SolarRisk Tracker / Explore / TX / Bandera

Bandera County, TX — Solar Development Risk Assessment

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

69.8
Risk Grade
Poor
Grade C: No active county moratorium but demonstrated hostile community sentiment, active litigation halting construction, and worsening political trajectory. Developer risk substantially elevated beyond ordinance-based counties.
Assessment Snapshot
Population
20851
State Rank
#44
Compliance
45%
Trajectory
30

Moratorium Status

✓ No Active Moratorium
No specific moratorium information available.

Ordinance & Regulations

Setback Requirements
Not codified by county, but court injunction effectively imposed project-level stoppage Feb 2024.
Zoning Mechanism
No formal ordinance — but court injunction demonstrates hostile environment for utility-scale solar.
Acreage Caps
None.
Density Caps
None.
Spacing Rules
None.
Size Restrictions
None.

Board Sentiment & Political Risk

Sentiment Analysis
Hostile — organized landowner opposition successfully halted active construction through litigation.
Basis for Assessment
Hill Country character county; tourism/ranching community; Feb 2024 court injunction halted Rio Lago Solar construction after landowner plaintiffs prevailed; R-majority board; active litigation signals hostile development environment.
Political Risk Factors
Worsening
Board Members
Commissioners Court | 4 Commissioners + County Judge | Bandera, Texas | 4-yr partisan terms | County Judge: Richard Evans | Bruce Eliker (P1) | R-majority

Grid, Utilities & State Context

Grid Operator
ERCOT
Utilities
Bandera Electric Cooperative
State Permitting Process
No state siting board for solar in Texas. PUCT regulates utilities; ERCOT manages interconnection for ERCOT service territory (most of state); SPP governs Panhandle/northwest TX. County Commissioners Court governs unincorporated areas under Texas Local Government Code. Many rural TX counties have NO zoning authority — solar is essentially by-right without county approval requirement. HB 2527 (2023) requires counties with solar ordinances to provide a 'reasonable' permitting framework. No statewide preemption prevents county restrictions. ERCOT interconnection queue is severely congested — grid study delays of 2-4+ years common.
State Incentives
Texas has no state RPS mandate. Key incentives: Federal ITC (30% base + bonus adders for energy communities/domestic content). Property tax abatement via Chapter 312/313 successor frameworks (county-level negotiation required). ERCOT wholesale market provides strong merchant revenue stack. No state income tax benefits developer HQ decisions. USDA REAP available for rural projects.

Development Activity

Active/Completed Projects
Rio Lago Solar (Pine Gate Renewables) — construction HALTED by Feb 2024 court injunction granted to landowner plaintiffs.
Denied/Withdrawn Projects
Rio Lago Solar (Pine Gate Renewables) — construction halted Feb 2024 via temporary injunction; litigation ongoing.

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: 2026-04-01 | SolarRisk Tracker | Data sources: Government records, utility filings, public meeting minutes