Prohibits local governments from prohibiting the construction, installation, or operation of carport-mounted solar energy systems with a nameplate capacity of five megawatts or less, in any non-residential zoning district or mixed commercial and residential zoning district of any such city, town or village, provided however, if the zoning district is a certified agricultural district the agricultural impacts of the projects shall be minimized to the extent practicable.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
6882
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
March 26, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sen. HARCKHAM -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Energy and Telecommuni-
cations
AN ACT to amend the general municipal law, in relation to siting of
carport-mounted solar energy systems
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The general municipal law is amended by adding a new arti-
2 cle 5-M to read as follows:
3 ARTICLE 5-M
4 CARPORT-MOUNTED SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEMS
5 Section 119-hh. Legislative intent.
6 119-ii. Carport-mounted solar energy systems.
7 § 119-hh. Legislative intent. The legislature hereby declares that it
8 is the policy of this state to foster and encourage the development of
9 solar energy generating systems, to take advantage of a safe, abundant,
10 renewable and non-polluting energy resource; to decrease the cost of
11 electricity to the owners of residential and commercial properties,
12 including single-family houses; to increase employment and business
13 development in the state, to the extent reasonably practical, by
14 furthering the installation of solar energy systems; and to provide for
15 the development of solar energy systems in non-residential zoning
16 districts and mixed commercial and residential zoning districts.
17 § 119-ii. Carport-mounted solar energy systems. 1. For the purposes of
18 this article "carport-mounted solar energy system" shall mean a solar
19 energy system not to exceed five megawatts of generating capacity which
20 is located and mounted on a roof or structure above real property exclu-
21 sively in use for vehicle parking.
22 2. No local government shall under any zoning ordinance, zoning law,
23 or law or ordinance of general applicability which determines permissi-
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01018-01-5
S. 6882 2
1 ble uses in city, town, or village zoning districts, prohibit the
2 construction, installation, or operation of a carport-mounted solar
3 energy system with a nameplate capacity of five megawatts or less, in
4 any non-residential zoning district or mixed commercial and residential
5 zoning district of any such city, town or village, provided however, if
6 the zoning district is a certified agricultural district the agricul-
7 tural impacts of the projects shall be minimized to the extent practica-
8 ble.
9 § 2. This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeed-
10 ing the date on which it shall have become a law.
