Knox County
Knox 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 | 49,699 |
| 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
Knox 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: Warren County (≈22 mi) · Peoria County (≈25 mi) · Henry County (≈29 mi)
Cities, towns & townships
Local governments in Knox County. An incorporated city, town or village can adopt its own zoning, separate from the county’s.
- Abingdon city
- Galesburg city
- Knoxville city
- Oneida city
- Altona village
- East Galesburg village
- Henderson village
- London Mills villagepartly in this county
- Maquon village
- Rio village
- St. Augustine village
- Victoria village
- Wataga village
- Williamsfield village
- Yates City village
- Cedar township
- Chestnut township
- Copley township
- Elba township
- Galesburg City township
- Galesburg township
- Haw Creek township
- Henderson township
- Indian Point township
Show all
- Knox township
- Lynn township
- Maquon township
- Ontario township
- Orange township
- Persifer township
- Rio township
- Salem township
- Sparta township
- Truro township
- Victoria township
- Walnut Grove township
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, incorporated places and county subdivisions with an active government.
Nearby counties
- Warren County · ≈22 miB36—
- Stark County · ≈25 miD57—
- Peoria County · ≈25 miC48—
- Henry County · ≈29 miB38—
- Fulton County · ≈32 miC47—
- Mercer County · ≈33 miB41—
Compare these counties side-by-side →
Knox County ranks #60 of 102 ranked Illinois counties (1 = lowest permitting risk). Lowest-risk in Illinois: DeWitt County (A · 25), Bureau County (A · 26), Edgar County (A · 27). 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.