Solar permitting — Blount County, Tennessee
1 news item, 1 known opposition group.
⚠️ AVOID OR PROCEED WITH EXTREME CAUTION (Score 75/100, Grade F, deteriorating trajectory) — Blount County receives a D grade because the combination of very high compliance stringency (1,000 ft setbacks, CUP + commission approval), rapidly… Permitting: Blount County Planning Commission: Conditio…
Key driver: Blount County receives a D grade because the combination of very high compliance stringency (1,000 ft setbacks, CUP + commission approval), rapidly worsening political trajectory driven by Great Smoky Mountains tourism-identity politics, and significant terrain constraints makes utility-scale solar development extremely difficult. The ordinance framework adopted in 2023 reflects a county politically aligned against large solar.
Permitting process
Local permitting pathway
Blount County Planning Commission: Conditional Use Permit in A-1 Agricultural zoning only; County Commission must approve CUP for any project >5 acres; public hearing required; SB 2373 (2022) decommissioning bond mandated.
Setbacks & buffers
1,000 ft from any residential structure (participating or not); 750 ft from public roads and rights-of-way; 500 ft from non-participating property lines; full perimeter visual screening required (8 ft vegetative buffer). Among the most restrictive setbacks in Tennessee.
Spacing requirements
None codified.
Size restrictions
50 MW informal cap discussed but not codified.
Penalties & bonding
Total penalty: +5 (Denial +5)
State-level permits & approvals
County zoning authority under SB 2373 (2022); no state solar preemption; conditional use permit or special exception typically required; decommissioning bond often required; setback standards increasingly codified
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State policy & grid context
State RPS & clean energy policy
No binding RPS | None | Tennessee has no state RPS; TVA integrated resource planning only
State incentive programs
Federal ITC eligible; no Tennessee state solar tax credit; TVA Green Power Switch program available
Grid & interconnection
TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority)
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Battery storage (BESS) P1 State-Default Permitting
No confirmed county BESS ordinance.
Local BESS ordinances & bylaws
County-level battery-storage status, safety requirements, and projects — each linked to a primary source.
Community opposition P1 1 tracked
Organized opposition signals on record for this county — petitions, community groups, and oppositional coverage — each linked to its primary source.
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Subscriber intel Subscribers
Researched for this county and available with a subscription:
- 🔒Project track record
- 🔒Developer intelligence
- 🔒Community & board sentiment
- 🔒Governing board
Energy-related meetings & dockets P1
No tracked activity yet — coverage expands weekly.
State PSC dockets P1
No tracked activity yet — coverage expands weekly.
Sentiment rollup P2
No sentiment rollup yet (requires meeting transcripts to be processed).
Local news P3
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