IL HB4551

Counties may deny permits for commercial solar or wind energy facilities if construction work is not performed under a project labor agreement with local building trades.

Wind towers must maintain setback distances from occupied community buildings (2.1x maximum blade tip height), participating residences (1.1x), and nonparticipating residences (2.1x), with shadow flicker limited to 30 hours per year.

Solar facilities must maintain 150-foot setbacks from occupied community buildings and dwellings on nonparticipating properties, with perimeter fencing of 6-25 feet and solar panel components not exceeding 20 feet in height.

Counties cannot impose sound limitations more restrictive than Illinois Pollution Control Board standards, cannot require property value guarantees, and must approve compliant applications within 30 days of public hearing conclusion.

Facility owners must enter agricultural impact mitigation agreements with the Department of Agriculture, file farmland drainage plans, compensate landowners for crop losses from drainage damage, and repair all construction-related surface and subsurface drainage damage.