49.2

Risk Grade

Fair

C-grade driven entirely by physical constraints (2,852/sq mi density leaves zero utility-scale land); political environment is actually favorable for solar; compliance score elevated due to urban regulatory complexity and land unavailability; similar profile to Fulton but slightly lower density

Assessment Snapshot

Population

764382

State Rank

#40

Compliance

60%

Trajectory

Moratorium Status

✓ No Active Moratorium

No specific moratorium information available.

Ordinance & Regulations

Setback Requirements

N/A for utility-scale (no viable land); distributed generation follows standard building permit setbacks

Zoning Mechanism

Standard urban building permits for distributed solar; no utility-scale CUP pathway meaningfully available given land constraints

Acreage Caps

N/A — no viable utility-scale land

Board Sentiment & Political Risk

Sentiment Analysis

Supportive of solar broadly (progressive county); utility-scale N/A; distributed generation supported by county sustainability programs and Atlanta metro clean energy advocacy community

Basis for Assessment

DeKalb County Sustainability Master Plan; Atlanta Journal-Constitution; Georgia Power service territory; county board meeting records

Political Risk Factors

Stable; progressive urban county with strong policy support for clean energy but physical land constraints dominate; DeKalb county government supports solar policy broadly; no utility-scale land available to create political friction

Board Members

Board of Commissioners | CEO: Lorraine Cochran-Johnson | D | Term Expires: 2028; Chakira Johnson | D | Term Expires: 2028 (Presiding Officer); LaDena Bolton | D | Term Expires: 2026 (Deputy Presiding Officer); Robert Patrick | D | Term Expires: 2026; Michelle Long Spears | D | Term Expires: 2026; Nicole Massiah | D | Term Expires: 2027; Mereda Davis Johnson | D | Term Expires: 2027; Ted Terry | D | Term Expires: 2028 — 7-member board + CEO structure; all Democratic

Grid, Utilities & State Context

Grid Operator

SERC / Georgia Power (Southern Company)

Utilities

Georgia Power, None (entire county Georgia Power territory)

State Permitting Process

County zoning authority; no state solar preemption; conditional use permit typically required for utility-scale (>1 MW)

State Incentives

Federal ITC eligible; no Georgia state solar tax credit; Georgia Power IRP solar procurement program

Development Activity

Active/Completed Projects

No utility-scale projects; distributed generation programs active; DeKalb County has municipal solar installations on county buildings

Denied/Withdrawn Projects

None applicable

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DeKalb County, GA — Solar Development Risk Assessment