Considering battery storage on your Leon County land?

Start with the parcel and its physical address

A proposal should identify the land clearly enough for you and a reviewer to locate the same site. Gather the parcel number, a property map and the physical address if one has been assigned. If the company wants only part of a tract, have it draw that area rather than describe the entire property as the project site.

Leon County’s floodplain and electrical pages ask applicants to verify the property’s 9-1-1 physical address before applying. The electrical page says its county process is for unincorporated areas, with city properties handled separately. Check the actual boundary; a mailing address alone does not establish which office reviews the work.

Ask the company to put the battery fence, entrance, temporary construction area and electrical route on one drawing. Add homes, barns, wells, fences, ditches and the roads you use. That drawing will help you see whether the rights being requested extend beyond the equipment area.

If the site would use a new address or a service account in a different name, ask who is arranging it and why. Keep the property description consistent across the proposal, county applications and private agreement. An address assignment helps locate the work; it does not settle whether the project can be built.

The county sources linked here cover particular steps. Have the company obtain the complete review path for a standalone battery facility, including any fire, development, electrical and other requirements. Ask which office made each determination and what is still outstanding.

Reference: Leon County: Floodplain Permit · Leon County: Electric Permit

Ask for the floodplain decision for the proposed work

Show the reviewer the proposed improvements, not just the parcel outline. Batteries, an entrance, grading and a cable route may occupy different parts of the tract. Ask the company’s engineer how the work relates to mapped flood hazards, existing drainage and the land you will keep using.

The county’s linked application reserves the floodplain determination for the administrator. It describes an additional development-permit and authorization process when the property is determined to be in a floodway or Special Flood Hazard Area. Have the company confirm the current process and obtain the actual decision for its proposal.

The form says work may not begin before the floodplain determination permit and/or authorization to proceed is issued. Ask to see the issued document and its conditions before agreeing to grading or construction access. A submitted application or an unmarked copy of the form is not the administrator’s decision.

The application also says its determination addresses the county’s unincorporated-area flood damage prevention process. It does not exempt an applicant from other permits, deed restrictions, subdivision regulations or covenants. Treat the floodplain decision as one part of the project review.

The form warns that areas outside a designated floodplain can still flood. Ask how drainage will be maintained across the property, whether a new road or pad will obstruct water, and how construction will avoid damaging ditches. Keep the engineer’s answer and the drainage drawing with your agreement.

The posted application has a 2019 revision date and inconsistent wording in one determination row. Get the administrator’s completed decision and an explanation of any unclear language. Confirm the current application and fees directly rather than relying on an old blank form or a search-result snippet.

Reference: Leon County: Floodplain Permit · Leon County: linked floodplain determination application, revised October 2019

Separate the electric release from the battery connection

Leon County’s electrical page describes a release process tied to a verified physical address and a named provider. It says the processed release is forwarded to that provider and distinguishes the provider’s own requirements. Ask which part of the project this county application is intended to cover.

The linked form asks for the property owner, applicant, relationship to the owner, service address, provider and account information. It includes an “Other” description alongside residential categories. Those fields do not establish that the form by itself approves a utility-scale or distributed battery project.

A battery proposal may need ordinary electrical service for the site as well as a separate arrangement to charge and deliver power. Have the company explain both. Ask which utility or connection authority is reviewing the battery, what has been submitted and what document shows the current status.

If the company points to a county release as proof that the connection is secured, request the separate utility evidence. A county document, a service account, nearby wires and a battery interconnection approval have different purposes. Find out whether further studies, construction or agreements remain.

Discuss the schedule in your private agreement while the connection is unresolved. Ask how long the company wants control of the land, what it pays during that period and when you can end the arrangement if the project does not advance. Do not let a connection process with no agreed deadline tie up the property indefinitely.

You do not need to complete a county permit application to make an initial property inquiry with Sunland America. Use the form on this page to tell us about the land. Permit and connection decisions come from the relevant reviewers for a defined proposal.

Reference: Leon County: Electric Permit · Leon County: linked 9-1-1 electric permit application, revised October 2019

Have the company check the entire delivery route

Battery equipment and construction materials have to reach the site. Request a route from the main highway to the unloading area, identifying county roads, bridges, culverts, private drives and any neighbor’s property. Ask where trucks can turn, wait and unload without blocking your own access.

The county road-use page links a Special Road Use Indemnity Agreement and Permit. The posted template addresses specified heavy vehicles and applies its vehicle provisions to the applicant’s agents and contractors. Have the company check the actual loads and route with the appropriate road authority.

The agreement places responsibility on the applicant to determine road weight limits and the strength and suitability of roads, bridges and culverts. A permit document is not a substitute for checking whether the planned delivery can safely use a particular bridge or entrance. Ask who is performing that check.

The template identifies the county roads and work location using an attached map. It describes a map-update process for another work site using the same roads and a new-permit requirement when a new county road is needed. If the company changes the route, ask how it will update the relevant approval before deliveries begin.

The recorded 2005 ordinance concerns county roads, bridges and culverts and excludes state or federal roads and incorporated-city streets. Its present application must be confirmed; it does not supply every road permission for a route crossing several jurisdictions.

Put your private entrance and driveway arrangements in the land agreement as well. Decide who strengthens the surface, replaces a damaged culvert, repairs a gate and restores temporary widening. County road permission does not grant the company access across your property or a neighbor’s tract.

Reference: Leon County: Road Use Permit · Leon County: Special Road Use Indemnity Agreement and Permit, posted August 2025 file · Leon County: recorded road-use ordinance adopted February 28, 2005

Know who signs the road agreement and who it protects

Before signing a document provided with the proposal, identify the applicant and the work it covers. The county road-use template contains responsibility for road damage and repair, not merely a request for permission to drive. Ask why your signature is needed if the company or its contractor is doing the hauling.

The template says the applicant’s road-damage responsibility is not limited to the bond amount. It also describes reporting damage, making repairs and paying county repair costs in specified circumstances. Have your adviser review the actual completed agreement before you accept those obligations.

The posted agreement lists alternative surety or insurance arrangements, subject to county approval. Do not assume a single amount applies to every battery proposal. Request the required arrangement for this route, the named applicant, the coverage period and evidence that the county has accepted it.

A bond payable to the county or an insurance policy benefiting the county serves a different purpose from your own protection. Ask separately what covers damage to private roads, fields, fences and drainage, and what security pays for removing the battery equipment when the lease ends.

The road agreement also addresses loading, traffic, dust and debris. Agree on practical arrangements for your property: an unloading location, a way to keep livestock contained, a contact for damage reports and a procedure for prompt repairs. The company should coordinate its contractors so those arrangements are followed.

Keep copies of issued permissions and the private repair commitments. If the project or hauling contractor changes, ask who remains responsible and whether coverage and county permission remain in place. A new company name should not leave you unsure where to report damage.

Reference: Leon County: Special Road Use Indemnity Agreement and Permit, posted August 2025 file

Give the electrical crossing its own review

An electrical line may leave the battery area and cross or follow a public road. Draw that route separately from the truck route. Mark the road owner, public right of way, private easements and any land owned by someone else.

Leon County posts a Pipeline and Utilities Agreement that includes electrical utilities. Its text addresses a map to the precinct commissioner, road use, drainage, restoration and insurance. Ask the county which current agreement and technical conditions apply to the actual electrical work.

The template also contains pipeline-specific provisions and a separate utility-placement section. Do not turn its gas-pipeline dimensions or overhead wording into assumptions about an underground battery cable. Have the engineer obtain the applicable electrical crossing requirements for the proposed design.

The posted agreement describes public road use taking priority and certain changes at the company’s expense when its installation interferes with road work. Ask how a future road widening or line relocation could affect the project’s private route, access and retained land.

Review any private electrical easement with the lease. It should identify where the line goes, what maintenance access is allowed, how disturbed ground is restored and what happens when the project ends. A county right-of-way agreement does not answer those private-property questions.

If the route changes during utility or county review, request a revised map before approving more land rights. Check the work area around the line as well as the finished alignment. Construction may need space that will not be obvious from a narrow line on the final plan.

Reference: Leon County: Pipeline and Utilities Agreement, posted August 2025 file

Send the property basics before assembling permit paperwork

For an initial discussion, share the property location, your contact details and what you want to find out. A parcel number, approximate acreage and a map are helpful if available. Tell us if you want to consider only part of the property or preserve access to a home, barn or another field.

Mention existing access concerns, known flooding, a shared driveway or a recorded agreement that could affect the proposal. You can describe the issue without uploading private title documents to begin. If a document is needed later, ask what information is required and who will review it.

If a company has already approached you, keep its site drawing and proposed timeline. Note the acreage requested, the roads it expects to use and any county or utility documents it says it has obtained. That gives the discussion a concrete starting point.

The form on this page sends your inquiry to Sunland America; it does not file a county application, authorize an applicant to sign for you or grant site access. After an initial review, the next questions should concern your actual property and proposal. Any offer or agreement should set out its own land rights, payments, deadlines and responsibilities.

Reference: Leon County: Floodplain Permit · Leon County: Electric Permit · Leon County: Road Use Permit