Solar permitting — Jefferson County, Tennessee
0 indexed meetings (0 energy-related), 0 PSC dockets, 0 news items, 12 known opposition groups.
🟠 HIGH-FRICTION JURISDICTION (Score 59/100, Grade D, deteriorating trajectory) — Jefferson County scores C-high (Risk 48. Permitting: Jefferson County Planning Commission: CUP required in A-1 Agricultural zoning only; 750-ft max / 300-ft min setbacks. Track record: denial on record — Multiple large
Key driver: Jefferson County scores C-high (Risk 48.35) because the 2023 ordinance with 750 ft setbacks represents a substantial compliance barrier, the political trajectory is clearly worsening as Knoxville exurban growth brings more anti-solar residents, and the withdrawal of multiple large proposals confirms that real-world development difficulty has increased sharply since 2022.
Permitting process
Local permitting pathway
Jefferson County Planning Commission: CUP required in A-1 Agricultural zoning only; County Commission approval required; decommissioning bond at $1,500/acre; public hearing mandatory; SB 2373 (2022).
Setbacks & buffers
750 ft from any residential structure; 500 ft from non-participating property lines; 300 ft from public roads; visual screening required. Among the stricter county ordinances in East Tennessee.
Spacing requirements
None codified.
Size restrictions
None codified; managed via CUP/SUP conditions
Penalties & bonding
No penalties or adjustments. Standard CUP/SUP process.
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
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)
Subscriber intel Subscribers
Researched for this county and available with a subscription:
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Energy-related meetings & dockets P1
No meetings indexed yet for this jurisdiction.
State PSC dockets P1
No PSC dockets matched to this county yet.
Local news P3
News ingestion not yet active for this county (GDELT/RSS pipeline pending).
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