Wind & Solar Leasing in Logan County, OH: SB 52 & Grange Solar

Logan County used a 2022 state law to bar large wind and solar facilities from most of its townships -- and in 2024-2025, a proposed 2,570-acre solar farm near Indian Lake became a real test of just how firm that line is, ending in the developer's withdrawal rather than a fight to the finish.

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

The county's 2022 SB 52 restriction

Ohio's Senate Bill 52, effective in 2021, gave county commissioners a new tool: the power to designate parts of their county as a restricted area where the Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB) cannot certify certain large wind and solar facilities, regardless of what a willing landowner and developer might otherwise agree to. Logan County was among the counties that used this power early and broadly -- its commissioners passed a resolution in August 2022 designating 16 of the county's townships, plus other unincorporated areas, as restricted under SB 52, one of roughly nine to ten Ohio counties that had taken similar action by that point.

The practical effect is significant for any Logan County landowner who has been approached about a utility-scale wind or solar lease: if your parcel sits within one of the 16 restricted townships, the OPSB is generally barred from certifying a large facility there no matter how attractive the lease terms look on paper, which can make an otherwise promising proposal legally dead on arrival. Confirm directly with the Logan County Commissioners' office which specific townships the restriction currently covers, since county-level SB 52 designations can in some cases be revisited.

The Grange Solar Grazing Center: a real test case

The restriction's real-world weight showed up clearly in the case of the Grange Solar Grazing Center, a large solar project proposed by developer Open Road Renewables. The project called for up to 2,570 acres and as much as 500 megawatts of generating capacity, spanning Washington, Stokes, Richland, McArthur, and Bloomfield Townships -- an area that includes land near Indian Lake, one of the county's most recognizable landmarks. Notably, the project was framed partly as a "solar grazing" facility, pairing solar arrays with sheep grazing underneath, an increasingly common design intended to help address agricultural-land-use objections to utility-scale solar.

Despite that design choice, the project drew sustained local opposition, and Ohio Power Siting Board staff ultimately recommended against granting the certificate the project needed, concluding it did not meet the required finding that the facility served "the public interest, necessity, and convenience." Facing that staff recommendation -- a strong signal of how the full board was likely to rule -- Open Road Renewables withdrew its application in February/March 2025 rather than pursue a final decision.

What this means if you own land in one of the restricted townships

If your Logan County parcel sits inside one of the 16 SB 52-restricted townships, treat any wind or solar lease offer with real skepticism about whether the project could ever actually get built as proposed -- a developer may still approach you, and may even secure a lease option, but the county's restriction and the OPSB's own public-interest standard both stand as real, demonstrated obstacles, not just legal formalities. The Grange Solar case shows that even a large, well-resourced developer using a landowner-friendly design (solar grazing, meant to preserve some agricultural use of the land) can still be turned back by local opposition feeding into the state review process.

If you're specifically interested in leasing land for wind or solar despite the restriction, or if your land falls outside the 16 designated townships, confirm current SB 52 status directly with the Logan County Commissioners' office before signing anything, and have any lease agreement reviewed by an attorney familiar with Ohio's SB 52 framework -- the restriction can affect a project's viability years into a multi-decade lease term, not just at signing.

Wind & Solar Leasing in Logan County, Ohio

The county's 2022 SB 52 restriction

The Grange Solar Grazing Center: a real test case

What this means if you own land in one of the restricted townships

Ready to talk to someone who knows land?