Commissioners add definition for agrivoltaics to county zoning, suspend rules for immediate passage

Marshall County commissioners on a voice vote approved Ordinance 2026-13 to add a definition for agrivoltaics to the county zoning ordinance and, by suspension of the rules, passed the measure on second and third readings the same day.

Nicholas Whitworth, the county’s land director, told the board the amendment clarifies that agrivoltaics—solar installations co-located with agricultural uses—are subject to the county’s existing restriction limiting any single property to five solar panel acres. Whitworth said the intent is to prevent large, industrial-scale solar projects from being relabeled as agricultural operations to avoid the county limit.

Commissioners debated the urgency of the change but voted first to approve the ordinance on first reading and then agreed to suspend the usual waiting period, moving the ordinance to final passage.

The ordinance language approved by the board adds the agrivoltaics definition to Chapter 13 of the Marshall County zoning code and explicitly ties agrivoltaics to the five-panel-acre cap. The board did not change the acreage cap itself during the session.

The board president called the vote and the motion carried by voice vote. The ordinance will be returned for ministerial processing and publication as required by county procedures.