SolarRisk Tracker / Explore / MS / Smith

Smith County, MS — Solar Development Risk Assessment

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

50.2
Risk Grade
Fair
No solar ordinance; extreme rurality; conservative board; very sparse population eliminates viable project economics for most solar typologies.
Assessment Snapshot
Population
16,063
State Rank
#29
Compliance
62%
Trajectory
62

Moratorium Status

✓ No Active Moratorium
No Moratorium

Ordinance & Regulations

Setback Requirements
No county-specific solar setbacks adopted. State building code minimums apply; conditions negotiated project-by-project with Board of Supervisors.
Zoning Mechanism
Board of Supervisors discretionary approval; general agricultural/rural zoning; no codified CUP process for solar.
Acreage Caps
None codified.
Density Caps
None codified.
Spacing Rules
None codified.
Size Restrictions
None codified.

Board Sentiment & Political Risk

Sentiment Analysis
Conservative. Very rural central Mississippi; one of the least accessible counties in the state; no solar developer activity documented.
Basis for Assessment
Extreme rurality; conservative supervisors; no economic development pressure; no solar advocate or opponent activity.
Political Risk Factors
Stable
Board Members
5-member Board of Supervisors; Republican majority; terms expire 2027.

Grid, Utilities & State Context

Grid Operator
MISO South / Entergy Mississippi transmission zone
Utilities
Entergy Mississippi
State Permitting Process
No statewide solar siting law. Utility-scale solar regulated at county level by Board of Supervisors via discretionary zoning or conditional use permits. Counties retain full authority to approve, condition, or deny projects with no state preemption. MPSC oversees electric utilities; no formal solar siting review below 300 MW. FERC/MISO or SERC interconnection governs projects >20 MW.
State Incentives
No state RPS or SREC market. Solar equipment property tax exemption (Miss. Code Ann. §27-31-101). Net metering under MPSC Rule 29 (capped at 150% of 12-month avg usage; interconnection fee may apply). Federal ITC (30% under IRA 2022) is primary incentive. No state solar grant or loan programs.

Development Activity

Active/Completed Projects
No confirmed utility-scale solar projects on record.
Denied/Withdrawn Projects
No confirmed denials on record.

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: 2026-04-03 | SolarRisk Tracker | Data sources: Government records, utility filings, public meeting minutes