Hart County commissioners extend solar moratorium 180 days
July 09, 2025 | Hart County, Georgia
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The Hart County Board of Commissioners voted 5-0 to extend a temporary moratorium on specified solar development for 180 days to give staff time to refine land and soil data and evaluate the countywide exposure of potential solar sites.
Commissioner Brown moved to "extend the solemn moratorium for a hundred and 80 days," and Commissioner Bennett seconded the motion; the board approved it unanimously.
The extension followed staff remarks that consultant Shane Hicks had provided a spreadsheet showing soil and acreage data and that staff would convert that material into percentages of Hart County land area and into alternate acreage scenarios for the board to review. Commissioners said the conversion is intended to show what the county might "uncover" if it pursues formal solar siting policy changes.
One commissioner noted regional patterns of utility-scale solar concentration shown at a recent electric-utility conference, saying those concentrations were primarily in South Georgia rather than in Hart County. The board asked staff to return with maps and percentage breakdowns for different parcel-size scenarios.
No ordinance text, draft regulation, or statutory citation was presented during the discussion; the board limited action to extending the moratorium and directing staff to prepare additional analysis. The motion carried 5-0.
The extension will delay any regulatory or permitting changes tied to the moratorium while staff completes the requested analyses and returns to the board for further direction.
Commissioner Brown moved to "extend the solemn moratorium for a hundred and 80 days," and Commissioner Bennett seconded the motion; the board approved it unanimously.
The extension followed staff remarks that consultant Shane Hicks had provided a spreadsheet showing soil and acreage data and that staff would convert that material into percentages of Hart County land area and into alternate acreage scenarios for the board to review. Commissioners said the conversion is intended to show what the county might "uncover" if it pursues formal solar siting policy changes.
One commissioner noted regional patterns of utility-scale solar concentration shown at a recent electric-utility conference, saying those concentrations were primarily in South Georgia rather than in Hart County. The board asked staff to return with maps and percentage breakdowns for different parcel-size scenarios.
No ordinance text, draft regulation, or statutory citation was presented during the discussion; the board limited action to extending the moratorium and directing staff to prepare additional analysis. The motion carried 5-0.
The extension will delay any regulatory or permitting changes tied to the moratorium while staff completes the requested analyses and returns to the board for further direction.
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