A battery offer for your DeWitt County land? Ask what the whole project needs.

Identify the proposal behind the offer

Would the company build an independent battery project, batteries alongside solar, or equipment supporting a business already on the property? Ask for a written answer. The land needed, people involved and timing may differ even when each proposal is described as battery storage.

The county’s August 12, 2025 Prairie Flats hearing minutes describe a solar-and-battery siting application involving several parcels at Tabor Road and Trust Road. The hearing addressed battery equipment, drainage, access and an electrical connection. Those records describe that applicant’s proposal and testimony; they are not independent confirmation of its technical claims.

The August 21 minutes record reconsideration and passage of the original siting-permit approval motion. A motion to approve with an added cybersecurity condition failed. Keep that dated decision separate from construction, permission to operate or the status of a different parcel. This guide does not establish what later work or approvals occurred.

For your offer, request the application number, latest drawing and decisions already obtained. Confirm that the property is in DeWitt County, Illinois. The Town of DeWitt in New York is a different jurisdiction. A nearby project or similar place name does not answer which current rules apply here.

Reference: DeWitt County: August 12, 2025 Prairie Flats hearing minutes · DeWitt County: August 21, 2025 board minutes

Put every reserved area on one drawing

Ask the company to mark the battery compound, solar area if any, entrance, internal roads, cable routes, substation, drainage work and temporary construction space. Have it distinguish permanent rights from areas used only while building. The acreage beside the rent figure may not include every right being requested.

If several owners are involved, identify the part each owner contributes. Would access to your batteries depend on a road leased from someone else? Would a cable cross a parcel with a separate agreement? Ask who obtains those rights and what happens to your reservation if a needed agreement cannot be secured.

Show the land you intend to keep using. Include field entrances, buildings, a home, livestock areas and routes for farm equipment. Discuss whether the proposed documents restrict those retained areas even where no equipment will be installed.

Before signing, compare the drawing with the legal description and the clauses covering easements, access and future expansion. Ask your adviser to explain any rights that extend beyond the marked compound. A sketch in a presentation should not be the only record of what you agreed to make available.

Ask how the two parts affect payment and timing

If solar and storage share an agreement, ask whether one can proceed without the other. Would the company retain all the land while it studies only the battery portion? Could it start paying for one part while continuing to reserve the rest? Request an example showing the dates and amounts for that situation.

Discuss separate milestones where the proposal needs them. Which event starts rent: construction, delivery of equipment, a connection or another event? What happens if work begins on solar but batteries are delayed? Have the offer name the evidence you will receive rather than leaving you to judge progress from occasional visits.

Set out the investigation period, extension choices and payment for each additional period. Ask whether the company can change the proposed technology or reduce the area without changing the amount paid. Consider how that would affect a field, a separate tenant or a future sale.

If only part of the project survives, discuss release of unused land and recorded rights. Ask when the company must provide the release and who pays to prepare and record it. You may need the land for another purpose even if a smaller energy project continues next door.

Work out shared access and drainage before construction

Walk the proposed route on a map with the company. Ask whether battery deliveries, solar construction crews and routine maintenance use the same entrance. Identify turns, gates, road surfaces and crossings that may affect your other activities.

For agricultural land, mark known drains and places where water collects. Tell the team what you know, including repairs or problems that may not appear on a general map. Ask who investigates the drainage layout and who will provide a record before work begins.

Discuss responsibility if construction on one part damages another part of the property. Who restores a crushed drain, repairs a shared track or compensates for lost crops? Ask who handles the claim if the solar and battery equipment have different contractors or operators.

Keep emergency access in the layout discussion. Ask where responders would enter, who maintains the route and how gates are opened. You should be able to explain the basic route without taking responsibility for technical safety planning. Request the operator’s designated contact and the documents relevant to your role.

Do not treat an owner signature as a routine attachment

A project team may ask you to sign a land agreement, authorize an application, acknowledge a drawing or agree to a change. Have each document explained on its own. Ask what it permits, what land it covers and whether it affects compensation or your ability to object to a later revision.

If a waiver is requested, ask which current requirement it concerns and whose rights are affected. Request the exact wording and the proposed layout. Have your adviser review the consequences before signing; a project-specific request should not be justified only by what another owner accepted.

Keep a copy of what you signed and the drawing supplied with it. If the battery area moves or more land is requested, compare the new documents with those records. Ask whether a previous signature is being relied on for the revised design.

Ask the appropriate reviewing office and your adviser which current state and local provisions apply to the actual application. A historical hearing record does not settle today’s setbacks, filing requirements or treatment of standalone storage. Permission to file also does not promise that a project will obtain a utility connection.

Separate the responsibilities if operators change

Ask which company pays you, which owns the battery equipment and which maintains shared improvements. If solar and storage have different companies, name who answers for the entrance, drainage, fences and cables. A shared facility should have an accountable contact even when the companies disagree.

For a transfer, ask what notices you receive and how the replacement company takes over payments, repair duties and removal commitments. Discuss whether the original company remains responsible for anything and whether financial protection changes. Keep the contact details and transfer documents with the lease.

Plan for one part ending before the other. Can batteries be removed while the solar installation keeps using the shared road? Who pays for repairs during removal, and which improvements remain? Describe the outcome you want for the land rather than assuming both uses end together.

Request the proposed removal funding and restoration estimate. Have your adviser compare public requirements with the work promised under your agreement. Discuss what happens if equipment has little resale value, an operator closes or an adjoining project still needs infrastructure on your land.

Tell Sunland about the land you would consider

Start with your contact details, then a location we can identify. DeWitt County and Illinois are selected on this page and can be corrected. A parcel number and approximate acreage are optional for the initial inquiry.

Describe the area you would consider and what you want to retain. Mention an existing solar lease, another offer, a shared entrance or a drainage concern if relevant. You can ask about battery land without offering every acre you own.

The inquiry gives Sunland a location and a way to reach you. It does not grant entry, reserve land or accept a transaction. Further review requires the actual property rights, layout, current rules, electrical connection and commercial terms.