Iowa Supreme Court · No. 24-1813
Worthwhile Wind, LLC v. Worth County Board of Supervisors
Decided April 24, 2026 · appeal from Worth County · Government
What the court decided
AI summary A wind energy company argued it had a right to develop a project under old rules after a county passed a moratorium and new regulations. The district court ruled in favor of the company, finding the county acted in bad faith. The Iowa Supreme Court reversed that decision and sent the case back to the lower court for further review.1
Result: Reversed and Case Remanded
The court’s own summary
The Board of Supervisors of Worth County appeals from a district court order granting a declaratory judgment that Worthwhile Wind, LLC had a vested right to develop a wind energy generation project in the county under a pre-existing ordinance and that the Board’s moratorium on wind energy development and later ordinance that was less favorable to Worthwhile were entered into or enacted in bad faith.
Holding: A county passed a moratorium and later an ordinance regulating wind energy development within its borders, and the county now appeals the district court’s decision to allow a wind energy developer to continue its project under preexisting law. Reversed and Case Remanded.
Judges
- Written by Justice Christopher McDonald
- Trial judge: Colleen D. Weiland, Worth County