How Renewable Developers Can Avoid ROW Delays That Kill Project Timelines
We got the call on a Monday.
The developer had a great site picked out, close to the substation, perfect access, everything looked solid on paper.
But there was one big problem:
They didn’t have site control. And the clock was ticking.
We started digging in. Right away, we found out the land wasn’t owned by just one person. It was in a family trust, and the trustee had passed away. Now we had to track down all the heirs, some of them out of state. That added weeks.
Then we found something else: What ended up happening is that, after some time, I was able to get the landowner to admit what he had been keeping secret, he had already signed an option agreement a few months earlier. The company he signed with never recorded a memorandum. The landowner was hoping to shop both offers.
That project missed its interconnection deadline. All because they waited too long to start land work.
Most ROW Delays Start the Same Way
In my experience, most renewable developers don’t call us until they’re in a panic.
They’ve got engineers lined up, maps drawn, and deadlines near, but no signed agreement with the landowner.
And that’s when things get messy:
Title issues (surprise: three people own the land, not one)
Trust complications (and no one’s updated paperwork in years)
Double-deals (owners trying to backdoor a second offer)
Unrecorded or hidden documents (like old leases or options)
When this happens, ROW turns into damage control instead of progress.
The Best Way to Avoid ROW Delays?
Start early.
That’s the difference between smooth and stressful.
The sooner you bring in your land team, the sooner you get answers:
Is the title clean?
Are there any hidden agreements?
Is the land truly available?
Is the landowner serious, or just shopping?
We call this site control, and it’s the foundation of your whole project.
What Is Site Control?
Site control means the land is locked down for your project. That could be:
An option agreement
A signed lease
A purchase contract
With true site control, you know:
Who owns the land
That they’re legally allowed to sign
That no one else is making offers behind the scenes
Without it, your whole project is sitting on quicksand.
My Advice After Years in the Field
I’ve been on enough projects to know what works:
Build trust fast. Landowners open up when they feel heard.
Don’t assume the land is clean. Dig deep.
Check for recorded documents early, memorandums, liens, old leases.
And always ask who else is involved. Sometimes the “owner” is just the front person.
Every delay we’ve seen could have been prevented if we were brought in earlier.
Get Ahead or Get Delayed
If you’re a renewable developer, don’t wait until you're desperate for a deal.
Site control is everything. Secure it early.