Madison County
Madison County, Illinois: solar permitting grade C (score 44/100, 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 44/100 |
| Population | 266,654 |
| 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
Madison 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
On file: named opposition groups
Cities, towns & townships
Local governments in Madison County. An incorporated city, town or village can adopt its own zoning, separate from the county’s.
- Alton city
- Collinsville city
- Edwardsville city
- Granite City city
- Highland city
- Madison city
- Troy city
- Venice city
- Wood River city
- Alhambra village
- Bethalto village
- East Alton village
- Fairmont City village
- Glen Carbon village
- Godfrey village
- Grantfork village
- Hamel village
- Hartford village
- Livingston village
- Marine village
- Maryville village
- New Douglas village
- Pierron villagepartly in this county
- Pontoon Beach village
Show all
- Roxana village
- South Roxana village
- St. Jacob village
- Williamson village
- Worden village
- Alhambra township
- Alton township
- Chouteau township
- Collinsville township
- Edwardsville township
- Fort Russell township
- Foster township
- Granite City township
- Hamel township
- Helvetia township
- Jarvis township
- Leef township
- Marine township
- Moro township
- Nameoki township
- New Douglas township
- Olive township
- Omphghent township
- Pin Oak township
- Saline township
- St. Jacob township
- Venice township
- Wood River township
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, incorporated places and county subdivisions with an active government.
Nearby counties
- Saint Louis City, MO · ≈23 miD56—
- St. Clair County · ≈25 miC46—
- Bond County · ≈25 miB39—
- Clinton County · ≈30 miD57—
- Jersey County · ≈30 miB39—
- Macoupin County · ≈30 miB38—
Compare these counties side-by-side →
Madison County ranks #55 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.