SolarRisk Tracker / Explore / AR / Polk

Polk County, AR — Solar Development Risk Assessment

Local solar ordinance barriers, board sentiment, and utility policies that affect development timelines and risk.

65.2
Risk Grade
Poor
Ouachita Mountain county; Mena seat; Rich Mountain terrain; Talimena Scenic Drive tourism; timber economy; terrain limits utility-scale solar significantly; Entergy grid; worsening political trajectory; no projects approved; C-D boundary risk profile
Assessment Snapshot
Population
20229
State Rank
#43
Compliance
60%
Trajectory
62

Moratorium Status

✓ No Active Moratorium
No specific moratorium information available.

Ordinance & Regulations

Setback Requirements
300 ft property line; 500 ft occupied structures; elevated local buffer
Zoning Mechanism
Conditional Use Permit (CUP) - Quorum Court/Planning Commission
Acreage Caps
None established
Spacing Rules
None established
Size Restrictions
None established

Board Sentiment & Political Risk

Sentiment Analysis
Mixed-Opposed - Ouachita Mountain community; timber/tourism economy; terrain and sentiment limit projects
Basis for Assessment
Polk County QC meetings; Mena Star
Political Risk Factors
Worsening
Board Members
County Judge (R); 9-member Quorum Court - polkcountyar.gov

Grid, Utilities & State Context

Grid Operator
SPP / Entergy Arkansas
Utilities
Entergy Arkansas, Rich Mountain 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 approved
Denied/Withdrawn Projects
None known

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Last verified: 2026-04-02 | SolarRisk Tracker | Data sources: Government records, utility filings, public meeting minutes