Smith County, TX — Solar Development Risk Assessment

No specific moratorium information available.

None codified at county level.

No county solar ordinance — by-right in unincorporated areas. City of Tyler has separate municipal development codes for incorporated limits. Oncor TDU / ERCOT territory.

Neutral — East Texas regional city; Tyler rose industry and healthcare/education economy; no documented organized solar opposition at county level; suburban and forested terrain limits available utility-scale land; city of Tyler administers own development framework.

Tyler county seat; East Texas regional hub (~236K pop 2020); large East Texas county with both urban (Tyler metro) and rural/forested portions; Oncor TDU / ERCOT; Upshur Rural Electric Co-op (northern portions); no county-level solar governance barriers identified; City of Tyler has own permitting jurisdiction; East Texas culture broadly neutral on energy development.

Stable

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. HB 2527 (2023) requires counties with ordinances to provide a 'reasonable' permitting framework. ERCOT interconnection queue 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.

No confirmed utility-scale solar projects at county level on public record as of Apr 2026.

None documented.