Howard Township is reviewing its zoning regulations, trustee Joe Toth told the Mount Vernon News.
"We're going through our zoning to update the items that aren't law anymore, so you couldn't enforce anyway or new things that entered the field and we don't have anything covering it," he said.
The zoning regulations have not seen a major overhaul for years, Toth said.
Much of the Apple Valley subdivision is within Howard Township, the trustee noted.
"We're kind of a village-city," he said. "Our zoning is not nearly as strong as what cities can be. We're just trying to update it so that we can protect our residents. It's been so many years since it was updated that it's a mess."
The township has hired a consulting company to help with the update, Toth said. He doesn't expect major changes.
"The big thing we will be adding are things like fencing laws," he said. "We don't have anything really in our zoning for fencing. Apple Valley has quarter-acre lots mostly, and then right outside of Apple Valley, residents have three, five, 10, even 100 acres. We're trying to get that worked out for residential. When it comes to agricultural, that's different."
Wind and solar power may also be added to the zoning regulations, Toth said.
"For example, if you are living in a rural area, you can have a solar array with solar panels on stands behind your house," he said. "But in Apple Valley, could you imagine if we had all these people putting solar arrays not on their roofs but in their backyard? So we're trying to make sure that in places like Apple Valley, it has to go on your roof."
He predicts the proposed new regulations will be finished by June and adds that public hearings on the changes will be allowed for public input. The proposed changes will also go through a legal review and before the trustees for a vote, Toth said.
"Most people won't notice any difference with it, but it will tighten everything up," Toth said.
