McHenry County
McHenry County, Illinois: solar permitting grade D (score 62/100, 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 62/100 |
| Population | 311,229 |
| Solar ordinance | Active solar ordinance on the books |
| Active moratorium | None on record |
| Regulatory trajectory | Worsening (ordinance direction tightening) |
| 12-month score movement | Stable |
| Last verified | 2026-05-02 |
Developer outlook
McHenry 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 McHenry County. An incorporated city, town or village can adopt its own zoning, separate from the county’s.
- Crystal Lake city
- Harvard city
- Marengo city
- McHenry city
- Woodstock city
- Algonquin villagepartly in this county
- Barrington Hills villagepartly in this county
- Bull Valley village
- Cary village
- Fox Lake villagepartly in this county
- Fox River Grove villagepartly in this county
- Greenwood village
- Hebron village
- Holiday Hills village
- Huntley villagepartly in this county
- Island Lake villagepartly in this county
- Johnsburg village
- Lake in the Hills village
- Lakemoor villagepartly in this county
- Lakewood village
- McCullom Lake village
- Oakwood Hills village
- Port Barrington villagepartly in this county
- Prairie Grove village
Show all
- Richmond village
- Ringwood village
- Spring Grove village
- Trout Valley village
- Union village
- Wonder Lake village
- Alden township
- Algonquin township
- Burton township
- Chemung township
- Coral township
- Dorr township
- Dunham township
- Grafton township
- Greenwood township
- Hartland township
- Hebron township
- Marengo township
- McHenry township
- Nunda township
- Richmond township
- Riley township
- Seneca township
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, incorporated places and county subdivisions with an active government.
Nearby counties
- Boone County · ≈19 miC43—
- Walworth County, WI · ≈24 miB38—
- Kane County · ≈27 miC48—
- DeKalb County · ≈34 miD56—
- Winnebago County · ≈36 miB35—
- DuPage County · ≈38 miB40—
Compare these counties side-by-side →
McHenry County ranks #100 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.