Know Your Rights Before You Sign or Speak

Industrial wind developers often rely on confusion, fine print, and community silence.

But you have rights — as a landowner, a neighbor, and a citizen. Understanding those rights is the first step toward protecting your land, your voice, and your community’s future.

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

Before You Sign Anything…

You have the right to:

  • Fully understand any contract before agreeing to it

  • Negotiate terms or walk away without penalty

  • Seek legal counsel — and you absolutely should

  • Ask how your mortgage, taxes, and property rights will be affected

  • Know who the lease benefits (you vs. the developer vs. future buyers)

Aerial view of farm fields with different crops, trees, and a small house amid the greenery.

Many contracts include easement conversion, non-disparagement clauses, and decades-long obligations — some of which are binding even to your heirs.

Wind Energy Leasing Handbook – National Agricultural Law Center (PDF)
A Landowner's Guide to Commercial Wind Energy Contracts (PDF)
Some Landowner Considerations on Wind Energy Contracts (PDF)
Wind Turbine Lease Considerations for Landowners (PDF)
A sunset over a desert landscape with a prominent road sign reading 'Your Right to Speak Out' and a list of rights and guidance on speaking out against development projects, including speaking at hearings, sharing concerns, petitioning the government, requesting environmental studies, and understanding contract pressures to remain silent.
Text overlay on a background of wind turbines and a sunset sky. The text discusses zoning, ordinances, and local control rights, including establishing turbine setbacks, imposing height restrictions, enacting moratoriums, and the importance of environmental impact assessments, emphasizing democratic rights in local jurisdiction decisions.

You’re Not Alone

You don’t need to be a lawyer to understand what’s fair. You just need someone to help you read between the lines.

Reach out to a local advocate, attorney, or community group. Your land matters. Your voice matters. Your rights matter.