SolarRisk Tracker / Explore / GA / Union County

Union County County, GA — Solar Development Risk Assessment

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

76
Risk Grade
Fail
North Georgia mountain county with BOC anti-solar resolution; rapidly growing retiree population intensifying opposition; Appalachian terrain limits sites; worsening trajectory; highest risk of NE mountain counties
Assessment Snapshot
Population
24511
State Rank
#81
Compliance
70%
Trajectory
78

Moratorium Status

✓ No Active Moratorium
No specific moratorium information available.

Ordinance & Regulations

Setback Requirements
600 ft from residential; 200 ft from road ROW; ridge protection and watershed buffer
Zoning Mechanism
CUP required; planning commission review; BOC approval with anti-solar disposition; effective prohibition of utility-scale via resolution
Acreage Caps
No formal cap; de facto prohibition via BOC resolution and terrain
Density Caps
Mountain overlay precludes viable utility-scale sites
Spacing Rules
Not codified; effectively prohibitive
Size Restrictions
Utility-scale solar opposed by BOC; no viable projects in current political environment

Board Sentiment & Political Risk

Sentiment Analysis
Strongly Opposed
Basis for Assessment
Blairsville retirement/tourism community; fastest-growing mountain county in Georgia; strong anti-solar organizing via HOAs and civic groups; BOC passed anti-solar resolution 2023; Appalachian culture resistant to industrial land use change
Political Risk Factors
Worsening
Board Members
Board of Commissioners | Lamar F. Paris | R | Term Expires: 2026 (Sole Commissioner)

Grid, Utilities & State Context

Grid Operator
SERC-SE; Georgia Power / Blue Ridge Mountain EMC
Utilities
Blue Ridge Mountain Electric Membership Corp, Georgia Power (minor)
State Permitting Process
County zoning authority; no state solar preemption; conditional use permit (CUP) typically required for utility-scale (>1 MW)
State Incentives
Federal ITC eligible (30% base + adders); no Georgia state solar tax credit; Georgia Power IRP solar procurement program

Development Activity

Active/Completed Projects
None on record
Denied/Withdrawn Projects
At least two proposals rejected or withdrawn under BOC pressure (2022–2023)

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

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