Warren County, IN
Wind and Solar Leasing in Warren County, Indiana
Part of the 146-turbine, roughly 400-megawatt Jordan Creek Wind Energy Center sits in Warren County, and the county's zoning ordinance is rated among the most wind-energy-ready in Indiana. Here's what that track record actually means for a landowner weighing a lease offer.
This page covers what's specific to Warren County. For the general explanation, see the national guide.
An operating wind farm, not a speculative proposal
Unlike many Indiana counties where wind or solar leasing is still a proposal working through the zoning process, Warren County already has a real, operating utility-scale project on the ground. The Jordan Creek Wind Energy Center, developed by NextEra Energy Resources near Williamsport, spans Warren and neighboring Benton Counties with 146 turbines generating roughly 400 megawatts, and was commissioned in December 2020. NIPSCO buys the facility's electricity output under a long-term power purchase agreement rather than owning the turbines directly -- a common structure in Indiana wind development, where the developer retains ownership and operation while a utility contracts for the power.
For a landowner evaluating a lease offer from a different developer, or simply trying to understand how these agreements typically work in the county, Jordan Creek is a useful, concrete local reference point -- there's an established project with years of operating history here, rather than only theoretical projections.
Warren County's zoning was built with wind energy in mind
A Purdue University Cooperative Extension community-planning assessment scoring Indiana county zoning ordinances against a nine-category wind-energy-readiness framework identified Warren County as one of only two counties statewide (alongside Clark County) to meet every category. Under that assessment, Warren County's ordinance permits commercial wind energy conversion systems in the agricultural zoning district as a special exception, without requiring a rezoning or additional discretionary review process beyond that special-exception approval.
The notable flip side, per that same assessment: Warren County's ordinance was not found to specify particular numeric standards for turbine setbacks from property lines, maximum height, noise limits, or shadow-flicker restrictions. That absence of hard numeric limits is part of what scored favorably for developer flexibility under that framework, but it also means a landowner shouldn't assume a specific setback distance applies without confirming the county's current special-exception conditions directly -- especially since project-specific special-exception approvals (like those covering the Jordan Creek project itself) can include negotiated conditions that go beyond whatever the base zoning ordinance requires.
What to check before signing a lease
Confirm three things directly with the Warren County Area Plan & Zoning Office before signing anything: first, whether the specific parcel is zoned in a way that permits wind or solar as a special exception, and whether a rezoning would actually be required for a solar lease specifically (solar siting rules can differ meaningfully from the wind-specific framework Purdue Extension evaluated); second, the current special-exception conditions that would actually apply to a new project, since these are set case-by-case rather than through a single countywide numeric standard; and third, whether the specific parcel is near a separate, newer wind or solar proposal that has drawn organized local opposition over setback, noise, and shadow-flicker concerns -- this research pass could not confirm that proposal's current status, so it's worth asking the Area Plan Commission directly whether any pending application affects your parcel.
As with any lease of this kind, have an attorney experienced in wind or solar leases review the actual agreement rather than relying on a summary from the developer, and confirm how the lease treats decommissioning obligations, easement duration, and any restrictions the lease itself places on other uses of the land during its term.
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- Jordan Creek Wind | Project Overview — NextEra Energy Resources (accessed 2026-09)
- Power plant profile: Jordan Creek Wind Farm, US — Power Technology / GlobalData (accessed 2026-09)
- NIPSCO commissions 502MW of wind projects in Indiana, US — NS Energy Business (accessed 2026-09)
- warren county re (community renewable-energy planning assessment) — Purdue University Cooperative Extension (accessed 2026-09)
- Warren County Area Plan & Zoning Office — Warren County, Indiana Government (accessed 2026-09)
- Farmers stunned by unexpected impacts of new solar and wind farm projects — The Cool Down (accessed 2026-09)
Last reviewed 2026-09