SolarRisk Tracker / Explore / TN / Cannon County

Cannon County County, TN — Solar Development Risk Assessment

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

44.3
Risk Grade
Good
Cannon County scores B due to minimal ordinance, low solar saturation, and stable trajectory. Small county size limits viability of large utility-scale projects simply due to land availability, but for appropriate-scale projects the regulatory environment is relatively open.
Assessment Snapshot
Population
14,678
State Rank
#18
Compliance
36%
Trajectory
38

Moratorium Status

✓ No Active Moratorium
No Moratorium

Ordinance & Regulations

Setback Requirements
No county-specific solar setbacks. State minimums apply.
Zoning Mechanism
Cannon County Planning Commission: CUP in Agricultural zoning; County Commission review per SB 2373 (2022).
Acreage Caps
None codified.
Density Caps
None codified.
Spacing Rules
None codified.
Size Restrictions
None codified.

Board Sentiment & Political Risk

Sentiment Analysis
Quiet rural Middle Tennessee county; minimal solar development activity; small farming community with low organized opposition but also limited proactive interest in solar
Basis for Assessment
Cannon County is a very small, quiet rural county east of Nashville with no significant solar development history; limited flat agricultural land but not as terrain-constrained as East TN mountain counties; small county government has limited capacity to process complex solar applications; Middle Tennessee Electric serves the county
Political Risk Factors
Stable
Board Members
County Mayor Jeremiah Squires | R | Aug 2026 County Commission (12 members); verify at cannoncountytn.gov

Grid, Utilities & State Context

Grid Operator
TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority)
Utilities
Middle Tennessee Electric Membership Corporation (MTE), Tennessee Valley Authority (wholesale)
State Permitting Process
County zoning authority under SB 2373 (2022); no state solar preemption; conditional use permit or special exception typically required; decommissioning bond often required; setback standards increasingly codified
State Incentives
Federal ITC eligible; no Tennessee state solar tax credit; TVA Green Power Switch program available

Development Activity

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Denied/Withdrawn Projects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

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Last verified: 2026-04-02 | SolarRisk Tracker | Data sources: Government records, utility filings, public meeting minutes