Ohio legislature passes Senate Bill 52, giving county commissioners the power to establish "exclusion zones", where large-scale wind and solar projects are prohibited. The bill also gives Citizens the power to petition and vote, either affirming or rejecting any county ban.

Richland County Commissioners pass a ban on siting wind and solar projects in 11 of 18 counties. This ban was passed despite residents attending the commissioners' meeting and sharing their opposition to the resolution.
In most counties where such a ban is in place, it was a response to a proposed project with local opposition. Yet, in Richland County, there are no proposed projects and the commissioners shut the door to development and growth before being presented with a concrete opportunity.

Richland County Citizens for Property Rights and Job Development, a PAC formed by local residents, has 30 days to collect petition signatures to put a referendum on the ballot.

Petition signatures are verified and the ban on wind and solar in Richland county townships is scheduled for the May 2026 primary.

Richland County Citizens for Property Rights and Job Development creates the "No Ban on Property Rights" Campaign with the goal of educating voters and urging everyone to vote NO on May 5.

Ballot language is approved and outreach begins! Canvassers started knocking doors and making calls to voters across the county. Our first Town Hall is held at the end of the month, with more to come!

The voter registration deadline is April 6. Early voting begins on April 7, in person at the county Board of Elections, or by mail.

Senate Bill 52 gives citizens 30 days to petition to put the resolution on the ballot for voters to decide to either affirm or overturn the solar ban. We collected petition signatures in August 2025. After the board of elections verified that enough signatures of registered Richland County voters had been collected, the issue was scheduled for the May 5, 2026 primary election.