Bartow County, GA Solar Energy: Panel Permits (2026)

Bartow County's Zoning Ordinance defines a solar power generation facility as an assembly of equipment that converts sunlight into electricity and stores or transfers it. 2 splits solar installations into two tracks. Panels mounted on a residential or other primary structure count as an accessory use, so a homeowner in unincorporated Bartow County does not file a rezoning or conditional use application to add rooftop solar; the panels still need to meet the county's standard building and electrical permitting through the Community Development Department. A freestanding, ground-mounted or utility-scale facility is treated differently: it is only allowed as a primary use in the A-1 Agricultural, I-1 General Industrial and I-2 Heavy Industrial districts, and only with a conditional use permit granted under Article XVI.

9(BB) of the Zoning Ordinance sets the development standards that apply once a non-accessory solar facility is approved for the A-1 district. The facility and its associated apparatus must sit back at least 50 feet from every property line. Inverter and transformer skid pads need sound barriers to control noise, and all equipment must be screened and fenced to keep the site secure from unauthorized access; the screening has to be a minimum 8-foot opaque fence combined with shrubbery, trees or an earthen berm. Before approval, the applicant has to show the project will not hurt neighboring property by submitting aerials, graphic renderings of the project, and photos from the site demonstrating sight lines to adjoining parcels. The Zoning Administrator can also require added vegetated buffers or plantings to cut down the visual impact and glare from the panel field.