SolarRisk Tracker / Explore / LA / De Soto Parish

De Soto Parish County, LA — Solar Development Risk Assessment

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

38.8
Risk Grade
Good
NW Louisiana parish in Haynesville Shale fringe; Cleco Power primary MISO grid (SWEPCO overlap in far northwest); oil-and-gas culture facilitates permitting for energy projects including solar; flat Red River corridor provides viable utility-scale terrain; growing slightly unlike most north LA parishes; B-C boundary but graded B on permissive culture, flat terrain, and improving trajectory
Assessment Snapshot
Population
27463
State Rank
#4
Compliance
38%
Trajectory
38

Moratorium Status

✓ No Active Moratorium
No specific moratorium information available.

Ordinance & Regulations

Setback Requirements
150 ft from property lines; 300 ft from occupied structures
Zoning Mechanism
Conditional Use Permit (CUP) — De Soto Parish Police Jury
Acreage Caps
None established
Spacing Rules
None established
Size Restrictions
None established

Board Sentiment & Political Risk

Sentiment Analysis
Supportive-Neutral — Haynesville Shale heritage culture open to energy projects; Police Jury pro-development; landowners receptive to solar lease income
Basis for Assessment
De Soto Parish Police Jury; Mansfield Enterprise; SWEPCO/Cleco territory boundary; Haynesville Shale Consortium
Political Risk Factors
Stable-Improving
Board Members
De Soto Parish President + Police Jury — desotoparishla.gov

Grid, Utilities & State Context

Grid Operator
MISO / Cleco Power
Utilities
Cleco Power, Southwestern Electric Power Company (SWEPCO)
State Permitting Process
Parish zoning authority; no state solar preemption; conditional use permit typically required for utility-scale (>1 MW); no mandatory decommissioning bond statewide (some parishes require it)
State Incentives
Federal ITC eligible; Louisiana sales tax exemption for solar equipment; Louisiana property tax exemption for solar; no state income tax credit for commercial solar

Development Activity

Active/Completed Projects
Mansfield-area agricultural solar ground-mount (approx. 10 MW, 2023)
Denied/Withdrawn Projects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