SolarRisk Tracker / Explore / LA / Washington Parish

Washington Parish County, LA — Solar Development Risk Assessment

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

44.2
Risk Grade
Good
Southeast Louisiana timber heritage parish; Franklinton seat; Entergy Louisiana and Washington-St. Tammany Electric Cooperative MISO grid; Bogalusa paper mill closure creates economic development urgency; pine timber and pasture land transitioning; moderate density (67/sq mi) with viable rural parcels; standard CUP with moderate political engagement from post-industrial community; C-grade borderline reflecting modest compliance score, declining trajectory from economic transition uncertainty, and moderate saturation risk
Assessment Snapshot
Population
44491
State Rank
#21
Compliance
45%
Trajectory
42

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) — Washington Parish Police Jury
Acreage Caps
None established
Spacing Rules
None established
Size Restrictions
None established

Board Sentiment & Political Risk

Sentiment Analysis
Neutral — timber heritage parish transitioning post-mill closure; some landowners receptive to solar lease as replacement income; Police Jury supportive; modest community skepticism from industrial land-use history
Basis for Assessment
Washington Parish Police Jury; Bogalusa Daily News; Entergy Louisiana; Washington-St. Tammany Electric Cooperative; MISO queue
Political Risk Factors
Stable
Board Members
Washington Parish President + Police Jury — washingtonparishla.gov

Grid, Utilities & State Context

Grid Operator
MISO / Entergy Louisiana
Utilities
Entergy Louisiana, Washington-St. Tammany Electric Cooperative
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
Franklinton-area solar ground-mount on former timber lease land (approx. 8 MW, 2022)
Denied/Withdrawn Projects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