Macon County, IL Solar Energy: Panel Permits (2026)

Chapter 156 of the Macon County Code governs commercial solar energy facilities, meaning ground-installed systems built primarily to sell power wholesale or retail rather than to serve the property they sit on. 01, a commercial solar energy building permit is the document that authorizes actual construction; the county cannot issue one until the facility has first obtained a special use permit from the County Board and the Director of Planning and Zoning confirms every condition attached to that permit has been satisfied. 04: the applicant must submit a special use permit application containing a detailed project summary, ownership and operator information, a full site plan showing setbacks and adjoining properties, a decommissioning plan, an Agricultural Impact Mitigation Agreement with the Illinois Department of Agriculture, and results from state and federal wildlife review tools, among other items, in 12 paper copies plus one electronic copy.

10 per megawatt of proposed nameplate capacity, with any unused balance refundable within six months of a final County Board decision. 05 caps panel height at 20 feet at full tilt and requires vegetative screening and a six-to-25-foot fence. This entire process applies to grid-scale solar farms, not to typical rooftop panels: the county's own zoning definitions state that solar collectors used for residential or business consumption occurring on-site are not considered a SOLAR FARM, so a homeowner installing rooftop panels for their own use falls outside this special use permit chapter and instead needs only the standard building and electrical permits under Chapter 150.