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Johnson County County, TN — Solar Development Risk Assessment

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

68.4
Risk Grade
Poor
Johnson County receives a D grade because the combination of extreme terrain (eliminating virtually all viable utility-scale sites), the strongest anti-solar conservation/preservation ethos in Tennessee, and rapidly worsening political trajectory creates a near-insurmountable development environment. The score would be F if terrain alone were scored — D reflects that the political barriers are very high but not at active-moratorium level.
Assessment Snapshot
Population
17,948
State Rank
#52
Compliance
65%
Trajectory
70

Moratorium Status

✓ No Active Moratorium
No Moratorium

Ordinance & Regulations

Setback Requirements
No county-specific solar setbacks codified. State minimums apply. Terrain — not ordinance — is the primary constraint, with mountainous slopes and ridge-and-valley geography eliminating viable sites in most of the county.
Zoning Mechanism
Johnson County Planning Commission (very limited capacity): CUP in Agricultural/Rural zoning per SB 2373 (2022). Virtually no viable Agricultural-zoned flat land for utility-scale solar within county limits.
Acreage Caps
None codified; terrain provides de facto constraint.
Density Caps
None codified.
Spacing Rules
None codified.
Size Restrictions
None codified.

Board Sentiment & Political Risk

Sentiment Analysis
Strongly resistant — Appalachian Trail corridor community with among the strongest conservation and preservation identity in Tennessee; Mountain City area is culturally aligned with land preservation over industrial development; no realistic prospect for large utility-scale solar projects
Basis for Assessment
Johnson County is in the extreme northeastern corner of Tennessee; the Blue Ridge and Iron Mountains make flat siting land essentially nonexistent; the Appalachian Trail corridor creates a powerful preservation constituency; Mountain City community identity is deeply rooted in outdoor recreation and Appalachian heritage; economic distress does not translate to openness to solar because the cultural resistance is so strong and terrain so limiting
Political Risk Factors
Rapidly Worsening
Board Members
County Mayor Mike Taylor | R | Aug 2026 County Commission (12 members); verify at johnsoncountytn.gov

Grid, Utilities & State Context

Grid Operator
TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority)
Utilities
Mountain Electric Cooperative (TVA distributor), 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 in Johnson County. Terrain eliminates viable sites.
Denied/Withdrawn Projects
Developer community has self-selected out of Johnson County entirely.

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