Knox County County, TN — Solar Development Risk Assessment

No Moratorium

Knox County Zoning Ordinance governs; no utility-scale solar-specific provisions relevant given urban context. Limited Agricultural-zoned land exists in extreme eastern and northeastern portions of the county.

Knox County Metropolitan Planning Commission: Land use plan governs. Projects in AG (Agricultural) zones require CUP; very limited AG-zoned land available.

Positive on distributed solar; neutral/practical on utility-scale (land constraints dominate); KUB has strong clean energy programs; Knoxville has progressive energy policy for Tennessee

Knox County is Tennessee's third-largest metro area; KUB is a well-managed municipal utility with active clean energy programs; the county's urban and suburban land use makes large-scale ground-mount solar infeasible within most of the county; utility-scale solar serving Knoxville's load is typically sited in surrounding counties (Anderson, Jefferson, Grainger); a small number of rural-fringe parcels in northeast Knox could support small utility-scale projects

Stable

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

Federal ITC eligible; no Tennessee state solar tax credit; TVA Green Power Switch program available

KUB community solar program well-developed; numerous commercial rooftop installations; one rural-fringe utility-scale proposal in northeast Knox County is in early development stage.

N/A — utility-scale solar impractical in urban context; fringe proposals face complex rezoning.