Allen County, IN — Solar Development Risk Assessment

No Moratorium

None codified. No county-specific setbacks adopted.

Allen County Area Plan Commission (APC): CUP or Improvement Location Permit (ILP) in Agricultural district.

Cautious — metro land constraints

R-majority Commissioners; Fort Wayne metro constraints limit large parcels; I&M/AEP territory; no major denials on record; suburban fringe limits development more than politics

Stable

Local permit: Special Exception (SE) in A-1 Agricultural zoning via county Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA); some counties use two-step process (Plan Commission recommendation + BZA approval). BZA SE is the standard county-level pathway for all utility-scale solar. IURC CPCN: Indiana Code §8-1-8.5 — IURC Certificate of Public Convenience & Necessity (Cause No.) required for generating facilities >80 MW; process runs parallel to county BZA SE and does not replace it. IURC approval does NOT override a county BZA denial except where federal jurisdiction applies (see Mammoth Solar / Pulaski County precedent, 2023). IC 36-7-4: Indiana Code §36-7-4 limits how restrictive county ordinances can be for solar; basis for developer preemption litigation against overly restrictive ordinances (Randolph County 2024 litigation pending). SB 411 (2022): Voluntary 'solar-ready county' designation for counties meeting solar-friendly siting standards. SB 390 (2023): $1/MWh financial incentive for solar-ready counties.

Indiana Renewable Energy law (IURC): no Renewable Portfolio Standard — Indiana repealed its RPS (HB 1271, effective 2023). Net metering: available for ≤1 MW retail customer generation (IURC regulated utilities); Indiana Michigan Power (AEP), Duke Energy Indiana, Vectren/CenterPoint, NIPSCO offer programs. IURC CPCN: required for generating facilities ≥80 MW. HEA 1381 (2022): counties retain siting authority for solar in unincorporated areas. No state cash incentive program for solar. Utility: Duke Energy Indiana serves central/eastern IN; NIPSCO (NiSource) serves NW IN (Cook/Lake/Porter); Indiana Michigan Power (AEP) serves northeastern IN; Vectren/CenterPoint serves SW IN; REMC cooperatives serve rural areas.

Allen County Plan Commission amendment Aug 2022: solar >500 panels OR >20,000 sq ft now requires use variance (higher standard than special use). Vote result: amendment passed. Allen County Commissioners to give final decision. Ground-mounted systems: ≤500 panels per parcel and ≤20,000 sq ft = special use; larger = use variance with 5 statutory factors including adverse effect on area, peculiar conditions, etc. Source: WFFT Fox55 wfft.com Aug 19 2022

RESTRICTIVE AMENDMENT: Plan Commission amendment effectively raising bar for solar via use variance for larger systems (Aug 2022). Use variance = much higher standard: must show peculiar condition, unnecessary hardship, no adverse effect on area. No specific project denial on record — framework raises barriers. Source: WFFT Fox55 Aug 19 2022