Bill Text: IL HB4422 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Amends the Counties Code. In provisions about commercial wind energy facilities and commercial solar energy facilities, removes changes made by Public Act 102-1123. Provides that any provision of a county zoning ordinance pertaining to wind farms, commercial wind energy facilities, or commercial solar energy facilities that was in effect before January 27, 2023 may continue in effect notwithstanding any changes made in Public Act 102-1123 and, if applicable, any provision of a county zoning ordinance pertaining to wind farms that was in effect before August 16, 2007 may continue in effect notwithstanding the changes made in Public Act 95-203.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-03-11 - Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Tony M. McCombie [HB4422 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2023-HB4422-Introduced.html

103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
HB4422

Introduced , by Rep. Jason Bunting

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
55 ILCS 5/5-12020

Amends the Counties Code. In provisions about commercial wind energy facilities and commercial solar energy facilities, removes changes made by Public Act 102-1123. Provides that any provision of a county zoning ordinance pertaining to wind farms, commercial wind energy facilities, or commercial solar energy facilities that was in effect before January 27, 2023 may continue in effect notwithstanding any changes made in Public Act 102-1123 and, if applicable, any provision of a county zoning ordinance pertaining to wind farms that was in effect before August 16, 2007 may continue in effect notwithstanding the changes made in Public Act 95-203.
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A BILL FOR

HB4422LRB103 35394 AWJ 65459 b
1 AN ACT concerning local government.
2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
4 Section 5. The Counties Code is amended by changing
5Section 5-12020 as follows:
6 (55 ILCS 5/5-12020)
7 Sec. 5-12020. Commercial Wind farms, electric-generating
8wind devices, and commercial wind energy facilities and
9commercial solar energy facilities.
10 (a) As used in this Section:
11 "Commercial solar energy facility" means a "commercial
12solar energy system" as defined in Section 10-720 of the
13Property Tax Code. "Commercial solar energy facility" does not
14mean a utility-scale solar energy facility being constructed
15at a site that was eligible to participate in a procurement
16event conducted by the Illinois Power Agency pursuant to
17subsection (c-5) of Section 1-75 of the Illinois Power Agency
18Act.
19 "Commercial wind energy facility" means a wind energy
20conversion facility of equal or greater than 500 kilowatts in
21total nameplate generating capacity. "Commercial wind energy
22facility" includes a wind energy conversion facility seeking
23an extension of a permit to construct granted by a county or

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1municipality before the effective date of this amendatory Act
2of the 102nd General Assembly.
3 "Facility owner" means (i) a person with a direct
4ownership interest in a commercial wind energy facility or a
5commercial solar energy facility, or both, regardless of
6whether the person is involved in acquiring the necessary
7rights, permits, and approvals or otherwise planning for the
8construction and operation of the facility, and (ii) at the
9time the facility is being developed, a person who is acting as
10a developer of the facility by acquiring the necessary rights,
11permits, and approvals or by planning for the construction and
12operation of the facility, regardless of whether the person
13will own or operate the facility.
14 "Nonparticipating property" means real property that is
15not a participating property.
16 "Nonparticipating residence" means a residence that is
17located on nonparticipating property and that is existing and
18occupied on the date that an application for a permit to
19develop the commercial wind energy facility or the commercial
20solar energy facility is filed with the county.
21 "Occupied community building" means any one or more of the
22following buildings that is existing and occupied on the date
23that the application for a permit to develop the commercial
24wind energy facility or the commercial solar energy facility
25is filed with the county: a school, place of worship, day care
26facility, public library, or community center.

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1 "Participating property" means real property that is the
2subject of a written agreement between a facility owner and
3the owner of the real property that provides the facility
4owner an easement, option, lease, or license to use the real
5property for the purpose of constructing a commercial wind
6energy facility, a commercial solar energy facility, or
7supporting facilities. "Participating property" also includes
8real property that is owned by a facility owner for the purpose
9of constructing a commercial wind energy facility, a
10commercial solar energy facility, or supporting facilities.
11 "Participating residence" means a residence that is
12located on participating property and that is existing and
13occupied on the date that an application for a permit to
14develop the commercial wind energy facility or the commercial
15solar energy facility is filed with the county.
16 "Protected lands" means real property that is:
17 (1) subject to a permanent conservation right
18 consistent with the Real Property Conservation Rights Act;
19 or
20 (2) registered or designated as a nature preserve,
21 buffer, or land and water reserve under the Illinois
22 Natural Areas Preservation Act.
23 "Supporting facilities" means the transmission lines,
24substations, access roads, meteorological towers, storage
25containers, and equipment associated with the generation and
26storage of electricity by the commercial wind energy facility

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1or commercial solar energy facility.
2 "Wind tower" includes the wind turbine tower, nacelle, and
3blades.
4 (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law or whether
5the county has formed a zoning commission and adopted formal
6zoning under Section 5-12007, a county may establish standards
7for commercial wind energy facilities, commercial solar energy
8facilities, or both wind farms and electric-generating wind
9devices. The standards may include, without limitation, the
10height of the devices and the number of devices that may be
11located within a geographic area all of the requirements
12specified in this Section but may not include requirements for
13commercial wind energy facilities or commercial solar energy
14facilities that are more restrictive than specified in this
15Section. A county may also regulate the siting of wind farms
16and electric-generating wind devices commercial wind energy
17facilities with standards that are not more restrictive than
18the requirements specified in this Section in unincorporated
19areas of the county that are outside of the zoning
20jurisdiction of a municipality and that are outside the
211.5-mile radius surrounding the zoning jurisdiction of a
22municipality.
23 (c) If a county has elected to establish standards under
24subsection (b), before the county grants siting approval or a
25special use permit for a commercial wind energy facility or a
26commercial solar energy facility, or modification of an

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1approved siting or special use permit, the county board of the
2county in which the facility is to be sited or the zoning board
3of appeals for the county shall hold There shall be at least
4one public hearing. The public hearing shall be conducted in
5accordance with the Open Meetings Act and shall be held not
6more than 45 days after the filing of the application for the
7facility. The county shall allow interested parties to a
8special use permit an opportunity to present evidence and to
9cross-examine witnesses at the hearing, but the county may
10impose reasonable restrictions on the public hearing,
11including reasonable time limitations on the presentation of
12evidence and the cross-examination of witnesses. The county
13shall also allow public comment at the public hearing in
14accordance with the Open Meetings Act. The county shall make
15its siting and permitting decisions not more than 30 days
16prior to a siting decision by the county board after the
17conclusion of the public hearing. Notice of the hearing shall
18be published in a newspaper of general circulation in the
19county. A commercial wind energy facility owner, as defined in
20the Renewable Energy Facilities Agricultural Impact Mitigation
21Act, must enter into an agricultural impact mitigation
22agreement with the Department of Agriculture prior to the date
23of the required public hearing. A commercial wind energy
24facility owner seeking an extension of a permit granted by a
25county prior to July 24, 2015 (the effective date of Public Act
2699-132) must enter into an agricultural impact mitigation

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1agreement with the Department of Agriculture prior to a
2decision by the county to grant the permit extension. Counties
3may allow test wind towers or test solar energy systems to be
4sited without formal approval by the county board. Any
5provision of a county zoning ordinance pertaining to wind
6farms, commercial wind energy facilities, or commercial solar
7energy facilities that was in effect before January 27, 2023
8may continue in effect notwithstanding any changes made in
9Public Act 102-1123 and, if applicable, any provision of a
10county zoning ordinance pertaining to wind farms that was in
11effect before August 16, 2007 may continue in effect
12notwithstanding the changes made in Public Act 95-203.
13 (d) A county with an existing zoning ordinance in conflict
14with this Section shall amend that zoning ordinance to be in
15compliance with this Section within 120 days after the
16effective date of this amendatory Act of the 102nd General
17Assembly.
18 (e) A county may not require a wind tower or other
19renewable energy system that is used exclusively by an end
20user to be setback more than 1.1 times the height of the
21renewable energy system from the end user's property line. :
22 (1) a wind tower of a commercial wind energy facility
23 to be sited as follows, with setback distances measured
24 from the center of the base of the wind tower:
25Setback Description Setback Distance

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1Occupied Community 2.1 times the maximum blade tip
2Buildings height of the wind tower to the
3 nearest point on the outside
4 wall of the structure
5Participating Residences 1.1 times the maximum blade tip
6 height of the wind tower to the
7 nearest point on the outside
8 wall of the structure
9Nonparticipating Residences 2.1 times the maximum blade tip
10 height of the wind tower to the
11 nearest point on the outside
12 wall of the structure
13Boundary Lines of None
14Participating Property
15Boundary Lines of 1.1 times the maximum blade tip
16Nonparticipating Property height of the wind tower to the
17 nearest point on the property
18 line of the nonparticipating
19 property
20Public Road Rights-of-Way 1.1 times the maximum blade tip

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1 height of the wind tower
2 to the center point of the
3 public road right-of-way
4Overhead Communication and 1.1 times the maximum blade tip
5Electric Transmission height of the wind tower to the
6and Distribution Facilities nearest edge of the property
7(Not Including Overhead line, easement, or
8Utility Service Lines to right of way
9Individual Houses or containing the overhead line
10Outbuildings)
11Overhead Utility Service None
12Lines to Individual
13Houses or Outbuildings
14Fish and Wildlife Areas 2.1 times the maximum blade
15and Illinois Nature tip height of the wind tower
16Preserve Commission to the nearest point on the
17Protected Lands property line of the fish and
18 wildlife area or protected
19 land
20 This Section does not exempt or excuse compliance with
21 electric facility clearances approved or required by the
22 National Electrical Code, The National Electrical Safety
23 Code, Illinois Commerce Commission, Federal Energy

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1 Regulatory Commission, and their designees or successors.
2 (2) a wind tower of a commercial wind energy facility
3 to be sited so that industry standard computer modeling
4 indicates that any occupied community building or
5 nonparticipating residence will not experience more than
6 30 hours per year of shadow flicker under planned
7 operating conditions;
8 (3) a commercial solar energy facility to be sited as
9 follows, with setback distances measured from the nearest
10 edge of any component of the facility:
11Setback Description Setback Distance
12Occupied Community 150 feet from the nearest
13Buildings and Dwellings on point on the outside wall
14Nonparticipating Properties of the structure
15Boundary Lines of None
16Participating Property
17Public Road Rights-of-Way 50 feet from the nearest
18 edge
19Boundary Lines of 50 feet to the nearest
20Nonparticipating Property point on the property

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1 line of the nonparticipating
2 property
3 (4) a commercial solar energy facility to be sited so
4 that the facility's perimeter is enclosed by fencing
5 having a height of at least 6 feet and no more than 25
6 feet; and
7 (5) a commercial solar energy facility to be sited so
8 that no component of a solar panel has a height of more
9 than 20 feet above ground when the solar energy facility's
10 arrays are at full tilt.
11 The requirements set forth in this subsection (e) may be
12waived subject to the written consent of the owner of each
13affected nonparticipating property.
14 (f) A county may not set a sound limitation for wind towers
15in commercial wind energy facilities or any components in
16commercial solar energy facility that is more restrictive than
17the sound limitations established by the Illinois Pollution
18Control Board under 35 Ill. Adm. Code Parts 900, 901, and 910.
19 (g) A county may not place any restriction on the
20installation or use of a commercial wind energy facility or a
21commercial solar energy facility unless it adopts an ordinance
22that complies with this Section. A county may not establish
23siting standards for supporting facilities that preclude
24development of commercial wind energy facilities or commercial
25solar energy facilities.

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1 A request for siting approval or a special use permit for a
2commercial wind energy facility or a commercial solar energy
3facility, or modification of an approved siting or special use
4permit, shall be approved if the request is in compliance with
5the standards and conditions imposed in this Act, the zoning
6ordinance adopted consistent with this Code, and the
7conditions imposed under State and federal statutes and
8regulations.
9 (h) A county may not adopt zoning regulations that
10disallow, permanently or temporarily, commercial wind energy
11facilities or commercial solar energy facilities from being
12developed or operated in any district zoned to allow
13agricultural or industrial uses.
14 (i) A county may not require permit application fees for a
15commercial wind energy facility or commercial solar energy
16facility that are unreasonable. All application fees imposed
17by the county shall be consistent with fees for projects in the
18county with similar capital value and cost.
19 (j) Except as otherwise provided in this Section, a county
20shall not require standards for construction, decommissioning,
21or deconstruction of a commercial wind energy facility or
22commercial solar energy facility or related financial
23assurances that are more restrictive than those included in
24the Department of Agriculture's standard wind farm
25agricultural impact mitigation agreement, template 81818, or
26standard solar agricultural impact mitigation agreement,

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1version 8.19.19, as applicable and in effect on December 31,
22022. The amount of any decommissioning payment shall be
3limited to the cost identified in the decommissioning or
4deconstruction plan, as required by those agricultural impact
5mitigation agreements, minus the salvage value of the project.
6 (k) A county may not condition approval of a commercial
7wind energy facility or commercial solar energy facility on a
8property value guarantee and may not require a facility owner
9to pay into a neighboring property devaluation escrow account.
10 (l) A county may require certain vegetative screening
11surrounding a commercial wind energy facility or commercial
12solar energy facility but may not require earthen berms or
13similar structures.
14 (m) A county may set blade tip height limitations for wind
15towers in commercial wind energy facilities but may not set a
16blade tip height limitation that is more restrictive than the
17height allowed under a Determination of No Hazard to Air
18Navigation by the Federal Aviation Administration under 14 CFR
19Part 77.
20 (n) A county may require that a commercial wind energy
21facility owner or commercial solar energy facility owner
22provide:
23 (1) the results and recommendations from consultation
24 with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources that are
25 obtained through the Ecological Compliance Assessment Tool
26 (EcoCAT) or a comparable successor tool; and

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1 (2) the results of the United States Fish and Wildlife
2 Service's Information for Planning and Consulting
3 environmental review or a comparable successor tool that
4 is consistent with (i) the "U.S. Fish and Wildlife
5 Service's Land-Based Wind Energy Guidelines" and (ii) any
6 applicable United States Fish and Wildlife Service solar
7 wildlife guidelines that have been subject to public
8 review.
9 Only a county may establish standards for wind farms,
10electric-generating wind devices, and commercial wind energy
11facilities, as that term is defined in Section 10 of the
12Renewable Energy Facilities Agricultural Impact Mitigation
13Act, in unincorporated areas of the county outside of the
14zoning jurisdiction of a municipality and outside the 1.5-mile
15radius surrounding the zoning jurisdiction of a municipality.
16 (o) A county may require a commercial wind energy facility
17or commercial solar energy facility to adhere to the
18recommendations provided by the Illinois Department of Natural
19Resources in an EcoCAT natural resource review report under 17
20Ill. Admin. Code Part 1075.
21 (p) A county may require a facility owner to:
22 (1) demonstrate avoidance of protected lands as
23 identified by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources
24 and the Illinois Nature Preserve Commission; or
25 (2) consider the recommendations of the Illinois
26 Department of Natural Resources for setbacks from

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1 protected lands, including areas identified by the
2 Illinois Nature Preserve Commission.
3 (q) A county may require that a facility owner provide
4evidence of consultation with the Illinois State Historic
5Preservation Office to assess potential impacts on
6State-registered historic sites under the Illinois State
7Agency Historic Resources Preservation Act.
8 (r) To maximize community benefits, including, but not
9limited to, reduced stormwater runoff, flooding, and erosion
10at the ground mounted solar energy system, improved soil
11health, and increased foraging habitat for game birds,
12songbirds, and pollinators, a county may (1) require a
13commercial solar energy facility owner to plant, establish,
14and maintain for the life of the facility vegetative ground
15cover, consistent with the goals of the Pollinator-Friendly
16Solar Site Act and (2) require the submittal of a vegetation
17management plan in the application to construct and operate a
18commercial solar energy facility in the county.
19 No later than 90 days after the effective date of this
20amendatory Act of the 102nd General Assembly, the Illinois
21Department of Natural Resources shall develop guidelines for
22vegetation management plans that may be required under this
23subsection for commercial solar energy facilities. The
24guidelines must include guidance for short-term and long-term
25property management practices that provide and maintain native
26and non-invasive naturalized perennial vegetation to protect

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1the health and well-being of pollinators.
2 (s) If a facility owner enters into a road use agreement
3with the Illinois Department of Transportation, a road
4district, or other unit of local government relating to a
5commercial wind energy facility or a commercial solar energy
6facility, the road use agreement shall require the facility
7owner to be responsible for (i) the reasonable cost of
8improving roads used by the facility owner to construct the
9commercial wind energy facility or the commercial solar energy
10facility and (ii) the reasonable cost of repairing roads used
11by the facility owner during construction of the commercial
12wind energy facility or the commercial solar energy facility
13so that those roads are in a condition that is safe for the
14driving public after the completion of the facility's
15construction. Roadways improved in preparation for and during
16the construction of the commercial wind energy facility or
17commercial solar energy facility shall be repaired and
18restored to the improved condition at the reasonable cost of
19the developer if the roadways have degraded or were damaged as
20a result of construction-related activities.
21 The road use agreement shall not require the facility
22owner to pay costs, fees, or charges for road work that is not
23specifically and uniquely attributable to the construction of
24the commercial wind energy facility or the commercial solar
25energy facility. Road-related fees, permit fees, or other
26charges imposed by the Illinois Department of Transportation,

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1a road district, or other unit of local government under a road
2use agreement with the facility owner shall be reasonably
3related to the cost of administration of the road use
4agreement.
5 (t) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a facility
6owner with siting approval from a county to construct a
7commercial wind energy facility or a commercial solar energy
8facility is authorized to cross or impact a drainage system,
9including, but not limited to, drainage tiles, open drainage
10districts, culverts, and water gathering vaults, owned or
11under the control of a drainage district under the Illinois
12Drainage Code without obtaining prior agreement or approval
13from the drainage district, except that the facility owner
14shall repair or pay for the repair of all damage to the
15drainage system caused by the construction of the commercial
16wind energy facility or the commercial solar energy facility
17within a reasonable time after construction of the commercial
18wind energy facility or the commercial solar energy facility
19is complete.
20 (u) The amendments to this Section adopted in Public Act
21102-1123 do not apply to: (1) an application for siting
22approval or for a special use permit for a commercial wind
23energy facility or commercial solar energy facility if the
24application was submitted to a unit of local government before
25the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 102nd General
26Assembly; (2) a commercial wind energy facility or a

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