State and Local Policy Database

Chattanooga

City Scorecard Rank

73

Chattanooga, TN

22.50Scored out of 250Updated 05/2024
Community-Wide Initiatives
Community-Wide Climate Mitigation and Energy GoalsList All

Climate Mitigation Goal

Chattanooga adopted a goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. ACEEE was unable to project if the city will achieve its near-term GHG emissions reduction goal because insufficient GHG emissions data were available for our analysis.

Energy Efficiency Goal

We did not find information regarding a community-wide energy reduction goal for the city.

Renewable Energy Goal

We did not find information regarding a community-wide renewable energy goal for the city.

Last updated: August 2023

Equity-Driven Approaches to Clean Energy Planning, Implementation, and EvaluationList All

Equity-Driven Community Engagement

We were unable to determine whether relevant decision-makers have taken a unique and expanded approach in conducting engagement for multiple clean energy initiatives with marginalized groups compared to engagement with other city constituencies.

Equity-Driven Decision-Making

We were unable to determine if the city has created a formal role for marginalized community residents or local organizations representing those communities to participate in decision-making that affects the creation or implementation of a local energy, sustainability, or climate action plan.

Equity Accountability Measures

We were unable to determine whether the city has adopted specific goals, metrics, or protocols to track how multiple energy, sustainability, or climate action initiatives are affecting local marginalized groups.

Last updated: August 2023

Clean Distributed Energy ResourcesList All

The city has not adopted a formal policy, rule, or agreement that supports the creation of clean distributed energy systems.

Last updated: August 2023

Adaptive Mitigation List All

Heat Island Mitigation Policies and Programs

We were unable to determine if the city has adopted specific policies or programs that incorporate requirements or incentives to mitigate the urban heat island effect. 

Resilience Hubs

We were unable to determine if the city has supported the creation of resilience hubs that incorporate clean energy resources and are sited in disadvantaged communities.

Last updated: August 2023

Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Workforce DevelopmentList All

Workforce development for disadvantaged workers

We could not determine if city has partnered with a local education institution, labor union, or community-based organization to create, support, and/or incentivize the development of clean energy workforce development initiatives that target training and support services for potential or existing workers from disadvantaged communities to obtain and keep in-demand jobs.

Workforce development for the broader community

We could not determine if city has partnered with a local education institution, labor union, or community-based organization to create, support, and/or incentivize the development of clean energy workforce development initiatives that target training and support services for potential or existing workers from the broader community to obtain and keep in-demand jobs.

Outcomes tracking

We could not determine if the city has instituted a mechanism to measure the performance and/or success of equitable workforce development initiatives focused on the clean energy sector.

Last updated: August 2023

Buildings Policies
Building Energy CodesList All

Tennessee is a home rule state and localities can adopt their own building codes. Chattanooga has adopted the 2018 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) with amendments. 

Commercial

Commercial projects must comply with the 2018 IECC with city amendments. The city’s zEPI score for its commercial energy code is 49.5.

Residential

Residential projects must comply with the 2018 IECC with city amendments. The city’s zEPI score for its residential energy code is 57.75.

Solar-readiness policies 

We could not find information on whether the city has adopted solar-readiness policies or requirements, but Chatanooga allows solar in all zones. 

EV-charging readiness policies

We could not find information on whether the city has adopted policies requiring buildings to be EV-ready.

Low-energy use requirements

We could not find information on whether the city sets low-energy use requirements for municipal or certain private buildings.

Electrification

We could not find information on whether the city has adopted policies to encourage the elimination of fossil fuels, such as building emissions standards, all-electric readiness provisions, or all-electric requirements for new construction.

Last updated: August 2023

Building Energy Code Compliance and EnforcementList All

Chattanooga requires plan review for select building types. We were unable to determine the amount of staff effort dedicated to energy code enforcement. The city offers on-demand code compliance support through pre-submittal meetings. 

Last updated: August 2023

Policies Targeting Existing BuildingsList All

We could not find information on whether the city incentivizes or requires energy-saving actions in existing buildings.

Last updated: August 2023

Transportation
Sustainable Transportation Planning List All

Sustainable Transportation Plan

The Chattanooga Climate Action Plan was released in 2023 and includes sustainable transportation strategies. It also includes strategies specifically benefitting disadvantaged communities.
 

VMT/GHG Targets and Stringency

The City of Chattanooga does not have a codified VMT or transportation GHG reduction target.

Progress Achieved Toward VMT/GHG Targets

The City of Chattanooga does not have a codified VMT or transportation GHG reduction target, and therefore cannot make progress toward the target.

Last updated: September 2023

Location Efficiency List All

Location Efficient Zoning Codes

We were unable to find information indicating that the City of Chattanooga has made changes to its zoning code in the past 10 years to facilitate more residential density, mixed-use development, or transit-oriented development.

Parking Requirement

Chattanooga has eliminated parking minimums in its Central Business Zone.

Location Efficiency Incentives and Disclosure

The City of Chattanooga does not have location-efficient development incentives or disclosure policies.

Affordable Housing around Transit

The City of Chattanooga does not require, preserve, or incentivize the development of affordable housing near transit.

Last Updated: September 2023

Mode Shift List All

Mode Shift Targets

The City of Chattanooga does not have a codified mode share target.

Progress Achieved Toward Mode Shift Targets

The City of Chattanooga does not have a codified mode share target, and therefore cannot make progress toward the target.

Subsidized Access to Efficient Transportation Options

We were unable to find information on programs or policies subsidizing access to efficient transportation for disadvantaged groups.

Last Updated: September 2023

Public Transit List All

Transit Funding

The transit entities that serve the City of Chattanooga have received $15,468,754.00 on average annually between 2017 and 2021 from local sources. That equates to roughly $86.09 per capita between 2017 and 2021 within the service area. 

Access to Transit Services

The AllTransit Performance Score measures a given community's transit access and performance. The score considers connections to other routes, access to jobs, service frequency, and the percent of commuters who ride transit to work. The City of Chattanooga's AllTransit Performance Score of 3.3 does not qualify it for points in the City Scorecard.

Last Updated: September 2023

Efficient VehiclesList All

Efficient Vehicle Purchase Incentives

Neither the City of Chattanooga nor the local utility provide incentives for purchasing efficient vehicles.

Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Incentives

Neither the City of Chattanooga nor the local utility provide incentives for the installation of EV charging stations.

Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Requirements

The City of Chattanooga does not require new developments to install EV charging stations.

EV Charging Ports

The City of Chattanooga has 59.8 vehicle charging ports per 100,000 people available for public use.

Electric School Bus Goal

Neither the City of Chattanooga nor the local school district have set an electric school bus goal.

Electric Transit Bus Goal

Neither the City of Chattanooga nor the local transit agency have set an electric transit bus goal.

Last Updated: September 2023

Freight System EfficiencyList All

Sustainable Freight Plans

Chattanooga does not have a sustainable freight plan or freight mobility plan. However, the city is pursuing multiple sustainable freight strategies, including exploring the establishment of low- or no-emission zones and incentivizing the adoption of electric commercial vehicles.

Open Data Portals

The City of Chattanooga does not have an open data portal with real-time freight data.

Last Updated: September 2023

Community Energy Infrastructure
Community Energy Infrastructure Summary List All

EPB a municipally owned utility, is the primary electric utility for the City of Chattanooga. Chattanooga Gas, an investor-owned utility (IOU), is the city's primary natural gas utility.

Last Updated: March 2024

Electricity and Natural Gas Efficiency SavingsList All

We were unable to verify the savings for Chattanooga gas and electric utilities for the year 2021. 

 

Last Updated: March 2024

Low-Income & Multifamily EE Programs List All

EPB offers the Home Uplift program to its low-income customers. We were unable to verify low-income savings and spending for the year 2021 for EPB and Chattanooga Gas.

Last Updated: March 2024

Provision of Energy Data by UtilitiesList All

We were unable to verify whether the city's utility provide benchmarking and data access. 

Last Updated: March 2024

Decarbonization and Climate Change Mitigation Efforts of Cities and Energy UtilitiesList All

Clean Distributed Energy Resources 

The city has not adopted a formal policy, rule, or agreement that supports the creation of clean distributed energy systems. 

Municipal Renewable Energy Procurement 

Chattanooga has a 2.64 MW solar farm that powers the Chattanooga airport.  

City Renewable Energy Incentive and Financing Programs 

We could not find information on whether the city incentivizes the deployment of renewable energy systems. 

Last Updated: September 2023

Local Government Score:
Local Government Climate and Energy Goals List All

Climate Change Mitigation Goal 

We could not find any information regarding a municipal climate change mitigation or greenhouse gas reduction goal for Chattanooga. 

Energy Reduction Goal 

We could not find any information regarding a local energy reduction goal for Chattanooga. 

Renewable Electricity Goal 

We could not find any information regarding a municipal renewable energy goal for Chattanooga. 

Last Updated: November 2023

Procurement and Construction Policies List All

Fleet Policies and Composition

While we were unable to find information on fuel efficiency and fleet procurement requirements in Chattanooga, the City’s Climate Action Plan includes goals to electrify their public transportation system and municipal fleet. We were unable to find data regarding fleet composition. 

Public Lighting

We did not find information regarding the adoption of a policy requiring efficient outdoor lighting, such as the International Dark-Sky Association’s Model Lighting Ordinance. We were unable to confirm if Chattanooga has an outdoor lighting upgrade program. 

Inclusive procurement 

Chattanooga released a disparity study of their procurement processes in 2019, which recommended adoption of formal policies and more staff capacity to address inclusive procurement. We were unable to confirm if Chattanooga has adopted inclusive procurement and contracting processes.  

Last Updated: October 2023

Asset Management List All

Building Benchmarking

We were unable to find information regarding benchmarking practices in Chattanooga.

Comprehensive Retrofit Strategies

We were unable to find information regarding a comprehensive retrofit strategy in Chattanooga.

Municipal Employee Transportation Benefits

We were unable to determine whether Chattanooga provides reduced-emission transportation benefits to municipal staff.

Last update: February 2024