Dearborn Co. Commissioners Approve One Year Moratorium on Solar Farms

No applications will be accepted during the moratorium period.

(Lawrenceburg, Ind.) - The Dearborn County Board of Commissioners held a Special Meeting on Tuesday to vote on the Plan Commission’s recommendation to implement a 12-month moratorium on the processing of applications for commercial solar farms and battery storage facilities in Dearborn County using the requirements spelled out in Article 19 of the Dearborn County Zoning Ordinance.

Article 19 was written in 2021 and outlines requirements for solar farms and battery storage facilities involving the building and operation of these facilities.

The recommendation followed a public community meeting held on Monday at South Dearborn High School. After hearing from a broad range of speakers, and weighing their concerns, the Plan Commissioners approved a recommendation for a 12-month moratorium during which Article 19 will be reviewed, discussed and potentially revised.

The County Board unanimously approved the recommendation with the moratorium on processing applications for commercial solar farms, battery storage and data centers beginning February 25, 2026.

The collection of ideas and suggestions concerning changes to Article 19 will begin right away. The best ways to communicate your ideas will be posted on the Plan Commission website and will also be posted on Facebook. An updated bi-weekly list of submitted suggestions will be on the Dearborn County Planning and Zoning website. Beginning in April, there will be a list of submitted ideas included on the agenda of every other Plan Commission meeting for discussion and approval. There will also be workshops scheduled so ideas can be discussed by community members, and everyone can hear concerns from all sides. These workshops will also be publicized in advance on the Plan Commission website and Facebook pages.

Other Indiana counties are also implementing moratoriums on the processing of applications for commercial solar farms and data centers. As one commissioner expressed at Tuesday’s meeting, “We have a lot of work to do ahead.”

RELATED: Dearborn Co. Plan Commission Recommends 12-Month Moratorium on Solar Farms