Tennessee solar permitting
Grade distribution
Overview
Every Tennessee county is scored on the SitePath solar permitting index. About half are graded A or B, meaning they present low to moderate permitting risk for utility-scale solar projects. A sizeable minority sit in the C range — moderate risk with meaningful process uncertainty. A minority are rated D or F — high to very high risk, often due to active moratoria, restrictive setback ordinances, or strong local opposition.
The most favorable jurisdictions in Tennessee include Hardin County (grade A), Lawrence County (grade A), Crockett County (grade B). The most challenging include Williamson County (grade D), Robertson County (grade D), Shelby County (grade F).
The state's policy environment — No binding RPS — presents headwinds for renewable development, making county-level permitting conditions especially important to evaluate project by project. No Tennessee counties currently have an active utility-scale solar moratorium.
All counties — sorted by risk score (best first)
See the full interactive map
County grades, scores, and ordinance data are also available on the interactive county map with filtering by grade, state, and risk factor.
Open the county map →About SitePath scoring
Every U.S. county is scored 0–100 on solar permitting risk (lower is friendlier to development). The grade is a weighted composite of compliance stringency, market saturation, regulatory trajectory, and data uncertainty. Every figure traces back to a primary government document. Read the full methodology →
SitePath Intelligence is a research platform. Data verified as of 2026-05-02. Scores update on a quarterly review cycle.