Southeast Region County-level Agrisolar Policy
| Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisana | Tangipohoa Parish, Louisiana | |
| Year Established | 2022 | 2022 |
| Size: Small | No solar power plant will be erected on any site less than 10 acres in size. | No solar power plant will be erected on any site less than 10 acres in size. |
| Size: Medium | ||
| Size: Large | No written restrictions on the maximum size of a solar power plant. | No written restrictions on the maximum size of a solar power plant. |
| Solar Allowed on Which Zoning Designations | No written restrictions on the type of land use for solar energy systems. | No written restrictions on the type of land use for solar energy systems. |
| Solar on Agricultural Lands | No written restriction on solar energy systems on agriculturally zoned land. | No written restriction on solar energy systems on agriculturally zoned land. |
| Permitting | A solar power plant must be required to obtain all necessary permits from the state department of environmental quality, including the state division of air quality and the state division of water quality; the state department of natural resources; and any applicable permits required by the Police Jury, and applicable federal permits. | Local, state and federal permits. A solar power plant must be required to obtain all necessary permits from the state department of environmental quality, including the state division of air quality and the state division of water quality; the state department of natural resources; and any applicable permits required by the parish, and applicable federal permits. |
| Solar Energy Facility Application Requirements | Permit Application Requirements: i) Project rationale ii) Siting considerations iii) Site and development plans iv) Detailed estimate of annual taxes v) Visual impacts vi) Environmental analysis vii) Solid waste or hazardous waste plans viii) FAA hazard review if within five nautical miles of a FAA-regulated airport ix) A transportation plan for construction and operation phases x) Drainage plan xi) Stormwater pollution prevention plan (SWPPP) xii) The intended route for connecting to the power grid xiii) Decommissioning plan xiv) Other state and federal permits xv) Substantial modifications to any previous Police Jury approved site plan |
Permit Application Requirements: i) Name of the project, names and addresses of the business owners, names of the property owners and the engineers and surveyors ii) If the site is leased, a lease memorandum executed by all parties to the lease iii) Date, scale and accurate north arrow of the site plan showing all property to be included in the project iv) Boundaries and actual dimensions and shape of parcel, including total acreage, with bearings and distances v) Site plan showing streets, circulations, driveways, service buildings, easements, arrangement and number of solar panels, and streets; also fencing, gates and vegetative buffer vi) Horizontal and vertical (elevation) to scale drawing with dimensions that show the location of the solar panels and system on the property vii) Vicinity map showing the location and surrounding land use ix) Names and addresses of adjoining property owners x) Elevation certificate and preliminary drainage plan xi) Land contours xii) Plan illustrating the intended layout and green space xiv) Traffic plan during construction phase xv) Other features and designs as deemed reasonably necessary from time to time by the parish council xvi) A decommission plan in compliance with this section xvii) Economic impact report xix) Any parcels that are part of the project that is interrupted by a road or other parcels not part of the project must be identified on the site plan labeled as individual areas (example: a, b, c) xx) An application fee of $750.00 xxi) Public Notice requirements |
| Height Restrictions | Panel height will not exceed 15 feet. Poles and wires reasonably necessary to connect to public electric utilities shall not be subject to this requirement. | The height of solar panels shall be measured from the highest natural grade below each solar panel to the top of that panel. Panel height will not exceed 15 feet. Poles and wires reasonably necessary to connect to public electric utilities shall not be subject to this requirement. |
| Setback Requirements | Solar power plant must be set back from all project boundary lines which make up the site perimeter with at least a 50-foot vegetative buffer. In addition, solar power plant structures must be located at least 500 feet from all existing occupied residences, places of worship or occupied structures. Additional setbacks may be required to mitigate noise, or to provide for designated road or utility corridors, as identified through the review process. | The solar power plant must be set back from all project boundary lines which make up the site perimeter with at least a 50-foot vegetative buffer. In addition, solar power plant structures must be located at least 500 feet from all existing occupied residences, places of worship or occupied structures. Additional setbacks may be required to mitigate noise, or to provide for designated road or utility corridors, as identified through the review process. |
| Noise Restrictions | No operating solar power plant shall produce noise that exceeds 60 dBA, as measured at the property lines of the project boundary. | Submit sufficient information regarding noise, so as to demonstrate compliance below 60 dBA. |
| Dust Restrictions | Site and development plans must include dust and erosion control. | Site and development plans must include dust and erosion control. |
| Glare Restrictions | N/A | To address these concerns, all applications submitted pursuant to this section for approval of any solar power plant permit must include a detailed map analysis highlighting all airport operations and/or designated flight paths within five nautical miles of the outermost proposed boundaries of any proposed solar power plant. |
| Vegetation Management | A vegetative maintenance plan is required for general upkeep of the premises. Adherence to the plan will be subject to periodic inspections by the Parish. Vegetated areas will not be subject to chemical fertilization or herbicide/pesticides application, except for those applications necessary to establish the vegetative cover and in accordance with the approved vegetative maintenance plan. None of the ground on the site of a Solar Power Plant shall be kept bare, without vegetation. | A vegetative maintenance plan is required for general upkeep of the premises. Adherence to the plan will be subject to periodic inspections by the parish. Vegetated areas will not be subject to chemical fertilization or herbicide/pesticide application, except for those applications necessary to establish the vegetative cover and in accordance with the approved vegetative maintenance plan. |
| Fencing | A security fence of at least six feet must be placed around the perimeter. | A six-foot security fence must be placed around the perimeter of the solar power plant. |
| Screening / Vegetative Barrier | Requires at least a 50-foot vegetative buffer. Natural Screening: composed of healthy plants which possess growth characteristics of such a nature as to produce a dense, compact visual screen not less than six feet in height. Natural buffers may contain deciduous or perennial vegetation but shall contain existing or planted evergreen shrubs and trees suitable to local growing conditions that will provide an opaque visual screen during all seasons of the year. | Solar power plants must be constructed with evergreen vegetative screening. Existing forested vegetative buffers. Existing undisturbed vegetative buffers with six trees over 50 feet deep within every 100 feet of project boundary line shall not be required to install new plant material if the existing vegetation creates a continuous opaque visual barrier within 25 feet of the project boundary line. For existing vegetative buffer locations where gaps are within the visual barrier, shrubs must be added along the edge of the property line as required to create an opaque barrier. New shrubs shall reach a minimum of six feet within a three-year period. Vegetative planting must only use native trees and shrubs. |
| Decommissioning / Reclamation Plan | A signed and notarized decommissioning plan must be submitted to the Police Jury. It must be in a form suitable to be recorded with the clerk of court, and include a signed statement from the party responsible for completing the decommissioning plan acknowledging such responsibility.
The plan must be approved by the Parish Engineer. |
Describe the decommissioning and final land reclamation plan to be followed after the anticipated useful life, or abandonment, or termination of the project, including evidence of proposed commitments with affected parties (parish, any lessor or property owner, etc.) that ensure proper final reclamation of the solar energy project. Among other things, revegetation and road repair activities should be addressed in the plan. |
| Decommissioning / Reclamation Bond | Bond. A five-year bond in the amount of the anticipated decommissioning cost, the amount of which shall be approved by the Parish Engineer. i) The cost of decommissioning must be reevaluated every five years and a new bond must be posted to reflect the anticipated cost. Every quarter, a certified letter must be submitted to the Police Jury showing a record of all premiums paid. ii) The first year of the bond’s premiums must be paid upon commencement of the project, with monthly payments (which will each be a year in advance) to recur thereafter. iii) Any failure to pay a month’s premium a year in advance of when due shall be a premium payment default, for which the Police Jury may revoke the solar power plant’s permit. iv) The Police Jury shall be additionally named as beneficiary of the bond, and shall have the right therein to call the bond pursuant to the terms and conditions of the decommissioning plan. |
A five-year bond in the amount of the anticipated decommissioning cost. The cost of decommissioning must be reevaluated every five years and a new bond must be posted to reflect the anticipated cost. Every year a certified letter must be submitted to the parish showing a record of all premiums paid. |
