The DuPage County Development Committee approved new zoning rules for solar panels, wind turbines and battery storage systems in unincorporated parts of the county on Tuesday, Sept. 1.
The 6-0 vote clears the way for Text Amendment T-2-26, which rewrites sections of the county's zoning ordinance to comply with a state law that took effect June 1. The new rules apply to unincorporated land not covered by a municipality's zoning authority. Residents in the Downers Grove, Woodridge and Westmont area who live near unincorporated parcels could be affected by solar or battery storage projects sited under the updated standards.
The amendment covers five categories: small wind energy systems, private solar energy systems, commercial wind energy facilities, commercial solar energy facilities and energy storage systems.
The state law driving the change is Public Act 104-0458, known as the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act (CRGA). Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the bill Jan. 8, and it took effect June 1, according to a Taft Law analysis of the legislation. The law gave counties 120 days from that date to bring their zoning codes into compliance.
That puts the deadline at around Sept. 29.
Under the state law, counties cannot impose zoning requirements on energy storage systems that are stricter than the statewide standards. Those standards include minimum setbacks of 150 feet from occupied buildings and homes not participating in a project, 50 feet from a nonparticipating property line and 50 feet from the nearest public right-of-way.
The county's Zoning Board of Appeals had already recommended approval, voting 6-0 with one member absent, according to the committee's meeting record. The Development Committee then waived the ordinance's first reading before casting its own unanimous vote at its 10:30 a.m. meeting.
The amendment goes next to the full DuPage County Board for final adoption. No vote date has been announced. The ordinance is filed as DC-O-0034-26 in county records. Residents can track its progress on the county's Legistar page.
