Rock Island County
Rock Island County, Illinois: solar permitting grade C (score 50/100, 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 50/100 |
| Population | 140,514 |
| 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
Rock Island 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: Henry County (≈24 mi) · Muscatine County (≈28 mi) · Clinton County (≈30 mi)
Cities, towns & townships
Local governments in Rock Island County. An incorporated city, town or village can adopt its own zoning, separate from the county’s.
- East Moline city
- Moline city
- Rock Island city
- Silvis city
- Andalusia village
- Carbon Cliff village
- Coal Valley villagepartly in this county
- Cordova village
- Hampton village
- Hillsdale village
- Milan village
- Oak Grove village
- Port Byron village
- Rapids City village
- Reynolds villagepartly in this county
- Andalusia township
- Blackhawk township
- Bowling township
- Buffalo Prairie township
- Canoe Creek township
- Coal Valley township
- Coe township
- Cordova township
- Drury township
Show all
- Edgington township
- Hampton township
- Moline township
- Port Byron township
- Rock Island township
- Rural township
- South Moline township
- South Rock Island township
- Zuma township
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, incorporated places and county subdivisions with an active government.
Nearby counties
- Scott County, IA · ≈12 miA29—
- Mercer County · ≈20 miB41—
- Henry County · ≈24 miB38—
- Muscatine County, IA · ≈28 miC42—
- Clinton County, IA · ≈30 miC46—
- Cedar County, IA · ≈36 miB37—
Compare these counties side-by-side →
Rock Island County ranks #79 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.