Howard County, TX — Solar Development Risk Assessment

No specific moratorium information available.

None codified.

No ordinance — by-right in unincorporated areas.

Supportive — long-standing energy development culture (oil, wind, solar); landowner lease income from energy projects widely accepted; no documented opposition.

Big Spring county seat; Oncor TDU ERCOT territory; active wind farm presence supports solar co-development; energy-friendly community; improving trajectory as West TX solar buildout accelerates.

Improving

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.

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.

Active energy development in Big Spring area including wind and solar projects; ERCOT interconnection queue activity [TBV — verify specific solar project names and sizes via ERCOT queue and Howard County records].

None documented.