addressing glare, screening, and height.

It also stipulates that tree removal must be minimized and that each tree removed must be mitigated by a tree planted for all accessory solar energy systems.