Dodge County, Minnesota solar and wind ordinance
Solar: 50 ft from property lines, 200 ft (sensitive receptors) from homes, 50 ft (interstate, state and county road rights of ways) from roads. Wind: 3 × rotor diameter (Commercial WECS 40 kW< and <5,000 kW, secondary wind axis) setback from wind access buffer, 3 × rotor diameter (Commercial WECS, secondary wind axis) setback from public conservation lands. Every figure is quoted from the county's ordinance, read September 29, 2026.
Updated September 2026
Solar rules
7 figures read from the county's ordinance, each with the sentence it comes from.
| Rule and what the ordinance says | Requirement |
|---|---|
Property line setbackII. 50 feet from property lines | 50 ft |
Setback from homessensitive receptorsI. 200 feet from dwellings and other sensitive receptors | 200 ft |
Road setbackinterstate, state and county road rights of waysIII. 50 feet from interstate, state and county road rights of ways or greater distance when required by the road authority | 50 ft |
Setback from wetlandsIV. 60 feet from wetlands | 60 ft |
Setback from OHW of a public watercourseVI. 100 feet from the OHW of a public watercourse | 100 ft |
Setback from other watercourses, ditches and county tile mainsVII. 50 feet from other watercourses, ditches and county tile mains | 50 ft |
Decommissioning bondthe permittee shall submit a Performance Bond or cash escrow in the amount of 110% of the estimated cost of decommissioning | 110% |
Source: Dodge County ordinance (PDF), read September 29, 2026. Check the cited section with the county before relying on a figure.
Wind rules
3 figures read from the county's ordinance, each with the sentence it comes from.
| Rule and what the ordinance says | Requirement |
|---|---|
Setback from wind access bufferCommercial WECS 40 kW< and <5,000 kW, secondary wind axis3 RD on the secondary wind axis (typically east-west axis) | 3 × rotor diameter |
Setback from Public Conservation LandsCommercial WECS, secondary wind axis3 RD on the secondary wind axis (typically east-west axis) | 3 × rotor diameter |
Fence heightsubstation and/or transformerVisible and secure fencing no less than eight (8) feet in height shall be placed around the substation and/or transformer. | 8 ft |
Source: Dodge County ordinance (PDF), read September 29, 2026. Check the cited section with the county before relying on a figure.
Minnesota state law
State law can cap or override county rules. All Minnesota rules and counties.
State siting: Minnesota Public Utilities Commission
A state site permit is needed for solar of 50 MW or more, wind of 5 MW or more and storage of 10 MW or more; the developer may instead seek local approval for solar under 80 MW, wind under 25 MW and any storage.
Minn. Stat. 216I.02 subd. 6, 11, 17, 18; 216I.08; 216I.10 (2024 permitting reform). Source
Limits on local rules
A state site permit overrides county and town zoning for projects of 50 MW or more; no limit was found for smaller projects.
Minn. Stat. 216I.18. Source
Solar standards in state law
Statewide noise limits apply to every noise source, so they bind solar arrays whether the state or a county permits it; no statewide setback figures were found.
| Noise | 50 dBA L50 night, 60 dBA L50 day (residential) |
Minn. R. 7030.0040. Source
Wind standards in state law
Statewide noise limits apply to every noise source, so they bind wind turbines whether the state or a county permits it; no statewide setback figures were found.
| Noise | 50 dBA L50 night, 60 dBA L50 day (residential) |
Minn. R. 7030.0040. Source
Every Minnesota figure in one spreadsheet
158 figures from 30 counties, each with its quote, source, date read and any condition. 10 of those places are not on this site. Plus the 2 moratoria and bans on file and Minnesota state law.
How these figures were read
We found Dodge County's own ordinance and had two AI models read it separately. A figure is shown only when both read the same number and the sentence it comes from was found in the document. Moratoria and bans are checked against the adopting document. Ordinances change and many figures apply only in some cases, so check the cited section with the county before relying on one.
Common questions
What are the solar setbacks in Dodge County, MN?
The county's ordinance sets solar facilities back 200 ft (sensitive receptors) from homes, 50 ft from property lines and 50 ft (interstate, state and county road rights of ways) from roads. Check the cited section with the county before relying on a figure.