SolarRisk Tracker / Explore / GA / Gordon

Gordon County, GA — Solar Development Risk Assessment

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

44.6
Risk Grade
Good
C-grade reflects moderate compliance pathway with TVA interconnection complexity adding procedural cost, stable political environment with industrial pro-development culture, and moderate but not dominant agricultural land base; similar to Floyd County in NW Georgia TVA corridor
Assessment Snapshot
Population
57504
State Rank
#27
Compliance
50%
Trajectory
50

Moratorium Status

✓ No Active Moratorium
No specific moratorium information available.

Ordinance & Regulations

Setback Requirements
150 ft from residences; 100 ft from property lines; road setbacks per GDOT; vegetative screening encouraged
Zoning Mechanism
CUP from Gordon County Board of Commissioners; planning commission advisory; TVA interconnection study required; public hearing required
Acreage Caps
No formal cap
Density Caps
None formally adopted
Spacing Rules
Not specified
Size Restrictions
None formal

Board Sentiment & Political Risk

Sentiment Analysis
Neutral; industrial heritage creates pro-development baseline; Calhoun city government focused on manufacturing economy; limited organized opposition; some community concern about visual impacts but not organized
Basis for Assessment
Gordon County Commission minutes; Calhoun Times; TVA service territory records; Etowah EMC; GEFA
Political Risk Factors
Stable; industrial heritage and manufacturing economy creates generally pro-development political culture; commission receptive to economic investment including solar; limited organized opposition; TVA grid constraints may limit project economics
Board Members
Board of Commissioners | M.L. 'Bud' Owens | Party unconfirmed | Term Expires: Unknown (Chair); Kevin Cunningham | Party unconfirmed | Term Expires: Unknown (Vice Chair); Chad Steward | Party unconfirmed | Term Expires: Unknown; Randy Abernathy | Party unconfirmed | Term Expires: Unknown; Kurt Sutherland | Party unconfirmed | Term Expires: Unknown — 5-member body; party affiliations not publicly listed

Grid, Utilities & State Context

Grid Operator
TVA / Calhoun Board of Public Utilities and Etowah Electric Membership Corporation
Utilities
Calhoun Board of Public Utilities (Calhoun municipal — TVA distributor), Etowah Electric Membership Corporation (rural portions)
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
Approximately 1 utility-scale project in rural Gordon County, ~20–30 MW, 2020–2023; TVA interconnection in NW Georgia
Denied/Withdrawn Projects
None confirmed

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Last verified: April 2026 (web research) | SolarRisk Tracker | Data sources: Government records, utility filings, public meeting minutes