Clinton County
Clinton County, Illinois: solar permitting grade D (score 57/100, High Risk). Score has been stable over the last 12 months. Primary-source ordinance and board-vote data on SitePath.
Public summary
| Grade | D · High Risk · Score 57/100 |
| Population | 37,762 |
| 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
Clinton County is a high-risk jurisdiction for utility-scale solar — documented ordinance hurdles are significant and approval history is mixed or unfavorable. 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
On file: named opposition groups
Cities, towns & townships
Local governments in Clinton County. An incorporated city, town or village can adopt its own zoning, separate from the county’s.
- Breese city
- Carlyle city
- Centralia city
- Trenton city
- Wamac city
- Albers village
- Aviston village
- Bartelso village
- Beckemeyer village
- Damiansville village
- Germantown village
- Hoffman village
- Huey village
- Keyesport villagepartly in this county
- New Baden village
- St. Rose village
- Breese township
- Brookside township
- Carlyle township
- Clement township
- East Fork township
- Germantown township
- Irishtown township
- Lake township
Show all
- Looking Glass township
- Meridian township
- Santa Fe township
- St. Rose township
- Sugar Creek township
- Wade township
- Wheatfield township
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, incorporated places and county subdivisions with an active government.
Nearby counties
- Washington County · ≈18 miB39—
- Bond County · ≈19 miB39—
- Marion County · ≈27 miC44—
- St. Clair County · ≈29 miC46—
- Madison County · ≈30 miC44—
- Jefferson County · ≈34 miD58—
Compare these counties side-by-side →
Clinton County ranks #87 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.