Wind Energy Leasing in Stark County, IL: Camp Grove

Stark County's wind footprint is a real, nearly two-decades-old share of a project it splits with Marshall County -- and the grid connection point sits right in Stark's own county seat. Here's what's on the ground on the Stark County side, what governs it, and one name-based mix-up worth avoiding.

This page covers what's specific to Stark County. For the general explanation, see the national guide.

Stark County's share: 40 of 100 turbines

The Camp Grove Wind Farm is a 100-turbine, 150 MW facility of GE 1.5 MW turbines straddling the Marshall/Stark county line north of Peoria, operating since November 2007 and owned by subsidiaries of Orion Energy Group LLC (Oakland, California), Vision Energy LLC (Cincinnati, Ohio), and other investors. Of the 100 turbines, 40 stand in Stark County -- the smaller share of the two counties, but still nearly two decades of continuous operation on the Stark County landscape, which means recorded easements covering turbine pads, access roads, and underground collector lines have very likely changed hands at least once as the underlying farmland has been bought and sold since 2007.

The project's interconnection point with the regional PJM grid is Commonwealth Edison's Toulon Switchyard -- located in Toulon, which is Stark County's own county seat. That's a genuinely Stark-specific detail: while the wind farm as a whole is often described simply as a Marshall/Stark project, its actual grid connection sits inside Stark County's civic center, not just somewhere in the shared countryside.

A name-based mix-up worth heading off: Camp Grove isn't in Stark County

It would be a reasonable assumption that the unincorporated community of Camp Grove, which gives the wind farm its name, sits in Stark County. It doesn't. Camp Grove, Illinois was established at an early date directly on the historic line between Stark and Marshall Counties, near the southeast corner of Marshall County's Penn Township, and is documented as no longer sitting within Stark County's boundaries -- it's a Marshall County community today, even though the wind farm named after it has a substantial Stark County footprint.

If a lease offer, plat description, or online listing references "Camp Grove" in connection with a parcel you're evaluating, don't assume that points you toward Stark County. Confirm the specific parcel's county directly with the Stark County or Marshall County Assessor's office before relying on a place name alone.

Zoning rules that made room for wind before it arrived

Stark County's own zoning ordinance, administered by the Building and Zoning Department, allows wind energy conversion systems as both a principal use (a standalone commercial facility) and an accessory use, meaning the county's zoning framework was built to accommodate this kind of development directly rather than treating it as an afterthought. Illinois state law also sets an outer limit on how restrictive any county's wind ordinance can be: a setback greater than 2.1 times a turbine's total blade-tip height from the nearest outside wall of a residence not on leased land cannot be required, though a county remains free to set something less restrictive.

This research pass found no evidence of a second, separate wind or solar project specifically in Stark County beyond its Camp Grove share -- unlike Marshall County, which has a second facility (the Bennington Wind Project) approved in 2019. If a new project or lease offer surfaces referencing Stark County specifically, confirm its current status directly with the Building and Zoning Department rather than assuming it's connected to the existing Camp Grove footprint.

If you've been offered a lease, or are buying land already under one

Stark County's zoning ordinance, capped by the statewide setback ceiling, sets the regulatory floor for a wind facility here -- it says nothing about what a lease actually pays. Payment rate and escalation over time, term length and any renewal options, exactly what the easement covers (the turbine pad alone, or also the access road and collector-line corridor crossing the rest of your acreage), and who bears decommissioning costs if the operating entity doesn't survive the lease term are all points to negotiate directly, ideally with an attorney experienced in Illinois wind leases.

If you're buying land already subject to a recorded wind lease or easement tied to Camp Grove, pull the actual recorded document from the Stark County Clerk and Recorder rather than relying on a listing summary. Confirm what portion of the parcel is actually restricted, whether the lease or easement transfers automatically to you as the new owner (most wind leases are designed to run with the land), what ongoing payments (if any) you'd be entitled to, and whether financial security for eventual decommissioning is on file for the project.

Wind Energy Leasing in Stark County, Illinois

Stark County's share: 40 of 100 turbines

A name-based mix-up worth heading off: Camp Grove isn't in Stark County

Zoning rules that made room for wind before it arrived

If you've been offered a lease, or are buying land already under one

Ready to talk to someone who knows land?