Indiana

Buying Land in Montgomery County, Indiana

Seat Crawfordsville, in west-central Indiana. Montgomery County has adopted countywide zoning -- and has used it aggressively on energy development: a 2mile turbine-setback ordinance effectively killed a proposed 300-megawatt wind farm in 2019, while a separate, currently-contested rezoning petition for a roughly 200-megawatt solar project remains an open question here.

Countywide Zoning Through an Active Building/Zoning Department

Generally favorable

Montgomery County has adopted countywide zoning, administered by a Building/Zoning Department that reviews applications for the county Plan Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals.

A Restrictive Wind Ordinance Effectively Ended a 300-Megawatt Project

Case-by-case / verify locally

The county's wind-energy ordinance, including a 2-mile turbine setback from neighboring property lines, made Apex Clean Energy's proposed Roaming Bison wind farm near Waynetown infeasible in 2019. See our dedicated wind-solar-leasing page for details.

A Roughly 200-Megawatt Solar Project Was Still in the Rezoning Process

Case-by-case / verify locally

ENGIE North America's Copper Box Solar project, spanning roughly 1,800 privately-owned acres in Madison and Union Townships, had a public rezoning hearing scheduled for August 2026 after an earlier unfavorable Plan Commission recommendation. Confirm current status before assuming it will proceed.

Zoning: countywide, through an active Building/Zoning Department

Montgomery County has adopted countywide zoning under Indiana's optional IC 36-7-4 framework. The county's Building/Zoning Department reviews rezoning petitions and other applications on behalf of the Montgomery County Plan Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals -- this is a genuinely active, currently-operating zoning apparatus, not a dormant or historical one, evidenced by the county's own recent, detailed wind and solar energy ordinances described below.

This is worth stating plainly because an older, undated online source describing Indiana counties without zoning has, at various points, listed Montgomery County among a set of unzoned counties -- a claim this research pass found to be clearly outdated: the county's own current government pages describe an active Zoning Administrator, a Building/Zoning Department, and freshly adopted wind and solar ordinances. If you encounter an older reference describing Montgomery County as unzoned, don't rely on it.

Roaming Bison Wind: how a 2-mile setback ordinance ended a 300-megawatt project

Apex Clean Energy had proposed the Roaming Bison Wind project, a 300-megawatt wind farm near Waynetown in Montgomery County, complete with a power purchase agreement already in place to sell its output to Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO) as part of that utility's transition away from coal. County commissioners responded to organized local opposition -- including a group calling itself "No Wind Montgomery County" -- by pursuing a detailed wind-energy zoning ordinance, beginning with a February 2018 amendment (Ordinance 2018-4) tightening noise regulations for Wind Energy Conversion Systems and continuing into a broader ordinance requiring turbine bases to sit at least two miles from neighboring property lines and roadway rights-of-way.

That two-mile setback is severe enough that reporting describes it as making nearly the entire county off-limits to wind development even at a much smaller half-mile standard, let alone two miles -- and by 2019, opponents' zoning push had effectively killed the Roaming Bison project. See our dedicated wind-solar-leasing page for Montgomery County for more on what this means if you own land that was once inside the project's proposed footprint, or if you're evaluating a parcel with wind-lease potential here today.

Copper Box Solar: a different energy source, a different -- and still open -- fight

Unlike wind, Montgomery County's zoning code doesn't categorically block commercial solar -- the county's ordinance permits commercial solar energy systems specifically within agricultural overlay districts and industrial zoning districts, subject to a 500-foot setback from the property lines of nonparticipating landowners (notably stricter than the state's own recommended 250-foot dwelling setback). ENGIE North America is pursuing Copper Box Solar, a roughly 200-megawatt, approximately $300 million project spanning about 1,800 acres of privately owned land across Madison and Union Townships, with around 890 acres planned for the actual fenced solar arrays and the remainder devoted to setbacks, buffers, access roads, and vegetative cover.

The project's path has not been smooth: an earlier version drew an unfavorable recommendation from the Montgomery County Advisory Plan Commission, and the developer returned with a revised rezoning petition covering 19 parcels, with a public hearing scheduled for August 2026. As of this page's last review, Copper Box Solar remained in the zoning and permitting phase rather than under construction, meaning its ultimate outcome -- approval, further revision, or another rejection -- was still an open question.

Septic and other departments to know

The Montgomery County Health Department (1580 Constitution Row, Crawfordsville; (765) 364-6440 or (765) 364-7255) issues onsite sewage system permits under Indiana's statewide ISDH 410 IAC 6-8.3 rule, at a stated $165 permit fee, with the completed application submitted by either the homeowner or an installer who must be certified and registered with the county to design the proposed system.

Given the county's active energy-development disputes, a buyer evaluating farmland here -- particularly in Madison or Union Townships, or near Waynetown -- should ask directly whether a specific parcel sits within or adjacent to either the former Roaming Bison project footprint or the current Copper Box Solar rezoning petition area, since either can affect nearby land value, easement exposure, or future development pressure regardless of whether the parcel itself is under lease.

What we could and couldn't confirm

Montgomery County's current zoning status (an active Building/Zoning Department, Zoning Administrator, and Plan Commission) is confirmed directly via the county's own posted government pages, which this research pass weighed against and found more current and reliable than an undated Cyburbia-forum-sourced list (cited on this project's already-published Lawrence County hub) that separately named Montgomery among twelve supposedly unzoned Indiana counties -- that older list is treated here as stale rather than followed. Roaming Bison Wind's 300-megawatt capacity, its NIPSCO power purchase agreement, and its 2019 effective cancellation via the county's 2-mile turbine setback ordinance are corroborated across Global Energy Monitor, WBAA, and E&E News/Politico reporting. Copper Box Solar's roughly 200-megawatt capacity, approximately $300 million investment, and roughly 1,800-acre footprint are drawn from Journal Review and Cool Down wire coverage of an August 2026 public hearing; this research pass could not confirm the project's ultimate outcome (approval, further revision, or rejection) as of this page's last review, so its status should be treated as unresolved rather than assumed either way. The county's solar-ordinance setback figures (500 feet from nonparticipating property lines, versus the state's 250-foot recommendation) come from the county's own posted FAQ document. Direct WebFetch to montgomerycounty.in.gov was not attempted in this research pass.

Verify directly with: the Montgomery County Building/Zoning Department for current wind and solar ordinance requirements and Copper Box Solar's current rezoning status, and the Montgomery County Health Department for septic permitting

Who to Call Before Buying Land in Montgomery County

Direct WebFetch access to montgomerycounty.in.gov was not attempted in this research pass, so department details reflect search-indexed content rather than a full verbatim read -- confirm current staff, hours, and fees directly. This is a distinct Montgomery County from Montgomery County, Illinois, already published elsewhere on this site with unrelated wind-solar content tied to the Virden Wind project.

Planning & Zoning