Start with the fields outside the fence
A battery installation may occupy one part of a farm, while its entrance, electrical route and construction traffic affect another. Begin with the land you expect to keep using. Where do you turn equipment, move between fields or reach a ditch for maintenance?
Ask for a dated drawing showing the equipment area, permanent roads, temporary work areas and cable routes. Mark the entrances and drainage features you know. A small equipment footprint does not tell you how much ground will be disturbed during construction.
Bring your farm operator into this discussion if someone else works the land. They may know where water backs up, which entrance is needed at harvest and which buried repairs are missing from an old map. Say when a location is approximate rather than presenting it as a surveyed fact.
Check which Illinois rules cover the proposal
Section 5-12024 of the Counties Code addresses defined storage systems outside municipal zoning jurisdiction. It excludes storage associated with commercial solar or wind facilities and contains an exception for earlier applications. Ask the project team to identify the authority, design and application date it is relying on.
For a proposal covered by that section, subsections (l) and (m) address farmland drainage plans, repairs and agricultural losses caused by drainage damage. Request the actual plan and an explanation of how it covers your property.
The Department of Agriculture also publishes agricultural impact mitigation agreements, often called AIMAs, for several project types. If a company mentions an AIMA, ask for the executed document and its project scope. A solar, wind or transmission template should not be treated as proof that the same document applies to standalone batteries.
Reference: Illinois General Assembly: Counties Code, section 5-12024 (energy storage systems) · Illinois Department of Agriculture: agricultural impact mitigation agreements
Record what is there before anyone digs
Gather the records you already have: tile maps, repair invoices, drainage district information and photographs of recurring wet spots. You do not need a complete engineering file to make an inquiry. An incomplete map is still useful when its limits are clear.
Before intrusive work, ask who will locate the drainage infrastructure and document existing conditions. Agree how discoveries will be added to the plan. A line found during excavation should not disappear from the record when the trench is closed.
Walk through the proposed route with the operator when practical. Keep dated photographs and notes for access points, ditches and affected fields. Ask to receive the final drainage plan and updated records showing repairs or rerouted lines.
| Information you have | What to clarify |
|---|---|
| Tile maps and old repairs | Who checks locations and records new findings? |
| Wet spots and drainage outlets | How will the remaining fields keep draining? |
| Farm entrances and turning areas | Which routes remain usable during work? |
| Tenant or operator records | Who reports damage and receives updates? |
Want to ask about your land?
Send the location and what you know. You don’t need a project plan.
Tell us about your landAsk how a broken tile would be handled
Imagine a specific problem: excavation damages a tile and water stands in the next field after rain. Who do you call, who inspects it and who arranges the repair? Ask for a written reporting process and a current contact before construction begins.
The storage section requires a farmland drainage plan to be filed with the county and affected drainage districts. It addresses surface and subsurface restoration and repairs as soon as reasonably practicable. Ask where the plan can be obtained and how the team will explain any change affecting your farm.
Discuss the period while a repair is pending as well as the completed repair. What records should you keep, how will the cause be investigated and how will you know the work is finished? If water crosses property boundaries, ask how the project team will coordinate with the other affected parties.
Reference: Illinois General Assembly: Counties Code, section 5-12024 (energy storage systems)
Separate drainage losses from other construction damage
Subsection (m) addresses crop losses and other agricultural damage resulting from drainage damage caused by construction. That should not be read as a single payment rule for every possible loss on a farm.
Have your adviser explain how the land agreement handles direct crop damage, compacted soil, damaged gates, temporary occupation and lost access. If you have a tenant, clarify the existing farming agreement and who documents each loss. Avoid leaving both parties to assume the other will be paid.
Ask how claims are submitted and what evidence is needed. Keep work dates, affected areas, photographs and repair records together. Discuss notice and dispute procedures before signing, while you can still ask for unclear terms to be changed.
Reference: Illinois General Assembly: Counties Code, section 5-12024 (energy storage systems)
Plan for farming during work and after removal
Show the project team your normal seasonal operations. Ask how delivery traffic, temporary fencing or an open trench would affect planting and harvest. Which entrance remains open, and how will you receive notice when the work sequence changes?
At the end of the project, equipment removal and useful farmland are different milestones. Ask what happens to foundations, roads, buried electrical work, soil and drainage. If you want to keep a road, put that request into the appropriate agreement rather than rely on a conversation.
Request the actual removal plan and funding arrangements. The county storage section allows a county to require a decommissioning plan with restoration and financial assurance provisions. Ask what has been required for this project, who can use the funding and how unfinished restoration would be handled.
Keep the operator’s contact information current after a project transfer. Your land agreement, the drainage plan and removal obligations should be reviewed together so you understand who remains responsible.
Reference: Illinois General Assembly: Counties Code, section 5-12024 (energy storage systems)
Tell us about your farm
Start with your name, email and phone in the form, then the property location. Mention that the land is farmed and share any drainage or access concern you already know. Acreage and a parcel number help if available, but they are optional.
If you have an offer, describe whether it is for storage alone or storage with solar, and whether it involves an option, lease or sale. You can begin without a finished drainage study. Further review still needs to establish the land rights, design, connection, approvals and commercial fit. Sending an inquiry does not commit your land or authorize construction.
Questions landowners ask
Do I need a complete tile map before contacting Sunland?
No. Send the location and what you know. Identify incomplete records and known wet spots; the project team would still need to establish conditions before disturbing the land.
Does an agricultural impact mitigation agreement cover every battery project?
Do not assume so. Ask for the actual executed agreement, its project scope and an explanation of which requirements apply to the proposed design.
Can a project affect drainage outside its fenced area?
Access work, excavation and drainage changes can affect retained fields. Ask how those areas are covered by the drawing, drainage plan and repair process.
Should my farm tenant be involved?
Yes, involve the person who operates the land when discussing seasonal access, existing drainage and damage records. Have the farming and project agreements reviewed so responsibilities and payments are clear.
Sources & further reading
Sources checked 2026-10-05. Local rules and program details can change. Check the requirements for the actual project.