Risk Grade

Poor

Most remote and mountainous AR county; Jasper seat; Buffalo National River corridor creates strong conservation mandate; severe Ozark terrain limits siting; tourism/recreation economy; deep anti-industrial solar sentiment; no successful projects; effectively prohibited by community will despite no formal moratorium; highest risk AR county

Assessment Snapshot

Population

8330

State Rank

#44

Compliance

72%

Trajectory

Moratorium Status

✓ No Active Moratorium

No specific moratorium information available.

Ordinance & Regulations

Setback Requirements

500 ft property line; 1000 ft occupied structures; Buffalo National River watershed buffer

Zoning Mechanism

Conditional Use Permit (CUP) - Quorum Court/Planning Commission

Acreage Caps

Effectively prohibited by opposition sentiment

Spacing Rules

None established

Size Restrictions

None established

Board Sentiment & Political Risk

Sentiment Analysis

Strongly Opposed - Buffalo National River conservation identity; Ozark preservation; tourism economy; organized opposition

Basis for Assessment

Newton County QC public hearings; Jasper Newton County Times; Buffalo River Watershed Alliance; Ozark Society

Political Risk Factors

Worsening

Board Members

County Judge (R); 9-member Quorum Court - newtoncountyar.gov

Grid, Utilities & State Context

Grid Operator

MISO / North Arkansas Electric Cooperative

Utilities

North Arkansas Electric Cooperative, Carroll Electric Cooperative

State Permitting Process

County zoning authority; Act 827 sets minimum ANRC standards; conditional use permit or special exception required; decommissioning bond required; setback minimums set by ANRC

State Incentives

Federal ITC eligible; no Arkansas state solar tax credit; Act 827 ANRC framework

Development Activity

Active/Completed Projects

None - no projects have advanced past public input

Denied/Withdrawn Projects

Multiple informal proposals rejected at public input stage (2021, 2023)

Explore the Full Tracker

View risk assessments for all 3,100+ US counties, compare states, and download detailed ordinance data for your solar development pipeline.

Launch SolarRisk Tracker

Newton County, AR — Solar Development Risk Assessment