Carroll County
Carroll County, Illinois: solar permitting grade C (score 45/100, Elevated Risk). Score has been stable over the last 12 months. Primary-source ordinance and board-vote data on SitePath.
Public summary
| Grade | C · Elevated Risk · Score 45/100 |
| Population | 14,305 |
| Solar ordinance | Active solar ordinance on the books |
| Active moratorium | None on record |
| Regulatory trajectory | Stable (no material ordinance movement) |
| 12-month score movement | Stable |
| Last verified | 2026-05-02 |
Developer outlook
Carroll County carries elevated permitting risk. Developers should budget additional time for ordinance review, public hearing preparation, and community engagement. Illinois's state RPS policy provides a supportive macro backdrop for renewables, even where individual county ordinances are restrictive. Market saturation is elevated in this area — expect competition for prime land parcels and interconnection capacity.
Local intel
No energy-related meetings, PSC dockets, or named opposition tracked for this county yet. See indexed calendar →
Nearby counties where SitePath is tracking energy activity: Whiteside County (≈21 mi) · Stephenson County (≈24 mi) · Ogle County (≈31 mi)
Cities, towns & townships
Local governments in Carroll County. An incorporated city, town or village can adopt its own zoning, separate from the county’s.
- Lanark city
- Mount Carroll city
- Savanna city
- Chadwick village
- Milledgeville village
- Shannon village
- Thomson village
- Cherry Grove-Shannon township
- Elkhorn Grove township
- Fairhaven township
- Freedom township
- Mount Carroll township
- Rock Creek-Lima township
- Salem township
- Savanna township
- Washington township
- Woodland township
- Wysox township
- York township
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, incorporated places and county subdivisions with an active government.
Nearby counties
- Whiteside County · ≈21 miD56—
- Stephenson County · ≈24 miB39—
- Jo Daviess County · ≈26 miB40—
- Ogle County · ≈31 miC43—
- Clinton County, IA · ≈33 miB34—
- Jackson County, IA · ≈34 miB36—
Compare these counties side-by-side →
Carroll County ranks #60 of 102 ranked Illinois counties (1 = lowest permitting risk). Lowest-risk in Illinois: DeWitt County (A · 26), Bureau County (A · 26), Edgar County (A · 28). See all Illinois county grades →
Want the full record?
Setback distances, board vote histories, source documents, and ordinance amendments are available in the full county profile. The map is free; a walkthrough shows you the underlying record.
About this score
Every U.S. county is scored 0–100 on solar permitting risk (lower is friendlier to development). The grade is a weighted composite of compliance stringency, market saturation, regulatory trajectory, and data uncertainty. Every figure traces back to a primary government document. Read the full methodology →
Related reading
SitePath Intelligence is a research platform. Data verified as of 2026-05-02. Scores update on a quarterly review cycle.