Marion County
Marion 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 | 36,397 |
| Solar ordinance | Active, restrictive solar ordinance |
| Active moratorium | None on record |
| Regulatory trajectory | Stable (no material ordinance movement) |
| 12-month score movement | Stable |
| Last verified | 2026-05-02 |
Developer outlook
Marion 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: Jefferson County (≈24 mi) · Clay County (≈25 mi) · Clinton County (≈27 mi)
Cities, towns & townships
Local governments in Marion County. An incorporated city, town or village can adopt its own zoning, separate from the county’s.
- Centralia citypartly in this county
- Kinmundy city
- Salem city
- Wamac citypartly in this county
- Alma village
- Central City village
- Farina villagepartly in this county
- Iuka village
- Junction City village
- Kell village
- Odin village
- Patoka village
- Sandoval village
- Vernon village
- Walnut Hill village
- Alma township
- Carrigan township
- Centralia township
- Foster township
- Haines township
- Iuka township
- Kinmundy township
- Meacham township
- Odin township
Show all
- Omega township
- Patoka township
- Raccoon township
- Romine township
- Salem township
- Sandoval township
- Stevenson township
- Tonti township
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, incorporated places and county subdivisions with an active government.
Nearby counties
- Jefferson County · ≈24 miD58—
- Clay County · ≈25 miD59—
- Fayette County · ≈25 miC47—
- Clinton County · ≈27 miD57—
- Wayne County · ≈30 miB37—
- Bond County · ≈32 miB39—
Compare these counties side-by-side →
Marion County ranks #53 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.