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Municipal and County Resources

Are you part of a municipal or county body hoping to make solar a more viable option for your residents? These resources will help you get on the right track.

SolarAPP+

This page gives an overview of the SolarAPP program, and how it works to streamline permitting to reduce the soft costs of solar. It is free for municipal permitting departments!

SolSmart

Learn about how to make your community solar ready.

ISEA held a webinar in September of 2018 in conjunction with SolSmart and the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus. View the recording here. Download the slides here.

Permitting, Planning, and Zoning Resources
This page contains a set of tool kits to make sure your municipality or county is up-to-date on how solar permitting, planning, and zoning works and how to make the process for going solar as smooth as possible.

County Wind and Solar Zoning Restrictions Issue Brief

House Bill 4412 was approved by the General Assembly during the January “lame duck” session of the 102nd General Assembly. The vote in the House was 73-36 and the vote in the Senate was 33-17. Governor Pritzker signed the bill into law on January 27, 2023, as P.A. 102-1123. This is also the effective date for the new law.

The new law includes multiple provisions. Of interest to counties is the language within the Illinois Counties Code that restricts local zoning authority over the siting of wind and solar facilities.

This summary is intended as a resource to familiarize county officials and staff with the content within the law that amends the Illinois Counties Code. ISACo recommends that each county request that their State’s Attorney review the text of the law and advise about appropriate compliance.

Illinois Local Zoning and Building Regulations for Solar
(Note: This page is currently being updated. Apologies for the inconvenience!) This page contains a document written by ISEA's policy committee outlining local regulations to be aware of.

Interactive Solar Training for Local Code Officials

The Interstate Renewable Energy Council offers a variety of online training opportunities.
How to Work with Municipal Utilities and Rural Cooperatives

If you're interested in learning how to work with municipal utilities and rural cooperatives downstate, this presentation by Michelle Knox will fill you in.

How to Work with Municipal Utilities and Rural Cooperatives

If you're interested in learning how to work with municipal utilities and rural cooperatives downstate, this presentation by Michelle Knox will fill you in.

Homeowners' Energy Policy Statement Act Amendments
First passed as the Illinois Solar Rights Act in 2011 and amended in 2021 as the Homeowners' Energy Policy Statement Act, these amendments make it easier for people in HOAs to go solar. Changes the definition of "solar storage mechanism" to include batteries. Provides that the entity may determine the specific configuration of the elements of a solar energy system on a given roof face, provided that it may not prohibit elements of the system from being installed on any roof face and that any such determination may not reduce the production of the solar energy system by more than 10% (rather than specific location where a solar energy system may be installed on the roof within an orientation to the south or within 45 degrees east or west of due south provided that the determination does not impair the effective operation of the solar energy system). Provides that within 90 (rather than 120) days after a homeowners' association, common interest community association, or condominium unit owners' association receives a request for a policy statement or an application from an association member, the association shall adopt an energy policy statement. Provides that whenever approval is required for the installation or use of a solar energy system, the application for approval shall be processed by the appropriate approving entity of the association within 75 (rather than 90) days of (rather than after) the submission of the application. Provides that the Act shall not apply to any building that is greater than 60 (rather than 30) feet high, or to any building that has a shared roof and is subject to a homeowners' association, common interest community association, or condominium unit owners' association.


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