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

Article 16 applies to the siting, construction, installation and decommissioning of any Solar Energy System (SES) built in the county, and every SES must also meet all applicable federal and state law plus the general UDO. For residential ground-mounted systems, the whole installation is classified as an accessory structure. Rooftop systems get the applicable zoning district's height exemption for roof-mounted mechanical equipment, except that a rooftop unit on a sloped roof cannot rise above the roof's highest point. Intermediate and large-scale ground-mounted systems carry numeric siting standards under Sec.

16.5 and 16.6: setback at least 15 feet from any property line (or the district's own setback if greater), 20 feet from any public right-of-way, and 50 feet (intermediate) or 100 feet (large-scale) from a residential dwelling on an adjacent lot. Both scales must post signage warning of contact hazards, identifying the owner or operator, and giving a 24-hour emergency phone number, and must provide a visual buffer of vegetation, berms or fencing in residential or agricultural districts, maintained per a buffer plan the Community Development Director approves as part of the Special Use Permit.

Decommissioning must start within 12 months of the system ceasing to generate power; a permitted system follows the Director-approved decommissioning plan referenced in the Special Use Permit, while an unpermitted system must be fully removed, materials recycled where practicable, and the site restored within 6 months.