Wind and Solar Energy Leasing in Madison County, Indiana: The Lone Oak Fight and a New Ordinance

How this started: the 2019 Lone Oak Solar Energy Center dispute

Madison County's modern energy-siting fight traces to 2019, when the county's Board of Zoning Appeals approved a special-use permit for the Lone Oak Solar Energy Center, a proposed $110 million, 120-megawatt commercial solar facility on roughly 850 acres near Elwood, subject to a 500-foot setback from any nonparticipating property owner's line. That approval drew vociferous local opposition -- neighboring landowners and residents pushed back hard enough that county officials responded by imposing a moratorium on new large-scale solar development, giving the county time to draft a more comprehensive ordinance rather than continuing to approve projects case by case under the existing rules.

If you're evaluating land near the Lone Oak project itself, keep in mind that its specific approval terms (the 500-foot setback, in particular) were negotiated under the older rules in effect in 2019 -- they don't necessarily match the newer countywide ordinance's general standards described below.

The new solar ordinance: setbacks, a neutral zone, and a farmland cap

Following the moratorium period, Madison County adopted a new solar ordinance -- reported as finalized around 2024, with continued amendment discussions running into 2025 -- that sets more specific, more protective terms than the ad hoc approval Lone Oak received. Reported provisions include a setback of 400 to 450 feet from any adjacent nonparticipating property line (higher than Lone Oak's original 500-foot condition would suggest, since sourcing on the exact current figure varies), a three-mile "neutral zone" required between separate solar developments, a residential property-value guarantee for single-family homes within three miles of a project (triggered from the start of construction), and a cap limiting solar-facility development to no more than 10% of prime farmland within a given project area. The ordinance also defines facility size tiers: a large-scale facility runs 76 to 400 acres, and a medium-sized facility runs 6 to 75 acres.

Even after this ordinance was adopted, the debate hasn't fully settled. At least one county commissioner, Bobby Little, has pushed for a further setback increase to 650 feet -- well above both Lone Oak's original 500-foot condition and the newer ordinance's reported 400-450-foot range -- reflecting continued disagreement among county officials about how protective the rules should be. This research pass could not confirm whether that 650-foot proposal was ultimately adopted, so treat the current effective setback distance as something to verify directly with the Planning Commission rather than a settled number.

A wind farm moratorium that lasted less than six months

Wind energy has its own, separate, shorter story in Madison County. The Board of Commissioners approved a moratorium on any new wind farm development on March 19, 2024 -- but rather than letting it run its full course, the board voted 3-0 to end the moratorium early, on September 10, 2024. That means new wind development is not currently blocked by that specific moratorium as of this page's last review, though it also means the underlying wind-energy ordinance terms that apply once the moratorium lifted haven't been independently confirmed in this research pass.

If you've received a wind lease inquiry, or are evaluating land near a proposed wind project, confirm the county's current wind-ordinance setback, noise, and shadow-flicker standards directly -- don't assume the moratorium is still in effect (it isn't, as of the confirmed September 2024 vote), and don't assume the solar ordinance's terms automatically carry over to wind projects, since Indiana counties frequently regulate the two technologies under separate ordinance sections with different standards.

What this means if you have a lease offer, or land near a project

• If you've received a solar lease offer, ask specifically whether the developer's proposed setback and acreage meet the current ordinance's terms (reported at 400-450 feet, with a possible increase to 650 feet under discussion) rather than an older figure like Lone Oak's 500-foot condition
• Check whether your parcel would fall within a required three-mile "neutral zone" of another proposed or approved solar project, since that zone can affect whether a nearby project -- not just your own land -- is even eligible to proceed
• If you're a neighboring, nonparticipating landowner within three miles of a proposed solar project, ask about the residential property-value guarantee provision and how to invoke it if you believe your property value has been affected
• For a wind lease inquiry, confirm the county's current wind-specific ordinance terms directly rather than assuming the 2024 moratorium (now ended) or the solar ordinance's terms apply
• Review your specific parcel's soil classification against the ordinance's 10%-of-prime-farmland cap if you're considering leasing prime agricultural land for a large-scale solar project