Ask what the visit involves
Start with a plain description of the work. Would someone walk the property, mark a boundary, bring vehicles, collect samples or use equipment? Ask whether the team needs access to buildings, locked areas or land used by someone else.
Ask for the company name, the person arranging the visit and a contact for the people doing the work. If a consultant is coming for the developer, establish whom you contact about scheduling and whom you contact if something goes wrong.
For example, permission to walk an open field does not tell you whether a later request includes drilling or removing vegetation. Discuss each proposed activity before it occurs. Have your reviewer check that a written access agreement matches the work you understand.
Separate a conversation from a document that grants rights
NYSERDA’s solar landowner guidance discusses site investigations, notice of visits and repairing damage during development. It is general agreement context here, not a battery permit rule or a statement about the terms Sunland requires.
If a document arrives with the visit request, read more than its title. Ask whether it grants exclusivity, allows applications in your name, restricts discussions with others or creates rights beyond entry. Have those provisions explained before signing.
Ask when the permission starts and ends, whether it can be extended and whether another company can use it. If you agree to a particular visit, have the document identify that scope rather than leave the activities open-ended.
A decision to hear about a project is different from a decision to reserve the land. Keep the proposed access arrangement, option and eventual lease distinct in your discussion. You should understand which document you are being asked to sign today.
Reference: NYSERDA: solar landowner agreement guidance (general agreement context)
Show the places and times that matter to you
Mark the intended entrance and the area where work is proposed. Identify any route that crosses land you retain. Include gates, livestock, crops, tenant spaces, drainage structures and places you want excluded.
Tell the team about deliveries, field work or other activities that could conflict with a visit. Ask how much notice you will receive and how a visit is rescheduled. If a tenant or operator uses the property, coordinate their needs before giving access.
Discuss parking, vehicle size and where equipment can be left. Ask whether access depends on weather or ground conditions. A road that works for a light vehicle on a dry day may raise different questions for heavier equipment.
Keep a copy of the agreed map and schedule. If the requested area changes, review the change before the next visit. Avoid relying on a sketch that no longer matches what the team intends to do.
| Confirm before the visit | Question to ask |
|---|---|
| People and contact | Who is coming, and who is responsible? |
| Work and equipment | What exactly will happen on the land? |
| Area and route | Where may the team enter and work? |
| Timing | What notice and end date apply? |
| Site afterward | Who repairs damage and removes equipment? |
Want to ask about your land?
Send the location and what you know. You don’t need a project plan.
Tell us about your landRecord conditions before work starts
Ask how existing conditions will be documented. Photos can help everyone identify a gate, road, drainage area or crop condition before work. Agree on who keeps the record and how you receive a copy.
Discuss restoration before an activity disturbs the site. Ask what repairs would include, when they would occur and who pays. Have your reviewer explain insurance and responsibility for injury or damage in the actual proposed document.
If work affects an ongoing use, identify the practical remedy. For example, a damaged entrance may need prompt repair so deliveries can continue. A general promise to restore the property later may not address that immediate problem.
Ask whom you contact to stop or question work that appears outside the agreed scope. Keep that contact available to anyone responsible for the property during the visit.
Ask what information you will receive afterward
Find out whether you will receive the survey, test report or a summary of the findings. Ask what the results mean for the proposed area and what further work the developer would need. Do not assume access to every consultant report unless the arrangement provides it.
If a problem is identified, ask whether the design would change or whether the team would stop considering the site. Ask how the investigation affects any current option deadline or payment. A visit should not leave you guessing about what happens next.
If no further work is proposed, confirm whether equipment or markers remain and whether any permission or recorded right needs to end. Keep the final correspondence with the agreement.
You can ask about the property before allowing work
Send Sunland your contact details and the location. Mention that you have a visit or testing request if relevant, and describe the uses you want to protect. A copy of the request can help; detailed property information is optional.
You do not need to permit access to make an inquiry. Further review must establish the actual design, rules, rights and connection. Sending information through the form does not authorize entry, testing, construction or an application in your name.
Questions landowners ask
Do I need to allow testing before asking about my land?
No. Start with the location and your question. Any proposed entry or testing should be discussed separately.
Is a walk-through the same as permission for soil work?
Ask what each request covers. Have written permission match the specific activity, area and duration.
Who should repair damage from a visit?
Have responsibility, timing and the repair process addressed in the proposed agreement before work.
Sources & further reading
Sources checked 2026-10-04. Local rules and program details can change. Check the requirements for the actual project.